Velodyne for Aeon i's

[mrmike]

Went looking for a tube pre amp today. Due to lack available choices at Magnolia I instead listened to a Rel sub matched with Vistas. I must say there is a great improvement not only in bass but in the overall sound. I was also pleasantly suprised to find out that a single sub off center still sounds balanced. How is that?

My question is if I were to add a sub would Velodyne DD series be a better chioce? Also, what size would be best for music? I listen to mostly rock, blues and jazz. An 18 inch monster seems a bit excessive but I have'nt a clue.

One more question if I may, would adding a nice tube pre such as a Modwright improve my sound as much as a sub? The sound I get now is steller but I can not help tinkering and I am convinced the HK avr is the weakest link for 2 channel listening. I am not wealthy so it must be one at a time.

Ok, enough questions. My system is:
Marantz dv8400
HK avr 7100
Adcom gfa 5500 (panels)
Adcom gfa 5503 (woofer, center)
Aeon i, Cinema i, Mirage suuronds

 

[Tiberium]

My question is if I were to add a sub would Velodyne DD series be a better chioce?

That is up to you but now with the velodyne SMS-1 you can pick any sub you want and have the room correction of the DD series.

 

[Joey_V]

Love the DD subs.... this is the line from which I will make my next sub purchase.

You dont need the DD18.... anything above the DD12 will rock your room with clean, flat-response bass.

 

[DTB300]

Love the DD subs.... this is the line from which I will make my next sub purchase.

You dont need the DD18.... anything above the DD12 will rock your room with clean, flat-response bass.

If you really want Velodyne and you want to save some serious bucks, buy a HGS line of subs with the SMS-1. You then have a DD sub.

Dan

 

[mrmike]

Thanks for the input. I think I will go for the sub over the pre-amp for now. I guess I have to decide wich one. The Velodyne site says that while the sms-1 will get the best out of any sub but it will not turn it into a DD series, so I will probably go for the DD12 or DD15. Any feedback about the difference is welcome.

I assume i will no longer need to bi-amp. Now all I have to do is sell the Adcom 5500 and bottle of wine that has been in the cupboard for 20 years and I am almost there. Any takers?LOL

Hmmm... maybey a pair of HGS-12's. I think i need to spend the day outside.

Thanks again to all the knowlege and experience that frequents this site.

 

[DTB300]

Thanks for the input. I think I will go for the sub over the pre-amp for now. I guess I have to decide wich one. The Velodyne site says that while the sms-1 will get the best out of any sub but it will not turn it into a DD series, so I will probably go for the DD12 or DD15. Any feedback about the difference is welcome.

I would be interested in hearing from Velodyne why this is so. The SMS-1 is the same electronics system used in the DD lineup. The software between the two are different versions, but they perform the same task.

It would be great to have one of the Velodyne Servo Subs, add the SMS-1 to it, then compare it to the same size DD sub.

Dan

 

[Tiberium]

The Velodyne site says that while the sms-1 will get the best out of any sub but it will not turn it into a DD series,

Obviously it will not turn any sub into a DD series because of different drivers and amps but the whole point of the DD series was room correction. Have you demoed any other subs?

 

[DTB300]

Obviously it will not turn any sub into a DD series because of different drivers and amps but the whole point of the DD series was room correction. Have you demoed any other subs?

Yep talked about it in the Abyss thread......Recently a DD-12 and was not "WOW'ed" at all. But if I was to purchase a Velodyne, and since I have the SMS-1, I would purchase one of their Servo Subs and add the SMS-1 to it. For instance you can get a HGS-12 and SMS-1 for under $2000, whereas the DD-12 will run $2400-$2500. $400-$500 sure does buy a bunch of nice music and movies.

I have also heard the Depth and with minimal setup and adjustments, the Depth was a superior musical sub than the DD-12 in my ears.

Dan

 

[Tiberium]

Yep talked about it in the Abyss thread......

The question was more for mrmike.

 

[attyonline]

As I recall, the EQ on the DD subs also has a control which allows you to make changes in the servo level which can change the sound subtly to help you fine tune the response to your room.

 

[DTB300]

As I recall, the EQ on the DD subs also has a control which allows you to make changes in the servo level which can change the sound subtly to help you fine tune the response to your room.

Probably the reason for the different software packages for the DD line and the SMS-1.

 

[mrmike]

The only subs I have had the chance to audition were some Rel's. Sorry but I don't recall the models but one was about $1500 and the other was over $2000. My reason for the visit was to audtion tube and solid state preamps and to check out the Magnolia store in Everett Wa.

Sadly the selection was lacking compared to the Seattle stores, but they did have a pair of Vistas hooked up to some pretty nice Mac stuff along with the more expensive Rel sub. The store was slow and the salesman was eager to sell me something so I just let him run.

We listened to a scene from a mountain climbing movie and I must admit the sub really sounded fantastic. I should have asked to hear some music but I did not want to waste his time and I started for the door. Mabey he thought it was out of my price range so he offered up the lesser sub in another set up with some Clarity's. He put in some Bay Toe Van and I was spellbound. Made a huge difference across the entire frequency range. Lows, mids and highs all seem to improve. No loss of imaging with the sub off to one side. Listened for about half an hour.

The Rel is very clear, not at all boomy and seems to have a quick enough response to keep up with electrostats. Almost took it home but I knew I had hear a Velodyne before any sub purchase. Come to find out there is no dealer in Wa. except for some of the lower end stuff so I have to take the word of people on sites like this if I am to go with Velodyne. I do plan to head to the big city for more listening this week so I am sure I will have more questions and further updates. Any other subs I should consider?

 

[garmtz]

I think either a Velodyne or ML sub will absolutely better the REL in all aspects.

 

[xenonaut]

I assume i will no longer need to bi-amp. Now all I have to do is sell the Adcom 5500 and bottle of wine that has been in the cupboard for 20 years and I am almost there. Any takers?LOL

I wouldn't be in such a hurry to drop the bi-amping. The idea is not only that it gives you better bass, but actually, I would expect that you should get better sound from both the woofers and panels by bi-amping.

I noticed a significant difference when I bi-amped my SL3's, and wouldn't go back to single-amping them if I added a subwoofer.