What are your favorite speaker finishes?

Cats Paw Cherry....

I had a pair of Spendor SP 2/3s in cherry that were absolutely beautiful…the BEST cherry finish I've ever seen. Sometimes when the evening sun hit them, I just stared at them, really. The modern cherry finishes seem to be too light and character-less, but those Spendors were natural works of art.

Why is Brazilian rosewood banned from being shipped to most countries?

I had never seen Brazilian rosewood and it is gorgeous!

Rja, interesting that you prefer a matte over a gloss finish; I would bet that the majority prefers gloss. I prefer gloss finishes but you make a good point that you like anything nicely figured; I agree.

The more character the better, in my opinion.

Also, what is the term when the veneer matches on both speakers? Is that called book matched? This is also a quality I like; when both speakers are tied together whether mirror or a continuation.

I think the Bubinga finish on my Monitor Audio GX50's is really pretty and I appreciate that it is one continuous piece of veneer all the way around each speaker.

I've looked up every speaker mentioned here and there are definitely some beautiful speakers mentioned. What I didn't expect was to see how many were on display in ridiculous homes.

I would always buy black speakers. A few years ago I bought a pair of used Harbeths that are Eucalyptus and I like that wood finish the best. No more black speakers for me!

Bcgator
None that I know of now. All my speakers are ProAc's, which I brought directly from the UK. About four years ago I purchased a rosewood pair of 140's from the UK. Can't really tell if it is truly 'Brazilian', but they are beautiful. For the last ten years I have been looking for a pair of vintage Klipsch Belles. All Klipsch rosewood units were built with Brazilian rosewood. The quest continues.