I like real wood. Walnut or something similar, though it somewhat depends upon the decor of the room. Wood has a more organic, warm quality than black (though if it is to be black, piano black is best). I have some old Heybrook speakers that used one piece of walnut veneer to wrap around the entire speaker, so the woodgrain matches from the side to the top to the side to the bottom. It only does not line up at one of the bottom corners (because that is where the top and bottom of the one piece of veneer meets). That is a really nice job with the veneer; even my wife does not want me to part with them, even though we have some better speakers now (though they are quite good, and were the best I ever owned when I got them). And they were not noticeably more expensive because of it; they were the best sounding speakers I could find at their price point.
As for the finishes offered on the speakers in this contest, I don't much care for the "banded" maple finish in the review sample; see:
http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/loudspeakers/Onixxlsp1.php
It reminds me of cheap furniture that uses strips of wood glued together rather than large pieces of wood. Still, it is far better than having vinyl. (And that cheap furniture with strips of wood glued together is still far better than particle board.) As for the "satin black", I would have to see it to come to a definite decision, but it does not look like something I would like at all. Even the "banded" wood veneer would be better. (I will not presently express my extreme dislike of black for speakers, as I do not wish to offend others at this time. The only black I like at all is piano black, and I much prefer seeing real wood. I prefer real wood finishes on pianos, too.)
Edited to add:
Aside from looking better anyway, real wood veneer doesn't show dust as quickly as black, nor does it show very slight scratches as easily, which are easy enough to repair.
