Might be upgrading from my EBS Shiva....opinions wanted (1 Viewer)

[Adam C.]

I just completed my EBS Shiva 2 weeks ago. My stepfather is now looking to get a sound system to go with the 54" Hitachi HDTV he bought last year. He is impressed with my Shiva and I told him I might sell it to him. So assumue I sell my EBS Shiva.

I was looking a vented Tempest. I really could only fit the Adire Alignment design, (possibly the SBB4), or any of the sealed encolsures, into my room.

For 7 months of the year this is in my dorm room and rest of the year it is in my bedroom at home. But I will only be in a dorm for one more year so do not necessarily factor that into your advice.

I will power this with the 250 watt PE amp. Is the Tempest the next best upgrade (in that price range) from the Shiva?
What box design will sound the best? My listening it 60% music and 40% movies.

Thanks for any input as I posibbly begin my next adventure in DIY!

 

[Stephen Dodds]

I'm also upgrading my EBS Shiva, although just the driver. On the advice of a few people, I'm swapping the Shiva driver for an Adire DPL12 driver.

I don't need extra volume, but I would like more depth. The DPL12 gives rising response below 20Hz when simply dropped straight in, and looks ideal to use in an EBS size cabinet sealed.

Steve

 

[Justin Ward]

I built the SBB4 Tempest and it has awesome output capabilites. It isn't the most musical but it sounds good with most rock or rap bass if that is what you listen to. It really excels in movie soundtracks because of the fact that it has lot's of midbass but still extends into the high teens.

 

[Justin Ward]

I will add one thing as well. If you plan on moving it around more than once or twice, I recommend you make the design taller and skinnier(with the same volume)because it is very wide to fit through doorways. We have one narrow door in the hallway leading to my room and we had to remove the door from the hinges and temporarily remove the trim from the doorway to get it through. I was worried I would never get the box into my room.

 

[Adam C.]

I have measured the doorways in both my dorn and home and the SBB4 would fit.

Also, I mainly listen to rap, rock, and some techno music. So I do like bass.

 

[Justin Ward]

I would recommend you go with the AA design if you like tighter more accurate bass, get the SBB4 if you like more mid-bass punch. The SBB4 is by no means boomy but I don't think it is as tight as the other designs.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Stephen...

I also have an EBS Shiva and am considering upgrading this summer... I like my EBS cabinet and would like to do a drop in change, possibly only changing the ports... can you elaborate on the DPL12 drop in replacement? How significant is the performance improvement? Do the ports have to be changed at all?

Thanks

 

[Jack Gilvey]

I like my EBS cabinet and would like to do a drop in change, possibly only changing the ports... can you elaborate on the DPL12 drop in replacement? How significant is the performance improvement? Do the ports have to be changed at all?

Hi,
I'm not Stephen , but I've done this. Switching the DPL12 for the Shiva in 5ft^3/18Hz Fb (EBS for Shiva) will give you more output down near Fb, a bit of a hump at 18Hz, actually. Ideally, you'd lengthen the port a bit to a 16Hz tune, down to which the DPL12 will allow flat response in that box.
Overall it's a modest upgrade in FR, although output is pretty much the same (maybe less up higher with the lower Fb).
As Steve D. mentions, it's also worth trying sealed in that Fb, really excellent that way. Low Qtc and an anechoic F3 below 30Hz...can't ask for much more.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Well the amp i'm using has a rumble filter @ 19hz i beleive, so the added FR wouldn't do me much good, and if the output is basicly the same, I'm not seeing the advantage unless I planned to go sealed (which i don't). I'm a 99% HT listener so I'm guessing the upgrade wouldn't be worth it for me.

Thanks

 

[Jack Gilvey]

If you're using the PE amp in which the rumble is -3dB @ 19Hz than I wouldn't bother going with the DPL12. I only did it for fun since I had a few sitting around.
One upgrade which might be worthwhile would be a Stryke AV12. I also tried that in the same EBS cab/250w amp and it's a worthwhile upgrade from Shiva.

 

[Rob Formica]

Just a little question... wouldn't the AV12 require more power to get the same output? Or would the Vas difference (versus the recycled box) make up for this?

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Just a little question... wouldn't the AV12 require more power to get the same output?

Based on sims, the Shiva is ~3dB louder above 25Hz-30Hz with the same amp. Below ~25Hz, the AV12 is slightly more sensitive in this alignment/box. In my small room (~1400ft^3), I found I was capable of calibration to 10dB below ref. with either, but that the AV12 sounded better and didn't bottom on scenes which taxed the Shiva.

 

[TonyiBe]

I agree with Jack, the AV12 is an upgrade from the Shiva IMO. I have both in a 110L tuned ported enclosure and when i swapped out the sub for the AV12, i couldn't believe the difference with the same PE 250W amp. My shiva would bottom out on the LOTR begining scene and after the sawp no more bottoming out.

 

[Owen Bartley]

One more idea, if you switch out for an AV-12, you should be able to turn the gain on the amp up higher to get more out of it, right? If the Shiva bottoms at 1/3 or 1/2 power then it's not using all of the available power, is it?

 

[Pete Mazz]

If the Shiva bottoms at 1/3 or 1/2 power then it's not using all of the available power, is it?

The gain or volume control is only there to calibrate the output to the mains. The amp will put out it's full power rating when needed, regardless. As Jack said, it should only make a difference on bass heavy signals, as the AV12 has more excursion.

Pete

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

How would you have to change the ports in an EBS Shiva box to keep the same tuning point when you swapped an AV12 in?

 

[Jack Gilvey]

You don't. The Fb is determined by the port and the volume of the box.