Modified version of the Hawaii 5.0's
for use as HT rear channels.



The mods are this:

Mount driver from rear of baffle with a radius on the front side of the cutout seal the gasket with a lite coat of silicone caulk, moved port to the rear, used an eye bolt as a pressure screw to have something to grip, removable back, cabinet is made from birch ply with a solid oak front, used 10-32 brass bolts and thumb nuts as binding posts, and Cat 5 as the internal wiring.

I got part of this modification from Kyle in, where else, Hawaii.

After viewing his suggestions, I did a few of my own changes and this is what I came up with.



This is a shot before sanding the oak and clear coating.
The sides and top are covered with black laminate.
I will be building a matched set of stands for these for use as rear channels.

The most immediately noticeable change was in the imaging.
Music seems to radiate from everywhere in the room, not just from the speakers. This is in direct conflict with what I thought would happen mounting the driver to the rear of the baffle. I suppose moving the port to the rear and putting them within a foot of the wall behind them helped out.

Next, came a distinct improvement in bass. Tighter, faster and less distorted, these things rock!

In short, I would choose this design over the original hands down.