HiVi-Swans DIY Speakers 3.1A - 3.1 Bookshelf - Near Field Speakers - DIY Speaker Kit - Pair - Black

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.

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.

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! 😉

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.

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.