Kappa build vs. Pb10 or 12

[Tulsajj]

I'm now in the market for a sub, for the money how would the Kappa build compare to the PB10 or 12? I'm pretty handy so I don't think I would have a prob w/ the build, just maybe not as pretty as others I have seen.

 

[Matt34]

I'm now in the market for a sub, for the money how would the Kappa build compare to the PB10 or 12? I'm pretty handy so I don't think I would have a prob w/ the build, just maybe not as pretty as others I have seen.

The Kappa sub would more closely compare to the Ultra PB-13 than either of those two.

 

[Tulsajj]

Where is the best place to buy this driver and amp? I figured PE for the accessories (feet, post)..

 

[Matt34]

Where is the best place to buy this driver and amp? I figured PE for the accessories (feet, post)..

You can pick up the drivers on ebay and the amp I got from musicans friend.

 

[Warpdrv]

You could get some better drivers then the Kappa IMO

AE speakers has some fantastic drivers The Lambda TD15H, 15M, 15S and 15X give you a pretty wide range of products for different applications. They also have 12" drivers in all those same configurations.

http://www.aespeakers.com/drivers.php?driver_id=10

AE Speakers is just north of me in Green Bay, WI and John Janowitz (owner) came down for my Sub GTG and brought a 15" driver with a 24" box and a couple of 18" passives with him, he/we assembled it in front of everyone, so we got some hands on with the drivers and passives, they were very very nice drivers, and that sub which sat in my house for over a month sounded spectacular and had output that downright SCARY !!!! It had as much output or more then the 18" LMS sealed. The build quality is much better then the Kappa's stamped baskets, while still having very comparable pricing for what you are getting.

AE speakers is producing the drivers for Mark Seatons products, as well as some new drivers for Salk Sound, so they obviously pass the test of some very scrutinizing builders here.... His 12" drivers and passives are the ones in the new SALK HT4, Salks cost no object speaker !!!

http://www.aespeakers.com/shop/catalog/

Get a 12" driver with 2 - 15" passives and that will be a freakin impressive sub, which requires very little power !!!
I will vouch 100% of the SQ from that sub...

 

[Haoleb]

The build quality is much better then the Kappa's stamped baskets, while still having very comparable pricing for what you are getting.

The Kappa perfect 12vq doesnt have a stamped basket, If your driver did it was the wrong one.

 

[Warpdrv]

The Kappa perfect 12vq doesnt have a stamped basket, If your driver did it was the wrong one.

Ok, my bad, I was under the impression they were stamped....

 

[Warpdrv]

what needs to be changed to the kappa plans to use a AH12X?

Looking at the specs of the Kappa vs the AH driver, in this 12" product line, it doesn't look to me that you will gain all that much swapping the driver to an AH, with the kappa having a touch more Xmax....

The Kappa build looks like a solid well thought out build spec'd with good parameters and thorough well though out design.

Just thought I would throw out another low cost option that offers extremely good performance and SQ.... I have visited alot of drivers and different builds, commercial and DIY - the AE 15" PR build really blew alot of people away.

 

[Sounds Good]

Looking at the specs of the Kappa vs the AH driver, in this 12" product line, it doesn't look to me that you will gain all that much swapping the driver to an AH, with the kappa having a touch more Xmax.

i was just thinking because its getting harder to track down a kappa...

 

[Matt34]

i was just thinking because its getting harder to track down a kappa...

If you can't find one on ebay for a decent price I heard the Shiva-x might work in the kappa enclosure. There is a thread on it somewhere over on the Hometheatershack website.

 

[Rowdy S13]

I have to ask... Where are the build instructions for the Kappa build. I currently have a Kappa 10 in my car and I am throughly impressed with it so this has me thinking.

Sean

 

[Sounds Good]

I have to ask... Where are the build instructions for the Kappa build. I currently have a Kappa 10 in my car and I am throughly impressed with it so this has me thinking.

Sean

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45528

 

[Rowdy S13]

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45528

Oh lookie there Thanks man!! So this compares to a Ultra?

Sean

 

[Sounds Good]

So this compares to a Ultra?

Sean

people talk like a pair of kappas blow anything store bought out of the water....

