Only thing I can think of is to offer real wood veneers. If Axiom speakers looked as good as they sound - that would be a REAL treat.

You may also want to add the magnetic posts to the grill covers as well (see Energy).

Yeah, but if Axiom were to offer real wood finishes, I only want them as an option with an upcharge. Yes, wood finishes, gracefully done, look very nice when new. But practically speaking, they can be pain in the butt to properly maintain. My old M&K's veneers, while looked gorgeous when they were new, started to peel off all over after several years. My decade-old Hales still look nice, but the color keeps subtly changing (which is painfully revealed when I remove the grills), and being a real wood, it is very susceptible to scratches and water marks.

And when it is "overdone," wood finishes can be very inelegant and ungainly. For instance, sorry for Rockets owners, but I cannot possibly be fond of their "artsy" wood finishes at all...

As for the psychology of "fake vs. real" things, in my sense ALL veneers are "fake" after all. To me, the only "real" wood material is solid wood, which does not fulfill the physical and acoustical requirements as a speaker cabinet material.

I do not know (yet) how well Axiom's vinyl veneers hold on to the initial colors/appearance over long years, without fading off etc. But given the very decent quality of the current finishes, I might well buy them in vinyl finishes again even if wood finishes were available.

I've owned a pair of Snell Accoustic type K/II speakers for over 12 years, and they look as nice today as they did then, with very little upkeep. Just a quick dusting every once in a while.

I do agree, that it should be an optional "upgrade". I know it would cost a bit more, and a major part of Axiom's selling point is that they are so affordable.

I looked and listened to and home demo'd a great deal of speakers before buying my M22ti's and my only complaint with the Axiom's is that they just don't hold up to other brands when it comes to appearance.

Of course in all honesty, it'll kill me if they do begin offering wood veneers, because I'll really want them, and I've already bought my M22's and VP150!

I agree with sushi.
Its a toss up.
I like real veneers and wood over vinyl though so ultimately that is my preference.
Vinyl is cheaper and helps keep costs down. Just have to find a real quality vinyl image.

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?

I don't know how they are made, but my Snell's look very nice. A bit "old" in style, but very nice.

I also brought home a pair of Energy Connoisseur C-3's and A/B'd them against the M22ti's. Needless to say, I bought the Axiom's because they sounded better - BUT, the Energy's are a MUCH, better looking speaker. They just look better built than the Axioms. I know, I know, it's just looks. I know the Axioms are VERY well built. But looks do count for something. Especially if I'm going to have up to 5 speakers in my living room. I just think the vinyl looks very cheap. I think a speaker as well built and designed as Axioms deserve to be better dressed.

If Axiom were to offer their speakers with the same look as Energy's Connoisseur line, I'd buy them in a second. Yeah, I'd sell what I have, and RE-buy them in their new clothes!

Here's a picture of the Michaura M55 (foreground) and M66 (background) with absolutely drop dead gorgeous faux rosewood finish.

http://img.audioasylum.com/cgi/i.pl?u=users/11308&f=P2280010.jpg

The drivers look familiar, don't they? The M55 has the same 5.25" drivers as the M22s and the M66 has the same 6.5" drivers as the M3s, etc.

My vote would be for a "Platinum Series," of Axiom speakers, with the exact Rosewood finish as the Michauras, upgraded capacitors and resistors, internal wiring in silver, and some kind of vibration damping for the cross over structure.

Axiom could double its product line by offering a "Platinum Series" upgrade for every speaker in its line-up.

Hello Axiom folks. If you decide to take my suggestion, do I get a pair of speakers as a prize?

A Platinum line sounds like a good idea, though with all those other tweeks as well, price could start becoming an issue. I'm as happy as can be with the performance of my Axioms, I just want new clothes for them!

Uhh... So, that drop dead gorgeous "faux" rosewood finish is not even real wood veneers?

It actually looks like that counter top material.

I don't know whether it is real wood veneer or not. I heard that it isn't. It sure looks like wood to me. I've never seen a countertop which looked like the finish on these speakers. They're defintitely not covered in vinyl.

I like them. Your taste may differ.

The Axiom vinyl DEFINITELY doesn't hold up to cat claws...

My cat is very well behaved and hasn't harmed furniture or anything else for the five years we've had her, but if she did tear up my m60s I would strip off all that vinyl and try my own powder coat finsh. Maybe in gray with black specks.

Why do speakers still attempt to look like furniture anyways? TVs used to be the same way - remember all those wooden console TVs? My parents had two of them. Don't see many plasma big screens wrapped up in oak grained vinyl or in rosewood veneers.

I don't know, but I actually like the look of my axioms.

The build quality looks fairly high, and I definately like the angled corners. the vinyl looks decent in my opinion too.