Should I grab these four Atlas 15s?

[mazeroth]

A local DiYer is selling four Atlas 15s for $460 shipped to my door, brand new ($115 each). I'd go and pick them up and save the $40 shipping but he's 140 miles away and my current schedule is brutal so I think $40 to save time/gas is worth it. Anywho...

I won't be building my IB for about 6 months (until we move) but even then I doubt I'll be able to find comparable drivers for the price. I live near Parts Express and they have a yearly tent sale where everything is 20% off. At that event I could pick up four of their IB15s for $375 with tax. Even then, I think it would be better to spend the extra $85 to get the better drivers. Agree?

My last question. I found the thread where people were having problems with the Le measurement on the Atlas drivers which raised a QC concern. I don't think a resolution ever came about. Thomas, or anyone else that might know, do you think these Atlases are defective and not worth buying? Here's the thread:

www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56730&perpage=10&pagenumber=1

Lastly, (sorry) the house we do purchase won't be huge so I doubt my theater room would ever exceed 2500 ft3. With a room that small I'm thinking four Atlases would be just fine. Also, I do have a single Atlas I bought during the sale to build a sealed sub with but that plan washed away. This could be good because I would have a backup just in case.

Sorry for the long post guys but I felt like I would throw everything out there at once. If you feel I should/shouldn't purchase these let me know, for whatever reason.

Thanks!

[ThomasW]

Only the Atlas 12"s were measured and the primary issue was a higher than published Le. That impacts the upper end roll-off and means a higher than anticipated level of distortion compared to the published specs. But at that price I'd say go for it.

PS, no they aren't defective they just don't meet the published specs..

[ryans]

And even the measured Le was still competitive with other woofers of this class. The manufacturer's spec is so very low that it is almost unbelievable. For instance:

Acoustic Elegance AV15 Le = 3.5mH
Old Tempest Le = 2.9mH (DVC's in parallel)
New Tempest 15D8 Le = 2 x 3mH (1.5mH w/DVC's in parallel)
Dayton DVC15 Le = 1.8mH (DVC's in parallel)
Dayton Titanic Mk3 Le = 3.84mH
Oaudio TC2+ 15SVC Le = 2.6mH
Atlas 12/15 Le = 0.86mH (Mfr claimed)
Atlas 15 Le = 1.86mH (measured by "tiroth")
Atlas 12 Le = 2.45mH (measured by ThomasW)

"I doubt my theater room would ever exceed 2500 ft3. With a room that small I'm thinking four Atlases would be just fine."
I'm thinking they should be more than enough for that space.

"I think it would be better to spend the extra $85 to get the better drivers. Agree?"
Even 4 of the PE IB15's would probably exceed your needs. The Atlas represents about 25% more displacement for about 23% more cost. So bang-for-the-buck is about the same either way. Given the increased build quality, displacement and features of the Atlas (XBL2, bottomless design, variable Qts) its definitely worth the price. How loud do you want to spend?

[mazeroth]

Thanks for the replies!

"How loud do you want to spend?"

I'm a complete budget fanatic when it comes to doing stuff, and there's nothing I love more than knowing I got WAAAAY more than what I paid for. For instance, with this project I'll have $460 wrapped up in drivers and a Crown XLS402A I got for $220 shipped, brand new. Throw in another $120 for wood and an BFD and for $800 I know this sub is going to destroy anything under $2000, or more.

I have a pair of line arrays I built for $300 with ten Vifa TC14 woofers and a single Fountek JP-2.0 ribbon tweeter. That's brand new drivers with the wood. I'm using a Behringer DCX2496 as my active crossover, a DEQ2496 to handle the speaker and room EQ, and a Panasonic XR-25 digital receiver using the 6-channel inputs to power the speakers. That setup with the electronics ran me $900, brand new, and I can honestly say I haven't heard a setup under $10k (for a commercial setup) that can compete. Bang for the buck should be my middle name

Well, I guess the decision is pretty easy now. Grab the Atlases before they're gone! Thanks again, fellas!

[tweeker]

If you decide to wait, by the time of your buying Ascendant and Adire should be back in production. 4 Dayton 15s would cost 401.25 with 7% tax. Id rather have AE Speakers, Adire, or whatever Ascendant is making even if it does come to more once shipping is counted.

Given the other expenditures, why skimp on cheaper drivers?