In article m, paluzallc
wrote:

seems like a lot of the "hardcore" equipment looks really dated -
I'mlooking for cool, diferent components that sound good too.

are there any respected brands that look good / have good design.

what looks good to you (which seems to be more important to you at this
point) may be hideous to others. also, the sound you are looking for may
not be what others are looking for either.

i myself like the clean understated look and lean towards sq. i personally
feel that i would rather have a unit that sounds awesome and looks plain
rather than listen to something that has tons of bells and whistles i dont
need or want. the flash and glitz usually are marketed by companies trying
to compensate for poor sound quality. shop around, though, more
manufacturers are trying to add color and 'cool' new features.

--
"Hmm... upgrades."
-Neo, The Matrix Reloaded