Ian, you once offered models with real wood veneer...the AX3 & AX5 Reference Monitor. Do you have plans for such an offering in the future?

Regards,

BBIBH

We do not have any plans for real wood in this line. The vinyls have gotten so good lately that it is hard to tell the difference. We do offer any model in any of our standard 3 finishes however if the customer is willing to wait for the next production run.

Ian Colquhoun
President & Chief Engineer

Did Ian resist the urge to tell the world about my first 'bright' idea for speaker finishes? He was tolerant enough to do a set of M3s in 'Blue Ripple'. I thought they would change the way people looked at speakers forever . . . The rest of the staff thought I was crazy!

Yes, he did omit that tiny detail! ;)

So, when can we preview this?

In all seriousness, does your marketing research indicate a demand for real wood? I must admit that while speakers are pieces of audio equipment, they do become pieces integrated with the deocr. They are looked upon as furniture pieces in some circles!

Regards,

BBIBH

I saw some very good quality real wood speakers. In the old days, we used to can vinyl sticky covering Shelf Paper, or MacTac. I saw the Axioms, and while the vinyl was fitted just fine, the appearance did not seem right for 1000 dollar speakers.

What are your inmpressions of the finishes? Is real wood better?

Rick

I once read about a speaker manufacturer who used to veneer both the outside AND the inside of the cabinets. He claimed that it made a difference in the sound. I can't remember the brand or the man....I will dig it up though.
In terms of sound quality, I don't think it will affect this. I never quite was convinced about the above claim.
But speakers have become more than just pieces of a musical system. Like it or not, they have become pieces that are intrusive to your living space. I value the time, energy and money I have invested in decorating my rooms. I do not like to simply place a speaker into the environment without ensuring it does not look aweful. Most designers pay attention to offering a range of choices (Axiom offers 3 I believe) to help this. Some offer one, take it or leave it.

When I am looking for an economy speaker, I would rather have the designer spend the money on the internals and designing the speaker properly. But, as you mentioned, there is a point where the cost needs to be reflected on the "entire" speaker.

I had the same impression you did - the fit of the vinyl was exacting. However, you could easily tell this was not real wood. The maple intrigued me, but seeing it up close, I would be unsure about a choice.

MacTac....yes I remember that!

Regards,

BBIBH