The return of the DIYer

I do NOT regard buying DIY kits off the shelf from a company selling those kits and building it according to the pre-designed and fabricated components such as crossover a DIY project.  Those projects are just replication of the existing design that the company has fabricated or copied from the manufacturer (hopefully does not trigger infringement of intellectual property).  The DIYers do not really design anything.  That is not a hobby but "killing time" only.  I am not sure what kind of fullfilment or satisfaction they got out of it.  The DIY company even tells you that, if you change the front panel of the speaker (for example), you need to change the design of crossover and they cannot help.  

BTW, I do consider cloning a specific speaker shape/design/pattern a infringement of interllectual property, big time.  Imagine how cloning Wilson Audio speakers of worth more than 20k, 30k and above possibly damages company's business.

In 2001-2003, my friend and I traveled several times a week throughout Israel to the apartments of the audiophiles. At that time, I was looking for an amplifier instead of my Plinius 8200, the sound of which did not suit me then. Then I had Spendor 2/3 speakers.

1. I then came across an amplifier from the 50s MacIntosh MC30. I was shocked how much better, more natural, more musical it was than my not cheap Plinius 8200.
2. Once, we ended up in a house where there was a homemade system with Lowther speakers with large front horns Oris 150 and 2a3 amplifiers. The sound that we heard shocked us. Everything that we have heard before could not be compared. We were like medieval knights who suddenly saw a modern army with tanks and aircraft.
3. After some time, I bought a Lenco L78 turntable for a penny. I put it on a heavy birch plywood plinth and fitted a vintage SME 3009 tonearm. I was surprised how much more accurate this turntable sounded in reproducing the rhythm of the music, how much better and more elaborate the bass and more natural tone of the piano compared to the much more expensive Nottingham Spacedeck which I had it then.

Since then, I realized that it was a fiction that the audio industry progress and what a solution for me is vintage audio and DIY audio.

Wow,  @Lanx0003 I never thought I'd read such an anti-DIY diatribe on here like that one.   I could ignore it, but there's things here to unpack, going from easiest to hardest:
Intellectual Theft

  Those projects are just replication of the existing design that the company has fabricated or copied from the manufacturer...
Imagine how cloning Wilson Audio speakers of worth more than 20k, 30k and above possibly damages company's business.

Almost all of the kits I've seen from Madisound, Troels Gravesen, Parts Express, Meniscus are unique. In some form factors it's really hard not to end up with the same tweeter and woofer as someone else because they are natural partners from the same vendor.  That doesn't mean the electro-acoustical design was copied.  This is especially true in 2 way systems.

Yeah, all those fake Wilson speakers out there really cut into their business .... << giggles hysterically >> because "I was about to spend $30k on a speaker, but hey, I cloned it instead, and whew, the rest I'm spending on women and booze"... is not a real thing.

The DIYers do not really design anything. That is not a hobby but "killing time" only.

C'mon guy, you are seriously going to try to redefine "hobby?"  Merriam Webster says you are taking liberties with the language, the definition is very simple and very broad:

a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

DIYers in any field have a variety of skill levels and are attracted by more than 1 type of work. I welcome them all.  I used to make furniture.  By the time I wanted to make my own speakers I lost my woodshop so I had the cabinets made by Lee Tyler.  So am I not a DIYer now??

I am not sure what kind of fullfilment or satisfaction they got out of it.

So, based on this, I should say that fishing is not a hobby, because I sure as hell can't tell what kind of satisfaction a fisher gets when there's a perfectly good supermarket 10 miles away.

Mostly what I'm reading is someone frightened that people will build speakers instead of buy them at the store. Sorry that scares you.
Lastly, the DIY speaker field, which is the only one you focused on, is wide open and better than ever.  For about $300 you can have a complete measurement setup, and if you are willing and able to spend the time on the math and science anyone could become a speaker maker.   I'm one of those, but I'm happy to welcome people getting a start buy buying off-the-shelf kits too.   Truth is a lot of DIYers start with kits, or start modding commercial speakers and then learn the rest.  Same can be said with DIY amp and preamps and even DACs. 

Good for them.

DIY are starting to be heard, check out newly proposed 'National Right To Repair' bill. Proprietary rights are being taken to extremes by many corporations, they don't even want you to have the ability to open up their product. More vertical integration, trying to control profit generation for life of product.
Yes, manufacturers do have property rights, they have the right to prove property theft to the courts. But we're talking about diy hobbyists here, assume we're not trying to market the equipment we've modified. I don't see audiogon or even the diy forums as platform for property theft for enriching oneself.

I suspect some of these manufacturers would like to seal their equipment with tracking devices that directly report tampering to internal police force. Well, ok, give me lifetime full warranty coverage at no charge.
Reverse engineering has been going on since the beginning of more complex innovation, property rights last for limited time. This is how knowledge is dispersed and further innovation promoted.

I would venture to say DIY is alive and well in this hobby and may be gaining momentum. For me it's about self-reliance and extends beyond just updating and modifying electronics. 
I hope the Right to Repair takes hold, although I'm personally not that interested in schematics of boards with hundreds of surface mount components, I do hope there are those that are and can save them from the landfills.