Stryke AV12MkII vs. DPL12 or XLS for Orion/Bob5 clone?

[NH7RO]

I'm getting ready to build dipoles based on Steve's Bob5/Orion-Phoenix style clone (SEAS Excel MTM tops) but am considering using the new Stryke AV12 MkII 12" woofers (QTS .49, XMAX 23mm) in 18x18x28" H-frames in lieu of either the Peerless XLS or Adire DPL12 generally used for such speakers.

Is this a good choice (before I take the plunge) or would I be wise to stick to the other drivers?

I suppose my main concern is that they may be overkill--I'm going to be running them with 3 Nakamichi PA5 amps at 100/150wpc(PA5II for the woofers) xo/eq'd w/Driverack 260 in a fairly small listening room (10'x15'). When I decided to build this system I was living in a much larger space with high ceilings; alas, we moved into a tiny place where we now plan to stay for a long while.

I listen to a diverse lot of rock, jazz, blues, classical and ambient music, and I miss that great dipole sound I used to have when I had Magnepan MGIIs.

Any comments on my woofer choice would be appreciated.

[Bose(o)]

I guess having more than what you need wouldn't be so bad. In fact, with more capable drivers you'd be further away from their ugly modes (distortion modes) and so should net you more dynamic, cleaner and so, better sound. Just make sure that the Stryke doesn't need air-compliance (enclosure) as does the Shiva otherwise you'll bottom out way too soon and could possibly burn voice coils.

[NH7RO]

Thanks, Bose-o,
Is there a T/S parameter that would indicate a need for this air compliance? I sure wouldn't want to toast $700 worth of voice coils!

[ThomasW]

Take a look at the 12" TC-Sounds TC2+ available from www.oaudio.com. First cone breakup mode is ~1.4kHz......

[454Casull]

Those look remarkably like ED subs... Of course, TC Sounds does produce the drivers for ED.

Why not just go for the TC7 series? They're built for IB.

[BAM]

With 500 watts on a Bassmekanik CD, I just barely got the woofer to bottom out, and that was with the amplifier clipping. The AV12, that is. It breaks in with time, so don't freak out at first when you barely see the cone move and barely hear anything, even with 500 watts.

[5th element]

Originally posted by Bose(o)
I guess having more than what you need wouldn't be so bad. In fact, with more capable drivers you'd be further away from their ugly modes (distortion modes) and so should net you more dynamic, cleaner and so, better sound. Just make sure that the Stryke doesn't need air-compliance (enclosure) as does the Shiva otherwise you'll bottom out way too soon and could possibly burn voice coils.

You wont burn the coils, the driver would fail because of mechanical issues, im being picky so ignor this.

[ThomasW]

as does the Shiva otherwise you'll bottom out way too soon and could possibly burn voice coils.

This is nonsense, I've been running Shiva's in IB subs for 4yrs without any problems. Besides you'lll run out of suspension travel long before any thermal damage will be done to the VCs.

Why not just go for the TC7 series? They're built for IB

Hey no problem as long as you intend to buy 500pcs.

[Jimmy154]

You must know that the Adire DPL12 is designed for dipoles. I read in a webpage that the DPL12 has very little distortion under 50 Hz, even less than the Peerless XLS, here it is http://www.mfk-projects.com/titanic_mkiii_vs_xls.htm I was thinking of using the DPL12 in a subwoofer because of it's excellent distortion charactoristics below 50 Hz. Not dipole though, don't they only sound good in one spot?

[NH7RO]

Au contraire, Jimmy! My Maggies sounded sweet beyond the sweet spot and I gather that that is another nice feature of dipoles in general (correct me if I'm wrong).
Yes, I'm aware that the DPL12's are designed for OB use and have better characteristics than the XLS--but now I've also read today that the TC2+ are also cleaner than the XLS, too (Paul Hilgeman, Madisound Forum). So I suppose now that I will narrow my choice down to either the TC2+ or DPL12 which Steve (SFDoddsy) uses in his Bob5.
Those stiff aluminum cones and the 19+mm xmax sure appeal to me. Here in Hawaii, humidity is another factor that comes into play. I suspect the TC2+ or the AV12 would be better for my application over the long haul, bearing this in mind.
Thanks to all who've responded to my question--I'm not too knowledgeable technically but am anxious to learn more about dipoles. Ever since I saw Steve's site I've been inspired enough to set about the process of building some "Bob5"s. I will post my results as time goes by and I actually get them built.