Brhama vs. 2 Shivas

Also i though I'd ask for your input. For SPL what would be better:

a Brahma wired at 1 ohm and powered with 1500 watts or 2 Shivas wired
to a net of 2 ohms with 1000 watts (500 watter per woofer).

I e-mailed adire and asked the recomended SPL / SQ enclosure size, so i'd be using that and then a 1cuft enclosure for the brahma.

First, either setup get more than loud enough to cause fast hearing damage. Second, either setup will have excellent sound quality.

My advice:

Get a Brahma 15".

It will be comparable in SPL with 1500w to 2 shivas with 1000w.

The 2 Shivas will be slightly more efficient than any single Brahma.

The Brahma 15" is the most efficient Brahma.

If SPL is your goal I would go with the Brahma 15".

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

Read what Steven Kephart says in this thread.

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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.

stevdart wrote:

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Read what Steven Kephart says in this thread.

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Don't listen to that guy, he doesn't know what he's talking about. 

I just wanted to say that 500 per Shiva is too much power.  What size Brahma are you looking at?  For the most part I would say that the 15" Brahma would probably have similar output to the Shiva's.  The Brahma will definitely have the SQ advantage though, as well as a much smaller enclosure requirement.  The Shiva's will require less power and will be less expensive (even the pair).  If you are looking at an all-out SPL sub from our line, I would suggest the Maelstroms when they come out. 

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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Steven, I have a side question.

Is the sound quality across the XBL^2 line similar?

Koda-->Brahma-->Tumult?

i.e. for someone that doesn't care much about massive output, will the Koda line be the best value in sound quality? Is there a big sound quality jump with, say 200w to the system, from the Koda line up to the Tumult?

Or, is the Tumult line the clear king of SQ by a long shot, regardless of output needs?

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

SQ in a subwoofer is effected by two different things.  One is distortion level and the other is frequency response.  XBL^2 greatly reduces distortion over most of the usable range of the driver.  So assuming frequency response is the same, the SQ should be the same between every line.  The audible differences will come in peak output capability and efficiency. 

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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Steven Kephart wrote:

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I just wanted to say that 500 per Shiva is too much power. What size Brahma are you looking at? For the most part I would say that the 15" Brahma would probably have similar output to the Shiva's. The Brahma will definitely have the SQ advantage though, as well as a much smaller enclosure requirement. The Shiva's will require less power and will be less expensive (even the pair). If you are looking at an all-out SPL sub from our line, I would suggest the Maelstroms when they come out.

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Ok, here's the delema. I'll be working fulltime over the summer and I have no money for my project right now. I need a HO alt, a break kit for my car (not realy related to this) and a BUNCH of other sh*t. I jsut realized that me getting a 12" brahma installed before the end of Aug.

So I then started to see the shivas ...

So if you had a SPL comp to go to and only had a choice of 1 brahma @ 1500watts or 2 shivas @ 500watts each which would you chose?

If that 12" brahma will produce more SPL I may be able to get a small loan from my parents if needed. But the brahma 15" is really pushing the budget.

Malestorms are kinda hard to find on the site. I finally found it in the DIY section =)



Also Steven Kephart, do you know the recomended SPL/SQ enclosure size for the shivas?

Right now we are changing our line for this year.  So as of now we are completely out of stock on all the old subs and won't have anything till the new stuff comes in.  Performance and parameters will change as well.  So it's difficult to comment here becuase of those changes.  Plus we haven't released much information about the new product becides what can be found here: https://forum.soundillusions.net/showpost.php?p=490795&postcount=13

Now assuming that there are no enclosure limitations I would say that the Shiva's would have the SPL advantage over the Brahma 12. 

Just to give you some ideas of what to expect, one of our dealers (who also sits on the rules committee of MECA) mainly uses Tempests (originally the 15" version of the Shiva) in his SPL installs.  He used to use just one and consistantly achieved 150 dB plus on the old meter.  He now runs 4 Tempests with only 1000 watts and is able to do over 150 dB at the head rest (reality) on the new meter. 

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio 

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Seeing that the Tumult is now in a 12" version,,do you think that sub will be a better choice for spl/sq installs? Or is the brahma still going to be superior in the sq department?

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2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.

I e-mailed this question, along with a question about shiva enclosures, to Adire and they responded with this:

Matt,

Thanks for the e-mail! For most Shiva applications, 1.5 cubic feet
sealed is the way to go. Power in the 250-300W range is plenty to get
full output.

In terms of output, a Brahma 12 with 1500W will have more output than a pair of Shivas; and the Shivas would typically have too much power applied at 500W each (you'd need a tiny box - around 0.5 cubic feet - for the Shiva to mechanically handle that power, and you don't gain ANYTHING over using a larger box and less power).

Thanks,

Adire Tech Support

I cant wait till summer when I have money for 2 tempests or shivas. I could have them right now if it wasnt for car insurance

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ravenndude wrote:

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I e-mailed this question, along with a question about shiva enclosures, to Adire and they responded with this:

Matt,

Thanks for the e-mail! For most Shiva applications, 1.5 cubic feet
sealed is the way to go. Power in the 250-300W range is plenty to get
full output.

In terms of output, a Brahma 12 with 1500W will have more output than a pair of Shivas; and the Shivas would typically have too much power applied at 500W each (you'd need a tiny box - around 0.5 cubic feet - for the Shiva to mechanically handle that power, and you don't gain ANYTHING over using a larger box and less power).

Thanks,

Adire Tech Support

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Crap, you beat me.  I actually talked to Dan and he told me that the Brahma 12 would actually have the output advantage.  I was rather surprised as I thought the Shiva's would have a little more displacement.  Plus I have seen what the Tempest can do in the SPL lanes.  But I guess I was wrong.  Sorry about that.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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Alpine Guy wrote:

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Seeing that the Tumult is now in a 12" version,,do you think that sub will be a better choice for spl/sq installs? Or is the brahma still going to be superior in the sq department?

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The SQ should be about the same.  The Brahma might have a slight advantage due to a lower inductance, but I doubt it would be that audible.  The Tumult will definitely have the SPL advantage due to a higher power handling and more excursion.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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