sandt38

Are those the Bose 81s? They were damn fine speakers. No apologies at all... Steve, do not take the Shivas out of the truck and do nothing with them. If they do not go in your HT, I am gonna come visit you and thump your skull (and I am a big dude too, so don't try me B) ).

Glad to hear you are learning something... there is SO much more to enclosure construction then cutting a few holes amd making 6 sides... Obviously you like to experiment, so try differant things with them... pay attention to how certain differances with the enclosure affect the sound of the drivers... Reading is one thing, but experimenting and listening tells more than a few words on a computer screen

Goodness me... I have a Rava (sealed Shiva, front firing, 250 watts) and it does an awesome job... I'll bet that is a mean MOFO. Let us know how it does when it breaks in...

I need to add something. I was starting to get tweeked by the tweeter, as I sat back and listened to Dave Matthews, so I strted to dig into my settings on the reciever. Apparently at some point I went in and bumped my mains 5.5Db . I don't know how I missed that. Anyways, I dialed them back down to 0Db (where the MCACC sets the speakers) and what a differance. I have actually gone in and EQ'd the tweets up some since, rather than leaving them flat. I have to retract my "might swap out the tweeter" comment. Gimme a bit more time to listen and I will offer some more feedback :thud:

The crossovers are complete and the trial run has begun... I put them together (without the second baffel and veneer) to be sure they were cool. I stuffed the units with 20 Oz of polyfill apiece (~8 behind the woofer, ~2 in the port section (not in the port, just that section) and 10 in the lower portion). Initially they were very bright, and very boomy. I had read this was common for the mid and tweet. I played it for a couple hours the first night (using Tool, Undertow as it covers a very broad frequency range), and have played it a bit since. The mids and tweets are starting to come around nicely. I listened through the CD once on the second day, and restarting it I could hear a huge differance in the sound of the units. Dispertion is amazingly broad. Down the hallway it is still ver tonaly correct (of course reverb is causing cancellation). The crossover is very tight, the drivers stay very accurate and well controlled throughout the spectrum. So far I am very pleased. They are continuing to mellow and after full break in I will comment further, but this is after watching Gladiator, LOTR The Two Towers, and part of The Patriot: While the tweet is still too bright on axis for music, it is very accurate, and sounds amazing while watching movies. I knew the horn loaded tweet may cause some issue for me (with music, but a large part of that is the type of music I listen to), and I may still opt to change it out. But another part of me is screaming how good it sounds while watching a film, which is really what I use my system for. The mids are brutal. For music I am running straight stereo, no subwoofer, and the impact is strong and true... actually physical when sitting a full 17 feet away in the listening position. That's right, you feel it hit. Very powerful and true. The cabinets are tuned low, 32Hz, and it is very easy to tell the units are very comfortable getting low. I only heard audible stress when I first fired them up and the suspension was tight as a snare drum. Now, I can't force this thing to stress. They are a very beautiful sounding set. The orchestral music in Gladiator, and LOTR displays so much depth and beauty with this set I cannot believe the differance. I really had no idea what I was missing. These things are actually embarasing the old speakers, and I am planning to build a new center, and surrounds just to keep up. Crossovers? Here is the schematic for you. I will comment more after a full break in, but untill then this will have to do.

They are my favorite set to date. Great for off axis installs. Unfortunately their size leads to installation difficulties.

OK, so I am more excited then everybody else about this, but hell, it is my current project. I have a few pics of the constructed cabinets. I added one next tto my TV for a demonstration of the speaker's size. They are 36 3/4 inches tall, and 9 inches wide, and 12 3/4" deep. All I have left to do is lay the second baffle on (I am doing a double baffel and flush mounting the driver/port). I included a pic of 1 of the baffels as I have veneered the baffels so the veneer is fully set when I cut out the circles. I don't want any flaking and splintering of the veneer, so I am attatching it, then adding the second baffel and cutting it. Anyways, I still need to add the eggcrate to the insides, so the wood visible through the port flare will not be visable. Also, this is just part of the port dropped in there for a visual, the actual port tube will be longer than what you are seeing now. Not too big really, a nice fit with the system overall I feel. Solid construction. Look at the braces. I have 3 internal braces in the units. A quick drop in fit so you get an idea of the final product. Here is the baffle covered in the veneer. The veneer is totally raw right now, the laquer will bring the grain out even better.

