120 watts enough for Shiva??? (1 Viewer)

[DorianBryant]

I am building an 85L vented enclosure using a Shiva. i read on the web site they can be powered with as little as 40 watts.

For those that have used this driver, will a 120 watt plate amp be enough? It is not the highest quality but I have not been using it. Wondering if this will work as a stop gap until I get a true powerhouse of an amp.

Any thoughts?

 

[minhG]

just try it out, i'm only using 120W into my Shiva, though my enclosure is bigger (142L) i'm not pushing my amp very hard--i think it will be enough.

 

[DorianBryant]

I figured i would try it. Nothing to lose. I should have it together this weekend. I have been reading all the posts regarding the Shiva and some people are putting some serious wattage to it.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

I've powered similar sized shiva's with approx. that same power and its plenty to get a good loud signal. You'd get more with a stronger amp but I wouldn't worry about it too much the 120 watt unit will likely do you just fine.

 

[DorianBryant]

Sounds good. I will let you know when I get it fired up this weekend. The port and binding posts came today. Tommorrow I am off to Home Cheapo to get the mdf.

 

[Aaron Gilbert]

That will get quite loud, not even factoring room gain, which will be highest if you place it in a corner. It will max out at 108 dB, dropping to 107 dB at 40 Hz, 105 dB at 30 Hz, and 100 dB at 20 Hz. All these are quite good, and actual values in your room will be higher. It will definitely be good enough for a stop gap, and for a lot of people, good enough period.


Aaron Gilbert

 

[Dennis Gardner]

I run a Dual EBS Shiva 285L with a 200 watt plate amp loud enough to rumble my 3000 sq. ft. house to below 20hz.

Your ported design will yield alot of deep bass.

 

[DorianBryant]

It will definately be in a corner. I am going to double the box so there is 1.5 inches of MDF.


PE has some pretty good deals on 250 watt plate amps if i end up needing more power. It should be a big improvement over my Tiny Mighty (although it is a great sub in its own right).

 

[minhG]

i'd think hard about doing double wall on that box. it's not that big to begin with so i don't think it's necc. and it will be *heavy*

my 142L box with the braces + speaker but without the amp weighs 80-90lbs so it's a bear to move around. you box is smaller but if you double up the mdf i think it will weigh more!

even with only single wall my box is super stout, doubling it would have just made it heavier!

 

[DorianBryant]

I just finished cutting the box. It will be rather heavy. I am done for today and am rethinking some of my original ideas for "trimming it out." I will have it running for Saturday, but definately want it to be presentable!

 

[DorianBryant]

Hey,

what have you guys used to finish the MDF with? I thought of laminating but it seems rather tedious. Thought of simply painting, even thought of making an outer shell out of decorative wood to make it better fit into our home. We have a timber frame home and the more rustic the better.

Raw MDF is definately ugly.

 

[MattD]

Truckbed liner.

 

[Dennis Gardner]

I have never seen a rough cedar sub, but anything rustic to match your interior would be cool and require pictures for all of us to see!

 

[DorianBryant]

I have a ton of rough sawn wood left over from the house.

I am no expert wood worker but I made my entertainment center out of 2 1/2 inch thick pine with the bark edge exposed on all the edges. It is 78" tall and weighs about 275 pounds. Held together with 8" lag screws. If my camera was working I would post some pictures.

This was from pine trees we cut and milled on the property when we cleared our lot.

I thought of using the same pine to "box in" the MDF box. I am still trying to think of some unique ideas.

 

[Dennis Gardner]

I wouldn't do it any other way. Rough sawn pine would make it look like it belongs. You've already created the acoustic chamber, now the pine would be strictly asthetic, and cool.

 

[DorianBryant]

Well i have yet to finish the MDF yet but it has taken some time to work some of the other "kinks" out. When I first hooked it up I placed it in the corner and it seemed very boomy. It was also sliding around the floor. I placed some squares of rubber underneath the feet and it helped. I then placed a 25 pound weight on top of it. This helped tremendously. I am going to order some carpet spikes as well-its not on carpet but on the hearth behind the chimney.

Also, I read many of the other DIY posts and decided to plug the port. This seemed to tighten things up. With better positioning and at least a temporarily plugged port, the Shiva is providing very tight bass. Still playing around with it and trying to decide how to finish the cabinet. I may order another port and get one with a screww on cap. I like the sound of the sealed box but I could certainly change my mind later.