Need some help with some not so old speakers...

[am8ulanceangel]

I may not have the supremely prestigious speakers that a lot of the people on this board have, but I still want my speakers to be aesthetically appealing. I have 2 f-3 floorstanders and a c-3 center channel. Well, not in my possession, but they are paid for and will be arriving monday. As a 22 year old college student, money is tight, and buying these speakers made my wallet cry. But anyway, on to the point.

I have no idea how the f-3's are finished (veneer, paint, etc.), but I would like to finish them in a nice wood veneer (not too keen on the black). So my questions are:

1.) Painted or veneer?

2.) If veneer, can I just place new veneer over old, or must I remove the old?

3.) If painted, just sand and go, right?

Oh, and totally in the wrong section, but subwoofer + living in apartment is a generally bad idea, correct?

Oh yea, this is my first post as well, so hello all

[JoeRiff]

Welcome to the forum and to the world of Klipsch.

I would go with veneer, but it all comes down to personal taste.

You can put new veneer over the old stuff, but only if the old veneer is smooth and sound. You don't want any bubbles, cracks, or splits. The main thing is also making sure it is still FIRMLY attached to the wood. The new veneer is only going to be as well attached as the veneer under it. Personally, I would take the hard way and remove the old stuff first.

If veneering over painted, just make sure you have a clean, smooth surface. Be sure to fill in any divits or imperfections as they will show through the veneer.

You can find many old threads on applying veneer in the search feature, as well as on the Web in general. Good luck.

[NastyHabits]

Oh, and totally in the wrong section, but subwoofer + living in apartment is a generally bad idea, correct?

Depends on who you neighbors are. [] I keep mine turned down pretty low, especially with DVD's. They tend to accentuate the explosions, etc in the movies. If I'm not careful, the first space ship landing in "Fifth Element" will rattle the bricks right out of the walls.

[Islander]

It helps a lot if your sub's not sitting directly on the floor. My subs are all on neoprene rubber pads, plus one's on a bedside table, one's on an end table, and one's on a sturdy box. None are on the floor, and I've never had a complaint. It helps that the building is made of concrete, which transmits less sound between apartments than a wooden building.