I did stain the cabinets. Used Minwax oil based pecan. It's a nice neutral color. The veneer on the birch ply was not the best, and looks decent everywhere except the front baffles. No biggie. I may paint the fronts with a truck bed liner and a small pore foam roller for a fine textured finish if I get ambitious. I used a water based poly over it and having never used that product before I will use the oil based poly or some kind of tung oil finish next time becuase that's what I'm used to. The water based dries too quickly and made it hard to get an even finish. You only notice it if you're up within 2-3 feet of the cabinets with the right light, but from the listening position they look fine, which is OK for me.