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I was talking to a friend about my future audio set-up - I was asking him for some suggestions and such - He told me that he would have to start doing it from scratch since he didn't like what I was doing. Anyway he told me to look into Elemental Designs. I, being a noob, never heard of Elemental Designs (eD). Anyway - I figured I would ask you guys - what are your opinions of elemental design subs and amps? He told me to look into their 13kv.2 12" sub. For the amps he told me to get the NINe.1 for the sub and the NINe.2 for the front components.

Anyway - I need all the feedback I can get, especially on the subs, b/c it's between eD subs and Alpine Type E's or R's.

His proposed set-up looks like this:

Eclipse 8443 or 660 Head Unit
Alpine Type-X SPX-177A Components or CDT Audio 61A
12" eD 13kv.2 DVc 2 ohm sub w/ sealed enclosure (1 sub or two subs)
eD NINe.1 sub amp
eD NINe.2 front component amp

My set-up looked like this:

Pioneer or Alpine Head Unit
Alpine Type-S, Infinity Reference, or Infinity Kappa's
12" Alpine Type E or 12" Alpine Type R sub w/sealed enclosure (1 sub or 2 subs)
Amps still questionable - possibly Kicker

My set-up changes everyday!!?!? What do you guys think????

 
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never herd of eD, but my boy has an eclipse and has an Alpine head unit, Alpine S for side speakers, 2 Alpine Type E subs, and 2 audiobahn amps one 4 channel for the side speakers (Type S) and the other a mono amp for the subs, and that **** hits like crazy.

 
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I used to be into eD because they had good prices and good products. I heard the 12O's once and they were sweet. Lately I've heard some not so good stuff about eD like they lie about their t/s params and one of their model of subs falls apart easily. I might look at RE (reaudio.com) for cheap entry level subs that have a good rep or the Adire (adireaudio.com) Shiva for slightly more expensive entry level subs that aren't really entry level. I've heard 1 sealed shiva and 2 ported (7cubes, 20Hz) shivas. 1 sealed has good sq but 2 ported is some crazy bass for $250.

 
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eD is just another internet boner, hey, they may make a decent product, but a year ago every audio forum swore their A series subs were god's gift to sub-80hz frequencies. they do great verbal customer support, but they grew up too quickly and screwed themselves over. people were waiting 6 months for warranty returns

RE has some shady business dealings, as well as has some lacking in their customer support. im not gonna say anything, but if youre truly curious, cross check RE, destijl, and onyx audio and check out what happened

adire i support because the owner of adire is a regular member of a few car audio forums and they all (dan wiggins, stephen kephart) are real nice people that dont **** around with people and people's money. their products all perform well, they dont waste MY money on making things blingy, and they help out wherever they can.
although all their subs are pretty damn ugly

what should you pick? i dont know, i dont have your ears

 
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Well - now I'm kind of turned off from eD. I've done some reading in the past days on adire audio. They seems pretty good and solidly built. I know I would have to hear them myself! Are the Shiva's really that good - I've only read good things about them - and they're a good price - only $125. Anyone own an Adire 12" Shiva here? Can any vouch for their subs?

 
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eD isn't bad, my buddy used to have an e12a and he posted some pretty good scores with it

 
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That Eclipse 8443 is one of the best Headunits you can get. Pretty pricey though. Clarion, Alpine, and Pioneer are all good for HU's. I Have a Re(resonant engineering) Audio XXX and it sounds great. It's their more expensive sub, but it gets loud and has really good SQ. If ya want a 1000 watt+ RMS sub I suggest The RE XXX, or the RE SX. FOr the sub Amp I have a JBL Bp 1200.1. It's pretty much the best bang for the buck. 1200 clean watts rms, 1 ohm stable, and can be had for around $300. Try sounddomain.com if ya want to get the JBL. BP1200.1. They're very realiable(sp?). And if ya need more advise, check the forums at Termpro.com. The people there know alot about systems. Hope I helped

 
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Umm... not to burst your bubble there Hondamatic but I'd be willing to bet there are people here that are as knowledgable as those on termpro. Regardless, I am going to answer the original question. Elemental Designs makes a pretty good product. They are affordable, and reliable. They aren't, as Ludlam said people assume they are, God's gift to sub 80hz frequencies. But they are a pretty good sub. If you're really looking at the Shiva, I'd suggest ordering direct (in case you were looking somewhere else). Their site is www.adireaudio.com

 
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Resonant Engineering > ED

 
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eD made some great subs but their woofers are constantly going through design revisions and changes and they had a problem with their flat piston cones warping.

