Which brand is better: Velodyne or M & K?

[Cheekster]

I've seen a number of forum members sell their existing subwoofers, be it M & K, Rel, SVS etc and upgrade to Velodynes. Is this brand as good as you can get if you're serious about bass with your movies?

I'm guessing the HGS-18 is the daddy of the range?

Especially interested to hear from Velodyne owners.

Cheekster.

 

[Crustyloafer]

I'm guessing the HGS-18 is the daddy of the range?

The daddy of the range would be the Digital Drive 1812 Signature Edition. I wonder if there are any owners of one of these on the forums?

http://www.velodyne.com/velodyne/products/product.aspx?ID=3&sid=792u828y

 

[Ian J]

The HGS is an old model that was superceded by the DD range with it's inbuilt EQ system a few years ago. The larger DD subs with the 15" and 18" drivers are indeed exceptional subwoofers with £3,000 plus price tags to match.

The smaller 10" and 12" are still good subwoofers but not as effective as their bigger brothers despite still having a hefty pricetag and whilst they still have a loyal fanbase you will still come across people who have sold their DD in favour of an M&K sub (recruit) or someone who has both a smaller DD and an SVS in their system and claims the SVS to be more musical (Jeff)

The smaller SPL range have had things their own way recently until SVS launched their own compact sub at half the price whilst the rest of the Velodyne range are just trading on the name and are available in USA heavily discounted at the AV equivalent of Tesco

 

[Cheekster]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm now imagining what a system containing two Velodyne Digital Drive 1812 Signature Edition's would sound/feel like?

Come on large Velodyne fan base, let's hear some comments straight from the horses mouth.

Cheekster.

 

[MarkE19]

OK, DD-15 owner comment:

The DD-15 is great and all other subs are rubbish

OK before I get flammed, I was only joking - honest (well about the second bit, not the first!).

I upgraded from a Velodyne CHT-10 to the DD-15 which was obviously a massive jump in both performance and price. At the time I think it was the only option (The DD range that is) that offered EQ without the hassle (I'm too lazy) of plotting graphs and setting up manually a BFD. But now there is also the option of the SMS-1 to add the auto EQ of the DD range to any sub. Also I think the software used to set the EQ on a BFD has improved and is much easier.
I can't compare the performance of the DD-15 to any M&K subs (or SVS for that matter) as I have not had a demo of any of them. I'm sure all the makes offer great subs at the upper end of their ranges, and adding a BFD or SMS-1 to any non DD sub should help you to get the best out of it.

Mark.

 

[recruit]

Hi Cheekster - as has already been mentioned the Velodyne DD range are great subs and offer excellent flexibility with intergrateing into any AV or Hifi system, and i did own 2 DD12's for sometime but in the end i went back to M&K and will probably stay with the mighty MX5100SF for sometime to come as it offers everything i have been looking for and more...the DD15 & DD18 are definitly the best out of the Velodyne DD range and most popular and there are quite a few owners out there and MarkE19 being one of them

 

[Madders]

Velodyne are great subs (having owned a CHT12R, HGS15, HGS18 and DD10 - allthough not all at the same time ). However I have found I prefer the sound of the M&K subs as they seem to have more "texture" to their bass and with the SMS-1 EQ now available as a separate item, the DD range's biggest selling point is available to other subs. Before I buy another sub I'm waiting to hear the new JL Audio Fathom range when I can find a UK dealer - having been a fan of their in-car sub range They seem to be getting good reviews in the US. Their Gotham sub looks a bit of a beast too - although it's 140kgs

 

[TopMeTom]

Mark,

I currently have cht10 and was thinking of upgrading.

I feel , living in a terrace , that to get a bigger sub that's louder would be a waste. What did you get from the upgrade apart from loudness?

Ta,

Phil

 

[Jonesthegas]

I moved from a CHT-15 to a DD18. The DD18 is very immpressive and the thing I liked is that it comes with dealer installation. I didn't do a thing and still haven't touched the EQ after over a year. Very controlled meaty bass.

If you are as lazy as me and have the money, its the mutt's nuts.

Martin

 

[MarkE19]

Mark,

I currently have cht10 and was thinking of upgrading.

I feel , living in a terrace , that to get a bigger sub that's louder would be a waste. What did you get from the upgrade apart from loudness?

Ta,

Phil

Well I live in a first floor flat and that didn't stop me from going to the DD-15

A bigger & better sub is not just about getting louder bass! An upgrade offers lower distortion so what you hear sounds cleaner. This can have the effect of the bass sounding quieter and can take a bit of getting used to.
The advantage of the DD range (or an SMS-1) is that you can integrate the sub seamlessly into your system far easier. Even the best subs can sound bad in the wrong room, but EQ can reduce or even illiminate many of the problems. I now no longer hear my sub, just loads of bass that seems to be coming from my small speakers.

Mark.

 

[Helicon]

I feel , living in a terrace , that to get a bigger sub that's louder would be a waste.

The better the sub you use, the better the M&K's will sound. I noticed a big difference when changing from KX-10, to a KX-12, to a VX-850. The satellites just got better every time.

 

[TopMeTom]

The better the sub you use, the better the M&K's will sound. I noticed a big difference when changing from KX-10, to a KX-12, to a VX-850. The satellites just got better every time.

How? I don't see how they can get much better they are already awesome???????

 

[sdb123]

How? I don't see how they can get much better they are already awesome???????

Surely this gives an indication of how good the M&K speakers are then....I'd imagine that they are very good at integrating into the overall sound. Therefore if a better sub is introduced the whole sound is improved.

 

[TopMeTom]

Yup, you got me there!

Gotta wait till my new washing machine comes first!!

I am sooooooooo excited.....................................

 

[SamirP]

Well As said above Velodyne DD range really are a class act. I've owned & upgraded DD12 & DD15, I now have a DD18 Which never fails to impress me every time I use it either with music or films. I don't myself upgrading for a long time.

One thing I really noticed with the DD15 & DD18 is the way they pressurize the room you really feel the LFE.

Even without the on-board eq the DD range would be great sub's, and with it everyone can get their DD to sound it's best

Your local dealer should be able to arrange an in-home demo why not give them a ring so you can hear what all the fuss is about

I'm one very satisfied DD owner, money well spent

 

[recruit]

The daddy of the range would be the Digital Drive 1812 Signature Edition. I wonder if there are any owners of one of these on the forums?

http://www.velodyne.com/velodyne/products/product.aspx?ID=3&sid=792u828y

Thought i would add that i have heard one of these and although impressive the Genelec HTS6 flattened it for sheer presence and output, but i would also like to see how well 4 x MX5100SF's stacked would sound too !! scary !!

 

[Isco 3]

I had to choose between 2 x DD-18's and an 1812.
I called Velodyne in US and manage to speak to the guy who designed the 1812.
He said that the DD-18's was the way to go. He mentioned that the main benefit of having an 1812 would be if I was crossovering at 120Hz.
With my crossover set at 80Hz, he recommended the pair of DD-18's.

I found that one DD-18 was more than enough for my small room, so there is one available, in pristine condition.