New New New: Velodyne SPL Series R with DSP - DELIVERS UNREAL PERFORMANCE
Written: Aug 04 '05
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Pros: DSP compensates for all room deficiencies, making SPL the best subwoofer in ANY room.
Cons: Still a bit pricey, but with all the features, well worth the money.
The Bottom Line: I NEVER give 5 stars across the board- but this sub deserves every bit. SPL-R is the hands down best sub for under 3000 dollars. period.
nick1326's Full Review: Velodyne SPL1000R Subwoofer Speaker
For nearly 20 years now, Velodyne has been THE name in subwoofer technology. The company has pushed the envelope in the context of producing the most realistic, life-like, thunderously booming, yet tight and meticulous bass as is possible. About 2 years ago, Velodyne introduced the world to DIGITAL DRIVE (DD for short). DD technology was a full soup-to-nuts DSP system (digital signal processor) built right into the most tecnolgically advanced sobwoofer ever built. With 3000 watts of peak power and 1250 actual REAL continuous watts, DD was like an earthquake in a box.
Enter SPL series: For those who feel that 3000 to 5000 dollars for a subwoofer is a bit steep *(probably 90% of us) DD was a bit pricey -- Despite that unquestionably, anyone who listened to it unanimously agreed that this was the BEST subwoofer ever. I remember reading Brent Butterworth's opinion from Robb Report on Digital Drive- the headline under the title read "Digital Drive is to subwoofers what the jet engine is to air travel" and I thought "DAMN, I HAVE to get me one of THESE!" In any event, pricewise, DD is up in the stratosphere- and for two years, those who loved DD sound but hated the price, begged and begged Velodyne to introduce a more affordable version of DD technolgy without sacrificing the critical advantages (we'll discuss what those are later). THE TIME HAS COME: SPL SERIES R IS HERE!
Before getting into the guts of the SPL-R line, I need to first provide you with a full explanation of what DD technology is and what it does, in order for you to understand exactly how it has been applied to SPL and how and why it works so bloody well...
DD technology: Velodyne spent over 4 years and countless dollars on focus groups and research projects to discover how to take the subwoofer to the entirely next level. After 15 years of making killer bass, lots of companies figured out the easiest way to compete with Velodyne was simply copy their ideas: Use SEALED, forward firing boxes with a ton of power and drivers that were built to last through a nuclear war... simple right? WRONG. True- this was the formula for success- but after 4 years of research, Velodyne figured out that the only way to reap the ultimate performance with a subwoofer WAS NOT THE BOX OR THE POWER - IT WAS MAKING IT SOUND PERFECT IN ANY ROOM:
DIGITAL DRIVE TECHNOLOGY IS A WAY TO INSURE THAT YOUR SUBWOOFER WILL PERFORM AND SOUND ITS ABSOLUTE BEST IN YOUR ROOM - NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF ROOM OR HOW SCREWED UP THE ROOM IS.
How does it work? First, digital drive woofers come with a full DSP processor, a MICROPHONE, a remote control and an on screen display! YEAH SERIOUSLY - A subwoofer with an ON SCREEN DISPLAY! DD's brain, once put in setup mode, does something unique and clever, to make sure you get a perfect blend of bass from both your front speakers AND your sub - It does this by playing a sine sweep from 10 cycles (hZ) up to 200hz - prime bass area up into where the front speakers have well taken over, and the sub has rolled off. (subs FYI basically call it quits at about 125-150 and up). Your A/V receiver or pre-pro (if you have seperates) takes the sine sweep (which is delivered via 2 channel RCA output directly from the sub's test output to one of the pre-pro's inputs) and delegate LFE (low frequency effect) to the subwoofer's input, while simulataneously playing the sweep through the front speakers. At the same time, the subwoofer comes with a microphone which you hook up to the sub, AND a video OUTPUT from the sub, which gets hooked up to an available video input on the pre-pro, thus allowing you to view GRAPHICALLY, a curve which shows the SPL levels between the frequencies of 10 and 200 cycles- you are viewing the level of the sound produced by both the sub AND front speakers. You have 8 bands of fully movable and adjustable EQ tweakabilty - you can BOOST OR CUT but 12dB - NICE.
AS a result, once configured, I take my oath that you will not find a finer subwoofer which literally DISAPPEARS. The point of the graph is to show you what you are getting in terms of peaks and valley ON SCREEN. this way you can flatten everything right out and you get the smoothest, yet still POUNDINGest best you could ask for.
The other slick feature built into the DSP brain is the 6 EQ modes - you basiaclly get a comprehensive mix of sound and movie modes to swtich between - and as a result, you get a subwoofer which performs better than anything for EVERY type of listening and viewing: The sub wears the "best" hat in almost any listening situation. If you are listening to 2 channel, simply push "Jazz mode" or mode 4 on the velodyne's included remote control: you get the most musical, smooth and enchanting bass- the subwoofer itself literally disappears, and the result is just the tightest and most meticulous bass you're ever imagined. If you've never experienced a Digital Drive demo, you must treat yourself. When set up right, it doesn't matter what you've seen or heard- nothing can do what a DD woofer does- PHYSICS SAYS SO.
So what does all the DD stuff have to do with SPL??
