Are the cabinet sides birch and the front baffle black, or is the entire cabinet black? I can imagine that a laquer piano black would be attractive. Does the textured paint provide a "sprackle" finish, like a rough vinyl, or is it more of a course grain like sandpaper?

Thanks for sharing your impressions and please find a way to post pictures of your speakers sometime!

And by the way, you're right - "There's no substitute for cubic inches."