Price Paid:  $210.00 from beachaudio.com

Summary:
For all of you that are considering the EFE crossover mod (I used to be one), do yourselves a favor and do it!! The transformation is well worth the money. I have a total of $290 into these speakers, where can you find a great pair of speakers for less than $300?? His re-build is not a simple change of a capacitor, he totally changes the crossover points and adds several components, coils, and resistors. Not a simple fix! The new sound is so much warmer, fuller, and I can now actually enjoy these speakers and listen to them. The dv-62clr-s center is also an amazing center channel, spend the $20 and have Ed fix as well. Matched timberance is important. You will not be dissapointed. There are a lot of speakers out there that do sound better, but you have to spend $800-1,200 to get even close to these after the modifications..... Contact ed, IT IS WORTH IT. efespkrs@aol.com

Strengths:
GREAT DEAL IMPRESSIVE SOUND FULL RANGE AND SOLID BASS QUALITY COMPONENTS (considering $) SOLID CABINENTS (3/4" MDF)

Weaknesses:
not the best looking front port kinda ugly (the dv64 resolved) I wanted to hear the original 736's not a deal breaker....

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm atom / 5se / monitor 7's Custom monitors Home-made old 3-ways Auditioned dozens of others

Price Paid:  $325.00 from Cyclone Stereo

Summary:
I purchased these speakers in February of 2001 (I know, took me a little while to get to writing the review). I'm a huge fan of techno music, and to me, the brightness of these speakers is wonderful. I normally have to crank the treble nearly as far as it goes to get the crispness and brightness that I desire. I've heard of Ed Frias' modification, and haven't had a chance to sit down and listen to an unmodified set vs a modified set. My brother did purchase the upgrade for his pair, and I've listened to them, but the difference is not as perceptible as I would have thought. Granted, I'm not listening to them side by side, but going from my home to his, I cannot tell an "immediate and shocking" difference. I will be dis-assembling my brothers speakers and measuring the modifications that Ed has performed on them, to see what this so-called "magic" is. I'll probably post pictures of the difference between them too.

Strengths:
Inexpensive, great sounding

Weaknesses:
none that i've found, although i'm no audiophile.

Similar Products Used:
Polk, PSB

Price Paid:  $120.00 from ebay

Summary:
well all i can say is that there isnt much to a ctossover. so changing the value of the capacitor DEFINETLY makes the difference. as far a 1mf or a 1.5 mf cap eliminates the highs.. the 736 has so much lobing that you will NOT loose any of the frequencies... Like mentioned somewhere else .. there isnt much you can do to change a crossover. change the values of the caps and resistors.. add zoebels and chokes.. or change the drivers elements (speakers).. There is no magic wand for these or any speakers.. If the ed frias fix were that great dont you think BIC would have paid him for the idea and modified there crossovers..also dropping the value of the cap.. (I have done this myself 2x to test the difference) does inhance the bass... it does not flatten the sound..UNLESS you didnt remove the old cap.. or havent soldered it in correctly... if you cant do that make a zoebel.. 1.25 each. and place it between the positive post of the speaker and the crossover. If you don't believe tis. Get a speaker building handbook.. anyone can make a 2/3 way crossover in 5 mins.

Strengths:
excellent speaker but overly or overtly bright. send the crossovers to ed frias or try to fix them yourself. (parts + 30-45 mins to do the pair)

Weaknesses:
mentioned above...if your mechanically challenged DEFINETLY send them to ED. (side not I have heard eds fixes on the 736 and on the dv52 and dv62 bookshelves.. definitely an improvement.) but the capacitor switch on the 736 and the ed fix does sound about the same.

Similar Products Used:
many..currently using ar s-50 fronts wharedale em97 rears mission ds-77 centers (surround) and dahlquist 1500 sub and a good ole bic dv-62clr for my center channel.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I wrote a review of these speakers after the Ed Frias modification back in May, (under sixtox) but have since then made many component changes in my system. Here is my story for those who are looking for just the right sound. Let me first say, these speakers can deliver. When I first bought these speakers back in 2000 I was driving them with a Denon AVR-1801. The speakers did not yet have the EFE mod, but they sounded O.K. driven by the Denon. The sound was nowhere near the quality neccessary for serious music listening, but they sounded good for HT. In March of 2001 I added an external 2 channel amp to the Denon, which improved the sound but there was still something missing, I could not just sit and listen to music with any enjoyment. I sent the crossovers to Ed in May and he did his magic. With the new crossovers installed there was a very noticeable improvement, but the sound I was looking for was just not there yet. In July I bought a used Harman Kardon PM665vxi integrated amp off ebay. Wow, I had found the sound I was looking for. Warm, yet detailed, tight bass, and very natural sounding mids and highs. The DV736 and PM665 team was a keeper, but I started to have problems with the amp. I took it to a repair shop, and started to use an HK3370 stereo amp for music. Once again I did not find enjoyment in serious music listening. The repair shop tried to fix the PM665 but failed, so I bought the new NAD C320BEE integrated amp. I am now very satisified with the sound. The NAD and DV736 team give me the sound I had been searching for. This review was meant to inform people that the DV736, with the mod performed by Ed Frias, can be a very satisfying speaker. Many times after the mod I had thought of upgrading my speakers, but all along it was my components that were the problem. During the period between acquiring the PM665 and the NAD C320BEE, I had made a couple of small changes to my system as well, such as adding an external DAC to my Denon DCM-370. This also made an improvement that was easily noticeable through the DV736 speakers. Now that Ed has experimented with the new DV64, there is a new speaker to replace the DV736 for those who enjoy serious music listening but cannot afford the high price tags. I highly recommend this route if money is tight, yet high quality sound is what you are looking for. It is also advisable to experiment with amplification.

Strengths:
Smooth, natural sounding mids and highs. Tight, articulate bass (even with the front bass port).

Weaknesses:
The only weaknesses I have found have been from poor amplification.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I've been very happy with the 736's, playing both music and Dolby Digital / DTS movies through them. Good bass response (though a sub really is needed), clear, crisp highs, and they can get louder than I would want them to be anyway. All these folks blabbing about Ed must work for the guy, or have been recruited. I'm sure his mod probably does make them sound even better, but who needs it when they sound good already. Most of the tweeking can be done at the receiver level anyway. I'd highly recommend these. Nice looking too. Running these with a Denon 1801 receiver, Toshiba 2805 DVD/CD player and 8 gauge speaker cable.

Strengths:
Bass response, good looking speaker.

Weaknesses:
None.