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Coloured equipment ?

Do you like coloured equipment?

  • Yay

    Votes: 27 79.4%

  • Nay

    Votes: 7 20.6%
  • Total voters
    34
Darren L

Darren L

Egalitarian
Recently it seems that a variety of manufacturers offer a variety of coloured finishes on equipment, I've noticed a fair few including Wilson , Devore, Magico, Vitus, Linn, Roksan Oxygene and most recently ATC new anniversary standmounts and matching sub.

www.whathifi.com

ATC celebrates its 50th anniversary with high-end limited edition active speakers

Exclusive new active standmount speakers and subwoofer, limited to 150 and 20 units respectively
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com

What's your take on it? Do you think they're pretty in the right environment or maybe you think they'll look very dated in years to come?
 
I've always liked the custom amp fascia colours that Sugden, Sonneteer, others do. I can see how the grey above would be a hard sell though. Grey is just meh. Commit to colour or don't!
 
hifinutt said:
i recall trying to sell a pair of gray focal diablo ... it was not easy . colouring is a very much a personal thing and others may not share it
Click to expand...
Interestingly I had the same issue - with a pair of Naim green Diablos. Only two pairs were ever made (at least at that time). The good news was I got them a bit cheaper because of the unusual colour so I didn’t lose much in the end.

Perreaux make some fabulous bold coloured amplifiers https://perreaux.com/products?type=integrated#product-selection
Great sound too…
 
I quite like the option on balance. The coloured Rega Planar 3s of the 90s spring to mind (and it is a scientific fact that the green ones sounded best).

Sugden used to do colour options on the A21SE, which I really would have liked - especially the orange for some reason.

Measured against this is the effect on resale value. I suspect this is more significant for speakers which need to fit in with decor a bit more. A pair of gloss white speakers, for example, are likely to look a bit odd unless you're living on Kubrick's Clockwork Orange set.
 
Colour, in all its connotations, helps the world go around. I have many turntables of the same make, and it's a pain trying to remember which is which when it comes to maintenance, etc. So I have given all a different colour (well, the main 7 anyway) and started log books for them. Life is a lot easier. But the 'things' that go on/in/with the turntables are also colour-coded. [Do you think I need professional help?]
 
Yep, I love a bit of colour on equipment - my favourite finish of the new SME Model 60 turntable is the bright blue one!

However, I remember chatting to the UK distributor of Consonance years ago when they introduced their 'Forbidden City' range with fascias in black, grey or red. The red looked great and he said that, at hi-fi shows, it always received a lot of admiration and enthusiasm. However, when it came to actually placing orders, nearly everyone went for black or grey.

It wasn't long before they stopped offering the red option.
 
I go for black or silver or black and silver Simaurio Moon style... this even extends to the Quadraspire SV3T

Only the loudspeakers break this colour scheme... they're white.
 
I once had a yellow watch, a decent mechanical Rado one. It didn't go with any bloody thing I'd wear and was a mare to sell. Lesson learned. Quirky stuff can be tricky to sell.
 
Nothing new; Quad, Leak etc were never dull black boxes. I tend to think of black hi-fi as very much an ‘80s minimalist thing, the ‘60s and ‘70s were more colourful. Blue-face JBLs with orange grilles, all the big silver Japanese receivers with their beautiful lights. Most speakers were wood veneer (which I really like), though there were exceptions e.g. white B&W DM70s looked amazing.

PS My fear with modern coloured high-gloss MDF speakers is they’d be impossible to restore the way one can usually fill and re-polish a wood finish.
 
Yes @Tony L I'm familiar with the Quad styling and 'coloured' 3 series, I think they definitely had quite a unique look and certainly the vast majority of 70's receivers seem to have silver face plates.
Not that I'm a fan of painted MDF but the high gloss painted cabinets should be easy to restore with a bit of T-cut and a good polish.

Although there's always been other options like the aforementioned Quads and Naims 'Olive' range , I thought it was interesting that quite alot of speakers are now offered in paint finish and electronics sometimes in a variety of finishes, orange seems to be a popular choice, I guess it fits with the retromod popularity of the mid century aesthetic which has become increasingly popular.
I suppose having been conditioned or familiar with the minimalist black boxes and black Ash veneers of the 80's and 90's I find it quite novel or refreshing that other colours are becoming more widespread or fashionable.
 
Tony L said:
Nothing new; Quad, Leak etc were never dull black boxes. I tend to think of black hi-fi as very much an ‘80s minimalist thing, the ‘60s and ‘70s were more colourful. Blue-face JBLs with orange grilles, all the big silver Japanese receivers with their beautiful lights. Most speakers were wood veneer (which I really like), though there were exceptions e.g. white B&W DM70s looked amazing.
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All true of course but can you imagine anyone buying, oh I don't know... a bright yellow Japanese turntable?
 
I’ve invariably liked Quad’s visual design, particularly in the 33/303 with that off beat olive colour and orange highlight. Even when they went grey in the 67 series the orangey brown volume display was a delight, as was the remote which was rather rudely referred to as mothercare. One of the best remotes I have ever had for usability, and big enough not to get lost down the chair or trodden on. Now to the present and their 2812 speaker, whilst big and black is a lovely piece of design with the sculpted lacquered top piece of wood. It exudes quality and doesn’t sound bad either. Now if only they supplied it with olive frame and orange speaker cloth!

What I don’t like is boring black or silver boxes especially when with a cheap display. Chord, on the other hand, whilst not boring is perhaps a little wacky with its coloured balls but once the function of each colour is eventually committed to memory it all works well and it has to said the looks grow on one.
 
Tim Jones said:
I quite like the option on balance. The coloured Rega Planar 3s of the 90s spring to mind (and it is a scientific fact that the green ones sounded best).

Sugden used to do colour options on the A21SE, which I really would have liked - especially the orange for some reason.
Click to expand...
They've started again to special order, any colour you want.

www.sugdenaudio.com

Sugden Audio Custom Shop

We have our own engineering department and can therefore offer a range of panel finishes and colour schemes.
www.sugdenaudio.com www.sugdenaudio.com
 
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