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Post by staffcurtis on Sept 17, 2013 9:38:37 GMT -7
I have searched the forums, and pretty much everyone states the FI IB18 is one of the best subs for infinite baffle. I have seen some positive posts where folks have used the stereo integrity sub and also been pleased with the sound quality. I called Nick at SI, and he stated his HT subs would work great for my application. If the costs were the same, I would go with the FI due to such positive reviews, but I am able to get the stereo integrity subs for about $75 less each. I am planning on using 16 18" subs so this amount can add up quickly. Based on experience from users here, how much better are the FI subs?
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Post by ThomasW on Sept 18, 2013 6:49:23 GMT -7
Given the size of the room I fail to see the need for 16 18" subs, 8 drivers will be more than enough.
In addition with the large window wall you run the risk of blowing out the glass should you try to 'pressurize' the room.
Smaller speaker mfgrs seem to come an go every couple of years. We typically recommend Fi not only for the quality of the drivers but because the major players in the company have been around for more than a decade, so having the drivers 'serviced' if need be isn't an issue.
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Post by FOH on Sept 18, 2013 10:27:27 GMT -7
I have searched the forums, and pretty much everyone states the FI IB18 is one of the best subs for infinite baffle. I have seen some positive posts where folks have used the stereo integrity sub and also been pleased with the sound quality. I called Nick at SI, and he stated his HT subs would work great for my application. If the costs were the same, I would go with the FI due to such positive reviews, but I am able to get the stereo integrity subs for about $75 less each. I am planning on using 16 18" subs so this amount can add up quickly. Based on experience from users here, how much better are the FI subs? The Fi is a great combo of characteristics, price, and as said, repairable. There are better, high end type drivers for IB use, just want to point that out. The SI drivers may be perfectly fine, but they're somewhat new to the game and a bit of an un-known quantity. That said, I've not heard anything negative. Eight 18s is fine, and if you go with four manifolds of two drivers each, you could always expand to four drivers each, bumping up to sixteen. I doubt there's a significant audible difference between the SI and Fi, but that's speculation. They both are budget designs without trick motors or big efforts to linearize magnetic distortions.
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Post by staffcurtis on Sept 18, 2013 21:18:20 GMT -7
Hmmm...So Eight drivers would probably be enough? I would be flattered to break windows if that were truly possible....maybe just once! It would be easier to afford qty 16 SI subs than FI's, but if 8 FI's do the trick, no need for overkill.
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Post by electrodynamic on Oct 9, 2013 21:09:35 GMT -7
The Fi is a great combo of characteristics, price, and as said, repairable. There are better, high end type drivers for IB use, just want to point that out. The SI drivers may be perfectly fine, but they're somewhat new to the game and a bit of an un-known quantity. That said, I've not heard anything negative. Eight 18s is fine, and if you go with four manifolds of two drivers each, you could always expand to four drivers each, bumping up to sixteen. I doubt there's a significant audible difference between the SI and Fi, but that's speculation. They both are budget designs without trick motors or big efforts to linearize magnetic distortions. I think the ratio of Re/Le is better on the SI drivers than the Fi drivers. And where has it been specified that the SI's are not repairable? Re-cone's and/or drop-in's are available for our drivers.
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Post by FOH on Oct 11, 2013 11:04:49 GMT -7
The Fi is a great combo of characteristics, price, and as said, repairable. There are better, high end type drivers for IB use, just want to point that out. The SI drivers may be perfectly fine, but they're somewhat new to the game and a bit of an un-known quantity. That said, I've not heard anything negative. Eight 18s is fine, and if you go with four manifolds of two drivers each, you could always expand to four drivers each, bumping up to sixteen. I doubt there's a significant audible difference between the SI and Fi, but that's speculation. They both are budget designs without trick motors or big efforts to linearize magnetic distortions. I think the ratio of Re/Le is better on the SI drivers than the Fi drivers. And where has it been specified that the SI's are not repairable? Re-cone's and/or drop-in's are available for our drivers. I've never seen it said, nor have I ever intended to say it or imply it. If I have, point it out I'll correct it. "may be perfectly fine" "they're somewhat new to the game and a bit of an un-known quantity" "I've not heard anything negative." ---------- I wish you all the luck in the world, the more the merrier. There was a time not that distant past, whereby IB drivers were difficult to come by here in the US. The Fi build house was re-tooling/re-structuring, bringing more control in house, and drivers were few and far between. Best of luck and I'm glad you stop by, your input is welcome and appreciated.
