[BigPines]

Some say the new RE subs are cheaply made but I'm not sure about that. I have been very impressed with the new versions. Several of their drivers model very well. In fact, I know these aren't in the same league as what you are talking about but I built a computer sub using a pair of newer RE8s that sounds fantastic! It has an in-room response flat to 20Hz. Not bad for a small computer sub using some inexpensive 8" stamped drivers. If the SE15 looks to meet your needs, I would not hesitate to give it a shot.

Mike

 

[BigPines]

I was looking at the RE Audio SE 10" sub for my room, but was told that 2 Dayton 12" calssic woofers would be better. Do you agree?

Thanks

Two 12" woofers will almost always work out better than one 10". However, the Daytons have very low excursion so you will need to keep that in mind. What is your budget and what is the application? Maybe there are other (better) options?

Mike

 

[BigPines]

OK, now we are talking about some good woofers. The Shiva-X is in my opinion, one of the best values available. It is an AMAZING woofer for the price! With 27mm one-way excursion and 600 watts power handing, it can easily best almost all of the woofers we have been talking about here. There is a lot of support for the Shiva out here on the forums too. It is definitely one of the good ones. However, I would give it a little more power than that Dayton amp if you can afford to. The O Audio 500 watt amp is very nice (I have one) and would mate perfectly to the Shiva but that pushes you right to your budget limit.

I have also seen the CSS stuff but don't know much about it.

Mike

 

[BigPines]

Well, since the Shiva-X is a dual coil woofer, you *COULD* do that (if you were absolutely sure the amount of power going to each coil was the same) but it isn't very elegant or even advised. Why do this anyway? It isn't cost effective. Two of the Dayton 240 watt amps will cost you $218 plus tax and shipping. The O Audio amp is only $229. The shipping would also be less with the O Audio because it is a LOT lighter than two of the Daytons. So basically, it is a wash price wise and the O Audio amp is WAY more energy efficient than two Daytons. Do you already own the Dayton amps or something?

Before I would wire two Daytons to the same woofer, I would just suck it up an use the lower power of one Dayton if I really had to go that way.

Mike

 

[BigPines]

I don't know how the 300 watt amp has been modified. Hopefully, they added a high pass filter so you don't blow the woofer below the tuning frequency but my guess is the change is simply moving the bass boost to a different place and level based on the recommended cabinet size and tuning.

If you change the tuning of the PRs by adding or removing weight/mass, you will likely want (need) to change the cabinet size as well. These changes have to be made carefully and should be modeled first to make sure they are going to work.

If you want to customize the tuning frequency of the Shiva-X box, that is easy too. Just add a PR ($$$) or a port (cheap) and tune it to whatever you want. Again, modeling is important before you get into the complexities of changing tuning.

The simple build is a sealed cabinet and it would sound very good too. If you still want more output after that, you can always move to a ported cabinet or add a PR later. ...Or even build another sealed Shiva-X later. :bigsmile:

Mike

 

[BigPines]

Personally, I believe a good sub is a good sub regardless of what material is being reproduced (Rock, Pop, Rap, Country or Film). Some may disagree but I believe the point of a subwoofer is to *ACCURATELY* reproduce frequencies from approximately 120 Hz to 80 Hz down. The Shiva-X can do this with authority and it can hit hard.

If you like tight bass (and it sounds like you do) you should probably consider a sealed cabinet although a lot of people think properly set up passive radiators sound very good too.

Check out Exodus Audio's drivers, ports and PRs: http://www.diycable.com/main/default.php?cPath=24_93_150

The application notes on the Shiva-X say a 15" PR is appropriate which is $105. There are specifics in those notes if you want to build that sub.

The CSS-SDX10 is a pretty serious 10" sub but the Shiva-X has 50% more piston area and a 50% longer throw. The bottom line is the Shiva-X moves more air (which is to be expected when comparing a 12" and a 10" driver). At only $50 difference between the two, the Shiva-X seems like a no-brainer to me.

We are getting pretty far off topic here so we should probably take this to the Exodus forum and discuss further: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/exodus-audio/

Go ahead and start a threat EDIT: (THREAD) - no threats please :boxer: - over there asking for advice. Lots of people over there would be willing to help you with your decisions.

Good luck!

Mike