To Buy or to DIY, here is my question

@chorus first step, head over to the DIY forums, very limited experience here.  

IF you are an extra-hands-on type person and normally build things yourself at home, with good plan/design/specs, go DIY and build it yourself. Madisound sources specs from the driver manufacturers, which helps. Check out Troels too, http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Diy_Loudspeaker_Projects.htm 

If wood making is not for you, source a local cabinet woodworking shop to build you furniture grade enclosures, and wind up with much better parts, better results, better enclosures, at half the cost of new. Buy all top the shelf drivers if you proceed. All new parts! You won't look back with high quality diy keeper-speakers, and less likely to resale them later. Can be very rewarding. Best of luck.     

WAF. And where are you going to build them? Clear it all with your family first - that's the MOST important consideration. With support, joy - without support, pain and more pain. Trust me on this.

If you decide to procede: ScanSpeak makes a lot of different speakers, but I expect that they don't all play nice together. If you get good advice and buy high quality drivers, chances are that you are building to a very high standard. If you buy high quality caps, like styrene or teflon, ditto. But - you may not be used to sound of that quality, and may not recognize it. The sound should be smooth and get better hour after hour.

Then it's 'only' a matter of cabinets and crossover design. As mentioned, expect to spend a lot of time, years, before it sounds as you want it to. But it's fun, it's educational, and you MAY end up with speakers that you couldn't possibly afford otherwise. That's what happened with my modified ESL speakers, my DIY electronics, and my DIY turntable. I was lucky, and I planned and calculated and planned some more.

Remember: WAF, WAF, WAF. Then you can start planning.

I use a ScanSpeak Revelator sub. Very nice, pretty much keeps up with the ESL's.

2nd having a good look at Troels Gravesens site… lots of experience there. Check out also builders projects completed. Lots of great ScanSpeak and Seas projects. I’m seriously considering the loudspeaker 2. I would say these are moderately hard woodworking projects, especially if you are planning veneer finishes.

ps You need to be very sure you are keeping these for life… it’s pretty tough to get your money back fro a diy project.

If you have the skills and equipment to make them, I'd say go that route. Each time you listen to them or even walk by, you can think, "I made those" which is a pretty satisfying feeling. I made some Zigmahornets and while they weren't the best looking speakers, they sounded pretty good and I was pretty proud of the work I put into them.