How Much Do Aesthetics Factor Into Your Decisions?

I’m with you @tony1954, I like my gear to look good but only if it sounds good.
​​​​​​Now, if I could hide those wires… :-)))

I like esthetical products better...

As anyone...

But i dont care at all about esthetic when i pick what i must pick , and if i must modify it i do it... Esthetical no more .... 😊

Only sound and S.Q. /price ratio matter...

Especially with low budget audio ...

For example :

I could upgrade , i had the money say my financial adviser 😁( my wife)

I could upgrade to a beautiful TOP headphone amplifier by Berning the microzotl 3...

but i am very happy with my Sansui alpha 607 i covered by what some could call junk , i will call beautiful minerals, it is not ugly for sure, but it is not esthetical and clean...The soundfield is perfect....

If i am afraid to upgrade with a top of the world product and a beautiful one,then you have an idea how a 700 bucks well chosen system well optimized can perform...😁

in the dark evening  though , my 2 glowing Schuman generators under a big quartz are beautiful like glowing  tubes....

Then perhaps esthetic play a role in my unesthetical audio corner...😁

The upgrade to a better dac would be the only real upgrade for sure,   will cost too much... I must wait... I think i will not upgrade the amplifier.... the headphone modified for vibrations and comfort are not beautiful but they are impossible almost to be beaten... Stax Omega ? RAAL ? i dont think so after reading all reviews between line and comparing with what i already have ...

Esthetic is one aspect of thing.... Sound quality at low cost another completely different factor...

The second matter the most for me almost exclusively ... I dont show my audio system anyway i listen to it...

Sound over aesthetics with the exception of speakers something that prominent in my room has to look good to me. The rest of my gear I would call industrial un-chic. ;)

What looks good or bad is a very personal decision, but if a manufacturer can't make a product that looks good to somebody, then they probably can't make one that sounds good to anybody.  The two go hand in hand.  It doesn't have to be stylish or ornate, but a product should look like someone took a few minutes to think about how it looks.  As an example, I had waffle iron that had plastic feet and when you stored the iron upright the plastic feet made a smiley face.  So simple and they didn't have to do it, but they cared.  The waffles clearly tasted better!