Adire Rava - what do you all think...? (1 Viewer)

[Matt C]

Hey everyone, I wanted to know your opinion on this. My folks said they'd get me a powered sub for christmas, in the $400-or-less range. Is this sub going to sound good with my system:
Speakers:
Front: Polk RT-25i
Rear: Polk RT-15i
Center: Polk CS245i
Receiver:
Onkyo TX-DS696
(little note: I just LOVE those little polks!!! Amazing sound, but after hooking my system to my roommate's bass amp, i just NEED a subwoofer! , and that receiver is amazing, i'd recommend it to anyone, though the price is steep; i got it during Circuit City's price error over the summer - gotta love price matching through J&R, eh!?)
Ok, so now for the main stuff: Would you all say that the Adire Rava sub is going to match well with my existing setup? Will the sound from the sub and my polks mesh together well? General opinions on this sub?
Also, could any of you point me to some professional reviews on the web of this sub, some other trusted web sites with reviews, and also some consumer reviews (i already checked audioreview.com no luck)? Any help would be great! My folks trust mine and this board's opinions, but they like to see positive professional reviews before they buy also.
I listened to this sub at a small HT shop near my home, and it sounded great, but i was curious if my polks would match with it well...
Thanks in advance!
-Matt C
BTW, my listening habits are about 50/50 music/movies.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

I'm not aware of any "professional" (as in published in magazines)reviews of the Rava. Here's one from the web, and there's mention of a forthcoming one in this thread .

 

[Martice]

The Rava will fit your system depending on how big your room is and how deep you want your bass to be for HT. For $400.00, I really think you need to do a search on Jack Gilvey on this site. He has a sealed sub that is really nice and measures very well. Then I would go to Acoustic Visions and speak to Kyle about building you a sub using the same Shiva driver that's used in the Rava but to the performance specs and size that you would like but you thought you could not afford.
If you are leary about going the DIY route don't be. The savings vs. performance gains cannot be duplicated by any manufacturer period and has led many DIY'ers to have subs that cost them $500.00 to make but with real world market performance and quality that would cost them thousands to buy. More times than not, the quality of driver and parts used in DIY subs is superior to what is sold on the market for the same price.
The fact that you could have Kyle build you a sub that exceeds the performance of what you get with the Rava but for the same or less money is what led me to them in the first place.
Check this site out - Link Removed
Here's some subs that came through Acoustic-Visions.com
Link Removed
My review on my Dayton 12" DVC Acoustic Visions Sub
My Review
Good Luck

 

[Matt C]

Thanks for the info guys. That review over on Hometheatertalk looks pretty promising. I enjoy a more musical bass, with precise, tight output. Martice, thanks for the info on the Acoustic-Visions info, and I'll definitely consider the DIY route.

Any other opinions on the Adire Rava? Anyone else have this sub, and can give me some personal experiences with it?

BTW, since I forgot to mention in before, I have a small-medium sized room at home, and I'm also using my setup in the dorm room here at school (VERY small, as you can imagine)

Thanks everyone!

-Matt C

EDIT: I can't spell!:b

 

[BryanZ]

The Rava would get my money around $400. If you have something to power it with, then you may want to go with a SVS 25-31CS or 20-39CS.

 

[Matt C]

Yeah, I thought about the SVS, but I don't have any decent spare amps laying around So that would be another cost to add in. Also, with the dorm room area also being a consideration (though a small one), I can easily fit a box sub under my desk, where a cylinder-style SVS just wouldn't fit...
I appreciate the suggestion though!
-Matt C

 

[Martice]

I would get a DVC 12" sealed in a 1.2 cf box just like this one.
Jack Gilvey's Mighty Mini sub
Read the thread responses about the sub and the drivers to give you an idea about what quality and performance you can expect about this sub.
Then talk to Kyle about it.
You can also get a 250 watt plate amp from Kyle as well for about $125.00.
Good Luck

 

[Art_C]

I have been debating over Rava, VTF-2 and SVS 25-31CS for a while now. Each is a great sub but there is always something with each that’s just not what I’m looking for. I have been leaning toward VTF-2, but even with all the great reviews I still has some reservation regarding its 10" woofer and 150W amp. With all the raves about Acoustic-Vision maybe what I’m really looking for is for Kyle to build me something like a VTF-2 with 12" Shiva and 250W amp...

 

[JerryW]

That's a great idea Art. I just ordered a 142.5L Shiva EBS alignment sub for only $385 + shipping. Want to see a graph?
http://www.ieknox.com/roomspl.jpg
Flat to 17Hz with an F8 of 13.5... really brutal. Plus they can customize it any way you want, in any color (free).
I'll be posting a review as soon as I get it and run it through it's paces a bit.

 

[Martice]

Wow Jerry! That's impressive.

Hey Art. Don't worry about the fact that an Acoustic Visions subs has it's beginnigs in the DIY circles. Infact even SVS has it's humble beginnings traced back to the DIY circles.

This is what makes SVS so attractive to the consumer because you get so much good quality bass for so little money. However, SVS isn't the only place to give good quality bass for a steal and you should be glad to know that you have options regarding this subject.

Adire Audio is another excellent company that sells good quality and performance for a fraction of what you would have to pay for elsewhere. Although I do like there products, I chose to go with a more custom job using a very similar driver to the Shiva from Dayton Audio the Dayton DVC 12" which works in a smaller cabinet as well as in sealed or vented that would produce the same performance as if I went with the Adire cabinet and the Shiva they offer on their site.

All of these offerings are excellent. I just happened to take an alternate route and came away with a product that reassures me everytime I "feel it" that I didn't make the wrong choice.

Good quality bass and excellent quality parts for a fraction of what yo have to pay elsewhere is what I'm about.

Good Luck with whatever choice you make.

 

[Art_C]

That's a very impressive sub Jerry. Don't think I have room for a 142.5L unit. I think 70-80L is probably more like what I would need. I will drop Kyle a note and see what he thinks. Thanks all.

 

[Thomas_Berg]

i'd go either with the Hsu VTF-2 or an SVS 25-31CS with a cheap $100 plate amp, if you can offer to pay the extra $75 or so. the Hsu is often considered the best in its price range, but i'm sure the SVS + plate amp combo would take the VTF-2 to school.