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Driver recommendations for a "small" sealed design?

3K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Bear5K 
#1 · (Edited)
I am looking to build a stereo pair of subs to replace my aging Velodyne HGS10. As you might imagine, size is an issue given that I am upgrading from a 10" unit. In the space I want to put these, I can probably swing a 15.5" cube, but that represents a maximum size. If I subtract out the 24mm sides, the 6L for the plate amp (1000W) and 6L for the driver (worst case?), I am left with about 35L of net air. Right now, the plan is to use the Shiva-X from Exodus, but I've modeled a number of other drivers using Unibox.

The question: assuming a moderate budget (<$400/driver, no 12W7 or close-out Audiopulse AXIS), what makes sense in this form factor? Could I get away with the RL-p15 (It models well), despite my box volume being less than half of what SoundSplinter considers the minimum for the unit? What about Mach5? My alternative is to look at PR designs, so I'd like feedback from people who have experience here about what the "art of the possible" is with various drivers, as well as confirming the solutions I've already ruled out.

I prefer quality over SPL, though I do hope to overcome some limitations in this area by using higher-powered amps. I also have the Velodyne SMS-1 on the way for EQ, and I can always use a Behringer DCX-2496 as a back-up if I don't have enough flexibility with the Velodyne unit.

Oh, yeah, I know that larger cabinets provide deeper and louder bass. I fought that battle ten years ago with my wife and my first subwoofer (an 18" Velodyne), and I'm not anxious to open that one up again (no 4cf boxes for me).

EDIT: Kevin says that the Shiva needs twice the volume I have to hit the predicted Qtc that Unibox is calculating. It's definitely time to open the floor for nominations.

Bill
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Call it a 50:50 mix between HT and Music. I'm looking for a fairly articulate bass (aren't we all?) with decent (~100dB @ 20 Hz) SPL. I'm not worried about "hearing" infrasonic content at all. If I go with a PR design, then I have concerns for it getting "sloppy" down low, especially with a lot of weight on the PRs. However, there are several candidates that do model well given the constraints I have, above.
 
#5 ·
Have you tried the AV15 flavors in a small-ish sealed box? I'd love to go with one of these if they work well, but the models aren't promising for sealed. The AV12-H is on my radar for a PR alignment, though it is tough to mate up to in a small box, but it has an anemic Qtc (<0.4) in a sealed alignment until I get the box down to a size where I have real concerns about heat build-up. Is the 15" version better? The AE site indicates a bigger enclosure is required, so I haven't spent too much time modeling these.
 
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