Okay, I need some advice from you DIY sub experts. :)

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · 02-22-2004, 06:40 PM

Here’s the deal.

Currently I have a pair of passive 12” Shivas, each in a 2.5 cubic ft. sealed box. The boxes are old tower speakers that I drafted for the job because they were laying around, and they’re stacked on their sides in a corner. Yes, it looks pretty pitiful.

I have a chance to get from a friend a passive sub in a nice-looking 3.5 cubic ft. box. It has a 15” driver in it. However, I’ve never been particularly impressed with the way this thing performed at his place, so I’d probably like to replace the driver with something more capable.

I love the two Shivas, but they struggle in my huge room on the most demanding action flicks, since I‘ve had to equalize them pretty drastically to get solid extension down to 25Hz. So it would be nice if I could not only make a visual improvement, but also a performance improvement. I don’t think the latter would have to be drastic – probably a 15-20% improvement would be more than adequate.

The first thing that came to mind was a 15” Tempest, but I’m not sure only one of those in that box would do better than the two 12’s (it’s a little small, I think). Comments?

If not the Tempest, what driver would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

RobLJ · 02-22-2004, 08:17 PM

How big is your 'huge' room?

ThomasW · 02-22-2004, 08:23 PM

If you're going to stay with the 3.5 cu ft box then look for a driver with a fairly low Vas. That's one of the criteria for working well in a reasonably small box.

If 2 Shiva's aren't enough for you in the current room, then a single Tempest probably isn't going to do the trick either.

Since you're the EQ king, consider one of the closeout BluePrint 1503's. These are very good drivers particularly for the money.... I have three of them and they are the equal of drivers costing considerably more...

Or if you're willing to wait until they're available, and pay a little more money, the other option is the Stryke AV15

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · 02-22-2004, 11:01 PM

Rob,

Quote:

How big is your 'huge' room?

6200 cubic ft. The living room opens to the kitchen dining room, etc.

Thomas,
Yeah, my preliminary research suggested that the Tempest might not be up to the job. Thanks for the tips on the others – I’ll definitely look into them.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · 02-24-2004, 06:56 PM

The Blueprint a single voice coil driver, right? My amp only does 325 watts at 4 ohms, so I'm wondering if that will be sufficient?

Another option I have - probably cheaper than buying the 1503 - would be to use the Shivas in a larger DIY cabinet. I think I could reasonably bring the volume up to 3.25 or 3.5. without substantially encroaching on living room real-estate. I imagine this would get me the extension with less EQ and would solve the headroom problem.

But - would the larger cabinet make the bass (in music) sound "loose" or "sloppy?" That would be enough for me to sink the larger box - not willing to give up musical SQ for theater "boom."

I don't much relish this option because I'd have to find someone to veneer it for me, but it’s not out of the question.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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Travis Cain · 02-24-2004, 07:20 PM

Are you against the idea of a vented or PR cabinet? That would be the best way to add extention.. Properly tuned, it should not make it sound loose or sloppy..

RobLJ · 02-24-2004, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Thomas,
Yeah, my preliminary research suggested that the Tempest might not be up to the job. Thanks for the tips on the others – I’ll definitely look into them.

Are you trying to stay to just one sub, or will 2 be ok? I know you've got 2 right now, but I just wonder about the ergonomics of 2 subs in your room. ie. the wife factor. My wife told me that our sub has to be out of sight or so damn pretty that she could put doilies on it.

Also, have you looked into infinite baffle solutions?

Pete Mazz · 02-24-2004, 07:58 PM

Looks like it would take ~500W with the AV15 to break even with the 2 Shivas (assuming sealed enclosures). Of course, the AV15 could handle a lot more power, but at what cost.

Pete

Justin Ward · 02-24-2004, 10:33 PM

Maybe you could consider a Maelstrom? They are very efficient so you wouldn't need a ton of amp power. Of course it is a little on the large side...

ThomasW · 02-25-2004, 12:11 AM

As far as I know all the BluePrint 03 series are SVC. Powered my 1503's with a single channel of a Aragon 8008, 400 watts into a 4 ohm load. I found that my house has a 16Hz Fs

I've used Shiva's in 5 cu ft cabs. Bass is nice and detailed. The output good but not in the same league as the high excursion drivers.