custom Crossover building service??

In this case you're just playing with the chance.
If you just listen to speaker and like it, but after looking inside seing poor wires and poor parts you aim to upgrade, than probably you'll loose. Speaker CAN sound great no matter what parts are used depending on the design. It's essensial, that such speaker will sound best with it's original crossover parts no-matter how bad they are.
If you don't like how your speaker sounds or if it's not too expencive, than you probably loose nothing and you can try.
Upgrading crossover is much easier than upgrading components - so you can do it yourself by replacing electrolytic caps with large film ones from Solen, Aeion or Unlytic. Re-wire your speaker with solid core wires from Belden instead of stock stranded ones and many more depending on the brand of the speaker.
You can ask an advice from Michael Percy at www.percyaudio.com what parts are the best(you can mention budget as well) to upgrade the speaker that you don't like anymore.
The other way is to sell the speaker you don't like and buy the one you will definitely like. IMHO if I spot such thing as upgraded crossover I'd rather avoid that purchase.

thanks for the input people. Got a question though.

As long as I use the SAME VALUES for everything then how could the results be negative? I would just be using better quality components. I don't want them redesigned.

I re-did my Magnepan Xovers with GREAT success. They were easy and Magnepan faxed me a schematic. I sent Athena an email asking for a schematic and so far NO reply.

the stock crossovers look pretty weak. they are about 3 inches square and each contain 2 inductors, 2 caps, and 2 resistors!! Tiniest crossover parts I've ever seen.

I DO like the sound of these speakers, as did Stereophile. I just figured they would sound even better with quality Xovers, just as my Maggies Do.

thanks again!

You might want to try Rick of Selah Audio at [email protected], to whom I'll be sending my speakers for a mod. Hope this helps.

I can't believe we go through this every time someone wants to upgrade their crossovers!

First, moving to better parts can and sometimes, dramatically, upgrade the sound. The danger area is in altering the topology of what has been built by the designer, but even then, I have seen some REALLY highly regarded loudspeakers use nothing but "by the book" values and schemes. Some audiophile loudspeakers are flat out embarrassing in the parts they use.

My one caveat is that in my experience, some of the expensive caps actually produce results that are not for everyone. They can provide a lot more detail and clarity, but at the expense of making the sound cold, bleached, and sometimes even fatiguing. My recommendations for caps are Solen, SCR, NorthCreek, and Wonder DynamiCaps - all of these caps will retain a nice richness in the sound, balanced by a wealth of detail and clarity.

Good resistors almost without question better the treble, often beyond even what a tweeter upgrade will accomplish.

Inductors using larger gauge and better copper do a whole lot. Dynamics and slam are what a lot of people talk about, but from my perspective, the sound just plain opens up. I have ALWAYS heard an improvement with an inductor upgrade, and recommend it highly.

If you are scared, get a dog, but if you feel your crossover is not so great, don't be afraid to make it better.