Prof, I disagree about whether the conclusion is obvious. As in most areas of consumer products aesthetics and performance are expected to go hand in hand. Only use of hundreds of audio components has revealed what I consider a significant departure from the aesthetics and performance linkage. Most audiophiles will not get their hands on so much gear, so they may never draw that conclusion. BTW, you seemed to zero in on speakers; I was not discussing simply speakers, but all audio components, even cables. Now, when it comes to speakers I believe your observations are more accurate. Yet, the internals of speakers can be mediocre, even with very popular, aesthetically pleasing ones. (Now, I'm not interested in a debate on the efficacy of the wiring and internal components of speakers)
Perhaps further clarification is in order. In terms of "build quality," there is usually a correlation between a highly aesthetic product and high quality of build. It's not very common that a manufacturer who puts great effort into the "total package" will skimp or do shoddy work on the circuit, but usually is proud to show the quality of the internals. However, that does not correlate to superior sound, at least in my comparisons of gear over the past 13 years or so of reviewing. That is not obvious at all in the community, as very high quality, highly aesthetic products are immensely popular, yet they are not consistently the best sounding. YMMV
Perhaps further clarification is in order. In terms of "build quality," there is usually a correlation between a highly aesthetic product and high quality of build. It's not very common that a manufacturer who puts great effort into the "total package" will skimp or do shoddy work on the circuit, but usually is proud to show the quality of the internals. However, that does not correlate to superior sound, at least in my comparisons of gear over the past 13 years or so of reviewing. That is not obvious at all in the community, as very high quality, highly aesthetic products are immensely popular, yet they are not consistently the best sounding. YMMV