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Post by electrodynamic on Oct 16, 2013 20:45:42 GMT -7
I think the ratio of Re/Le is better on the SI drivers than the Fi drivers. And where has it been specified that the SI's are not repairable? Re-cone's and/or drop-in's are available for our drivers. I've never seen it said, nor have I ever intended to say it or imply it. If I have, point it out I'll correct it. "may be perfectly fine" "they're somewhat new to the game and a bit of an un-known quantity" "I've not heard anything negative." ---------- I wish you all the luck in the world, the more the merrier. There was a time not that distant past, whereby IB drivers were difficult to come by here in the US. The Fi build house was re-tooling/re-structuring, bringing more control in house, and drivers were few and far between. Best of luck and I'm glad you stop by, your input is welcome and appreciated. No worries. Just wanted to be absolutely clear that our drivers are able to be repaired.
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Post by staffcurtis on Dec 9, 2013 19:55:25 GMT -7
Electrodynamic:
Do you guys have any black friday deals going for your 18" IB subs? Since I need qty 16, and savings in price would really help. I could pay cash, and pick them up locally since I live in Raleigh if that helps.
Regards
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REK
New Member
Now building a home theater !
Posts: 11
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Post by REK on Jan 28, 2014 12:02:28 GMT -7
Given the size of the room I fail to see the need for 16 18" subs, 8 drivers will be more than enough. In addition with the large window wall you run the risk of blowing out the glass should you try to 'pressurize' the room. Smaller speaker mfgrs seem to come an go every couple of years. We typically recommend Fi not only for the quality of the drivers but because the major players in the company have been around for more than a decade, so having the drivers 'serviced' if need be isn't an issue. There is a difference between the Fi and the SI IB18's- The Fi's have 3" diameter voice coils and +/- 30mm of Xmax. The SI have 2.5" voice coils and +/- 20mm of Xmax. This would imply that the Fi's will have 50% greater volume displacement than the SI's, and be able to withstand more Wattage abuse when pushed to their limits. Both look very well made. The SI drivers do have a more compliant suspension, which will be a plus when using them in an IB sub. I have four of the Fi IB18's and they have been measured to have 60mm of peak to peak excursion. Please see www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPoblqaqhHg and www.youtube.com/watch?v=78s7CkKoN3E for the description of my system and measurement method. With that said, you could get the same displacement of 16 SI's with 11 of the Fi's. I would seriously recommend only building with pairs of drivers, on opposite sides of the plenum, to cancel box vibration. There is enough force generated by the moving mass to shake loose anything that is not fastened tightly.
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Post by electrodynamic on Feb 1, 2014 22:14:56 GMT -7
Given the size of the room I fail to see the need for 16 18" subs, 8 drivers will be more than enough. In addition with the large window wall you run the risk of blowing out the glass should you try to 'pressurize' the room. Smaller speaker mfgrs seem to come an go every couple of years. We typically recommend Fi not only for the quality of the drivers but because the major players in the company have been around for more than a decade, so having the drivers 'serviced' if need be isn't an issue. There is a difference between the Fi and the SI IB18's- The Fi's have 3" diameter voice coils and +/- 30mm of Xmax. The SI have 2.5" voice coils and +/- 20mm of Xmax. This would imply that the Fi's will have 50% greater volume displacement than the SI's, and be able to withstand more Wattage abuse when pushed to their limits. Both look very well made. The SI drivers do have a more compliant suspension, which will be a plus when using them in an IB sub. I have four of the Fi IB18's and they have been measured to have 60mm of peak to peak excursion. Please see www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPoblqaqhHg and www.youtube.com/watch?v=78s7CkKoN3E for the description of my system and measurement method. With that said, you could get the same displacement of 16 SI's with 11 of the Fi's. I would seriously recommend only building with pairs of drivers, on opposite sides of the plenum, to cancel box vibration. There is enough force generated by the moving mass to shake loose anything that is not fastened tightly. Is there any Klippel data or DUMAX data on the fi's to support their Xmax claims? We could have said our HT woofers have 50mm of Xmax just for the sake of it but choose to post actual Klippel verified Xmax instead. Maybe even some FEA data for the fi's? Just curious because we have found a lot of data on a lot of other woofers...just not the fi woofers.
