HiVi-Swans 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.

The kit comes complete but buying some racket type clamps to hold the cabinet pieces in place after gluing would be something I'd consider. I upgraded the crossover components to give them an even better sound and have been listening to them for over a year and am still happy with them. I've swapped out other mid level priced speakers from Mission, B&W etc costing $1,200 and up and come back to the 3.1's. If you have the time and some basic assembly skills they're worth the price.

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! 😉

Absolutely phenomenal speakers! They can easily hold their own against speakers that cost $2k+. I did do the Sehlin Pefectionist Mod (option 4). You don’t need to modify the crossover, it just suited my preference more than the original. Many people prefer the original crossover design. I have built many different speakers from various kits and my own designs. The bass will surprise you! You’ll still want to run a subwoofer, but if you’re running these as near field speakers, then you may not need one. They have great clarity and sound stage. Some people say they can be a bit bright with the original crossover, but that never bothered me. I’d compare the “brightness” to Klipsch. These are replacing a pair of tower speakers in my living room. My son also built a pair of these for his dorm room. He gets tons of compliments on the sound quality, and maybe even a few complaints about the volume. If you’re on the fence about this kit, don’t hesitate. The components alone would cost you close to $600 of purchased separately, then you’d need to buy wood and build some boxes. I’m probably gonna pick up another pair so I can run 3 of these in an LCR configuration with Emotiva amps.

Excellent sound! I added the crossover "perfectionist mod" that many people talk about in forums and other reviews, which reduces the very high frequency brightness to a "perfect" flat curve. I put these speakers in my Home Theater room as a temporary substitute for my front tower speakers and they really sounded great. I later moved these upstairs to a den with a tv and they outperformed any sound bar I've ever experienced. The Value for the money is really exceptional as long as you enjoy DIY projects. I found the connectivity and compatibility were exactly what I expected. I might add a sub woofer at some point, but for now we're all smiles!

Super disappointed in built the whole thing just to find out it came with a blown mid tried to get a replacement but the components that come in the kit are different than the replacement parts so I returned it.

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.

The kit went together very easy and they sound excellent. I did veneer the speakers with sapele and built a matching sub woofer

Treble is indeed HOT. But with a proper EQ or just follow the Sehlin collection of mods, these really punch WAY above their price point. These produce an incredible amount of bass; mid is clear, just what you expect from an soft dome driver; the AMT tweeters can bleed your ears if not tamed correctly.The imaging left some to be desired but all round accurate enough (for my ears). Soundstage is decent, not mind blowing, but these aren't surround system so that is expected.My pair use the Sehlin mod 5, which agressively lowers the treble response. In the end, I did have to EQ the Bass and trebble a little bit to match my taste.All in all, these are amazing for the price. Looking forward to building them again given a chance.

A very complete kit (besides Xover mod). Instructions are rudimentary, but believe it or not, a good thing. Makes you research everything, while learning a lot a long the way, from glue, to capacitors, to finishes. Don't rush the build, it's a hobby.I chose the #5 mod. My goal was to keep the kit inexpensive. Researched real veneers, decided on vinyl, don't regret. I could use the vinyl with the kit, it would work but boring. Supplied vinyl is meh.They sound great, detailed, but on the colder side for my liking as is. Some EQ from my amp (room correction) improves, warmer. My main listening speakers now. Happy.Building anything is not just about the final product... it's the journey. A rewarding project, will do something again.

The instructions could be a bit more detailed. Assembling the cabinet can be a bit tricky wgiven that they don't have ideal sequence of assembly.. the veneer that it came with is not great... but the sound... WOW... They sound great.Get better veneer and plan out the cabinet slowly and you'll love the sound.Fun project.I recommend to the manufacturer that they include tongue and groove design or biscuits for the cabinet assembly to make it easer and more precise..

Really great sounding speakers. I spent a little extra and did some of the mods for the crossover and used real walnut and oak wood veneers (the included vinyl covering looks really cheap) and they came out great. I had seen videos of people adding foam they bought mine came with all the foam to be cut and fill all the sides. This foam is kind of packed in the box like its for shipping protection so maybe they threw it out not knowing? Fun project with nice reward in sound. I’ve had an old set of decent enough JBL’s and side by side these are much clearer and pronounced, with tighter bass response. Definitely hear more detail in my records.

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.