Looks vs. Performance - How would you mix and match?

I just always wanted a Victrola never mind stuffing anything into it. My grand mother had one and in spite of my insistence that I inherit it it dissipated into the ozone:(  I was only 5 years old. Anyway I always loved the look of old Marantz stuff. May be stuffing an ARC preamp into a 7C?
I would certainly stuff a Model 9 into a Model 9. I heard them driving K horns with an Ampex reel to reel.Think of the impression that made on a 13 year old who was building a Dyna Stereo 70 and trying to drive AR 2Axs with it. The FuzzLinear 700 was still years away.

mijostyn, old victrolas are really cool to have. Pretty cheap too if you get a model they made a bunch of. I got one in great shape here in CT. for $150. Tiger stripe oak, bunch of needles and about a dozen 78s. Love to wind it up, put on an old classic love song, and grab my sweetheart’s hand for a dance. It really transports you to another time. Check out your local Craigslist, you might be pleasantly surprised.....

I would have liked for something as simple as my Luxman 507uX integrated amp to have been available in black to match all the rest of the components. It wasn’t a deal killer when purchasing, only an annoying drawback. Luxman does take a lot of care with the fit and finish of their amps, but forgets that silver is not the only, or predominant, color out there. I have my components in a built-in vented cabinet, so just close the door to not have to look at mismatched equipment.

Mike

thecarpathian, I wish. My grandmother's was an older one with flowers painted on a big horn. The original horn loudspeaker connected directly to the needle!

Yeh skyscraper they need to get with it. Those of us with theaters want everything in black to avoid reflections. Even ARC does their stuff in black now.