I HIGHLY doubt anyone has a/b'd the two. Completely different target market between the two subs. Since both companies have a 30 day return policy, why dont you order both and post your results for everyone else 
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ACI Force vs Adire Rava: Worth difference?
I need some advice on setting up a 5.1 system in a small-ish 13x12x8 ft^3 living room (opens up into a 9x7x8 dining room, though, making the effective volume ~ 1850 ft^3).
While I do watch a lot of movies -- making low end extension somewhat of an issue -- I've been spending a lot of time (60%?) listening to music, making the quality of the bass more important than output. In looking for a good musical subwoofer to match with my Ascend Acoustic CBM-170s, I've narrowed my choices to the ACI Force and the Adire Rava based off of rave reviews on numerous forums regarding their musicality.
Is the bass extension (low 20Hz for the Force vs ~30Hz for the Rava) and the reportedly slightly greater accuracy of the ACI sub worth double the price of admission? Or are the differences which seem big on paper so negligible in real music and HT use that I should just save my money? For the price of the Force, I could almost pick up a stereo pair of Ravas, but if the Force truly is noticeably superior, than I wouldn't mind plunking down the difference.
Thanks for any advice that you may give on this matter!
While I do watch a lot of movies -- making low end extension somewhat of an issue -- I've been spending a lot of time (60%?) listening to music, making the quality of the bass more important than output. In looking for a good musical subwoofer to match with my Ascend Acoustic CBM-170s, I've narrowed my choices to the ACI Force and the Adire Rava based off of rave reviews on numerous forums regarding their musicality.
Is the bass extension (low 20Hz for the Force vs ~30Hz for the Rava) and the reportedly slightly greater accuracy of the ACI sub worth double the price of admission? Or are the differences which seem big on paper so negligible in real music and HT use that I should just save my money? For the price of the Force, I could almost pick up a stereo pair of Ravas, but if the Force truly is noticeably superior, than I wouldn't mind plunking down the difference.
Thanks for any advice that you may give on this matter!
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I like Audionut's idea. Get em both and do your own review. I haven't heard the Rava, looks like a very good value. I own a Force as well as a pair of Titan IIs. I love the ACI subs. I really like having the dual filters. In my experience, it is a real advantage to be able to cutoff at the faster 24db/oct rate that the Force allows. I think the Rava SE also allows this faster cutoff. I can vouch for ACI's first rate quality and their exceptional level of service
I'm expecting a pair of Force subs very soon. Based on my experiences with the Sapphires and everything I've heard, it should be fun! I'll give my impressions once I have them setup. I've found working with ACI to be a real pleasure so far!
Quote:
For what it's worth, I measured the in-room response on my Rava within 3 db all the way down to 25 Hz. Even though cost is a concern, I would highly recommend budgeting for a parametric EQ, Radio Shack SPL meter, and test disc. The Behringer Feedback Destroyer at $120 is one of the biggest bargains in my audio system (the Grado SR60 headphones at $60 probably being the best bargain). With my problematic room, it literally made the difference between an unlistenably boomy subwoofer and one that delivers seamless, tight bass all the way down to 25 Hz. I can't imagine needing more bass than that, especially with music. The nice thing about the sealed design of the Rava is that the bass tapers off more gradually than a ported sub, which has a more rapid dropoff after the tuned frequency.
I budgeted myself around $500 for the subwoofer, and decided to opt for the $400 Rava and a parametric EQ, rather than going with higher priced subs and not budgeting for the EQ. If you want to see the difference that the parametric EQ made to the frequency response for my Rava look at the chart below.
http://members.aol.com/sfwooch/myhom...mtbrand=AOL_US
| Originally posted by ez-v I need some advice on setting up a 5.1 system in a small-ish 13x12x8 ft^3 living room (opens up into a 9x7x8 dining room, though, making the effective volume ~ 1850 ft^3). While I do watch a lot of movies -- making low end extension somewhat of an issue -- I've been spending a lot of time (60%?) listening to music, making the quality of the bass more important than output. In looking for a good musical subwoofer to match with my Ascend Acoustic CBM-170s, I've narrowed my choices to the ACI Force and the Adire Rava based off of rave reviews on numerous forums regarding their musicality. Is the bass extension (low 20Hz for the Force vs ~30Hz for the Rava) and the reportedly slightly greater accuracy of the ACI sub worth double the price of admission? Or are the differences which seem big on paper so negligible in real music and HT use that I should just save my money? For the price of the Force, I could almost pick up a stereo pair of Ravas, but if the Force truly is noticeably superior, than I wouldn't mind plunking down the difference. Thanks for any advice that you may give on this matter! |
I budgeted myself around $500 for the subwoofer, and decided to opt for the $400 Rava and a parametric EQ, rather than going with higher priced subs and not budgeting for the EQ. If you want to see the difference that the parametric EQ made to the frequency response for my Rava look at the chart below.
http://members.aol.com/sfwooch/myhom...mtbrand=AOL_US
Note...As seems to always need to be mentioned...Speakers Are Subjective. You need to listen and find what you like. Thus threads like this are very subjective and usually biased to what one owns.
People have opinions...These are good to share...However, you need to listen.
People have opinions...These are good to share...However, you need to listen.
