HiVi-Swans DIY 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.

The sound quality is absolutely incredible. The highs are crystal clear. Voices are warm and natural. The lows are excellent. Each voice and instrument can be distinctly heard. These speakers will bring new life to my vinyl collection from the 60s and 70s. Streaming music (thru a vacuum tube preamp) is also impressive. This is a great do it yourself speaker kit. It comes with everything you need but the tools. Assembly was straightforward. I watched several videos beforehand so there were no surprises.Crossovers:Assembling the crossovers went without a hitch. I had never soldered components on a printed circuit board before, but I went slow and made sure each connection was good. I upgraded the crossovers with the Sehlin option 4 modifications. The additional components were available at Parts Express for about $35 plus shipping.Cabinets:I am a woodworker and built my own cabinet sides, tops, and bottoms from solid oak. The fronts, backs, and internal bracing were reused from the kit. The fronts were modified for a half-lap joint to allow for an oak boarder. The backs were just butt joined. All corners were rounded over to remove sharp edges. The fronts and backs took wood stain surprisingly well. The finished speakers weigh 22.8 lbs each.Sound:My Sony 100W x 100W receiver had no problem driving these 4-ohm speakers. The volume control was set at 15% for normal listening level for classic rock and blues in a 13 x 17 room. The sound is fairly loud even at 30% volume. I am waiting for the speakers to finish breaking in before really pushing them.

My 9 year old son and I tackled this project together. This alone made it all worth while. While I’m familiar with woodworking, neither of us had used a soldering iron before. Had we just assembled the kit as we received it, the project wouldn’t have taken more than two or three days to finish. We decided to make the best of it and add the perfectionist mod for the crossover, swap the double binding posts for high quality single binding posts, and wrap the boxes in custom milled Hawaiian Kou (not Koa) that I saved from a green waste pile.Going the extra mile was well worth it. It gave us more time together and the final product is heirloom quality. The best part of the build was when we hooked the speakers up to our amp and listened to our first song. I chose ‘Heart of Gold’ sung by Johnny Cash. The look on my son’s face when he heard the sound coming through the speakers was worth the money, time, mistakes and everything in between (yes, we did test each speaker with the crossover boards before assembling, but it was still a pleasant surprise for him).The speakers sound incredible. They do everything well—high, mids, and lows. Sound staging is excellent and instrument separation is elegant (distinguishable and harmonious). Although the lows are good, being that they are only 6.5” woofers means that they won’t be going into the 30 hz or lower range. We have a Klipsch sub that covers the low end. These speakers do everything else better than any other bookshelf speaker I’ve heard. They easily beat out my Klipsch RP-500m, which I very much like, in every way but compactness. Btw, I am running these with the little Aiyima T9 amp. I upgraded the tubes on that amp, but otherwise it’s stock. I Have never pushed the amp near its limit while playing these quite loud.I mostly stream music from my little WIIM or watch movies through an inexpensive but incredible little HDMI Arc dac. The speakers are incredible for movies, etc. I've owned the Sonos Beam 2 and tried the Sonos Arc. My setup costs less than the arc and is leagues better for movie sound reproduction, separation, and clarity. For music, Sonos is not in the same league and these speakers.Wonderful speakers in every way. I can’t imagine a better speaker experience.