Velodyne listened to its consumer feedback and did exactly what tons of people asked - they built it into a much more affordable platform which costs way less than half of Digital Drive... and what better platform to use than SPL - and already proven and absolutely superb subwoofer line, that was ready for an update anyway. SPL series II included 3 sizes and 3 colors: 8, 10 and 12 inch versions, available in 3 gorgeous lacquer finishes: Black, cherry or maple. SPL series II has now gone away and SPL series R replaces it- this is the exact same SPL II woofer, with a chopped down version of the famous Digital Drive processor engine, which showed the world why there is not a single other company other than velodyne, capable of making their woofers sound sonically superior no matter how bad the environment is acoustically. The DSP brain allows you to compensate for any room deficiencies that exist, and allows you to do it by tweaking ANY parameter (Crossover, crossover slope, level, 8 band parametric EQ with boost AND cut, 360 degrees of phase adjustment in 15 degree increments (year seriously) not to mention each of the 6 listening modes can be set INDEPENDANTLY, meaning you can have an entirely different phase, EQ and other settings and have them change on the fly anytime you change listening modes.
The woofer also can be tied into a crestron, AMX, Destiny Networks, or other control system, so that if you choose "CD mode" the woofer will switch to "jazz mode" for 2 channel listening. Then if you switch to "DVD mode" the woofer will automatically switch to "Movie Mode" so you'll get a bit more bottom end, because during movie playback, you're not looking for perfectly subdued groomed bass- you want that extra BOOM for when Godzilla stomps out the cops- meanwhile, when listening to music, you don't want any added boominess or anything else- you want only the sounds that were put on the recording. Where other subwoofers try to reproduce super powerful slamming low frequencies, the one thing they dont do is compensate for any effects the room has on bass... well guess what: Bass sound waves are very large- therefore, room dimensions, shapes, wall materials etc, can have a HUGE effect on sound quality and character of sound (timbre, levels, peaks and valleys etc). DD DSP technology allows you to EQ out ALL of these room related quirks.. Again, velodyne did what no one else thought to do: They thought OUTSIDE THE BOX (quite literally) and built in a way to make their subwoofers sound just as good in an anechoic chamber as it does in your very own living room! BRAVO
SPL series R woofers have every bit of DSP functionality, except for the video output. As a result, SPL R's are actually drastically easier to set up than DD woofers- plus they're a fraction of the price. SPL 8's sell on the street for around 1100 dollars. 10's go for about 1250 and 12's go for about 1400 or so. The is quite a bit cheaper than 3 grand for DD 12 right? You simply stick the microphone in the sub's mic input, select AUTO CONFIGURE on the remote and let the sub go through it's test routine and it will configure itself according to what it hears within the room, by way of the microphone.
SPL R woofers include a bullet proof amp platform that delivers 1000 true continuous RMS watts (2000 peak) to newly redesigned proprietary drivers which move tons of air via true high velocity, high excursion build characteristics. You can literally beat the snot out of these drivers with as much low-end as you can throw at it and they won't even flinch. To prove this point, I had no other option than to put on the Kamakazie attack scene from Pearl Harbor on at about 80% volume. This is basically "ear bleed" and no one could sit through this- it's just torture. The little SPL 8 handled the entire grueling 22 minutes with absolute applomb and composure... I t was amazing- it was not even hot. The entire scene is a compilation of countless bomb-drops, torpedo blasts, diesel-ship explosions and it basically hell-week for any subwoofer. I was astounded at how perfectly the velodyne handled all of this madness with no sign of quitting. The amp's ample 1000 watts of continous power is so confident that it didn't even heat up during this scene- despite the entremely high volume level. Even for those of you who listen at frighteningly high volume, the Velodyne can handle it- even the little 8 incher, which is tiny in size- only 10 high by 10 inch wide- SUPER SMALL.
Musical playback was also uber impressive. Joe Sample's "Night Flight" is always a special treat to listen to- it's one of my favorite reference recordings, just because I love it so much and it's recorded really really well. The bass hits during the first 20 seconds are a tell tale sign of how musical a sub AND speakers are- you either get a perfect little thump of a kick drum OR you get the unmistakable thud of a bottomed out driver - NOT FLATTERING. The SPL-800r (that is the proper nomenclature: SPL-1000r is the 10 inch, SPL800r is the 8 inch, etc) handled all the musical aspects just as well as the movie aspects- except since I switched listening modes, it was smooth, subtle and absolutely musical... Simply push the "Movie Mode" button on the easy to use Velodyne remote control, and BAM - you hazve slammin' low end thump for any hollywood feature film. Tight, accurate, musical bass is just a button-push away. AWESOME.
Conclusion: At this price, Velodyne's SPL-800R is just a hands-down winner. No other subwoofer comes close to this performance- no matter how much power, bla bla bla, the DSP engine built into the SPL cabinet is second to none- it does what only DD does: Compensate for ANY and ALL room deficiencies, providing the absolutely most smooth, powerful, tight and accurate bass possible. The auto-configure properties of the SPL version, especially without the video output, make it super easy to set up and use. The super small size make it agreeable to almost ANY wife (yeah- really!) AND this newer price point makes it so easy to make the plunge... THe sub also has "night mode" on the remote, for nighttime viewing when you may want to limit your volume to not upset neighboors- making SPL-R an ideal choice for apartment dwellers- not onlt because it's neighboor friendly, but because it is SMALL and doesn't take up lots of room.
SPL series R subwoofers are absolutely incredible. Go to an authorized dealer and get a demo - I think you'll agree, no other subwoofer does it anywhere near as good, regardless of what kind of listening and/or viweing you are into. Bravo Velodyne!!!
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