I'm having a difficult time coming to a decision. Which is a better choice a wood veneer (semi-gloss) or the high gloss cherry vinyl. I really like the look of the HG cherry but not sure if a future resale value would make it a hindrance. I've ordered samples but just not sure which one is the right choice.

Would the high gloss vinyl last just as long the wood veneer? What are the pros and cons of either choice? I'd like to hear from the owners on there thoughts. High Gloss Wood Veneer is too expensive.

Also I heard that the High Gloss Cherry Vinyl is being discontinued in March 2010 @ Axiom is that right?

The vinyl finishes axiom offers are very high quality. I just have the standard boston cherry myself and have had them for a few years and the finish is good as the day I received them. No signs of peeling at all on any of the speakers. Now imo the high gloss vinyl is in another league over the standard finishes from the pictures I have seen posted. It is beautiful! If I had to do it all over again, that is the finish I would go with. There is one person that has made his own custom grills to go along with the high gloss cherry and they look very good. The custom finishes such as HG cherry would also offer a higher resale value.

I have no idea about the HG cherry being discontinued or not. Has there been announcements about this? Best to get the answer straight from them.

The last thing I would be thinking of is the future resale. Get the speakers that you like, have you thought of the high gloss orange


There most likely would be some people who would make a comment on the high gloss being vinyl but once you see it...come on, it's excellent. I also think a lot of people believe that "good" speakers are wood....

Bullet proof...

I have seen HG cherry veneer and vinyl finishes next to each other. They are VERY hard to tell apart.

Unless abused, either finish will last a very long time.

You would need to call Axiom to see if it is being discontinued. The vinyl Axiom uses is 2nd to non in the industry, I would not be concerned about that, if you want wood, get wood, it just costs more. Resale value would not be a worry in my mind, no plans to sell anytime soon.

Resell Axioms? No way, when upgrading, the older ones simply end up in another room

I agonized for a long time as I was saving to buy my Axioms - Natural Cherry Veneer or Vinyl. IN the end, I decided that the sound was the important thing. Someone on here used to have a tag line that said something like "enjoy the music - not the equipment". That pushed my decision for me. The big draw - IMO - for Axiom is that you get superb quality sound without having to pay the superb price tag. Opting for the veneer really cuts into that differentiation. Having said that, the veneer is still a much better value than say the Paradigm Studios. I went with Sorrel Pear Vinyl as it was the best match for my Cherry entertainment center.

I started out with the Cherry vinyl and little by little have been changing to Cherry Chestnut wood veneer. Yes they sound the same but the look and the feel are different, I can't go back to vinyl now.

No wrong or right answer, it depends on your budget and what YOU want.

I had the same decision a few months back. I really hate "faking it" normally, but the price for the VaSSallo series was just too high to justify the extra cost for me. They are so beautiful though. In the end I went for the High Gloss Cherry vinyl and it looks terrific.

I would not worry too much about resale, just buy what you want. Either one is going to have your name on them anyway, which is a great touch.

That is just awsome!

The finish looks great, but to have your name on them is just absolutely perfect.

Lets see Paradigm or B&W do this (oh, maybe they do).

pn

I might go with the High Gloss Vinyl. The quality of Vinyl is fairly high from what I've heard.

Also go an email back from Axiom support the High Gloss Vinyl Cherry is not being discontinued.

Even if it was, I'm sure they'd have enough leftover stock to make anything but the largest speakers for a while.

Ah damn you Ford.

That's the very same thing i've been contemplating for a few years now, slowly getting rid of the vinyl Boston Cherry in favour of a wood veneer version.
I just can't decide what to do with the 'old' Axioms then. Selling them at a loss or keeping them for some yet unknown location where i would need to install a 5.1 system.
It is also the reason i've been holding off on buying any more QS8s or subs to round out the system at a 7.2.
Do i stick with my vinyl or start getting the wood?

Damn you.

OK....now I feel I must fess up I never realized the tags on these things have my name on them. I read that at work and as soon as I got home, I checked. Sure enough my name was on them.

Naaaah....too easy.....

I think putting the names on the custom veneers is a somewhat new thing. I ordered about 1.5 years ago and my HG Cherry speakers don't have my name on them. The EP800 I ordered ~1 year ago does, however.

Argon, you had me wondering if I'd somehow missed my name on my speakers all this time, but unfortunately when I went to look it wasn't there. oh well.

The music is still the bottom line, Rob. The tag line endures.

THERE's that tag line I was thinking about. Like all great tag lines - simply stated and most appropriate. Any time these debates about vinyl or wood come up, I think of your signature.