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

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.

I did not use the black simulated wood vinyl wrap as this was to be adapted for portable use. I added spring loaded handles on top, finished the cabinet in Dura-Tex and mounted feet underneath. I like others, did the perfectionist mod with parts from Parts Express. After listening, I would not do the 3db down option, they are very smooth in the high end and don't need attenuation. I used 80mil Dynamat on the interior walls. I also added grilles in the front instead of using the supplied grills and cloth (though these are nice). They turned out GREAT! I would say this is a very good kit. I have a lot of wood working experience and these were not a challenge. All the cuts were very accurate, gluing was easy and the finished product is sturdy enough to be lugged around and they sound fantastic. Impressed with the internal bracing, nice touch. Sound is very articulate, accurate, bass is quite impressive. One odd thing is they provide a bi-amp terminal cup but unless you do your own circuit board (or use and actual wooden board like I did) the included crossover does not allow you to bi-amplify this speaker - the terminal cups look cool though! Highly recommend this kit. The drivers alone will set you back more that this entire kit sells for!

This is a really complete DIY speaker pair. Aside from cabinet refinishing and wood glue, everything is included - screws, speaker wire, crossover boards, grill fabric and mounting hardware, etc. Impressive package for the price. I was missing a gasket and contacted customer support - good response and they quickly sent a replacement. I also asked about a discrepancy in the inductor packaging compared to the assembly manual - they explained that the packing was wrong and to follow the manual values. Very helpful.Regarding the sound, I did an A/B comparison between the included crossover design and one I found on the web. Just search for this kit and you'll find the modifications. I posted the links here, but Amazon rejected that review (probably a community guideline violation). I used "mod 6" but I don't think it's very different from "mod 4," and mod 4 is easier to find. Anyway, it made a huge difference in the sound. The provided crossover was shrill and harsh - too heavy on midrange and treble. The modification smoothed things out significantly. The cost of the replacement components is small and well worth it.I highly recommend this kit for someone wanting to try speaker building. It's a very complete kit and the results can be very satisfying.

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! 😉