That rosewood looks mighty fine on those M5s. And they need that 1500 because they're little Watt piggies. But they look and sound so damned good!
I knew wood was available but my priority always was performance over form. I'm so satisfied with the former that I've been thinking about the latter. I've also finally made my place my own so I look at my speakers in a new light.
Rich, you're right. Ever since I upgraded my centre to the 160v4, it's been one upgrade after another. That centre was like it came from a different company compared to the 150v2. That experience, Craig's reviews and Dale Rasco's measurements made me take a calculated risk on the 800v4. From there, I knew the M5s were winners from the soundstagehifi review, Craig's impressions and the curves Axiom posted. The QS10 was admittedly a gamble and then I was completely blown away when I heard both. Folks say "blown away" is being overly-exuberant and previous versions were similarly good and I proclaim BS on that at least comparing ti and v2 against v4. The M3, M50 and M100 purchases were all curiosity on my part. When I heard all these in my home, it hit me that Axiom figured out the speaker formula. This is beyond engineering. It's science. It demands the highest levels of respect.
So now I'm thinking walnut will look great in the main room for active LFRs and rosewood will add a nice accent in the living room.