Well here are some pice. The first are the crossover components for 1 side (yes, there are 2 sets of these components). Here are the faces of the AV8 and the TM025F1 tweet (textile dome horn tweet) Here is a closeup of the tweeter, and 1 with my cell for comparison (I have a Motorola V60GI) And the nasty MASSIVE port tube. It is 3 inches ID, double flared, and currently over a foot long. Shiva AV8 motor compare... And lastly, the Shiva and the AV8 side by compare. Oh yeah, for those of you who care the link to all the cabinet pics is http://sound-foundations.us/HTcabinets/

Where ya been Stoney? Ain't seen you around my house for a while :thud:

Even in a ported app, that is not good. ported apps use a measured and specific air leak to time the inrush and outrush of air with the drivers momentum. The inrush of air occurs at the same time as the inward movement of the cone (untill we reach below tuning, and the inrush couples with the outward movement of the woofer, pushing it further than the actual signal does, hence unloading). This can up to DOUBLE the internal pressure of the enclosure and therefor make the little leak behave like an even bigger one. I can't tell you how many times a small leak in a ported box has driven people crazy. "A ported box doesn't need to be airtight" is the biggest and most common misconception out there.

Very good point 02 :boink: . Electrical sockets are not airtight and therefor create a leak in the enclosure.

Too much resistance in the connection. With 2 Tumults and a couple thousand watts it is of no issue, but for smaller output and power levels it will be a hinderance. Also, I would use multi strand wire, it is just more flexible. Also, it just looks thrown together, and cheap... unprofessional and unfinished. In light of your other outburst in the other thread I want to mention this is not a personal attack, just my personal opinion B)

The dual spider design similar to that has been tried. Unfortunately the difficulty in the motor design made the driver a short run. We need to allow for spider travel within the motor with this design. Now we are facing 3 additional points of failure (glue joint at the former, glue joint on the outside of the spider within the motor, and the extra spider), and the elimination of any possibility of a typical recone should failure occur. With the typical location of a spider we rarely see issues with lateral controll, unless a buildhouse error occured, even amoung extreme excursion drivers.

http://www.caraudio.com/vb/showthread.php?t=53706 - Steve http://acoustic-visions.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1453 I just don't see the need... I mean, I got a big den and a 100X7 reciever, with a 250 watt powered sealed Shiva and it is plenty (I have a few Brahmas and other Shivas of my own laying around, so it is not a matter of can't, it's just don't need to). The lone Shiva sealed gets very low and loud and sounds awesome. Why would you need all that subbass in the basement of an apartment? I assume SQ is not a goal .

The 53 is great, don't hesitate. But to be honest, your best bet is to look around for a 43 (last years 53). The differance between last years line and this years is almost nil. On the 45 and 55s the only differance was the 45 has a 5 band per channel equilizer (yes, you can adjust all 7 channels seperately) and the 55 has 7 bands. The differance in cost? $300. No need to wait, go out and buy it. I had Pioneer, Sony, Sony ES and Denon units... none of them even begin to compare with the features and amazingly smooth output of the Elites. I love their warmth... it is almost tube-like. I had a buddy come over today to hear it and he was blown away by how it ate up all my other units (I have been through them all in tthe last 4 years). He is going to get him a 43 or 53 this week. This is an amazing reciever. Anyways, at end of year the shops are trying to clear them out, so expect BIG savings if you can find a 43... maybe even look into the 45. I absolutely STOLE this unit... $700 for a $1400 reciever ain't bad... and yes it was NIB. I went there hoping for the 45, but expecting the 55, and over twice the price I paid. He has the 55s for $1500.

Thanks Dave, it has been added. Seth www.s-fs.com

In building my new HT mains, I wanted another major change, so I said to hell with it... I wanted a new reciever, so guess what? I pissed away a small fortune!!! Oooo, sexy!!! With a Rava, this is a huge unit. It is a Pioneer Elite VXS-45TX. Lemme tell you, this is a bad a$$ SOB. It weighs more than a Brahma, and I think it even sounds better . It is so deep and so tall I had to relocate the reciever to the top shelf of the rack. For more pics, look at the "elite45" labled pics Here. I know there are some pics of the HT cabinets and maybe some of the wood as well on that page, if you chose to look. But as stated, the pics that begin with "Elite45" are the reciever unit. Awesome unit that is so heavily featured it will take months to get through it all

How amazing is that!!! I actually got some tiger mahogany for the project!!! I saw this stuff and it blew my mind. I loved the way it changed color with the changing light. Here are a couple practice slabs... Ignore the stain lines, that was practice. The bottom portion, the red section, is unstained, just lacquered. 02Ram, That is some beautiful work there. I love the inlays being used to cover the cableing. I will keep that idea in mind when I build some stands for my surrounds. Very nice.

