|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
Velodyne SPL-1200RBy Augie Bettencourt Introduction Velodyne
Acoustics is arguably the most well known subwoofer manufacturer in the world.
In the early 1980’s, a Velodyne subwoofer was simply the subwoofer to
own. If you wanted the best
subwoofer made, you purchased a Velodyne - end of story.
At that time, the Velodyne ULD Series set the standard in subwoofer
design and everyone soon wanted to purchase the big subwoofer that looked like a
coffee table. By the time the
1990’s rolled around, home theater became all the rage and Dolby Digital and
DTS, both 5.1 configurations with left front, center front, right front, left
surround, right surround, and a separate low frequency effects (LFE) channel for deep bass, almost made
owning a subwoofer mandatory. Subwoofer
demand grew, but subwoofer cabinet size began to shrink.
Companies like Velodyne started to design compact subwoofers with output
levels that matched or exceeded past larger designs.
Velodyne’s engineering ability and brand-name recognition allowed it to
give consumers what they wanted by developing a complete product line of
compact, high-output subwoofers like the Velodyne SPL-1200R. As I unboxed the Velodyne SPL-1200R, I was
immediately struck by the quality of this subwoofer’s beautiful, black lacquer
finish. At a mere 57 pounds, it’s
definitely no heavy-weight in subwoofer terms.
At 14 inches high by 14 inches wide by 16 inches deep, it’s quite
petite and its small size is downright shocking for a 12-inch subwoofer.
The front panel has a black cloth grille that is removable and has a
lighted, blue Velodyne logo. Setup couldn’t be easier.
I disconnected my current reference subwoofer, which also has balanced (XLR)
inputs, plugged in the power cord, ran the auto-EQ feature, adjusted the volume
with the help of my Radio Shack SPL meter and had the subwoofer woofing within
minutes. I’ll discuss the one
button, auto-EQ feature later in the review, but I must say that I found the one
button, auto-EQ feature of this subwoofer easier to use than with any other
subwoofer I have ever used before. There
aren’t many subwoofers on the market that have this feature, but I found it
both invaluable and extremely simple to use. Features The SPL-R
(Small, Precise, Loud – Remote) Series is available in three different models
(SPL-800R, SPL-1000R and SPL-1200R) and
all SPL-R Series subwoofers feature a six-band auto-EQ function, with
included microphone and a full-featured remote control.
With one touch on the remote, the SPL-R generates its own test tone,
analyzes that tone via the included microphone and feeds the information back to
the subwoofer. It then automatically adjusts the 6-band internal EQ to
provide and best bass performance in any room, regardless of acoustical
variation. The auto-EQ function is powered by the Texas Instrument Digital
Signal Processing (DSP) technology that allows precise management of the
subwoofer’s crossovers, slopes, equalization, subsonic filters and distortion
limiting circuitry. Velodyne claims
this technology allows the SPL-R Series subwoofers to play incredibly low and
loudly, with 70% less distortion than competitive products.
All three models in the SPL-R Series subs are
powered by a Class D (digital) switching amplifier delivering 1000 watts RMS and
a whopping 2000 watts dynamic power! The
drivers incorporate light, stiff Kevlar-reinforced fiber cones, massive 21 lb.
magnet structures (on the SPL-1000R and SPL-1200R), 2.5” to 3” copper wound
voice coils and vented pole pieces. The available finishes are black
gloss, medium cherry or light maple. MSRP
for the SPL-1200R is $1,899. Music and
Movie Performance More important than bass quantity, I wanted to listen for bass quality, pitch definition, tightness, accuracy and distortion levels. This is what many music lovers want in a subwoofer. With that said, this is a subwoofer review, so I also pulled-out some of the most punishing, teeth-rattling, bass-centric CDs and DVDs I could find to test this subwoofer. Music I’m surprised that almost twenty-five years
after I first saw AC/DC perform at the Oakland Coliseum, thirteen-year-old kids
are still walking the malls today, proudly wearing the same AC/DC “Back in
Black” shirts I purchased in 1981. Reminiscing
a bit,
the
first CD I slipped into my Denon
DVD-3910 DVD/CD player was AC/DC “Back in Black”
(Deluxe Digipak) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (Atco).
The bass was tight, punchy and had a visceral quality that could be felt
as well heard. The pounding
bass-line of AC/DC never sounded more authoritative. For great percussion compositions, look no
further than Mickey Hart “Planet Drum” (Ryco).
This well-recorded CD offers some of the best drum demonstrations
you’ll ever
hear, even though
you might sometimes feel like the music isn’t going anywhere.
On “ To add some “flava” and “phat” bass
hooks, the last CD I listened to was “The Eminem
Show”
(Interscope Records). If a
thirteen-year-old can be into AC/DC, then I can listen to Eminem, especially if
it’s a sample of Aerosmith’s song “Dream On”.
On “Sing for the Moment,” it had all the bass slam, drive and punch
that even Diddy would admire. Movies Now it was time for movie watching and I started
my movie viewing with “Monsters, Inc.”
(Pixar/Disney)
Chapter 5, “Ted Walks to Work.” I
was surprised by how my theater was energized by the bass output of this compact
subwoofer. Bass energy could
actually be felt as much as it could be heard, which is a testament to the shear
amount of output this small subwoofer provides.
One
of the greatest, extremely low frequency bass demos in movie history is in
“U-571”
(Universal
Studios Home Video). Chapter
15, “Depth Charge,” is the low frequency king and I was treated to
distortion free, bass authority that is seldom heard from such a small
subwoofer. Deep bass never sounded
strained or uncontrolled, not even in the least bit. “Black Hawk Down” is a great, action packed
movie with an amazing, sweeping soundtrack.
On Chapter 4, “Irene,” the whirring sound of the helicopter blades
creates
low
frequency sound pressure levels that are felt, as much as they are heard.
Anything in my home theater that wasn’t bolted down was rattling and I
was treated to deep, room-shaking bass, adding to the realism of the event like
no other 12-inch subwoofer I’ve heard before. Regardless of what you think of “
How could any
comprehensive subwoofer review be complete without the bass- demonstrating movie
that started it all? I couldn’t
wait to put the “ Drawbacks At $1899 retail price, the SPL-1200R isn’t the
cheapest 12-inch subwoofer on the market, but when you consider the technology,
ease of use, compact size, bass quality and output level, this subwoofer is a
bargain. I also expect a subwoofer
at this price level to offer a detachable power cord, for those of us who like
the option to make those types of changes. Conclusion Velodyne has always been known to manufacture some of the biggest, baddest subwoofers in the world, but some of their older designs were the size of coffee tables. Velodyne applied everything they know about making great sounding, big subwoofers and now produce incredible sounding, small subwoofers. Whether you’re an audiophile or home theater enthusiast, in minutes you can set-up the feature-rich, Velodyne SPL-1200R and listen to amazing amounts of distortion-free, accurate bass. The Velodyne SPL-1200R isn’t inexpensive, but if what you want is a compact subwoofer that will produce prodigious amounts of accurate, distortion-free bass, this subwoofer is a bargain and I highly recommend it. For more information, please visit the Velodyne website: |
|
