Velodyne SPL-1200 Series II Subwoofer Review

SPL-1200 Series II Setup and Listening Tests

What makes a good subwoofer? For some, it's heart-stopping bass with the ability to topple small children. For others, it's reproduction of such low frequency waves that ocean mammals are summoned to beach themselves during intense passages. For myself, however, I like a "musical" subwoofer that blends well with my reference speakers and doesn't sound like a tone generator capable of reproducing only a single note. Musical subs are fun to listen to and provide definition and quality to low frequency content. Without a musical sub, you end up with "thump" and little definition below 80Hz.

Setting up a subwoofer can be difficult and is best done with two people. If, however, you only have one person, Audioholics helped pioneer a way of placing a subwoofer called "Crawling for Bass" nearly four years ago. Basically, since low frequency information will sound the same coming or going, the subwoofer can be placed in the listening position. Then, while playing bass-heavy content, the listener can crawl around and find the best subwoofer placement. Sound odd? Try it - it really works! We've been using this method for quite some time now and it has saved countless hours of going back and forth between different positions in the room. I found the best spot in my listening room was the same spot my current subwoofer occupies, the front left corner. This provided the tightest, loudest, most defined subwoofer performance. Settling back into my listening position, I configured my receiver's crossover at 40Hz for musical listening, and also tried it at 80Hz (THX) for feature films and THX processing.

The SPL Series II supports line level inputs as well as speaker level inputs. For a majority of people, you can simply connect the LFE or subwoofer output of your receiver to the LFE input of the SPL-1200. If, however, you have a processor, receiver or preamp without bass management, you can connect the main channel pre-amp outputs of your receiver/processor to the SPL line level inputs, and then take the line level outputs and send them to your receiver/processor's or amplifier's pre-amp inputs. The Velodyne's crossover will determine the frequencies that will be produced by the sub and your main channel amplifier is only being used for frequencies above the fixed 80 Hz high pass crossover point. Of course, if your receiver or processor has bass management (most do), stick to using the LFE input- it accomplishes the same thing.

Build Quality

We opened up the SPL-1200 to see if Velodyne continued its tendency towards solid build quality. We weren't disappointed. The interior of the subwoofer showed excellent corner bracing and sufficient padding to render the shell of the unit as inert as possible. The tightness of these subs and their lack of audible resonance is testimony to the fact that they are well-reinforced and built like a brick.

The new Series II SPL line amplifiers are patented ERS (Energy Recovery System) 1000Wrms (2000W dynamic) systems that deliver an abundance of Class-D digital amplification. They utilize a distortion-lowering DDCS (Dynamic Driver Control System) that uses impedance feedback to lower distortion to around 5% at rated power.

Listening Tests

To get a feel for how well the Velodyne Series II handled both 2-channel music as well as home theater content, we listened to a range of material including DVD-Audio, SACD, DTS and Dolby Digital soundtracks. I was anxious to see how musical the SPL-1200 Series II was in comparison to my primary subwoofer.

One of my all-time favorite CDs for listening to subwoofer performance is Seal's self-titled album. Track 3 "Crazy" provides an excellent overall subwoofer test, and also sports a tight, near-20Hz frequency response at approximately 5:15 into the song. Most speakers will not play back this "hidden" sub information, and many subwoofers are only able to reproduce part of the effect. The SPL-1200 didn't miss a beat.

Toto: Past to Present 1977-1990 is another of my favorite CDs. The SPL-1200 was able to play the bass and percussion of 舠 Pamela 舡 flawlessly, giving life to the bass line and punching through the kick as it was intended. Generally, I prefer my subs well-blended into the mix; however I wanted to crank the SPL-1200 louder on this album - it sounded so good!

DTS Entertainment's Eagles: Hell Freezes Over DVD-Audio disc was an excellent test of the musical qualities of this sub. Playing back "New York Minute" (track 9) just let the SPL-1200 sing. The way it blended with my RBH Signature Series 1266-LSEs was nothing short of intoxicating. I listened through the entire album, skipping here and there to find tracks with more subwoofer content. It always amazed me that such performance could be had from a relatively small subwoofer. The SPL-1200 is a very tight sub. The enclosure isn't much larger then the diameter of the driver, making for one compact unit which is capable of an almost incomprehensible amount of bass.

Movies! I love movies, and the new Indiana Jones box set was a great way to gauge the performance of the Velodyne SPL Series II sub. I turned up the level about 3dB- my preferred adjustment for home theater use and decided to go with the first film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. During the opening scenes when Indiana is running from the huge boulder the room literally shook in response to the remixed LFE track. The John Williams film score and subsequent scenes, like the later escape from the underground catacomb, also make good use of the SPL-1200's extended frequency response.

SPL-1200 Series II Conclusion and Measurements

Velodyne's SPL-1200 Series II is an incredible performer. It's a capable subwoofer that is just as impressive in music playback as it is during home theater use. I utilized the Velodyne with both a full range loudspeaker system as well as a bookshelf system and the sub was able to seamlessly blend with either configuration.

For music playback, Velodyne's SPL Series accurately and dynamically reproduces the lower extension of brass and percussion instruments. Listening to classical music, you will find that it takes on a livelier feel in the low end because of its ability to accurately articulate the low frequencies and preserve the individual character of the recording.

For theatrical soundtracks, the punch and dynamic power of the SPL-1200 will leave you feeling like you are part of the action. While lesser subwoofers struggle to reproduce true LFE content, the Velodyne's 10dB point was measured at 20.4 Hz using near-field microphone placement- impressive indeed for such a compact speaker.

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Bass Extension
Bass Accuracy
Build Quality
Fit and Finish
Ergonomics & Usability
Features
Performance
Value