Velodyne DD-12 vs. HGS-12

[Craigslist Joe]

Has anyone had the pleasure of hearing both the new school Velodyne DD-12 that has also heard the old school HGS-12? Their specs are nearly identical and I'm curious if anyone thinks the tweaks that have been made over the last decade are worth trading up from my 1998 HGS-12 (which sounds amazing to my ears) to the newer DD-12.

 

[Josuah]

I haven't heard both to compare, but at that age, the capacitors in the HGS amp may need replacing. The DSP and servo of the DD-12 is probably better? Why not give Velodyne a call and ask them what they believe the primary differences will be? (Hopefully their phone lines and Internet access are back up today--someone cut a fiber cable near their office.)

 

[DS-21]

I'm pretty sure the DD series is equivalent to an HGS of the same size with an SMS-1 added. IMO, that parametric EQ and crude-but-serviceable measurement system makes the DD a better buy, unless the HGS + an SMS-1 ends up being cheaper.

IIRC, they have the same cabinet volume (or extremely close), split coil (or perhaps Differential Drive-style) woofer motor, servo, and Class D amp.

But as stated above, the HGS's are also older, and may require servicing sooner.

 

[bigm]

The DD12+ has a lot more cabinet volume. The driver/motor assembly are miles better and the DSP puts it way ahead of the HGS-12. The scale and quality of output of the DD-12+ over the HGS-12 are immense.

 

[DS-21]

The DD12+ has a lot more cabinet volume.

Right, but the question was about DD vs. HGS.

The driver/motor assembly are miles better and the DSP puts it way ahead of the HGS-12.

Debatable. Based on measurements, the DD+ driver seems to have a lot more inductance, and lower top-end bandwidth, than the old HGS/DD driver. It might have a little bit more throw.

Also, aside from the software bug in the measurement display that Josh Ricci's review of the big DD+ found, how is the DSP different from the DD/SMS-1?