Please help me decide about a driver... (1 Viewer)

[Jones_Rush]

I want to build a sealed sub (3 cubic foot sealed enclsoure). I have a small room, so I don't want the sub to have a bump in the 40-60hz region (I think that it mean that the sub's Q should be as low as possible).
I can't decide which driver to get, the Adire Shiva or Stryke SB-12, The Stryke was especially designed to work in a sealed enclosure (but the shiva also perform good in it).
I just can't make up my mind. The stryke has a Q of 0.722 in 3 cu/foot enclosure while the Shiva has a Q of 0.6 .
Does it mean that the Shiva will perform better in my room? , The Stike surely wins the beauty contest, but it also cost more.
I need the sub almost exclusively for HT, but I don't want insane levels of bass, I just want it to wotk good in my room.
Oh, btw, the unechoic F8 point is 20hz (for both,
which is good for my small room).
what do you think ?

 

[Ken Cline]

You should also consider the Dayton DVC 12 from Parts Express.

The T/S specs are very similar to the Shiva. It works well in a sealed or ported enclosure. I just finished a ported 3.5 cu. ft. enclosure. The DVC 12 is on sale for $109 right now. I purchased mine for $99 a couple months ago.
Here's the link:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd..._ID=7764&DID=7
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[Jones_Rush]

What are all these talks about Copper Faraday Motor (like the one the Stryke SB12 use) being able to deliver a more true to life bass ? is the advantage over the Shiva is really that big ?

 

[Jack Gilvey]

What are all these talks about Copper Faraday Motor

Where are "all these talks"? I don't think you could go wrong with either driver in your proposed enclosure, or the PE model, for that matter.
I do think, if it's really going to be dedicated to home theater LFE duty, you'd be better off with a ported Shiva. It will be flatter and have more output where it counts.
The "Adire" alignment, from the Shiva white paper, is only 3 cu.ft.
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Link Removed

 

[Kyle Richardson]

Tough call. The Stryke will extend a little deeper and have lower f3 while the Shiva will have a little lower group delay around 30hz. When you compare spl graphs they are almost a dead heat so it may come down to price for you.
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[Mark Seaton]

One of the members of the DIY BASS list (e-mail based discussion group, can sign up at the Stryke site), just did the exact comparison you are interested in. He already had the Shiva, and then got the SB-12. His descriptions basically said that subjectively the 2 subs were pretty darn close, with the SB-12 giving a little more low bass, and the Shiva playing a little louder due to it's higher efficiency. Choosing between the two, both in sealed boxes, his slight prefference went to the SB-12.
One other thing to keep in mind about the Q you mentioned for the SB-12 in 3 cu.ft. is that stuffing will bring this down some, probably just below 0.7. If you are set on a sealed subwoofer, I would go with the SB-12. If you want to go with the Shiva, and have 3 cu.ft. to work with, I would absolutely go with a ported or PR design. You want the box tuned to 22Hz or lower in my oppinion. For a ported design you would want a 4" port of just over 20" long(you can bend it inside the box). A single 15" PR would likely be enough also. Either way, the ported/PRd design would give you serious gains in extension, distortion and output, all in the same size box.
As for the copper Faraday motor design, there are some definite benefits. Most obvious is a great reduction in a driver's inductance, which becomes less of an issue the lower in frequency you use the driver. The copper Faraday sleve also will reduce motor distortion at higher power levels as compared to the same design without the copper. Another advantage that is more questionable in it's audibility is the benefit of the combined copper and extended pole piece in minimizing the variance of the inductance of the voice coil when in motion. At minimum it should result in a more amplifier friendly load. To read more about this, see the white paper on the Lambda Acoustics site.
Regards,
Mark Seaton