Well, I was trying to decide the same thing. I chose the V-max though. V-max is dvc 4 ohm, so it's easir to find an amp for it than the Shiva. Supposedly some people say the V-max will have more spl, and the shiva will soind better. Both are still good though. I am still trying to figure out wich one really will have the most spl. One person told me the xmax for the vmax was 19 one way, and another person told me it was 20 alltogether. And I know the shiva's is 16 one way.