To the OP...in terms of electronics, I'm not the most DIY-guy myself. I do have a lot of experience w/building things from wood and doing home wiring, working on cars, and such. The extent of my knowledge with electronics DIY is building some old kits from Radio Shack and Heathkit when I was a kid (which were very much simplified with detailed instructions), and replacing some boards in my computer that were 100% plug and play.
Net, I am far from an expert with building electronic stuff. But, I chose to start my own build. Frankly, the toughest part & the one that requires the most tools is the cabinet from what I see...getting the right holes in them where you want them. The wiring part appears pretty simple (if you keep it basic).
Unless you really feel totally uncomfortable, my advice would be to build it yourself. You could consider finding someone who you can work with to put the right holes in whatever off-the-shelf case you buy, then do the assembly yourself. For the electrical connections, the critical ones (the ones to the amp board and power supply) are plug and play, and there are just a few solders that need done. If I count correctly, there would be 3-5 solders/monoblock (3 to XLR connector pins and 2 to the power input unless you use a spade connector and just crimp the power lines on). And, in soldering terms, these are simple ones with room for error. You could either give those a try yourself (practicing first, of course, on something other than your new parts if you have never soldered before) or find someone who can solder and having them do it.
Bottom line - I would not be too scared of this build. In relative terms to true/full DIY...it's easy.
Mark
