I agree on the looks aspect; it corrupts the whole concept of acquiring the best sound for the money since appearance=most of the cost of retail equipment. Can you address this issue for me. I hear many speakers I like and can listen to for long periods without getting irritated; and anyone of them would suffice to provide good music in my home. However my CD player gets irritating after long periods; so I switch to vinyl. Trading my equipment for a cheaper less well engineered table always results in the return of irritation. My point; Any of those good speakers can be enjoyed but without the right front-end I get irritated. Cheap amps do it too. Soon as the good amp goes back in I can drift along with the music again. Now the reply will attribute that too phsycological effects but I will disagree. I have no axe to grind favoring the more expensive or complicated equipment; I am too long in this hobby to fall prey to easy explanations like that. How do you see this end of the discussion? I feel a good table/arm with some decent amps will make music with any of a dozen properlly designed speakers; but the reverse does not always ring true.