When have you traded sound quality for looks?

No Fraim or whatever rack / hifi altar ever, no matter how good / better they might sound, no Chord anti-tank weaponry except perhaps behind doors. Still having troubles to cope visually with floorstanders in my living room although the S-400 look quite fine and sound great. Naim boxes look great, hope nothing will change here at least for the next two or three centuries. Best, nbpf   

Always. I went to an all naim 5 series system in 2000 for the looks, system integration and the fact that all cables come supplied taking the guesswork out of it. The NDX / Supernait I have now is great for similar reasons, if looks weren't an issue I'd probably go for more psu boxes cables etc. but I don't want to go there. Even If I had unlimited funds I would never get a statement or any of the huge monoblock power amps from chord / McIntosh and the like. Couldn't live with them visually.       

CB Boxes on Fraim still look the best to me. If only we could get some DR upgrades!

ATB,

Mark

I defiantly wouldn't buy something that was proper fugly, even if it was the best sounding kit in the world!

we buy luxury products (which quality hifi is) on many/all levels. I much prefer the XS range looks to the classic, aesthetically there's not much in them but the shallower design looks slicker IMHO 

When have I traded sound quality for looks?

Every time I listen to Shania Twain <insert your own good looking artist with limited talent>.

Sorry Shania - love you.

Nor would I. Say no to ugly things! If any Hifi dealer tries to sell you something ugly, punch them hard! Say no to ugly!

 That was hilarious!

I much prefer the clean classic and understated look of Hutter to the over-elaborate throwback big TV stand Fraim - but I very very very much prefer the look of Fraim to Isoblue - so it's definitely no Isoblue for me irrespective of its SQ merits 

The other one is the NAP500 - it's not just the look it's more the size and the way it distorts the symmetry of otherwise elegant systems 

I could never buy Cyrus, it looks like a tape deck from my car in the 80's.

After many years of loyalty to my wee Sonus faber concertos, I now realise they look better than they sound.

I never leave the grills off of my speakers, because I think having raw drivers showing detracts from their looks.  Fortunately, the grills are designed to not detract very greatly from the sound.

Charlie

Amongst the high end, DarTZeel springs to mind as excelling in truly crass fugliness.  Like a dynastic ornate Chinese teak storage box into which someone thought it would be a great idea to cram insanely expensive modern electronics.  Still, what should we expect from the country which is the home of cuckoo clocks.....

Chris Dolan posted : The other one is the NAP500 - it's not just the look it's more the size and the way it distorts the symmetry of otherwise elegant systems

I know what you mean Chris, in the context of a rack of Classic/500 boxes.  BUT..... I feel there is something fantastically brutalistic about the 500, combined with wonderful design elements which in many ways make it the most iconic Naim product ever built.  IMHO.  Thinking of the massive sculpted & cast heat sink, the huge opening trapdoors (case lid), the look of menace and power.  I just love it !  (wish I could afford one.....)

Karlos - don't get me wrong - I'd love a NAP500 really 

Sound first for me. Could care less about looks if the sound hooks me. Granted, it should fit on a standard rack. Fortunately, Naim fits sound, size and looks.

BTW - googling the DarTZeel I found it pretty cool looking, but I also like the practical look of Plinius (though not their remote). Simaudio, Roksan also have appealing styles. The Chord stuff is out there for looks, a bit retro-futuristic or schmaltzy Star Wars styling. But hey, if it sounds good ...

AFA Shania Twain - best seen and not heard

For me SQ is tops, looks are secondary.. and I am definitely not into these lifestyle looks. Perhaps it just as well I have never had any ugly equipment, although according to my family my NA Spacedeck turntable came close... But I rather liked it..

hmm I liked my Cyrus stuff.. It was functional and compact.. Perhaps a bit too compact when it came managing the interconnects..

and and my classic Naim.. I like  that too.. However my daughter, a graphic designer, thinks they are dead ugly... So as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder..

+1 generally I don't really care what they look like but Cyrus seems to be designed specifically to look cheap, dated and fugly

Seems the parenthetical caveat of the "source first" tenet is "(as long as it looks good)".

For me, having a dedicated listening room helps when having to consider how hifi kit has to fit with decor. Personally I find my two stacks of Fraim filled with Naim boxes rather classy. It looks like what it is...a stereo system, and I prefer that to any lifestyle focused design leanings.

Large flat panel tv's look way more ugly to me than a tidily set up hi fi system, especially when they're off and it's just a big black rectangle on the wall..

Oh, and I find my little Nait 2 equally as pleasing on the eye as my NAP500..

Cheers

Rick.

When I replaced my ageing NAC82/2xHicaps/135s with the much better looking and, dare I say, better sounding Accuphase C2420/A46.

Judging by many of the listening room pics on this forum I have come to the conclusion that most Naimees appear to be Tidy Teddy's.

For me good sound is the main criteria however looks and minimal clutter are close seconds. I've managed to work out a decent compromise.

That being said I've been toying with the idea of a second all vintage system for MY office. There's something comforting about big blue VU meters and/or glowing tubes.

Lets not forget those hulking black toads that were crt televisions. more deeper than they were wide, took more space than my system today.

If Naim could fit the performance of the 272 and 250 dr in the half width DAC v1 and nap 100 cases I would get them in a heart beat.   Along with my unitiserve they would look lovely all lined up on along a proper shelve unit

Funny.

I have little to complain about, but the only reason my Sonus Faber Domus' are still in the livingroom is i havn't found anything better yet to overcome the problem lookswise.

To me, only Guarneri Memento graphite or even Futura in the right trim better them in terms of looks and especialy sound. Which i can never afford let alone drive propperly