Re: fit and finish.
If you look at pro reviewer comments on finish for various speaker manufacturers you will see that Axiom is always in the top tier. Excellent fit and finish.
I had the pleasure of spending time in the Axiom factory looking at various different speakers in various stages of completeness. They were all flawless. I put my face inches from the top edge of several sets of real wood M80s in unfinished wood and could not find a single nick, gap, seam or any other flaw. If you have done any work with veneers at all, you will appreciate the skill involved.
I think a lot of people that criticize the finish are really commenting on the look of real wood vs. vinyl.
There is no question that a good wood finish is nicer. I think it comes at a price. For me, I would rather spend my money on better sound. For others, that choice may be different. Neither is better or right.
As for bright and harsh, I would put it differently. The M80 is capable of reproducing ALL the sound on any given recording. Poorly recorded material will sound poor. Excellently recorded material will souund absolutely stunning!!
I listened to Dire Straits Live at the BBC, an excellent recording, with both in sterio and 5.1. In stereo it was excellent. In 5.1 it was jaw droppingly amazing. It was like a live performance.
Now, if you put a pair of M80s into a small, completely unfurnished apartment and crank it, no doubt they will sound harsh. Yes, someone on another board actually did this and to this day insists the M80 is bright. (insert several rolleyes here)
Sorry for the rant like post. FWIW, one of the things I really like about this forum is that people seem to take the time to think out what they post and provide reasonably balanced opinions, even if the bias is towards Axiom.
