Excellent points you brought up. I wasn't thinking of upgrading, but that's always possible too. But even if the crossovers, raw speakers were availabe with unfinished cabinets to let the user put whatever they want...say birdseye maple? Scan-speak, Vifa, and Focal, are great speakers, Dynaudio used to make kits available. http://www.northcreekmusic.com specializes in nothing but DIY kits.