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Post by ThomasW on Feb 2, 2014 8:09:20 GMT -7
Is there any Klippel data or DUMAX data on the fi's to support their Xmax claims? We could have said our HT woofers have 50mm of Xmax just for the sake of it but choose to post actual Klippel verified Xmax instead. Maybe even some FEA data for the fi's? Just curious because we have found a lot of data on a lot of other woofers...just not the fi woofers. Probably better to ask questions like this directly to Fi instead of posting here. Fi isn't known for exaggerating claims about their drivers All of this seems to be much ado about nothing since you've decided to discontinue offering the HT drivers
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Post by firstchoicehome on Feb 20, 2014 0:05:07 GMT -7
Very interested in the exact same question. I plan on 8 18's as well. And have been shopping these two brands. Would really like to see some builds with the si subs. Does anyone know about the tinsel leads on these are the sewn, double or triple. That was very important to me in car application. I have 2 re mt 18's in my avalanche and have damaged the tinsel leads twice.
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Post by ThomasW on Feb 22, 2014 12:42:30 GMT -7
Nick has posted on AVS that the SI 18"HT drivers are discontinued.
I'm not positive but don't think the FI IB3 drivers have woven leads, perhaps someone having the drivers will post.
That said in the entire time we've been using Fi's drivers, no one has posted about lead slap or them tearing out.
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Post by tinnears on Mar 8, 2014 8:04:38 GMT -7
I bought four SI HT 18 inch subwoofers awhile back. I'm hoping Nick will chime in with some reassurance that parts and repair will be available for the long term. If not, then I'll bow to Thomas' suggestion months ago that I should have considered FI IB 18's.
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Post by staffcurtis on Apr 2, 2014 7:08:17 GMT -7
I tried calling Nick today, but it went to voicemail. I was wanting to try a couple SI and FI subs to see which sounded better to compare. I would not have been happy if I bought SI subs and could not get them replaced. Is there any other competition than FI for infinite baffle 18's?
Regards
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Post by ThomasW on Apr 2, 2014 7:32:43 GMT -7
Is there any other competition than FI for infinite baffle 18's? If there were we'd be talking about them.....
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Post by dmadesign on Apr 2, 2014 10:02:59 GMT -7
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Post by staffcurtis on Apr 7, 2014 13:12:52 GMT -7
I spoke with Nick at Stereo Integrity about the HT subs. They are not discontinued, but won't be available for another four months. The price of the subs are significantly less than the FI subs. Since they are semi local to me to pickup, they are roughly half of the FI subs after shipping. Since I need 16 subs this is a substantial savings. Anyone see why I should spend more for the FI 18 IB's?
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Post by ThomasW on Apr 8, 2014 7:07:51 GMT -7
I spoke with Nick at Stereo Integrity about the HT subs. They are not discontinued, Here's what he's posted on AVS about the 18" drivers....
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Post by gworrel on Apr 8, 2014 19:02:00 GMT -7
Here is a quote from the "News from Stereo Integrity" thread from 2 weeks ago: The HST is a different model with an xmax of 35mm and price of $625.00. HST-18 thread
But even if Nick plans to keep the same pricing of $162 for the HT-18, four months is a long time. Things could change. I would have a tough time being that patient. The Fi driver has significantly greater xmax and there is a $20 discount each if you buy four. There is no question that at the price of $162 with local pickup, the SI 18 is a bargain.
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