@blue_collar_audio_guy, just a note of caution on DIY/kits. Not all of them sound good even if they use good drives and show a nice modeled response. I’ve built a number of kits, designed a couple of my own, and heard many more at DIY meets. Sometimes, commercial speakers sounded better even at similar BOM cost vs retail.
If you are going this route, due diligince is recommended. Espically, if your are going with a BOM over a grand. Some designs available as kits that impressed me were Jeff Bagby’s Kairos and the Linkwitz Pluto & LX Mini.
For commerical, another high value brand is Salk but his speakers are not no frills in the finish department. However, even with their nice encolsures they are still very high value in dollars to performance ratio. The Song3 BeAT is a gem as is the SM6 IMHO.