Adire Rava disappointment (1 Viewer)

[AntonS]

I just received Adire Rava sub. Hooked it up to the LFE channel of my HK AVR8000, went into calibration, and... oops. Well, it does play. It does produce some bass. It does go someplace low. What I found is that my Paradigm Studio 100s (running of Sherbourn 5/1500A amp) go lower and what's more important they go there cleaner. The sub begins to distort at about -25dB, long before I feel the sound. The distortions sound like mini explosions in the sub, so the bass starts sounding very dirty. The Paradigms (when configured without a sub) don't distort until... no idea when, I'm afraid to go there as my windows begin to rattle too much (but I can go at least -15dB.) When the Rava is set as the sub, it begins to rattle itself long before the windows begin! What a disappointment.

I'm not sure if it is a defective sub or what, but it's definitely going back on Monday. Now I really don't know what to do. Maybe I'm spoiled by Paradirms and need more expensive sub. Or maybe I don't need a sub at all. In any case I'm not sure if I want to take another chance with one of the Adires. Maybe I should look at SVS subs, althought too bad I don't care how they look at all. Or should I try ACI Titan II?

 

[AntonS]

It should have been "disappointment" of course in the subject. Sorry for misspell.
Edited, Cees.

 

[Eric_M]

Interesting as I am very much considering this sub as well. The SVS I hear is nice but I believe it is alot more cash than the Rava. What I understand from the Rava is it is geared more towards music (I'd like to know why some subs are geared more towards music and others to HT but thats another thread). However despite it being a more musical sub I hear it can still do quite a job on HT but don't expect it to hit really low either.

 

[AntonS]

So far (after spending one evening with the Rava) I think that it's just not good enough for the Paradigms 100. The Paradigms' specs state that their frequence range is 39Hz-22kHz, with low frequency extension to 25Hz. I really did not expect that the Rava would go much lower into these frequencies, but I definitely expected that it would go there cleaner and with more power. More effortlessly, if you wish. But - it did not. Maybe the Rava will just fine with small bookshelf speakers.

 

[AntonS]

Btw, they say that the Rava is good for music because it has sealed (opposite to ported) design. This generally provide for less powerfull but more tight and responsive bass.

Well, here I go again - with the Studio 100s I definitely do not need a sub for music. Maybe I should look into subs that are particularily good for HT. Looks like the Rava was just a bad choice for my setup.

 

[Steve Zimmerman]

I would certainly contact Dan Wiggins before making the generalization that the Rava is a poor subwoofer. Based upon my listening of the Studio 100s I would say that something is amiss if you don't feel as though the Rava can go as low.

--Steve

 

[Mifr44]

The Rava might need some break-in time. Since it is not going back until Monday, try to keep it "active" as much as possible.

Michael

 

[Brian Bunge]

Anton,

You haven't told us anything about how you have the subwoofer set up. What's your sub out volume on the H/K set at? Where is the gain control on the amp set? Give us a chance to help you before you write off the sub altogether.

I don't see how a pair of towers (not Studio 100's anyway) can outgun a quality subwoofer. Either something isn't setup properly or you have a defective unit. Give us some more info.

Brian

 

[Kyle Richardson]

Brian is right. The Rava uses a very proven driver and amplifier and will definitely outgun your 100's when it comes to bass. Tell us how it's calibrated, where its located in the room, how you have your speakers set up (small...large), your crossover point, etc. There's a lot that can mess up a sub and make you think it's not performing correctly. Give us the information we need and we'll try to help the best we can.

 

[AntonS]

I've tried about any combination of levels, gains, crossovers (mostly 40 and 60), and sub placements. Fronts are set to large, everything else is set to small (I have Studio 20s in the back.) I must say that I do not have an SPL meter now, so I cannot really calibrtate the sub to exactly the right level. What I'm seeing so far is (while playing with calibration levels) that the Studio 100s can go lower and louder without distortions, to the point when my house rattles along with my stomach. The Rava does not go that deep without distorting. By the time the windows start rattling (my stomach doesn't even start feeling anything yet) I already hear the distotrions (those mini explosions) in the driver. The bass becomes very uneven and dirty.

I left the gain on the sub in the middle (must be 0) and the calibration level on H/K on 0dB (main speakers are calibrated to +1dB), but it does not really matter, as you cannot really tell anything at this level. I can only really hear what's going on when I try to set the bass peak limiter on the H/K. With the sub on, I cannot go above -25dB without hearing the distrotions - and that's without even really feeling the bass. With the sub off (only the Studios working) I can go to at least -15dB (I'm afraid to go higher) without any noticeable distortions - and at that point the whole house rattles.

