gonna ask one more time SVS or Tempest? (1 Viewer)

[Nathan J]

I have the ability to make my own sub....I was planning on using a Tempest.....so should I get a tempest or an SVS.....
I would have to get the cheapest SVS I could find......(low on cash)

 

[Dustin B]

If you can handle the enclosure size needed to make a Tempest shine (mimimum 7.5ft^3 preferrably 9-12ft^3; also assuming you plan to go vented and provide sufficient porting) then go for the Tempest. The 25-31PCi won't be able to keep up with an Adire, EBS or somewhere in between allignment Tempest.

A PC+ (20-39 or 16-46) or an Ultra would be a fairer comparison to a well implemented vented Tempest.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Dustin,
Actually, Dan posted a design using a Tempest that called for a 175L (approx. 6.2ft^3) enclosure stuffed with 64oz. of polyfill and tuned to 17.5Hz. Several of the HTF DIY'ers have built this sub and love it. I've also built two subs matching these specs using the DVC 15". It's a damn good sub! (BTW, how's the job search?)
Nathan,
So in other words, TEMPEST!
Brian

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

if you got the tools/time, DIY for sure,

TV

 

[Dan Pawlowski]

Tumult

 

[Dustin B]

Trying new approach, applying for non programming positions in companies that do programming I'd like to be involved in. Get my foot in the door this way and parley that into a programming position. I'll hopefully hear from one of these attempts in the next week or two.

If that fails I guess I'll finish rewriting a payrole program my dad did for my mother many years ago and try and make a go at marketing a piece of software on my own.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Dustin,

Sounds good! BTW, did you get my email?

Brian

 

[Chris Carswell]

You can build a tempest as small as 5.6 ft^3, stuff the heII out of it and have great sound. Or even go sealed with a LT.
I will say 1st hand that SVS is one great company. I have used their products & drivers on several occasions. Ron and Tom are tops. I just got something from them that blew me away If you go SVS you will not be disappointed!!!

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

Here's a Cost Estimate:

$150 = Tempest Shipped

$140 = 250 watt amp shipped from parts express
or
$100 = 120 watt amp shipped (3.19 decibels less than 250w amp)

$24 = Dual 3" or 4" flared ports from parts express.

$42 = 3/4" MDF sheet x 2

$30 = Contingency and screws/glue/paint/wire etc.

You're looking at under $400 for a sub that "should" beat the cheapest SVS in SQ and output.

 

[Nathan J]

Thanks for all the help guys.....I was just about to order the amp last night, but I thought I would ask again.
You all have been very helpful

 

[Dustin B]

I remember Dan posting that design a while back. Though I think anything less than 9ft^3 and dual 4" ports limits the Tempest's potential. But given what a DIY Tempest costs, the limits the smaller sub and lesser porting will impose still won't prevent it from easily outperforming anything similiarly priced commercially.

Brian, yep I did.

 

[Matt Lopp]

Nathan,

It sounds like you may have the exact opposite situation from me: You have more time than money (at least I assume this fact because you are job hunting). Thus, because you have both the time and the ability, go for the Tempest. Not only will you have a good sub, but you'll also have the satisfaction and bragging rights of a DIY sub.

I would have loved to DIY. However, I picked up the SVS 20-39PCi. Which is not to say I have a lot of money. It only says I have zero time. :wink:

All FWIW.

Matt

 

[Casey H]

Nathan,
This may help. It is a quote from Dan Wiggins about the Tempest "on the cheap".
"If I wanted a big HT destroyer on the cheap, I'd consider a Tempest in 8 cubic feet, and tuned to 18 Hz. Powered with 250-350W, it'll run with any commercial sub available for under $2K. Considering that a Tempest can just about match a pair of Shivas, and our Dharman subwoofer - a Shiva based finished sub - equals a Velodyne HGS15, a single Tempest could beat an HGS18, or a pair of HGS15s."
This is what I am currently constructing. Hope this helps!
Casey
Edit: Guess I should mention this quote was taken from the Harmonic Discord Forum.

 

[Adil M]

When you say the Tempest will beat the SVS in sound quality do you mean that or sound quantity. I would have assumed both would give you accurate loud bass, except one would be more of a louder bottom feeder.

 

[Michael R Price]

If it's OK to ask, is there an objective comparison between the CS+ and Tempest? I've just been assuming the Tempest is a bit better given the larger box sizes and (assumption here) more displacement.

Why does the Adire design specify dual 3" ports? That's probably hurting performance a bit...

 

[Nathan J]

Ummm....where did you get that I am Job hunting? I dont believe I ever said this(cause I have a job right now)...maybe I did and just dont remember it.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

3" ports as long as they're flared don't cause any "port noise" as far as I can measure or hear (tuned appropriatly). Personally I can't even tell if the ports are working because only at deep loud frequencies I can feel air movement at the flared openings.

4" ports will need a longer tube so I used 3".

It depends on what SVS you compare to the tempest and what enclosure for the tempest. (And how many watts). The output and frequency response can be calculated between the two but the difference in sound quality would have to be opinion.

 

[Michael R Price]

Chris, I just asked because my friend's 214 liter Tempest uses two 4" flared ports and there seems to be some absurd air velocity with the 15-20Hz frequencies. I couldn't hear any "windy" noises but I would expect some compression from 3" ports. James Johnson, I recall, used one non flared 8" port per Tempest.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

If you're really unsure, just get an SVS, you're guaranteed to be happy with it. DIY is about finding the whole process fun and rewarding and less about the final product sitting on my floor...at least for me.
Of course, the potential is there to kill anything commercial at a fraction of the price, but you won't find detailed magazine reviews available to prove it to others on message boards.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

Yeah there is high air speed at those low notes, but the question is does that noise distract you when watching a movie? (I don't think you gotta worry about 15-20hz for music unless you're just showing off.)
Adire Audio recommends the use of 3" or 4" ports for their enclosures and I liked the specs so I went with them. The results were very pleasing. My computer's JBL mains (with patented Bose flared port technology) start "chuffing" out long before my sub does.