All Axioms are vinyl finish, other than the VaSSallo speakers. The Boston Cherry finish is also vinyl.
MDF means medium density fiberboard, and it's a typical material for speaker manufacturers to use. Usually if speakers have a real wood finish, it's a thin laminate over MDF. Real wood doesn't actually have nicely reproduceable sound characteristics, and is nowhere near as dense as MDF.
I have Vermont Maple on almost all of my Axioms, and it's held up quite well--I've had some of the speakers for about 5 years now. Of course, the finish is covered by Axiom's warranty.
One thing I will say is that the custom Vermont Maple finish is pretty similar in color to the Boston Cherry.
Last edited by kcarlile; 10/14/09 11:07 PM.