Of course I will contact Adire before sending the sub back and will try to figure what's going on. I'll also keep it in the system until Monday.

Btw, the specs on the Studio 100s do say that their port is tuned lower than the Rava can go. Also, adding the Sherbourn amp made totally different speakers out of them. To say the truth rigth now I'm more impressed with the Paradigms than I'm disappointed with the Rava.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Anton,
One thing I've learned, regardless of what other people have said, is that I cannot set a subwoofer's gain (talking plate amps here just like on the Rava) above 1/4 up or so (9:00 on the dial) and still be able to calibrate the sub to 75dB. Maybe the voltage out for my Newcastle receiver's sub out is higher than others, but I doubt that's the case.
Try that and see if it works. The "mini explosions" you refer to might be the driver bottoming or the amp clipping. A driver bottoming scares the hell out of me so maybe it is just clipping.
Also, what material are you testing the sub with? Don't tell us you're using The Haunting, TPM, or TS2. They're all sub killers.
Brian

 

[AntonS]

I've tried few DVDs with the Rava. It's not that the Rava does not produce the bass, it's just that I haven't noticed any real improvements over running without it. Actually with just the Studio 100s everything sound more smooth, but at the sam etime not less powerfull.

The "material" when you can really hear the difference (the distortions, the rattles in the house, etc.) is the sub calibration tone for bass peak limiter.

 

[Cindy B]

I have a Rava - I run it with my mini-monitors - and music OR movies, it is a great addition to my system. I had a terrible time deciding what to buy, but I made the right choice.

 

[Gregg Loewen]

Anton, I think you need to keep trying. And before you waste too much more of your time buy a SPL meter.

I own the 100s and love them. I also own a RAVA and love that too (though the 2 sets are not in the same HTs).

As far as bass out put goes, the RAVA will stomp all over the 100s, (as it should).

Dont give up the faith!

Gregg

 

[Steve Zimmerman]

Setting the mains to LARGE and using the subwoofer is not what most experts would recommend, BTW. Set the mains to SMALL and set the crossover as low as 60Hz if your receiver will let you.

And, of course, you need an SPL meter.

--Steve

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

And, of course, you need an SPL meter.

Right on!

Anton, get one as soon as you can and properly calibrate your system according to the readings you get with it.

I also second the motion that you set the Monitor 100s to SMALL. Let the sub handle that bass. That's what it's there for.

However, if you're still disappointed after you taken these steps, you may want to look into buying a different sub. A Dharman would be a good choice, as would anything from the SVS line. I used to own a Rava, but like you said, it just didn't have the capability to give me that ultra-deep bass I so desired. When I ran frequency sweeps it would usually get down to 28 Hz before it rolled off. That's not bad for sealed sub, but it hardly gets you the earth-shattering bass you seem to want from movies. If that's what you're after, I suspect that the Rava won't be the best choice for you.

 

[Michael R Price]

The Rava has a Shiva driver, which is comparable to the new SVS improved driver and likely has 50-100% more displacement than all the woofers in your Paradigms combined. Set those towers to small and try calibrating again. What you are describing is nothing like the performance you should get from even a sealed Shiva. Contact Dan Wiggins and give the thing a chance before you send it back.

 

[Zbigniew]

You said you set 100 to large, and calibrate by ear.

OK, what source signal are you using co alibrate ?


If it s a CD, then you may end up having NO signal sent to sub.

If it is a DVD, then all you are getting is LFE.

Are you using Avia AE, or built-in receiver test tones ?


Try the following:

1) Get a SPL meter. Neares RatShack, $35.
2) set speakers to small. All of them. (I have 4 Active 40, with range 36-22khz, and extension down to 32).
3) Then run either internal receiver test, or use Avia or AE. calibrate to this same level - or run sub 2-3 db hot.
4) pop in your preferred DVD, enjoy.

_zjt

 

[Ned]

A diagram of the room showing any large windows/doorways/openings would be very helpful.

The Rava goes for $399 but for $499 you can get the SVS 25-31PCi. Whereas the Rava extends to the 25hz range, the 25-31 will play there with *authority*. If placement changes and running your mains small doesn't fix the problem then think about the SVS.

 

[Dustin B]

If you want some serious bass on the cheap, check out the Adire Allignment Tempest from Acoustic Visions. Just over $600 plus shipping if my memory serves me correct. Would be very similar to an SVS Ultra in perfromance.

And I aggree with the others that the Rava should easily outgun your studio 100s. It takes more than 4 AV8 drivers from Adire (used in the kit281 and 81) to match the displacment of a single Shiva. And I'm sure the AV8 can out displace the 8" in the studio 100.