Velodyne MiniVee Subwoofer Review

[admin]

Based on my time with the MiniVee, I declare Velodyne the king of bass per square inch. Not only did the MiniVee simply deliver more output and extension than I could have hoped for from such a small box, but it delivered rich quality bass that never sounded muddy. Although the MiniVee doesn't come cheap, one must realize it's quite costly to engineer a small potent sub over a much larger alternative. I can't think of a single product in its size class that can compete, regardless of price. With the Velodyne MiniVee on bass, mated with a potent pair of bookshelf speakers, you could very easily be enjoying full-range sound from a compact PC system that rivals most (if not all) of your friends dedicated home theater systems. Highly Recommended!

Discuss "Velodyne MiniVee Subwoofer Review" here. Read the article.

 

[alphaiii]

Looks like there are some typo's in the review... with the Minivee being referred to as the Microvee on a few occasions...

 

[gene]

Looks like there are some typo's in the review... with the Minivee being referred to as the Microvee on a few occasions...

please PM me the typos and I will fix them. thx.

EDIT: I found the two typos on the Measurements Page.

 

[templemaners]

I'd be curious to see how this measures up to an Emotiva Ultra 10 sub... a bit bigger than the MiniVee and about 1/2 the price.

 

[alphaiii]

Gene,

Since Audioholics reviewed both the Chrysalis Photon and Velodyne Minivee...

I was wondering if you noticed any difference in the two subs...

From what I can tell... they're the same thing... just different look and name...

Additionally, a Velodyne rep at AVS stated the Velodyne VMS-8 and Minivee are essentially the same, just different aesthetics... and the VMS-8 looks almost identical to the Photon-8, differing only in the sticker on the amp and badge on the grill.

The measurements look different... but is that just due to differences in how the measurements were done?
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/velodyne-minivee/minivee-measurements
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/photon-8-subwoofer/photon-8-measurements

 

[gene]

Since Audioholics reviewed both the Chrysalis Photon and Velodyne Minivee...

I was wondering if you noticed any difference in the two subs...

From what I can tell... they're the same thing... just different look and name...

Additionally, a Velodyne rep at AVS stated the Velodyne VMS-8 and Minivee are essentially the same, just different aesthetics... and the VMS-8 looks almost identical to the Photon-8, differing only in the sticker on the amp and badge on the grill.

The measurements look different... but is that just due to differences in how the measurements were done?
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/s...e-measurements
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/s...8-measurements

The Photon 8 and MiniVee are identical in performance and parts like I stated in my review. This is directly from Velodyne Engineering. Only cosmetic differences exist.

Yes I checked my measurements 3 times b/c they are slightly different than David's PHoton 8 measurements, but his scale is also not as fine as what I used and his measurement method was a bit difference. Still we are within 1-2dB of each other.

 

[Sugarbear]

...but given its small footprint and ease to blend into any nook or cranny of a room, it can easily be tucked away to be "seen and not heard" as my late uncle used to say about children.

Don't you mean "heard and not seen" for a small sub?

What's far more important is thanks for review of a quality micro sub. I wondered about the viability of those things, so it's good see this one stands.

 

[gene]

Don't you mean "heard and not seen" for a small sub?

What's far more important is thanks for review of a quality micro sub. I wondered about the viability of those things, so it's good see this one stands.

Thanks I meant to correct that during edit and forgot.

 

[just-some-guy]

can’t

wth is this ? i have seen stuff like that in your reviews.

are you a russian spy. and that is code ?

 

[gene]

are you a russian spy. and that is code ?

I was until Russia was bankrupt by our Sputnik program, at least according to Sarah Palin

 

[pfarrell77]

Axiom?

Gene,

Great review, thanks! What are your thoughts in comparison to the EP400 from Axiom? That's been on my shopping list for awhile, but at $1,120 hasn't quite made it to the top. The price on the MiniVee is much more attractive, but is it as good (or close enough that I might as well save the $370)? I found one of your old charts for the EP400 from your "Are 2 subs better than 1" article and it seemed to measure much better, but that doesn't mean it sounds better. I don't need much volume - have an EP600 for my HT setup - just looking to fill in the bass in my man-cave (converted attic - cold right now) for my Be-718s. They supposedly go to 42 Hz @-3, (but really start to lose it about 55Hz) and mostly play rock/alternative. Or maybe it's just silly to even try to cover the 40Hz -55Hz region that I'm concerned about with a sub, since I shouldn't need to go below 40 for rock.

Thanks again!

