My home decor is mostly dark cherry woods - and my walls are pale yellow and white (looking off white). I am going to be placing my surrounds on the wall (either with the FMBs or directly to the wall), and my fronts will hopefully match nicely with my TV cabinet. I am sure that many of you may have similar WAF issues, with surround speakers placed on the walls - mine wants them to blend in (I could care less...). Have any of you thought about buying (or have any of you actually bought) cherry front speakers and maple rears. This is purely a cosmetic issue, I know. I was just curious as to what your input may be on if this would look funny or not.

Also, do the QS8's leave a much larger footprint than the QS4's, so as to make them less ubtrusive on the walls?

The room dimensions are around 17 X 12, and the walls are a pale yellow with white dental molding.

I don't think it would that funny, after all the rears are some distance away from the mains. For an idea of what the QS8's look like check out my pics at http://www3.telus.net/public/jklasher/speaker%20pictures.htm

I originally was going to get cherry for the M60s and VP150 and a lighter color(either maple or a custom color)for the QS8s because I thought my wife would want the surrounds to blend in also.

As Gomer Pyle said, "Surprise, surprise, surprise". She didn't care and thought that no matter what we did, we would see them anyway, so why not have all of them match. And the cherry looks better with our furniture. Gotta love her!

Jake - Your pictures actually inspired me to think about this solution earlier today. BTW - Love the way yours look! Didn't think that I would dig on the Maple - but they really look awesome in your living room.

I also agree with you, though, JSkip - I am also leaning towards getting all the same finish and just accepting the fact (let me rephrase - hope my wife will just accept the fact) that speakers hanging on the wall a necessary evil.

It'll be a tough choice. I may regret one-day not having a matching set....but I think the maple will blend in better in the meantime (with the tan grille)

I have cherry across the front (M60's & VP150)and I originally ordered maple QS8 surrounds with tan grills. I struck a deal with my better half in that I could hang speakers on the wall if they matched the decor, our living room walls are a grayish/white and the trim is bright white, therefore the surround speakers are to be white (according to the boss). Looking at the Axiom web page the maple finish appeared to have a whitish finish so we took a gamble and ordered maple. We received the order and well the maple finish wasn't exactly white but more of a natural wood or pickled oak finish. I thought they were pretty sharp looking, but the wife thought otherwise. Ended up special ordering eggshell white finish QS8's with eggshell white grills. Have to admit they do look better, but it will cost you $95.00 for the special finish. Axiom even personalizes each one with your name being printed on the speaker ID tag.

Alright - so the Maple might not exactly match the decor. I was thinking that this might be an issue - if the wood was more like a pickled oak. What, then, do you guys think about painting these beauties? Is that sacrilege? I know it would not affect sound. But, if I'm gonna pay extra for an eggshell finish, why not just order outlet stuff (trying to save some cash here) and paint them myself?

Tide - I guess my question for you is: Does the eggshell look much better than painting it might? (assuming I do a reasonably good job and don't do something stupid liek paint the cones...).

Another thought - Do any of you Cherry owners think that you coudl paint your cherry QSs and have them look good. I'm thinking - this way, I can have a matching set of cherry's, check out how they look on the walls (spend a week with them up and see if I get used to them), and if not, then I go ahead and paint them?

Oh just apply another coloured vinyl, might be a lot easier than painting.

How would one go about applying another colored vinyl? Fordprefect, can you go into more detail? If you think this might be a better alternative, I'd be interested.

I also considered the painting option, but decided against it. You would probably have to remove the drivers or do a good job of masking them, also I was't sure if painting would void my warranty(would check with Axiom). I think if you did a reasonably good paint job they would look fine, especially if you are wall mounting, stand mounting would be more at eye level and any flaws would be easier to notice. The eggshell finish does have a sight texture to it which you could also duplicate. Have you thought about the grill colors? I think Axiom would gladly swap the grills out if you decided to paint.

Not yet being an owner, I do not understand why the drivers would need to be removed. Can you explain a little further? I was thinking that I would remove the grills, paint around them, and then, in all likelihood, replace the grill covers. The grill covers would surely cover any poor edging that I might have done around the drivers, no?

And, yes, I would hope to swap out for eggshell grill covers (or just buy them).

I was thinking of the product that Parts Express sells.

"Applying this high-quality vinyl wrap is a cost and time-effective way to achieve professional-looking results. Available in 5 different colors and grains, with a peel-and-stick pressure sensitive adhesive on the back. No expensive tools are necessary for application-- scissors, a razor knife, and a straight edge are all that are needed. Simply peel, stick, and apply. Sold in rolls containing 2' by 10' of material. 10 mil thick."

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&&DID=7&CATID=48&ObjectGroup_ID=135

These may not be the colours you are interested in but I'm sure a google would put you in the right direction.

Why stop with paint or vinyl? I'm pretty sure that some wallpapers might give you the right look as well.

I'm suggesting these as options as I think they would be easier to change as your wall colour changes.

or is everybody beige, beige, beige?

I'll admit to being a user of colour. Our living room is magenta with a darker tone of the same paint on the fireplace wall.

Are spraying or brushing? If you brush, I agree there would be no need to remove or mask off the drivers, I was thinking spray in which case you would need to protect from overspray. The vinyl laminate doesn't sound that bad either. Who knows you may like the maple finish and not have to do anything.

This magenta?

Capn Pickard, You may already know this, but you can order samples of the different finishes (custom and standard) from Axiom for $10.00 deposit. Also you may to check out the following thread:http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Advice&Number=34433&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=

not quit as bright. I'll take a shot or two and post it in the "Cruel things to do to your walls" thread

I'm definitely going to get a couple of samples before purchasing. I was thinking about getting the maple and the cherry, seeing how each looked just as Axiom sends them (gorgeous I presume). Then, I'll probably do some experimenting and see what kinds of paint and/or vinyl they'll take. I'd hate to start painting my new babies only to find they look like crap or the paint won't adhere, etc., etc. Then, I'd have to commit harry-krishna (It's harry-carry, ma....)

To be quite honest, I'm really only thinking of my wife's preferences. I think that the Cherry all around would look pretty rich. And definitely different than the regular black boxes my friends have on their walls.

I am really just testing the waters.

That said, I feel like Ford is making fun of me....wallpaper - please! Now, I think we're going overboard. There's a line between making the speakers less obtrusive and having spy-like cloaking devices on them. If concealing the speakers were my first priority, I'd be over in the cube (B*se) camp, wondering where all my mid-range went, or I'd be investing in in-walls. Neither suond very functional to me.

Cap'n, we have a rainbow of beige in our house and the Mansfield Beech w/ gold grills blends perfectly with "Antique White" and natural oak bookcases.
Couldn't be happier w/ my QS8 surrounds - in every way. Why not order samples of 6 finishes for $60, refundable? Between the std and custom finishes something has to look damn near perfect for your decor. Painting $470 surrounds doesn't sound good to me. The paint alone would cost you a few bucks, eh?

I have yellow walls and maple Axioms. My girlfriend and I think they look incredible. Especially since a lot of our furniture is maple.

Agreed, BigWill - I don't really like the idea of painting the speakers, either. I am definitely goign to get some samples and see how dark/overbearing or subtle/refined they will look.

I also hadn't really put much thought into the Beech, but I will order a sample of that too.

Thanks, guys/gals.

I wonder if Axiom would be willing to take in those speakers and re-finish them. After all...it is only glued on top of their casing. I'm sure it would cost you some money. But if you wanted it to look as good as it could, this would be the best route in my mind. Worth a call at least IMO.