Jeff_Hunt
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2000
- Messages
- 57
Long post, sorry.
After lurking here in DIY for awhile I think I'm finally going to go for the gusto and build a sub. But first, a few questions.
I'm basically looking at building a sealed sub with a mid-Q (.707) using plans from www.adireaudio.com. Though I haven't done any in 2-3 years I have a pretty good background in wood working and MDF fabrication so I'm not really concerned about that part of the process, unless anyone has tips that are speaker-building specific that is.
My question is this, which to buy? Initially I was looking at getting the PartsExpress 120 W plate amp and a Shiva Mk IV. As I look around I see that PartsExpress sells a 250 W amp for only $130 and that seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and get it, I'm trying to keep this cheap, but $30 isn't too much more.
Next I notice that the Shiva is $125 from Adire and that the behemoth Tempest is only $150. Once again, maybe that's a good upgrade?
Do you guys have any opinions on Shiva vs. Tempest? Do they basically sound the same?
I'm building this mostly for home theater use, but I do enjoy listening to music from time to time. I'd say 80% HT and 20% music. I listen to alot of rock, but also a good bit of classical. Initially I wanted to build one of the lower Q enclosures, around .6 because I like the idea of accurate bass but I've recently decided on the mid-Q because it should have better crowd appeal (lots of friends come to watch stuff on my system) and better SAF ("why does it have to be so big?"). High-Q is right out for me because I'm not really into the overly "punchy" bass thing.
So now falling down my slippery upgrade slope I've gone from $225 in parts to $280. Is that $55 well spent? That's before my building and finishing materials and tools. Although I think the only tools I'll need are my own circle jig and a new router bit. I'm trying to keep costs down as much as I can, but it seems like it might be worthwhile to go a little bigger.
Any advice, comments, thoughts?
After lurking here in DIY for awhile I think I'm finally going to go for the gusto and build a sub. But first, a few questions.
I'm basically looking at building a sealed sub with a mid-Q (.707) using plans from www.adireaudio.com. Though I haven't done any in 2-3 years I have a pretty good background in wood working and MDF fabrication so I'm not really concerned about that part of the process, unless anyone has tips that are speaker-building specific that is.
My question is this, which to buy? Initially I was looking at getting the PartsExpress 120 W plate amp and a Shiva Mk IV. As I look around I see that PartsExpress sells a 250 W amp for only $130 and that seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and get it, I'm trying to keep this cheap, but $30 isn't too much more.
Next I notice that the Shiva is $125 from Adire and that the behemoth Tempest is only $150. Once again, maybe that's a good upgrade?
Do you guys have any opinions on Shiva vs. Tempest? Do they basically sound the same?
I'm building this mostly for home theater use, but I do enjoy listening to music from time to time. I'd say 80% HT and 20% music. I listen to alot of rock, but also a good bit of classical. Initially I wanted to build one of the lower Q enclosures, around .6 because I like the idea of accurate bass but I've recently decided on the mid-Q because it should have better crowd appeal (lots of friends come to watch stuff on my system) and better SAF ("why does it have to be so big?"). High-Q is right out for me because I'm not really into the overly "punchy" bass thing.
So now falling down my slippery upgrade slope I've gone from $225 in parts to $280. Is that $55 well spent? That's before my building and finishing materials and tools. Although I think the only tools I'll need are my own circle jig and a new router bit. I'm trying to keep costs down as much as I can, but it seems like it might be worthwhile to go a little bigger.
Any advice, comments, thoughts?