 

[its phillip]

Gene,

Great review, thanks! What are your thoughts in comparison to the EP400 from Axiom? That's been on my shopping list for awhile, but at $1,120 hasn't quite made it to the top. The price on the MiniVee is much more attractive, but is it as good (or close enough that I might as well save the $370)? I found one of your old charts for the EP400 from your "Are 2 subs better than 1" article and it seemed to measure much better, but that doesn't mean it sounds better. I don't need much volume - have an EP600 for my HT setup - just looking to fill in the bass in my man-cave (converted attic - cold right now) for my Be-718s. They supposedly go to 42 Hz @-3, (but really start to lose it about 55Hz) and mostly play rock/alternative. Or maybe it's just silly to even try to cover the 40Hz -55Hz region that I'm concerned about with a sub, since I shouldn't need to go below 40 for rock.

Thanks again!

Get 1 or 2 emotiva ultra12s instead

 

[gene]

Gene,

Great review, thanks! What are your thoughts in comparison to the EP400 from Axiom? That's been on my shopping list for awhile, but at $1,120 hasn't quite made it to the top. The price on the MiniVee is much more attractive, but is it as good (or close enough that I might as well save the $370)? I found one of your old charts for the EP400 from your "Are 2 subs better than 1" article and it seemed to measure much better, but that doesn't mean it sounds better. I don't need much volume - have an EP600 for my HT setup - just looking to fill in the bass in my man-cave (converted attic - cold right now) for my Be-718s. They supposedly go to 42 Hz @-3, (but really start to lose it about 55Hz) and mostly play rock/alternative. Or maybe it's just silly to even try to cover the 40Hz -55Hz region that I'm concerned about with a sub, since I shouldn't need to go below 40 for rock.

Thanks again!

Both the Axiom and Emotiva subs are much bigger than the Velodyne sub. I only recommend the Velodyne MiniVee if space is an issue. Otherwise, consider the Minivee-10 which is on sale for $799 right now, crazy good deal for a really small potent sub.

If you don't mind the bigger box, I'd definately recommend the Emotiva Ultra sub 12 over the Axiom EP400 as you can see from the measurements comparison in my review.

First determine how big of a box size you can live with before laying down $$$ on a sub.

 

[jcain87]

Pandora Quality

Gene,

I believe that you are mistaken about the quality of the Pandora being 160kbps. It is actually higher at 192kbps.

Justin

 

[gene]

I believe that you are mistaken about the quality of the Pandora being 160kbps. It is actually higher at 192kbps.

Justin

You know I think you may be right. I will correct. thanks.

 

[Marshall_Guthrie]

You know I think you may be right. I will correct. thanks.

I think it depends on whether you are a paid subscriber or not. It's hard to find a concrete answer for the bitrate of non-paid pandora, but Pandora One is definitely 192:

"High Quality Streaming: When listening on the web, experience 192K bits per second audio."

 

[Vedder323]

I always liked the minivee, even more than the sunfires I have heard

 

[Hlam]

If you don't mind the bigger box, I'd definately recommend the Emotiva Ultra sub 12 over the Axiom EP400 as you can see from the measurements comparison in my review. .

Hi Gene
I can see that the ultra will play louder than the axiom, but the axiom is much flater across it's range. I would think that this would make the EP400 a better sub for a pure music system.
I could be wrong. I' am not all that bright. I always try to get the frequency as flat as possable.
If you have the time; educate me please.
Thanks Gene.

 

[gene]

Hi Gene
I can see that the ultra will play louder than the axiom, but the axiom is much flater across it's range. I would think that this would make the EP400 a better sub for a pure music system.
I could be wrong. I' am not all that bright. I always try to get the frequency as flat as possable.
If you have the time; educate me please.
Thanks Gene.

Flatter doesn't always mean better. A gradual rolloff at low F is usually preferred to a brickwall response like the Axiom has. You see very few sub companies doing that with their products b/c it tends to mess with transient response. Look at the SVS PB 12 Plus DSP sub response we recently reviewed. IMO that is the perfect way to roll off a sub.

That being said I own two EP400s and one Emo Ultra Sub 12. The EP400s are quite impressive for their size, but I ultimately prefer the Ultra 12 sub, especially for music as its much punchier IMO. It's also 1/3rd the price!

 

[Hlam]

Thanks for the quick reply Gene.

I was thinking about adding a small sub to my system. It has to be <12" wide to fit the only availabe location.
It seems like a small, powerfull, and good sounding sub will not be cheap. I live in Canada so you can usually double the price when shipped from the U.S.