I am still working on the wood side panels for the amp and the pre, I hope that also ends up looking good. I was able to remove the existing edge veneer/laminate. The sides are really well bonded. May try applying heat - or just sand them down and veneer over it. There are actual wood panels for sale in Epay, but they are pricey and I am not sure they are worth it. The amp sounds pretty decent, by the way.
It has epically shitty speaker terminals - Rev, I had to remove the River Current terminals to make the cables play with the Onkyo with the fake binding post terminals.