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i'm perplexed on whether to go with a brahma or a shiva. i'm into a good sq sub but something that can really hit whit need be. one thing that confuses me though are the ohm loads. the shiva is dvc 8 ohm correct? what is the brahma? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The Brahma has dual 2 ohm voice coils. The Shiva is a great budget sub. But the Brahma uses our XBL^2 motor which greatly reduces distortion. It will have the best SQ of the two. We also have our Koda line which offers the SQ of the Brahma, but with less excursion and a lower price. Unfortunately we have only released the 10" version thus far. But if you want Shiva performance with the better SQ, it would be the way to go. That is if the extra cost isn't an issue.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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i'm assuming that the brahma is a great SPL sub as well? i was talking to a guy at a local car audio shop where i live and he said to get a kicker L7 solobaric. any ideas?

Brahma, no doubt. That is the way to roll for great sq and great spl.

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

l7 is a great spl sub. i had 2 15 in my car and they pound but there was something missing hardcore the SQ. my friend has a brahma 15 in a ported box and it is loud when it needs to be but it is pretty good in the sq deparment too. brahma is the way to go. im thinkin of gettin one for my next system but it wont be till i get all my ne furniture and what not for my new aparment

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2015 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate Black on Black
Tinted Windows, Fogs, Roof Spoiler, ARK Springs, Ruff R1 20's Staggered

as far as amps go, i was thinking about the orion 600D https://www.speedsound.com/caraudio.asp?pg=products&specific=jmpmmmfne but i'm not sure if it can handle the ohm load. i was thinking of making it see the 4 ohm load so the amp would give it 600 watts. any suggestions here? i'm not quite sure how to wire the amp though so it sees this load? waht's the difference between the 600 watt load at 4 ohm and the 250 (i think) watt at 4 ohm load?

What it looks like to me is to get 600 watts, you need two of those amps, and you "externally bridge" them, but only into a 4 ohm load. A dual 2 ohm VC will give a 1 ohm or 4 ohm mono option, or a two ohm stereo option. If you were going to need to buy two of them, then wire one to each VC (as in the stereo option - and I simply mean two dedicated channels of amplification) and get 800 watts, instead of 600, which is what you would get if you wire the VCs in series to 4 ohms and bridge the amps... seems to me you end up with more power for your cash outlay. posted_image

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

thanks for the explanation. it was great.

can anyone recommend a solid amp to push the brahma. i'm looking at feeding it around 600 watts continuous, but i think the amp needs to be 1 ohm stable. please correct me if i'm wrong.

it looks like it's sort of hard to find 1 ohm stable amps so i'm thinking about getting an amp that is powerful at 4 ohm and wire the woofer like that. my question is, what are the pros and cons of having a 1 ohm load versus a 4 ohm load?

i would look into jbl. i had 2 jbl 1200.1 pushin my 2 l7 15 and they hit hard and the amp never got hot and it was with the gain really low too. those are 1 ohm stable. u should be able to get a jbl bp600.1that will easly give u 600 watts rms clean at 2 or 1 ohm

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2015 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate Black on Black
Tinted Windows, Fogs, Roof Spoiler, ARK Springs, Ruff R1 20's Staggered

if price is a concern, the directed 600d, or now it may be called the 750d id a good choice. plays 1 ohm all day long with no sweat and puts out a clean 600 watts IMO. great for the price. the old 600d have a nice small footprint as well

well i ordered my brahma last night so that takes care of the sub issue. but now for amps, i was looking at the cadence z8000 or elemental designs nine.1, there are a few others but i can't remember off the top of my head, one is a JL i think. any suggestions?

also what are the pros and cons of running the sub at 4 ohm or 1 ohm? i'm pretty sure those are the only options i have when wiring the sub correct?

hightek wrote:

well i ordered my brahma last night so that takes care of the sub issue. but now for amps, i was looking at the cadence z8000 or elemental designs nine.1, there are a few others but i can't remember off the top of my head, one is a JL i think. any suggestions?

I've heard good things about the Cadance amp. One of our dealers swears by them. As for the ED amp, I have heard a lot of horror storries, so I recomend at least doing some homework first.

hightek wrote:

also what are the pros and cons of running the sub at 4 ohm or 1 ohm? i'm pretty sure those are the only options i have when wiring the sub correct?

The main benifit of running at a lower impedance is that most amps put out a lot more power down low. However depending on your goals/install, you might not need a lot of power.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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alright, so then seeing how you work for Adire Steven would you recommend running the brahma at 4 or 1 ohm?

To the sub, it really doesn't matter. Power is power. Where it matters is to the amplifier, and which impedance you choose will depend on the amplifier you buy. It's going to be a lot more expensive getting an amplifier that will do 1000 watts at 4 ohms than one that will do 1000 watts at 1 ohm.

What size enclosure are you going with?

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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i was planning on going with an enclosure around 1.5 or 2 probably, so that needs i'm assuming like around 600 watts correct?

I have a cadence amp and i love it. Very clean yet very powerful. I have the ZRS-9 and the ZRS-4. They are great amps i highly recommend all cadence products. Heres a picture of one of them (oh by the way you'll see a shoe in the middle. That is my size 13 mens just to let you know how big that box is and an idea of how big the amp is (This is the ZRS-4 , the smaller of the two.) posted_image

It is also wider than my box for my two JBL 12''s.

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

anyone have any experience with autotek amps? good or bad?

Pieces of crap if you ask me... I've hated everyone i have heard.

