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

My 3rd diy speaker build (after 2 from Part Express) and the HIVI-Swan 3.1a kit was a fun one to put together. After extensive research on ASR and Audiokarma.org plus the mostly 5 star reviews from the majority of the comments I was sold on ordering a set for myself. These speakers are dynamic and superior to any bookshelf I've owned or built, including the Klipsch rp 600m's they're replacing. Powered thru a recapped Sansui 5000a or updated Fisher TA 800 tube receiver (Soulpeak P2 switch lets me choose my weapon), these 3-ways are sonically stunning and pretty darn cool looking. Went with the Sehlin Perfection Mod 4 crossover to elegantly tame the highs. The Sansui is 55wpc and with the new main caps I can barely get the volume past 4 outta 10 in the 20'x 14' living room. The HIVI's are paired with an Infinity PS-8 sub. Did not care for the goofy midrange overlap on the tweeter so I recessed the mid and cut a radius in tweeter flange with a hacksaw for a flush fit. (see photos). I added a thin 10mil red oak veneer and hand-cut the radius openings, stained and finished with Danish oil, 2 coats ea. As many have mentioned, the instructions are limiting but adequate and with an abundance of online info and YouTube videos, it was not technically challenging. The kit was packed well and arrived a day early. I feel for what you spend and what you get, including an extra $35+/- on the Perfection Mod 4 parts from PE, for just over $400 you are getting a speaker worth 2x+ that; so an incredible value IMHO. Prior to final connections I bench-tested with 1 1/2" supplied dampening foam in one and the 1/2" PE Sonic Barrier in the other (adhesive side covered for easy removal). The supplied foam provided a superior overall sound so I stuck with that. Each day they seem to break in a little more and sound clear and dynamic, even in the bookshelf setup which may not be ideal since they are 3'"+ off the wall. My 70+ ears are still functioning pretty well (despite what my wife says) but these speakers produce sweet airiness of the mid/high ends while bass clarity and punch excels on all volume levels IMHO. A great investment for those who like the diy audio projects with a big payoff.

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.

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! 😉

This kit ended up being the best bookshelf speakers I have ever heard. And I have heard plenty over the years. The dome mid range sounds awesome for vocals and it feels very well made. The MDF cabinet pieces included are very thick, which I wasn't expecting but am very happy with. It helps to reduce cabinet resonances. In fact, all Swan parts included feel very well made. This kit produces way more bass than expected and the sound stage is huge. Making this kit sound like a much larger speaker. Pull them out from the wall and they easily fill a medium sized living room and feel like they envelope you. The included ribbon tweeter is a bit too bright however. There are lots of instructions online on how to modify the crossover design to fix the brightness and balance it out. But I took a different approach. Instead of modifying the crossover, I changed the tweeter to a soft dome that matched the crossover design better. I would have preferred if Swan included a soft dome tweeter with this kit. The crossover parts are much better quality than I expected in this price range, except the sand cast resistors. I bought wire wound and used those instead. Buy this kit! These speakers are amazing and you will be proud of what you built when its all done. I am very proud of how my kit turned out.

Love the sound of these speakers. Easy to build and fun too. Would be nice to bring this kit back for sale.

I just finished building this kit and was totally impressed with the ease it was to complete this project The sound that is produced from these speakers is amazing and totally worth the cost

I am very pleased with the overall experience. High-quality parts.The assembly process was straightforward.This product is truly great value for money. Highly recommend this product. Also the customer service from HiVi is really helpful!

A little expansive for a diy speakers kit but àt the end they sound realy great !