Call Axiom, even for the Factory Direct it is not normal by all accounts.

My FO M22s had a very minor defect in the vinyl on a bottom corner of one of them, only noticeable if you pick it up and inspect looking for a flaw.

LT61, I'd guess the poster is concerned that this blemish falls outside the definition of minor. ctown, I'd contact Axiom directly with your concerns. What's happening may, indeed, fall outside Axiom's acceptable level of non-perfection for outlet speakers.

Here is the one speaker that looks like the vinyl is starting to come loose at the edge.

web page

This is the blemish. There is a kind of air bubble under it. It doesnt look that bad, but I can feel the vertical crack and fear it will start to peel or crack further if not sealed somehow.
web page

Hutzel - were your M22's new full price or factory 'B' orders?

First pick may fall under the OK level for FO line, as its at the bottom and rear of the speaker(shipping damage?). The second, I wouldn't want, it just looks like you said, the adhesive didn't take and really makes you wonder about the rest of the finish. Makes me rethink about my FO order.

Jason, no need to rethink at this point; don't worry about a problem that highly likely won't develop. The vast majority who've used the outlet(including me)have had great difficulty in finding any flaw.

Yeah ctown, I agree with JohnK. While those blemishes are more noticeable than others I've seen, I wouldn't worry about them getting worse over time. Sit back, relax, and enjoy knowing your speakers sound the same as factory-perfect M22s.

Yeah, the one is somewhat hidden on the back but looks like its the start of more of the seam coming loose. I might be able to live with it, but would have to get it sealed so the rest doesnt come off.

The blistering on the other speaker isnt that noticeable, but if the crack does open up the exposed MDF would look bad in contrast. Again, I would want to seal it somehow or replace it.

I'm starting to wish I just had a black matte paint on these like my 10 yr old Bose 201's.

I forgot you and I have 10 yr old Bose 201's, What a difference to the Axioms! I can't believe I actually thought the 201's sounded good when I bought them! I have become somewhat critical to other speakers if they are not as clear as the M22's. One of my friends recently purchased a full set of JBL's and I was watching a movie at his house and I kept thinking that the sound was quite muffled and lacked the detail I have come accustomed to.

Please give Axiom a call or at least an Email with the pics and see what they say, I know I wouldn't be happy with the blistered one at all, the corner damage I would expect at some point on a speaker if it were to sit on stand, as stands get knocked over once in awhile. The blistering, to me, is not acceptable even with a discounted price.

They say minor imperfections, some not really noticeable, well that blistering is not minor, the corner to me is borderline but acceptable. If I were to buy this from a retail store I would hope for 10% off the speaker with the corner damage but I wouldn't even think about buying the one with a truly bad finish.

jakewash, I know what you are saying. I have become a HD snob and can really notice the difference between an uncompressed vs highly compressed feed. I'm sure with time I will become equally as critical of speakers .

The corner vinly might have been loose and when I put the speakers on a bookshelf for a few days before I went out of town, it might have caused the chip.... or the chip was there from the start and I never noticed it. The blistering is more the start of more loss of adhesive as time goes on. When I end up wall mounting them downstairs the issues may be more visable. I still would hope the speakers would stand up to 1 week of ownership better.

I emailed the pics to JC @ Axiom on thursday night and hope to hear back next week.

BTW, this is what the current setup looks like with the kids toys and DVD's all over.

The feedback from Axiom is to send these back. They are upgrading me to a pair of new M22's to replace these, for $23.00 extra. I'm happy with that.

The true test of customer service is the response when something goes wrong.