If I stuck one of each in a room and blindfolded ya, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two of them for 99% of what you'd normally listen to and at levels you normally listen at. Personally, I'd make the decision based on features and appearance. The reputation of both company's is superb.
Thanks for all the replies on this subject. As a number of people have suggested, the only realistic way to really decide between the two would be to buy both and then A/B them for myself to see which I prefer. Had I the time and money to do so, I would definitely do that.
After mulling over your responses here and on other forums where I posted this question, I have decided to order the Adire Rava first and then see if I'm at least happy with the quality and level of bass that it affords me as that would definitely be the more wallet friendly decision. Within that trial period, if I still feel curious enough to demo the Force, I may bite the bullet and purchase one to compare.
While the differences are obvious on paper, I think the benefits of the Force probably does not justify the price differential as the Adire Rava is already more musical and provides more accurate bass than a majority of the subs out there in and reasonably above its price range. Thus any additional gain that the Force provides is hard for me to justify the extra $350, a sizeable percentage for a sub-$1000 purchase.
I read somewhere that the Q of the Rava can be dropped an additional amount by having Adire "over-stuff it" at my request. While the tradeoff would be that the sub response would start dropping off at a slightly higher frequency and efficiency would take a hit, this overstuffed Rava would roll off more gradually. This should theoretically tighten up the bass and actually increase bass extension. Brian Bunge of Rutledge Audio Designs said that this option might definitely be worth trying out since even with the decreased efficiency, the standard 250W plate amp should have more than ample power to drive the unit. I think this is the route I'm going to go.
As per Woochiver's suggestion and anecdotal experience, I should probably budget for a parametric EQ as well. This is something that I didn't factor into my budget, but after seeing the benefits that it reaps, is something that I should definitely consider. This further solidifies my decision to go with the more economical Rava over the ACI Force.
Thanks again for all your suggestions and I'll let you know how the sub turns out when I make my purchase around month's end.
After mulling over your responses here and on other forums where I posted this question, I have decided to order the Adire Rava first and then see if I'm at least happy with the quality and level of bass that it affords me as that would definitely be the more wallet friendly decision. Within that trial period, if I still feel curious enough to demo the Force, I may bite the bullet and purchase one to compare.
While the differences are obvious on paper, I think the benefits of the Force probably does not justify the price differential as the Adire Rava is already more musical and provides more accurate bass than a majority of the subs out there in and reasonably above its price range. Thus any additional gain that the Force provides is hard for me to justify the extra $350, a sizeable percentage for a sub-$1000 purchase.
I read somewhere that the Q of the Rava can be dropped an additional amount by having Adire "over-stuff it" at my request. While the tradeoff would be that the sub response would start dropping off at a slightly higher frequency and efficiency would take a hit, this overstuffed Rava would roll off more gradually. This should theoretically tighten up the bass and actually increase bass extension. Brian Bunge of Rutledge Audio Designs said that this option might definitely be worth trying out since even with the decreased efficiency, the standard 250W plate amp should have more than ample power to drive the unit. I think this is the route I'm going to go.
As per Woochiver's suggestion and anecdotal experience, I should probably budget for a parametric EQ as well. This is something that I didn't factor into my budget, but after seeing the benefits that it reaps, is something that I should definitely consider. This further solidifies my decision to go with the more economical Rava over the ACI Force.
Thanks again for all your suggestions and I'll let you know how the sub turns out when I make my purchase around month's end.
Listen to Brian...he knows what he's talking about and does great work. I'm sure you'll be quite pleased.
Randy
Randy
ez-v,
Since your budget allows for the Force, you might want to find out when the new Tempest based subwoofer from Adire will be available. Basically a Rava design with the Tempest. Sealed, with more low frequency and headroom. I believe the price was $600-800? This was mentioned on one of Adire's forums. In a room this small, a sub that is spec'd to be -3dB at 25Hz will have output to much lower, and a sealed box will be your best bet to take full advantage of such gains.
Regards,
Since your budget allows for the Force, you might want to find out when the new Tempest based subwoofer from Adire will be available. Basically a Rava design with the Tempest. Sealed, with more low frequency and headroom. I believe the price was $600-800? This was mentioned on one of Adire's forums. In a room this small, a sub that is spec'd to be -3dB at 25Hz will have output to much lower, and a sealed box will be your best bet to take full advantage of such gains.
Regards,
Mark,
I did consider the Daeva or whatever Adire will end up calling their Tempest based sealed sub as a possible option. Ultimately decided against it because of the size of the enclosure that would have to accompany the 15" Tempest driver. My listening space is not overly large and I wanted something a little more compact, which is why I was looking at the Rava, Force, and, before I decided on a sealed sub, the Hsu VTF-2 and SVS PB1-ISD.
Thanks for the suggestion though,
ez-v
I did consider the Daeva or whatever Adire will end up calling their Tempest based sealed sub as a possible option. Ultimately decided against it because of the size of the enclosure that would have to accompany the 15" Tempest driver. My listening space is not overly large and I wanted something a little more compact, which is why I was looking at the Rava, Force, and, before I decided on a sealed sub, the Hsu VTF-2 and SVS PB1-ISD.
Thanks for the suggestion though,
ez-v
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