 

[Matt34]

people talk like a pair of kappas blow anything store bought out of the water....

Up to a certain point. Every sub and design has it's limitations.

The closest thing SVS makes comparable to the Kappa Perfect project built to spec is the Ultra 13(Ultra will actuall output a little more than the Kappa over 35Hz). That is nearly 3x the price of the Kappa Perfect project combined with the O Audio BASH500 plate amplifier. The $500-$600 range SVS subwoofers that match the price of the Kappa project are not even remotely comparable in performance. Kappa Perfect VQ is still available form several sources. If you want to wait another year, then perhaps it will become difficult to get the driver....

-Chris

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=555267&postcount=8

 

[Warpdrv]

I think that the Kappa's have some notoriety for their flexibility with different Variable Q, but a design is limited to the box you put it in, one driver for multiple alignments.... but to gain really large output you have to commit to that ported box, which has been very well laid out by andrew and wmax, leaving no stone unturned for a quality build.

But if you do your homework and narrow your choices down to which alignment will fit best for your situation, there are a great deal of drivers on the market that will serve the purpose.

The Kappa has a 15mm xmax, and looking at some of todays drivers that are out there now, this driver becomes limited by those numbers. With the movement towards really high output and low tuning or at least the ability to get down into the teens - there are other options, but they come at a cost $$

 

[WmAx]

The build quality is much better then the Kappa's stamped baskets, while still having very comparable pricing for what you are getting.

The Kappa Perfect not only has cast baskets, it has a machined motor with tight tolerances, unlike most subs which have simple cast motors. The Kappa is of very high quality, and within it's power range, it is a premium driver for ported applications. It is also relatively low cost. If one wants to substantially upgrade performance(the only thing to improve is SPL; the Kappa driver is extremely low distortion within it's power range) they will have to spend substantially more money(barring some odd ball clearance or one off discount specials).

-Chris

 

[WmAx]

I think that the Kappa's have some notoriety for their flexibility with different Variable Q, but a design is limited to the box you put it in, one driver for multiple alignments.... but to gain really large output you have to commit to that ported box, which has been very well laid out by andrew and wmax, leaving no stone unturned for a quality build.

But if you do your homework and narrow your choices down to which alignment will fit best for your situation, there are a great deal of drivers on the market that will serve the purpose.

The Kappa has a 15mm xmax, and looking at some of todays drivers that are out there now, this driver becomes limited by those numbers. With the movement towards really high output and low tuning or at least the ability to get down into the teens - there are other options, but they come at a cost $$

Yes, practically speaking, the free field (anechoic) -3dB limit for the Kappa Perfect is about 17Hz(in room one usually gains 3 or 4 more Hz of extension) whilst also retaining high output ability across it's full bandwidth. If one wants say -3dB at 12 Hz, the Kappa Perfect is not the right driver.

-Chris

 

[WmAx]

Oh lookie there Thanks man!! So this compares to a Ultra?

Sean

If built exactly to instructions(including the internal acoustic dampening specifications), the Kappa Perfect build will have superior upper bass response with no resonance(s). You can cross it at 90-100Hz with no problem, where as many large sized commercial subs begin to exhibit resonance problems, thus producing lower clarity definition/detail in the upper bass range. The Kappa Perfect will likely have higher output in the lowest octave due to the larger port surface area which exhibits less compression. It is assumed you will use at least 800-1000 Watts RMS continuous per Kappa Perfect driver and use a sub sonic filter to protect the driver from over-excursion under it's tuning frequency(all high power ported subs require a sub-sonic filter for safety purposes).

Note: it is not recommended to cross any subwoofer over 60-70Hz unless you have multiple subwoofers to place near the main speakers in order to allow proper integration and act as a seamless source of sound.

-Chris

 

[Tulsajj]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm trying to do this w/ the less $$$ as possible right now so will this sound ok with out have a electric crossover, if so should I use any type of passive crossover? Which one would you recommend?

2nd question, I'm currently borrowing a 15yr. old Kenwood sw300 which I only use 1/4 of the power and my wife is yelling "turn that down", so how will this sub be different other than being louder? I want something that is not boomy and loud all the time, just when whatching a movie and there is an explosion I want it to feel it.