Powering a DIY Tempest/Shiva sub, box sizes, and sonotubes? (1 Viewer)

[EmetW]

Alright, after doing a few Shiva installs in people's cars for the past 5 years, I think I would like to trade in my modest 10" 120 watt powered sub for a meat eatin' Adire driver subwoofer. My dilemma is, I have an older robust and powerful Pioneer amp/receiver that I would like to try to use for the amp to power an Adire driver. It's power output is rated at 80-100 watts per channel (from 10hz to 100,000hz), meaning about 160 to 200 watts for a DVC Adire sub. Will this be enough power for a home sub? I have done installs with Shiva's and Tempests where each sub is receiving anywhere from 400 to 1,200 watts with no problem, but I really don't want to invest in a home amp that will do these numbers-I have better things to spend my money on such as a new flat screen! Both the Shiva and Tempest are incredibly efficient in auto environments as well, so I am hoping the same is true for home circumstances. Any help on this subject would be grand!
Also, I would like to know what size enclosure would be best for a Shiva or a Tempest in a home environment. Ported? Sealed? In car audio we always went with 1.5-2 cu. ft. sealed for Shiva's and a little bigger than that (about 2.5) for Tempests. Thanks for any input you can offer!
And last, I need someone to explain in 20 words or less (or more if that is what it takes) why would going with a sonotube be better than a standard enclosure? Thanks!

 

[Dustin B]

That should be enough power to keep you happy for a large ported Shiva or Tempest. That won't get either to Xmax, but it will come pretty close on the larger enclosures. Also don't forget you can get a 250W plate amp perfect for either from Parts Express for $120 if the sale is still on.

The Tempest is usually put in anywhere from 180L to 340L enclosure tuned from 22hz down to 16hz with a single 4" flared port, pair of flared 3" ports, pair of fared 4" ports, or a 6" port (depending on how big the enclosure is).

Shiva is usually put in anywhere from from 80 to 142.5 liters and is tuned from 18hz to 22hz with one or two 3" flared ports or a single 4" flared port.



The advantage of a sonotube is they are easier to build, lighter and don't require any bracing. Sound wise there is no difference between a tube and a box.

 

[EmetW]

Excellent! That answers everything for me-thanks! Now off to WinISD I go to find out port lengths And I think I am going to go with the Tempest-a little more bass never hurt anybody...much.

 

[Dustin B]

Emet, grab this. More accurate than WinISD, but you can only use it with Adire's drivers.
http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/Adire.zip
And here's a quick walk through that will get you knowing where everything is.
Link Removed

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

100 watts is enough for a tempest. I have a 250 watt plate amp that I have at half dial and I also tried a 200 watt amp for it as well and got plenty of bass as a result.

Adire stated that casual listening at 80DB calls for peaks of 105db which can be powered with only 56 watts. It is for the people who want peaks of over 120db that the 750 watt amps come into play.

They say that 100 watts from HT receivers will be "quite suitable."

 

[Ryan Schnacke]

Yes, 100 watts will get a tempest going, but [rant]the position of the gain knob is NOT a reliable indication of how much power is being used.[/rant] There are too many other variables in the system - receiver volume level, receiver's subwoofer level calibration, input/output impedences, etc.

 

[Jeremy Stockwell]

EmetW,
I had a similar question about using an old receiver to power a Tempest that Dan Wiggins of Adire Audio just responded to last night. It is located in
this thread. FYI.
JKS

 

[EmetW]

Great! Thanks to everyone. Everything should be up and running in two weeks or so-I will let you all know how it sounds.