Well, as you guys may or may not know I am in the process of the design, and construction of my HT cabinets. The Adire Kit81 units in a ported box using flared vents is in order. I have spent weeks practicing with clear lacquer, as a how to. I have a ton of wood scraps out in the garage I have been practicing differant techniques, and materials and I have found my method. I have tried schelac, varnish, laquer, polyeurothane, and tung oil. I have tried several methods of application of each and I have found my very favorite to be Deft Lacquer, with a natural brush. I have a piece out in the garage with 8 coats of lacquer, but the final product on the units will be around 16 coats. All hand sanded, compounded, and polished. The result will be a mirror like shine over a complex woodgrain. South American Crotch Mahogany is the wood of choice, but next Saturday I am going to Charlotte to a big woodworking show, and depending on what is there, I may have a change of heart. Here is the Crotch Mahogany. It is a veneer, and a pricy one at that. The enclosure assemblies below are small versions. We basically attempted a few ideas and wood types for the design, as well as differant inlays. We are working to find the best cutting method, and joining method possible. Rather than using an expensive veneer, we simply used an old cherry veneer we had sitting around. The inlays are black walnut, and likely what we are figuring will be used in the final assembly. I have several woods to choose from, including purpleheart, bubinga, zebrawood, and bloodwood, but I feel the Black Walnut will suit my needs best. As the lacquer is added to the units below, you will see the grain climb out, and the Black Walnut become almost dead black. These first pics are in the rough, sanded fitted, all ready for trial lacquer coats. While they are miniature, they will be exactly the methood and appearance of the final product. I think we will be using the 1/4 inch inlays rather than the 3/8. I will lacquer the units to pull the grain and color out, and be sure I want the fine inlays, rather than the heavier inlay. Here is the face of the unit with 1/4 inch inlays. Here is a detail of the inlay, from the end with tthe cutaway showing how we set the inlay. The face of the 3/8 inlay. Another face shot, with a bit of an end view. A detail of the 3/8 cut. We found this method to be the best for the wood we will be using (3/4 MDF). We cut a straight 45 degree cut, and flip the board over and using a 1/8 blade, we cut a spline into the edge. We then cut the 1/8 inch plywood to fit the joint. A very slick and simple method that works very well. Now I will show some comparisons for the units, side by side; Side by side Angled Again Detailed end comparison. The 3/8 is bigger than the 1/4, in case you were unaware. The wood block I am holding on the top of the box is the mahogany. All I did in the pics was change the angle of the wood, I did not flip it or anything. Comparatively, you can see the color differance between the cherry on the box, and the Mahogany block. Notice the color change as the mahogany is turned. Mahogany/cherry 1 Mahogany/cherry 2 I will add some pics as the Lacquer draws out the color in the woods... Let me know what you think of the design thus far.

Oops. No views of the other side. Here it is with the MKI and another with the MKII Brahma. I built a raised cover over the spare tire well, with a flip top panel. The housing and wall is 1/2" MDF.

:boink: I do

Uhmm, correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't Sony make a plug in adapter for the PS2 for in car use

Could it be a metric rim and a standard tire? It looks to me like it rolled the bead. A standard tire will fit a metric rim, but the bead will give away in a hard turn situation, particularly on a cool day.

Glad you guys like it. The install is gonna be changing soon (More Brahmas maybe?), but my current HT project has me too busy to get going on it. I do drive it almost daily. But my daily driver is an 83 ElCo... it got 300 miles on it last year . Sorry, I just love to drive my Nat. I was going to buy a GNX I found (13,000 miles, origional owner, mint condition) for $30,000, but my wife said "Investment? Bull$hit... you and I both know you would drive it every day" :denim: . I have a 94 Nissan Xtra cab as well, but I drove it all of 50 miles last year. So I have daily drivers, but I drive the Nat daily :boink:

YGM. Please note the address I sent in the mail for future contact. It will make communications easier and quicker .