HiVi-SwansDIY 3 Way Passive Bookshelf Speakers Pair - DIY Speaker Kit-Peak Power 120 Watt Home Theater Bookshelf Speakers for Surrounds or Front

If you want these to look good it takes a lot of work. I spent a few months on this off and on because I have very little spare time. After all the hard work it did pay off. you wouldn't think that after hundreds of hours of work it would be worth it but you'd be wrong. these sound phenomenal, out of this world. I used the sehlin mod #6, the most expensive upgrade. I used, I think tight Bond 2 and if you want longer set up time just add a little bit of water to it. If the veneer comes out crooked you can actually save it by misting the entire veneer and then iron out the warp. The ribbon tweeter and the mid-range blend in so well that even with your ears next to it it's hard to tell if sound is actually coming out of them, but you can make it out. The bass is actually pretty good, you would make it sound better with a subwoofer but to be honest I might not even get a subwoofer because they sound fine the way they are. It's not gut punching bass it's really detailed though, and not weak. If you don't have time you can buy there finished version of these for a lot more money, and it has a built-in amplifier but it does look kind of ugly. Even if you don't have good finishing skills you'll end up with speakers that sound fantastic, unless of course you use the standard crossover that comes with it.

Received kit several weeks ago. Very well packaged and all items were separately placed in shipping box. Started the assembly process, first reviewing contents of kit, making sure everything was there. Spot on and no concerns. First was cabinet. Plenty of advice from different Utube reviewer. Easy peasy, but web clamps assisted tremendously. Painted the boxes with a charcoal cabinet enamel. Next was crossover assembly. Took the mod 4 route (perfectionist assembly). Used a Dayton capacitor and resistors. Next was stuffing the box with included foam. Had to pause a DYI video that showed the diagram for cutting as the specs for sizing were not readily available (that I could find). Speaker driver was next, and as videos suggest, certain order to ensure fitment. Everything being hooked, the next step was listening. I was curious about all the hype these speakers have created. Well money well spent as these speakers have the clarity and depth that I have not heard before. Sutle album nuances came alive and not heard before (I know, not unique comments, but honest). These speakers excel in the vocal and upper end, while the woofer provides 90% of necessary base for music I like; Van Morrison, Bob Knofler/EmyLou Harris, Cat Stevens...you get the drift.I am very satisfied with the purchase and would recommend these speakers, even if you are not completely handy with tools since the kit comes together very well.

Great kit. Really impressive sound! I added real wood veneer and these look like very expensive speakers now. It was a fun project and I would build them again.

The media could not be loaded. One star off because the type of screws they included was psychotic. Self tapping socked head sheet metal screws? Not good. You can use whatever screws you want, it’s fine.Kit went together easy enough. Glued and brad nailed. You have to make sure you check the brace position as the front and rear baffle will not line up if you are not paying attention.I redid the crossover a little. Kept some of the inductors, but replaced everything else and did not use their printed board. I feel better about direct connections vs running the signal over a solder trace. Just me. I put the crossover on a 3d printed piece of PLA then hot melted and zip tied the components. Double stick taped that to the bottom of the box and hot melted it just to make sure.Used some of their foam, and crammed some polyfil around the port and in the top cavity.I did not attempt their crinkled vinyl veneer. Sanding sealer, sanded to 320, two coats of primer, two coats of white gloss spray, two coats of gloss clear. They look good.Long and short, they sound great. The kit is a good value…if you can get it. ;)

So I have had my share of speakers throughout the last 27 years. In the past two years I have bought and listened extensively to ELAC Unifi Reference, ELAC Unifi 2.0, Triangle BR02, and HECO Celan Revolution 3. The HECOs were better than the other 3 which is why the other 3 were sold. Kept the HECOs, but then ordered these HIVI 3.1a kits. I decided to go with the ultimate Sehlin X-over Upgrade. I also decided to change all the x-over parts to more higher quality parts. The cost of the parts upgrade was probably about $300 extra, better caps, resistors and inductors! Also lined the inside of the cabinets with 1.25” thick heavy duty sound dampening material from Parts Express, called Sonic Barrier. Putting the cabinet together was easy using the method recommended by HiVi on a YouTube video. After the speakers were completed, I could not believe how heavy each speaker is. The Sonic Barrier along with heavier upgraded parts added probably 6-7 lbs to the weight. Each speaker weighs almost 28 lbs!! The sound? Well incredibly detailed, balanced and the bass is simply unreal. The soundstage is just massive with a wide and deep soundstage presentation . The highs are not harsh at all. This sounds like a small floor stander rather than a bookshelf speaker. One will have to buy a major brand, dealer distributed speaker pair at $5000 or higher to get the same quality of parts and sound as the pair I built. It simply smoked my HECO Celan Revolution 3 speakers which retail for $1200-1500 depending on sales by HECO and Sound Advice. Buy the kit, upgrade the X-over and you will have your FINAL bookshelf speakers. I am using a Eversolo DMP-a6 streamer, a Denafrips DDC, a Denafrips Pontus II DAC, to a Musical Paradise 701-mk2 tube preamp going to a Classe Model 15 amp. I am done with speaker upgrades, for a few years at least! 😉