last post they said to get the IDMAX3. I've never heard ID or Adire before so i have no idea. they are both exactly the same price($350) for a 12". What would be the better buy?
Adire Brahma.. great sub with awesome sq and good spl. IDmax is a great sub but just won't keep up with the Brahma, in my opinion. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong .
oooohhh. the ultimate sq/high output showdown. i'd "run with the brahma" (actually i do). jonathan has noted that the id's high surround dimples at high excursion, and this causes distortion at volumes as such. he has also concluded that the brahma does wonders down low, but the id max plays cleaner at higher frequencies. thus, if you have a poor midbass transition, the id is preferable. while i don't have as much experience with the id max as jon, i own the brahmas and they really are wonderful. they get as loud as you want and sound like they are every part of the cd i am listening to. as adamant an adire fan as i am, i'm not certain how much of a deal the new changes to the brahma will be. instead of the 3" vc, it has been reduced to 2.5. if anything, i would surmise this would increase the sq (if that were at all possible) via a lower inductance & increased transient response. it just doesn't handle the same amount of power (about 200 watts less) and may not play quite as loudly. the id max is the same as it has been. i've only heard from some that it doesn't get as loud as they would like. i take that to mean it doesn't soud bassy enough for them in an optimal box (0.7-1.0 qtc).
Id Max actually has more displacement than a Brahma. If you want power handling, the Brahma will take more. Ported, Brahma gives a more peaky response, ID Max is flatter and sounds better. Sealed, they're good competitors in SQ, but the Brahma keeps its composure better at very high volume levels. Neither one will really slaughter the other, they're pretty much on par in terms of SPL and SQ. What the Brahma has in excursion, it lacks in surface area. You'll see the excursion junkies argue over 1mm from time to time, but to net a 6db increase you have to double the excursion. It becomes even more pointless when you put it in a ported box, which will limit excursion at tuning anyway. That's why subs designed for ported boxes are overhung designs with high BL at lower excursion levels and a rather parabolic BL curve. It's all about matching the horse to the course.
Overall, though, I'd give the Brahma a slight advantage in SPL due to the power handling and the Qts and Fs of the sub, ID Max I give SQ because the Brahma gets muddy above 60hz.
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