i don't personally own a Reactive Sounds preamp, but i thought i'd chime in here.
to me, one can make fun of the appearance of a unit, but who cares? my main concerns with a unit (recorder, mics, preamp, battery box, etc.) are, in no particular oder: quality of performance, quality of desgin/parts used, reliability, price point. i use an R-1 for pete's sake, and i'm not sure if anyone would consider that unit "attractive" or "sleek" or "cool looking" by any stretch. but it's extremely reliable, provides excellent sound quality, and is at a good price point.
curly cable? who cares?! i'm more interested in knowing how well this Boostbox performs/how well it sounds.
for the record, I didn't think my D7, D8, nor M1 looked all that great either. but i see most live recording units as being utilitarian i.e. "will it competently get the job done and get the job done well"), not about how fashionable the unit looks.
i might have a shot at trying out the Boostbox in about a month, and i can't wait. the only things i would change, and this is for functionality's sake, is that it would provide 3-wire powering and have a right-angle mini-plug. but oh, well, it's no big deal.