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Why is black so popular for components?

A current post about the looks of gear got me thinking. How did black become the most popular color for audiophile gear? I can see it being popular for home theater where the gear might be at the front of a room where you want it as dark as possible but black was the color of choice well before home theater. Maybe it is as simple as people just like it but if that were the case I would think it would also be the most popular in other consumer items such as motor vehicles.  I remember when I wasn’t always fortunate to have a dedicated stereo room and my wife would ask me why I purchased black equipment because she thought it was ugly and I agreed with her but usually, I had no choice.  For manufacturers offering additional colors may be costlier but I am willing to pay for it. Fortunately , some companies that I like offer silver usually in the face plates which works for me. Odyssey Audio has numerous color options available for their faceplates for a nominal fee but as far as I know they are an exception.  A lot of speaker manufacturers offer different colors which is great, especially if you have to place them in a communal space like a living room.  So in summary why did black become the color for stereo gear ? How many of you would prefer color options?

128x128lwin
mwinkc
345 posts
 
Black for me, BECAUSE I can see the dust more easily... therefore I keep it cleaner.

Also, Black is more uniform. As someone in the printing business, I know that blacks are much more easily matched and stable in color. Whites are the most difficult to match, followed by colors... all of which can change with time and exposure to light.

Having several components that are intended to be the same colors results in a mishmash of non-matching colors...like you failed or couldn’t see the difference...like the poor fellow driving a car that has had body work done and the fender doesn’t quite match the front door and neither of them match the quarter panel.

Silver is pretty, but there are a lot of different ways to obtain that color...natural, polished or natural, machined, anodized, lacquered, even painted😱. All of which look different.

I once had a Rotel power amp that had Black "heat sinks" on either side of a silver anodized front panel. Pretty clever...like blue jeans, it went with everything.

Maybe it’s just the audiophile’s equivalent of a woman’s need to have all parts of an outfit match or compliment each other?

All said.... the sound comes first!
hickamore
567 posts
 
Remember when, in the 1980s, silver audio components suddenly became unobtainable? You'd have thought Henry "any color so long as it's black" had been put in charge. Well, I HATE any product, audio or otherwise, that is both black and (theoretically) functional. BECAUSE THE BUTTONS ARE FUCKING INVISIBLE -- BLACK ON BLACK! I literally need a flashlight to find the controls. Never have I understood how consumers manage to tolerate the Great Audio Blackwash. These days I'm down to only two black components: a stereo tuner and a cassette player. The cassette is rarely used, and the tuner is set permanently to NPR. These are black for the simply reason that SILVER IS NOT AVAILABLE in tuners (the NAD is the last one on the market -- comes in black only, of course), and cassette players haven't been made since I turned 30. So hooray for Schiit, Cambridge, Parasound, Rogue, PrimaLuna, Aurender & others that offer silver components with classic styling. The Yggy even has rounded corners, like the old Peachtree Grand Pre. But I repeat: it's not JUST looks; it's function, baby. If I can't see it, it doesn't exist.
ebanksms
92 posts
 
For eons all my kit was black, but about two years ago I began a move to silver for electronics and natural wood finishes (especially cherry) for speakers.

My favorite receiver brand is Marantz and the US market only gets black but I wanted silver.  I finally found one on Amazon UK and the price was still competitive despite shipping and the required power converter. 

I've often wondered if WAF was the reason for all the black. The spend would be grudgingly agreed with with a provisor to make it "disappear. Hence the black!

Mark
jsd52756
420 posts
 
I'm going with "it makes all those nice lights pretrier" theory.  Darken the room and all the indicator lights look like they are floating in mid air.   I actually put adjustable brightness LED strips hidden above the system and when they are on red & low brightness it looks awesome.  Space ship control panel awesome.  Play some jazz & it's sexy awesome.  
I was gonna order plaid but it won't be available until the 2022 models come out.
musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349
207 posts
 
I'll echo what I think most are implying: It's the current trend. I also agree with what folk are saying about APAC in that they prefer gold tones. I had an SP3 in the gold color. It never bothered me enough to trigger my OCD  though. Same with my CJ Premier 6 that's gold as was most CJ gear. (Likely to stand out from competing ARC gear. :) I admit I'd love to get one of the Taiwan-only ARC SP10's in gold as I think they look stunning... But it's all kind of moot for me. You see, my wife asked kindly if I could conceal my gear somehow as it lives in the living room...No worries! So I custom spec'ed a large Ikea amoire and except for the ARC VS110, it all happily lives in there. I usually keep it closed even when playing which helps with isolation. 
Cheers all!
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