Adire Audio Rava

Mark,

If you do a search on this forum you will find many interesting posts regarding these two fine subs.

When I was faced with the same choice I went with the SVS, based on many fine reviews, customer service, and the fact that I liked the looks of the SVS over the Rava.

I am not an Audio expert so "that's all I got to say about that".

 

Well I have the answer since I owned both. I had a Rava and went with the dual SVS 25-31CS+ package with sampson amp. To be fair I hooked one up to test before hooking up the other. Sometimes you want that WOW factor in increments. To my surprise the 1 SVS was better then the Rava. After amping the 2...well you can imagine. I am very pleased and still have a grin every time I hit those LFE's.

 

Why not audition them both and decide? They both have money-back guarantee. This way you'll KNOW you made the right choice. Get them both and see which is most satisfying to you! If you do, let us know how it turns out!

 

Mark> A lot may depend on your preferences for movies/music and the size of the space you are going to put it in, not to mention your bass goals... If you value music to any significant degree the Rava may be the choice. The sealed design is very musical while still doing justice to movies. In a small to medium sized room the single shiva will have nice extension down into the 20s with no problem. It will also have plenty of volume for most real world listening / watching. Not to mention that the smallish size of the enclosure may be better for your situation.

A lot of people talk about how loud their subs/speakers will go. But, about the only time they are used at that volume is for demos to friends and visitors. 95% or more of the members of this and other forums don't watch or listen at "reference" levels. Most everyone who responded to a thread on that subject listen well below that. The Rava is not the king of max SPL if that is what you are after. It certainly won't keep up with 1000 watt amp pushing one or two SVSs in a volume race.

Having said all of that, I don't think the SVS is a bad way to go particularly if you are into movies in a big way. The ported design is really strong for that application. That is one of the reasons Adire also makes the Dharman. If you are coming from a setup with no subwoofer or one that is not very good, either the SVS or Rava will be a HUGE step up...

You may want to check out audioenvy.com to see if a Rava/SVS owner is near you so that you can listen for yourself.

 

If a sub for music is the priority, I would also throw in the NHT SubOne i in for consideration. It's now selling for half list $400 at soundcity.com. It has a built in Sunfire amp. NHT makes great value stuff and the shipping cost is pretty reasonable.

 

In a 10 x 20 room I can't imagine that you wouldn't be pleased. Put it in one of the front corners if possible and sit back for some "real" bass for the first time. Over the long haul, you may want to save for a BFD as your room is going to have some uneven response peaks and valleys. The good news is that they aren't all that expensive and it certainly won't be something you "have to have" next week. It is just one of those steps as you start down the road in this hobby of ours. Once you have a good sub in place you may start listening to more music in that room.
Let us know what you think once you have it in place.

 

Kerry,

reading your post you almost have me sld on the Adire Rava seeing as I am to in search of a sub to match my mini monitors or 7's depending on which pair I end up with as fronts. I too have a small room that is more rectangular shaped. I listen tto 40 percent movies and 60 music I'd say. I don't like the bass to drown out the rest of the music or movie. I prefer to have a nice balance.

Too bad you can't listen to the Adire Rava in any store. I will check the site to see if you can get a refund if you are unhappy with it.

I was considering the Paradigm Ps Series subs until someone on this group says to stay away from them if I care for music alot.

 

I probably overemphasized the NHT for music. It's not for music only. What I mean is that a sub that can handle music well usually does at least competently for HT. And for music, it isn't too muddy, slow or such that the bass is indistinct, which is often true for HT only subs. After all HT has a lot of music in the soundtracks as well, not just boom and explosions. Any of the above choices should be at least competent for the price.

 

Eric,

As Kerry states, we do offer a 30 day money back satistfaction guarantee on all our finished products. Shipping for a Rava typically runs around $20-$35, depending upon the destination, anywhere in the US.

Thanks,

Dan Wiggins

Adire Audio

 

My experience with the Rava has been great. Dan Wiggins supplies a great product that has a lot of value. The sub suits my needs for a great musical sub as well as performing better than I expected in a HT environment. I have a small room of only about 10x14'. The sub does great in this environment in both music and HT. For music, the sub is fast and tight. For HT, it really depends on the size of the room. Small rooms will get pretty much all you need from this little monster. Big rooms may need a little more.

Mark,

I don't really know if the Rava can hit reference levels in your room. I know in my room, that I've had the sub so loud, I thought that I was going to damage something besides my hearing. I should point out that I have not yet pushed the sub to its limits (ie, I've not bottomed out the sub). I've never taken any measurements on the sub. So, I really don't have any statistical data to give you.

Eric,

I have the Rava matched to a pair of Paradigm Monitor 7's. I think the sub blends quite nicely with these speakers.

- Dave

 

Mark,

That's a decently sized room to hit reference levels in... My opinion? Rava wouldn't do it; in fact, I'm not sure any of the subs discussed in this thread could do it. You might need to look at twin Dharmans or 25-31PCis to get to reference, especially down deep.

You might want to take some SPL measurements of a few systems, and see what you expect in terms of SPL capability, or what sounds loud to you. Not many people are aware of just how loud reference level can be.

Dan Wiggins

Adire Audio

 

I've got a Dharman and Tempest both running and could maybe get close to ref in my room (7500 ft^3). I've never tried because it shakes the heck out of my house as it is. For all but demo work I can run either of my subs by themselves if I want with NO complaint. I am usually -15 or more on my Marantz with 92db/wt speakers. I am here to tell you that true ref level is VERY LOUD!!!!

 

Mark,
I recently posted a review of the review. Here is the link if you are still interested:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ght=adire+rava