Wood veneers over MDF don't excite me any more than vinyl over MDF. To really do the veneer thing well would increase the cost of the speakers without improving their function. To do it poorly would be worse than keeping the vinyl.
Form should follow function. It's why a Ferrari is so beautiful. Nothing on the car is slapped on for "styling". A Ferrari has vents in it's bodywork to route cooling air over the rear brakes - a Mustang has dummy vents that only look like functional vents. They're backed by black plastic, but would look just as ugly with carbon fiber. Similarly, "decorative" treatments to MDF cabinets (veneers, vinyl, whatever) are always going to look tacky to those who know what lies beneath. Why not powder coat the MDF and offer Axioms in color choices? Black, gray, browns, cherry red?
