Home Audio Video Advisor

In the old days audio and video equipment were encased in black metal boxes and were tough enough they would scratch you long before you would them. Also like the 1908 Ford Model T they came in any color you wanted as long as it was black. Heck you could even stack them on top of each other.

Eventually marketing won out and silver components began standing out in the showroom just like TV sets being displayed in torch mode or dynamic as the marketing guys like to say. We could deal with silver but it was just a hint as to what was to come all for the worse we might add.

Shortly afterwards the accounting departments got involved and introduced the plastic faceplate. Sure in the beginning they tried to make it look like metal and a few attempts were even successful but before long they gave up even trying. At the same time they decided to reduce the size of the equipment whenever possible which resulted in losing the ability to stack them in many cases.

Now we are at the stage where the entire case is often made out of plastic and molded in so many different shapes and angles it would take a circus act to balance them on top of each other. Of course it’s also made of shiny black plastic which is guaranteed to have several scratches by the time it’s unpacked. Let’s see if I can cover all of these recent advances in technology.

• Plastic on equipment appears cheap
• Plastic cases resembles toys
• Shiny black plastic guarantees your equipment will never look new
• Odd shapes and angles don’t measure up

I’m sure there are marketing studies and cost reports to justify these recent changes but I’d like to suggest if you have to include a micro-fiber cleaning cloth with the TV to ensure the owner doesn’t scratch the cabinet you have gone too far! Let’s hope at a minimum shiny black plastic and funky shapes are a short fad. I’m sure plastic is here to stay but I will openly admit that given the chance I’ll pick high-quality looking equipment over the toy look every time and I’m more than willing to pay extra or even settle for a few less features.