Your friend is an idiot .. never ever ever believe anybody that any prodct is the best, specially if they want you to buy all 1 brand name. These people are called fanatics. The Cleveland browns have tons of fanatics..but the team sucks..

 
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why?
prove it

im not on either side of each company, im just asking why you make such a bold statement

 
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I'm sure they all make good subs - to say one sub is better than the other is up to who's listening - opinions vary. Anyway I'm looking more into the Shiva right now since I've read some great reviews and it seems like a really good, reliable sub for the money. I've read that it's best to build the enclosure or have it built by a professional and to not buy a pre-made sub-box for the Shiva - is this true?

 
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I'm gonna use an analogy that is commonly used in sports, with a slight twist. Car audio is 90% install 10% product. Of course a box will sound much better if it's built for a woofer specific application, as opposed to the mass produced generic sub boxes. A box that is built to the specifications of the woofer, and tuned accordingly to the woofer should sound better than a generic box because it's product specific, and not built to a common airspace that is shared and "can" be used by a wide range of product.

 
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only downfall of the shiva is the huge box it requires. 1.8 cubes per sub is optimal sealed size, which is pretty big

 
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Lud, Have you heard the Koda? ...it seems to be the new internet trend...

 
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Koda Midbass drivers. their allright, heard a pair before, good solid midbass, but the guy had them playing midrange as well and they sounded pretty muddy. Could have been the install, but doubtful.

 
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here is the Koda subwoofer...

 
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he means koda subs mo,

i think theyre overpriced if you ask me.

slightly under the price of an idmax, no thank you

 
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well at least the browns play the right kind of football

that is a high price for the koda subs, i wouldn't want to try one out without hearing it first for that kind of dough.

 

nah i just ordered 3 16"s from ED, supposed to be really good... hit up mah man if you want expert advice....

 
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What qualifies you or your man as an expert? What are your certifications? I'm just curious.

 
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Well - I talked to my friend again and it turns out he's not as fantatic as he seemed. I explained my situation again and he was no longer an eD fanatic. He just thought it would be a decent set-up for my price range. Now that I'm looking at the Shiva we're working something out on an amp - I'm sure he doesn't have as much knowledge as some of the guys here but he's the only person I personally know that knows what he's talking about. He's given me good places to install it and get a custom enclosure so he's really helping me out so don't bash on him.

Anyway I'm considering the Shiva more than anything now. The eD's aren't out of the question but the Shiva look better to me every second. I now need an amp for it though~!

 
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eD's 2003 subs were shyt. I had two 12" k (flat cone) they got loud and low with little as 50 wrms. I started to research and more and more people started to have problems with separation with the actual "piston" and cone. That was my backup system so I just sold it to my neighbor for dirt cheap. The 2004 normal cone subs are a step up. I mean hell for the price I'm taking a chance of loosing a few hundred $ ... just like some people here spending 1k on intakes. The three "15's" that I'll be using will get plenty loud and clear. If I was impressed with the POS flat piston, I'm sure the new ones will get me hard. I'm not sure if it'll be louder than my DD Audio though... but definately cleaner. I'd say get those 12's... If those subs don't work out for me I'm getting an 18" RE XXX. You guys here don't tempt me either, I'm not looking for troubles.

 
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I didn't say there wasn't anyone knowledgable on these boards. I was just saying that the info I got from them was really helpful for me, so I thought it would be helpful for everyone else.

 
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Tell me who here spent a grand on an intake so I can bitch slap them.

 
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...I guess some kids' parents have too much money burning holes in their pockets

 
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Sorry about digging up old news, but I was just reading up on the eD craze. So alot of problems with the subs in the past, but they did sound pretty good. Any problems with them currently?

Just wondering about the eD amps. I'm loving the Nine.1 amp and they're priced at only $315 shipped with 3 year warranty. To me, this is pretty good compared to Hifonics, JBL, other amps in this price range. Here are the power ratings. 1200x1 @ 1 ohm, 900x1 @ 2 ohm, 400x1 @ 4 ohm

Also the pre-order combo deals are unbelievable. I would get a combo for the amp and sell the sub if I didn't like it.