Like it or not we place a lot of importance on outward appearances. Take rats for example. Most of us are repelled by the sight of these rodents, but dress them up with a bundle of soft fur and a bushy tail and now they're adorable enough to name them differently. A squirrel.
My first circuit was a phono stage that I placed in a Roi Tan cigar box and powered it with a couple of 9v batteries. Ugly and crude do not adequately describe its appearance and most of my audiophile friends wouldn't let it near their system. Take that same circuit and battery pack, put it into a nice metal box and suddenly it's a welcome guest.
We are very comfortable with the idea that a component's outward appearance speaks to what's on the inside. D'Agastino's beautifully crafted outer chassis reminds us of a Swiss watch. It wouldn't be wrong to imagine that same level of care went into its inner workings.
While the old chestnuts reminding us not to judge books by their covers or beauty by the depth of skin, I think it's good to remind ourselves we're forever tied to equate inner workings with outer appearances.
It's not a bad thing to love the way your HiFi kit looks.
