Color trends in equipment... (1 Viewer)

[ChrisHeflen]

So what do you guys think we'll see as the next trend in the color of components.

In the 70's wasn't it silver? Then black in the 80's-90's. Now back to silver or brushed aluminum and blue lights are everywhere.

Do you think we'll see the champagne color that seems to be more common overseas?

I would like to see maybe the champagne color with green lights or better yet, changeable lights. Being able to go into the setup and select what color you want the front panel lights to be.
Then your equipment will really stick out when your trying to focus on the screen.

Whatcha think?

 

[Charlie C]

I personally like the silver faced equipment better. I like the big brushed metal knobs with some blue lights somewhere. I like a clean and simple face with not much {maybe hidden like yamaha} on it. Im glad the IMac colors didnt get too much into the A/V market minus those cool looking minipods. I wish the trend went back to large horns and whatnot then when its fashionable again to have big stuff, we all wouldnt have as many gf/saf problems

 

[Kenneth Harden]

I love black stuff - because I hate anything bright (I think I am probably a vampire )

 

[BrianWoerndle]

Why can't pepole be content with the same color. I have an all black theme until I got a new TV (direct view) and had no choice but to get a silver TV. This big silver square in the middle of a bunch of black boxes looks very out of place.

 

[John S]

I hear you brian, about the time I got everything black, the new HDTV was Silver, then the new DVD player is silver, the new HD OTA tuner is silver, my HD Cable box was silver until I dumped cable hd. ect..ect..ect...

I have given up completely on matching components and/or display color schemes. I was peved a little about this when I went to purchase an HDTV, but I seem to have gotten over it as well as the significant other.

I guess my current color scheme and probably from now on, will just be silver and black, not so bad with enough of each to balance it out I suppose. lol

 

[ChrisHeflen]

Ok, so now that we know what you guys like and hate. What do you think will be the next trend in color?

You know, what I originaly asked?

 

[Lev-S]

silver plastic is just plain tacky (along with champagne). It only works if it's aluminum or steel or any other real metal. Because of the abundance of plastic in most of the low to mid-range stuff (the stuff I can afford), I prefer black. As for the future, working in retail, - it looks like more silver. Personally, I think a compromise is in order -graphite ->
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ayphotohosting

 

[John S]

Color trend for the future? I'll bet it eventually moves back to black from the current silver color trend... lol

 

[John Garcia]

Aluminum can be anodized in dozens of colors , dark purple or blue maybe red? I've also seen some units come chrome plated. There were these nice tube amps that I saw in a guy's setup that were a combo of blue and clear brushed aluminum and they looked good.

I don't really like gold/champagne in general, silver is OK. Marantz has some that are simply brushed aluminum with a clear or no coating, but they have an almost overly basic look to them that I don't quite like. Electroless nickel plating looks very nice on aluminum (much nicer than plain silver or clear) - shiny, but you can still see the grain, sturdy, easy to clean.

I can hide most of my components behind glass doors, so color doesn't bother me too much, but I still prefer basic black - brushed or powdercoated matte, not glossy.

Mabe the trend will move back to wood...

 

[ChrisHeflen]

I'd like to see a gun metal blue or something like that.
Or maybe really dark colors that looked black until you really looked at them. Say like a dark dark green, or red or even a brown. Just really dark so you had to take a second look.

I know that's all any of us have time for to sit there and second glance our equpiment.

 

[Yogi]

I am a blue LED on black guy and if its silver or champagne it better have orange lit tubes in it.

 

[Dan J S]

Color aside, what I really miss are nice feeling volume knobs, and "clunky" source switchers. Old Sony stereo recievers had heavy feeling knobs with ball bearings. It always felt real nice to tune into FM stations, or fling the wheel from side to side (this was when I was a kid). Even on fairly expensive equipment these days you don't get kind of quality. About the closest thing I've owned was the Sim Audio I-5 - it's volume knob felt heavy but had super smooth turning. Sure, it's all about the remote these days but I still miss it.

 

[Jack Briggs]

I'll always remember fondly my old Marantz Model 3300 stereo preamp and Marantz Model 250 stereo power amp. Both hand-built, they featured heavy, gold-anodized aluminum faceplates. The preamp had a blue-tinted light bulb as a power-on indicator. And the power amp had those sexy, blue-tinted VU meters.

Such class.

Yet, even they were second-comers to the gorgeously styled stuff from McIntosh!

Let's hear it for the early '70s.

 

[Lee Distad]

I want to see components in anodized violet or shocking fuschia.

 

[John Garcia]

I remember my dad's old 60s Pioneer stereo receiver with the gear reduced, belt driven tuning knob. Marantz still has this on the SR9300, though it is a dial, not a knob. It still has that smooth, fun feel too it.

How about CLEAR covers, like the demo 5803 I saw, so you can see all the cool stuff like the gigantic caps and power supply...

I wouldn't be surprised if you start seeing LCD displays with animation like car stereos these days. I like the Rotel that has the mini LCD built into the front panel.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

There’s a thread over at HTT where a guy painted his new silver TV flat black!

http://hometheatertalk.com/httalk/viewtopic.php?t=8828

As far as the question, “What’s the next trend” – don’t know exactly what the next one will be, but I ‘m guessing it will eventually go to downright gaudy, as in car stereo head units. When that day comes I’ll be buying used gear for the rest of my life. :frowning:

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[John Garcia]

Dude who painted his TV also has Bose speakers...NOOOOOOO.

 

[Paul Stanley]

Its already heading back to black, Samsung announced that they are not going to make silver things anymore. Although I personally believe that silver TV's are easier on the eyes when watching stuff.

 

[Wayde_R]

Ahhh, I think I see it... yes...yes, maybe here it is.

The future trend I see in audio component colors will be subdued green hue, sort of olive drab, the kind of color you'd see on communications equipment riveted to the back of a US Army jeep.

Yes, Bush wins the next election. The return of the draft feeds the war in Korea and most 1st world nations have a majority of their population serving some time in the service. Psudo-military styles become very much in fashion not only with the Gung-Ho pro-military types but also with the reform movement before the revolution, then everything changes.

 

[John Garcia]

Blame Canada