Stuck on cabinet color

Light colors on floorstanders make them conspicuous - not a good idea. Dark colours are much more popular if you ever need to sell it. Dark colors will match more things that light colors.

Macrojack: I laughed on AudioGon for the first time in two years because of your post. This is almost like having Slappy back!

Shadorne - I'm trying to convince myself that your opening statement is not true but I can't... I really like the light color but for exactly the reasons you stated (conspicuous and resale value plus it's more money) I'm thinking you're right...

I would not get light colors. When I listen to speakers
the brighter colors can be distracting and annoying
especially if the sun or a bright light shines on it;
there could be glare, too.
Darker wood is always my preference and better for resale,
too.

I confess to caring about visuals, certainly including speaker finish. My speakers are in my living room, so like it or not, they are part of the furniture in my main living space.

Like Notec, I find birdseye maple appealing, but I agree with the general sentiment here that it is much too light to blend well into many rooms.

If you are dealing with a small manufacturer, one fun possibility would be to see if they would let you supply your own veneer. Certainly Wood (http://www.certainlywood.com/) has an incredible selection, and they are very helpful. My guess is that for most speaker sizes, the added cost would not be that substantial, depending, of course, on the veneers selected. After consulting with Oprah, I settled on the Figured Walnut, which is interesting without being obtrusive, and I have been quite pleased. John