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

how about autotek amps? good or bad?

once again, pieces of crap- horrible experiences with them. Despite specs, hi distortion throwing pieces of crap. I'd buy a volfenhag before i'd buy an autotek.

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

my bad about the same two posts, my computer is all wack right now.

its ok lol, crap happens

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

alright, now another question, i've heard some people talk about the jbl 1200.1. any ideas? yay or nay? i think the cadence z8000 would be a nice amp, the problem is there isn't a dealer around me. the cheapest thing for me would be to fly to tuscon, 81 round trip. although i was looking at the ED nine.1 more and more.

the second part is a box. i want to custom build one. i'm worried about the weight and everything of the woofer though.i sort of have an idea in my head on what i would like it to look like but do not know if it would hold the beast. i saw the subzero box webpage and that design looks ill. is it worth the 300 bones, or however much it is? one nice thing i thought about building my own box would be incorporating an amp rack into. i was thinking if i can pull off building my own box for the brahma the i would try and incorporate some of the subzero ideas (i.e. a motor mount for the woofer). is this a bad idea?

You can get the cadence Z8000 at www.woofersetc.com with the full warrantee. I love that JBL but the Cadence is still in another league - so i would get that one. I have 2 cadence amps and i love them!

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

have u ever ordered off there? seeing how this is my first time really ordering anything online i want to make sure i don't get ripped, you know.

everything went smooth for me, it should go smooth for you. I order lots of stuff off of there - never had a problem ! I highly recommend!

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

sweet! now the problem is do i want the Z8000 or the Z9000???

any recommendations?

I would get the Z9000. It runs at 0.044% like the other one but if you ever upgrade you'll have the extra power. Also, i'd get teh Z9000cf version, it has that carbon fiber look to it rather than that bright orange. your looking at 500 W vs 800 W, so i'l roll with the 800 W in case you ever need that power later on ! Cadence all the way!

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

my next question, as if they will stop posted_image

, i'll probably need to upgrade something electrical right? i was thinking just going straight with a new HO alternator. i'm not quite sure where to find them or how many amps i will need. i was also thinking just get a yellowtop or something like that. any suggestions?

Just get a yellow top optima. Really that is all you need since that is the biggest current draw you'll have , unless you put two of those in then you'll need a ho alt. I need both because i got a ZRS 9 and a ZRS 4 sucking up 180 amps of juice! That optima is a life saver though!

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

hightek, you are on the right track with the alternator. The alternator is where ALL of the power comes from for your car, not the battery. I got mine at Alterstart, and it has been a fabulous piece of gear. Oh, and get the red top Optima. Read this link about batteries, and if you think I am wrong, then go ahead and listen to uthink. He seems to know more about EVERYTHING than ANYBODY else does.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Damn right. I was told that i would need to get a ho alt in my other car when i was running a big us amp in there and it was suckin some serious power. Well one yellow top was all i needed along with 0 guage wire and a 5 farad capacitor and i was fine. You can do the same with an ALT tho, it just is more money. Slightly more efficient, but after blowing 1400 on that amp i really was kind of short for cash and it worked out fine. Maybe luck , it it worked great. I have a yellow top optima in my explorer as well as a HO alt and it works out fine. The alternator charges your battery, so you should have a good one to begin with. I disagree with getting the Red top, as i have talked to several people and know employees that work and design for optima and say it isn't as good of a choice as the Yellow top, which is better for stereo and more efficient. The Spiracell tech though is fantastic never the less, and i plan on putting a blue top in my boat sometime this coming summer for my marine stereo. I am not an audio genius! I just kno a good amount of stuff! Sorry haemphyst! Glad that is cleared up! I'll check into alterstart myself ... thanks

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

Build your own enclosure, hightek. The end result is the most self-satisfaction you will have in building your system. Subzero is a solid enclosure, but weighty. They use HDP instead of MDF...I don't know why, but I know that particleboard has a higher glue content and weighs more. I built my current box with it but only because that's what I had on hand at the time. A few months ago I emailed tech support at SubZero and got that info. But the overall preference in material is MDF.

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Tell you the truth i built some of my enclosures out of plywood. It got expensive but it sounded great! I still use MDF for certain applications though.

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"I don't play games. I play Nakamichi and that for real yo" - Probably some japanese kid said this in the early 80's trying to sell stereo out of his trunk lol.

i'm still planning on building my own box. the main thing i'm concerned about is the weight of the woofer and the box blowing apart. do i have to support the magnet or anything?

I'm a little new to box building, but it would be a good idea to double-baffle the woofer mount side for more stiffness against the woofer's incessant beating :). I know all the vets here at 12 volt advocate bracing as a key ingredient in box building to make it a bit sturdier. Perhaps using 1" instead of 3/4 MDF would help as well....although if you have limited space this could hinder you, as you need to adjust the overall size to compensate for inner box volume.

Hope that helps.

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back to the question about amps.

i've narrowed it down to the cadence Z8000 or Z9000 or the JBL BPX500.1 or the JBL GTO1201.1.

i've been doing some homework on JBL amps i've noticed 2 things. 1) not many people use them. anyone know why? 2) not a lot of people have bad things to say about them.

anyone have anything good or bad to say about JBL amps? i know Cadence amps are quite good and a lot of people would recommend one. but i'm just looking at what different options i have here. the amp will be pushing one 12 inch Brahma. in a sealed box, i'm not quite sure what the size will be until i figure out what amp to get. i'm looking at pushing between 600 and 800 watts RMS to the woofer.

brahma or shiva