Mine is pretty much mix and match, while I do love silver, my amp was ex display and got 40% off the privilege for an unboxed unit that was taken out just before lockdowns hit, and then the shop got rid of all their stocks to clear out and turn web only. I realise that a lot of places will make up a story to make you think you’re getting a deal, but I had the unit checked out by a professional sparky friend, and he said it didn’t look like it had ever been turned on, and the company have an extremely high reputation going back years, it was all perfectly wrapped up in the original box and complete with manuals and unbroken selephane packaging. Given the choice though I would have gone silver.
My turntable is sparkling white Rega, that was by choice, my phono pre amp is black as it’s the only colour they did and my rega PSU is black also likewise.
So I guess my whole system is black apart from the turntable.
Then the Hifi rack is black glass shelves with wallnut vaneered sides.
But I love me some high contrast, so it suits me well.
Colour doesn’t determine purchase decisions for me, I have favorites, but I’ll just get the kit based on it’s merits, if it only comes in white, I’ll buy white, if it comes in rainbow, I’ll happily install that if it’s the unit I’m particularly after, doesn’t bother me.
I just saw this thread…you nearly named all reasons
Although I agree that the PSA black has a clearly inferior black finish and for this reason doesn’t look as worthy as most other brand’s blacks, I want it unobtrusive and consistent and favor black in my setup. I even create own designs if necessary.
You see how my current preamp usually looks and what I’ve done.
It always was because I had other black equipment that needed a match of the equipment I chose for SQ and opportunity reasons, but was not available in the right color.
At the time I used Gryphon gear like here the Elektra.
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The two pieces I had with non black design and which I left like that because so nice, was the best ever designed Hifi product, the Hovland HP100…
…and my beautiful Vitus amp at the time (by the way if you know the cost of those caps and the quality of the transformers, you know how much better their parts quality was than Gryphon (at least at the time).
With its three smooth, gleaming, chrome-plated knobs and 3/8"-thick faceplate of aluminum plated in black nickel (the same plating process used for the sinks on the Sultan of Brunei’s jets) and backed by a sheet of translucent plastic that’s softly backlit blue, the HP-100 exudes tasteful luxury and authoritative simplicity. More important, the heavy-gauge, polished, anodized top and bottom plates and monocoque chassis help ensure structural integrity. The stiff, heavy box feels as good as it looks, though those of conservative tastes might find it a bit Rodeo-Drive garish. If you don’t like the blue glow, you can turn it off via a switch on the rear. Mikey liked it.
I prefer black components unless there is a wood case available. Although I have silver PowerBases that I really like the looks of–my PWT and DSD Mk2 each sit on one with silver VooDoo Cable IsoPods in between–a really nice look.
Apropos of nothing; I chose this very finish (well, they call it Black Chrome) for the aftermarket cold air intakes on my Infiniti G37S Coupe. Its a beautiful finish and this picture does not quite do them justice:
It even sounded very special and nice and would even now, but not in all areas. It mainly lacked power and control compared to others. But imagine, it costed 5k with this design. Today, no company would build that design even if they had 5k budget available just for this purpose. Maybe that’s why Hovland busted.
Hey @aangen I noticed on YouTube that a muscular guy (whom you particularly like) is showing off a brand new Apex in his Lab. A few months behind you, you’re always one step ahead of the others!
For me it depends on the cabinet and other components. You don’t need to necessarily suffer with audio cosmetics (unless you want to).
I like contrast, so if the audio cabinet / rack is black, I prefer silver. I keep this in mind when filling the rack. Of course if what I want is only available in black, that won’t deter me from buying.
If the audio cabinet is wood (particularly lighter colored wood) I prefer black components.
The combo silver / black is always a good compromise or sometimes the best look. It allows to the component to match with other components either all black or all silver.
