Velodyne Disapointment

[Perseous]

Just a review. After I read the staff review on the Velodyne SPL 1200 series 2 I went to The Good Guys to listen to it. They had two systems set up. The Vel was hooked up to a Denon 5800, with Monitor Audio speakers and a nice LCD tv.
I had him play a movie first (Private Ryan) it was just ok. Then he played some music with some good bass (Not sure who it was) but the velodyne did not punch out at all. he adjusted all he could, but no performence. So he unhooked it and put it on the other system. A denon 5803 and Energy speakers. Still no performance. He had a Klipsch RSW 12 on that system that did sound better then the Velodyne. So from there I went to Ultimate Electronics. The salesman there had me listen to a Definitive Super Cube 2. WOW What a difference! http://www.definitivetech.com/specs/specs.html the specs on the super cube is about half way down. It was great all around.

Question 1. How come the Velodyne did not perform? At $1500.
2. Also the Klipsch RSW 12 was not bad (not GREAT)at $1300?
3. And WOW on the super cube 2 at $1079. Has anyone else had a chance to either hear or buy the super cube?

I'm a noob at this so please bare with me. THX for any info -Darin-

 

[docferdie]

Things to consider
1. DIfferent room
2. Bad subwoofer position
3. Poor wiring
4. Bad demo unit

Go to a store that has a liberal return policy and try it in your listening room.

 

[Perseous]

Hi, And Thanks for the Reply! -Darin-

 

[Grey Ghost]

I live in a 3 bedroom apartment. No one lives next to me so I can let my Velodyne SPL-1200 series 2 pound. My bathroom is about 30 feet from my sub. I am taking a piss and I can hear the bass rumbling and I touch the wall and I can feel it vibrating. Klipsch speakers suck! No if ands or butts about it. Super cube sounds like something from Nintendo I bet it sucks also......Velodyne rules........If I have hurt anybody's feelings that have Klipsch sub or a Nintendo Super cube sub I am sorry.......

Grey Ghost

 

[TT-]

I just bought this not too long ago, and it's still on the box. I've yet to hook it up because I still don't have all the hometheater speaker setup. But that's beside the point. Back to your disappointment, the best thing you can do is bring it home and audition it. That way, you'll know how it performs. The worse that can happen is you have to pack it up and return it if it turns out really crappy like you've just experience. Everyone's ears is difference. You can only read into review so much and the rest is up to your personal taste and preference.

 

[Perseous]

TT-, And Grey Ghost Thank you for your replys. Grey I dont think anyones hurt. Everybody has their Opinions. And I for one like to hear them all...

 

[TT-]

So have you decide on what to get yet?

 

[tgrisham]

subs

It seems the more I do this audio thing (all my life) the more I learn. My most recent lesson was getting a nice sub (Hsu Research VTF-3R Mk II) and figuring out where to put it. I would hope a store could figure it out better than me, but only a few try. All subs can produce low to very low frequencies, but how they do it is what's important. I lucked out and got a great sub. Now I have figured out a great location for it after much trial and error. My guess is that the store didn't know where to put it, or the room was not enclosed, or it wasn't tuned properly with the setup. In any event, pick a price you can afford, match the specs of the sub with your room and listening preferences, and try it out. Don't decide until you've really done the work and properly positioned the sub. Then, you'll know if it works. Good luck! Let us know what you decide.

 

[Rob Babcock]

All speakers' sound is very room dependant, and a sub is even more so. It's easy to get down on the sound you're getting without realizing you just need to tweak the placement a bit.

One good method is to place the sub where you normally sit, then move around the room to the spot the bass is best. When you find the spot, that's where the sub goes. Unfortunately, many of us don't have a lot of placement options and just have to choose the best spot available.

 

[tgrisham]

RB is quite correct. Since my sub weighs over 80 pounds, I had few options. I was able to use my Radio Shack SPL meter and a CD of warble tones to roughly judge the loudness and map out the evenness of the sub output at different frequencies. If you are sitting or standing in one of the null modes, it will seem too soft. Try the corners first and then move the sub or your listening position to maximize the output. I still have dips in the low frequencies (35 Hz especially) but the other frequencies are smooth +/- 3 dBs. Also, if you can change the crossover point, it may help to smooth out the dips. It was a chore, but worth it. Put on "Flight of the Cosmic Hippos" by Bela Fleck or "Lord of the Rings" soundtrack and enjoy!

 

[Rob Babcock]

Moving the sub just a few inches can make a big difference, so it pays to experiment. I'm also a big fan of parametric EQ for the sub; I don't know what I'd do without my Behringer DSP-1124. You can buy one for about $125, or for $80 you can get the manual parametric EQ. It's a huge amount of power for not a lot of money.