[Guest]

I am in the process of converting the bonus room in our house to a general use media room...the room is 14 x 25 x 8 I am going to place the tv on the long wall in a semi-built in media cabinet. there will be a bar along one side. bla-bla the viewing distance will be about 12' my question is for this size of room would an IB with 2 of the diycable ib 15's and a Nady XA 900 provide adequate bass? or should I just do a tempest in a ported enclosure..

I guess what I am looking for is feed back from anyone who has gone from ported to IB or vice-versa

rest of the stuff :
Marantz 5002
Infinity Beta Bookshelfs and Center (the bigger one)
Paradigm 8" inceilings for surrounds
61" rear pro tv (to be replaced soon with fp)
oppo 971
dish 722
HTPC

 

[Sonnie]

A few questions...

Do you have the space available for an IB?

Have you measured the response at that space or different spots to see if an IB will work?

Are you referencing the Exodus DPL-15 driver?

I know Rodny Alvarez has went from IB to SLLT, but that is a bit different from a regular ported box you sit in your room somewhere.

 

[Guest]

I have the space, I could manifold or line array, haven't done any measurements..right now all of my stuff is in storage and the room is under construction..but the ib location would be directly over the tv centered between mains..

I could do a manifold w/ 2 woofers and then if I wanted to add 2 more later

Yes I am referring to the DPL 15, although the Acoustic elegance Ib15 would also be an option

I would love to be able to hear one of these, no one I know has one, I used to work at a Home audio place and every time I talk about IB with the guys that still work there they think I am insane..

 

[Mike P.]

I could do a manifold w/ 2 woofers and then if I wanted to add 2 more later

That would be the key here. Depending on your listening habits if 2 aren't enough output you could add 2 more. I haven't heard an IB either, but Rodny stated his SLLT has more low end "punch" compared the IB.

 

[Sonnie]

I think you will be disappointed with just two drivers in an IB. It seems most are happier with four.

I also believe it is important to determine if the location will be able to produce the response you are looking for. I have read where many IB owners felt like their bass was lacking and it ended up being not enough drivers and/or poor location. It is hard to move an IB once installed. You need a box sub to sit in your main listening position and a mic with frequency sweep (via REW) to measure that location you are proposing. Place the mic about 12" out from the wall/ceiling where the manifold will be located and run the sweep. This will give you a general idea of what kind of response you can expect and if there are going to be difficult room modes to deal with. You could even measure other locations where you would park the ported sub and see which will be best. That may help you decide much easier whether to IB or not.

 

[jagman]

I'd take Sonnie's suggestion and go one step further. Do what he describes, but don't limit yourself to only where an IB can go. You might find that the best potential response comes from only where a box can go. You might also find the best response comes from only where an IB can go. If the best response comes from a place both can go, then you have to figure out which type of bass you want. I have a two 18" drive IB, but want to double 'em up to four. I would expect you to need four of those 15" drivers to be happy (as four of them have only slightly more output than my two 18's). This is just some food for thought. Good luck!