New sub or fix the old one?
erniejade
Posts: 6,321
I have had my old Velodyne SPL1200 for a long long time. Around 2009 I had it re-capped since it developed the "Velodyne hum". I had the sub on my KEF LS50W ( currently for sale) but, since covid hit and we have been working from home, my wife has taken over the den that has the KEF in it so, the 1200 has not been used in over a year. FF to this past weekend when I took the Kef out of the den and hooked them up in the Livingroom to put them up for sale and hooked up the 1200 to it. Well the 1200 just has a cracking sound out of it and no actual music. Turn the volume up and the crackling just gets louder. I put the 1200 on my regular system to see if it was an issue with the KEF output and it was doing the same thing. Then I hooked up my spare Velodyne DLS-3500R ( 8" ) and all was OK so the 1200 must have gone funky from sitting for over a year or heck I have no idea. I wouldn't have thought they would go bad from sitting but what do I know.
While I had things tore up to make sure the Kef were still OK, I put the Velodyne DLS-3500R on my main rig just to see what it would add to the Tyler's and even though the Tylers can dig down, I was liking what I was hearing. Now in sound quality \ tone not volume, that old 1200 from 2001 SMOKES the DLS-3500R as it should since there is one heck of a price difference and I thought if I like what I am hearing with the 3500R attached, maybe I will fix the 1200 and try that in the rig but, then I started thinking, what else is out there. A lot has changed since 2001 in subwoofers. I also noticed I was using the remote on the 3500R when something was bass shy on the mastering. That is kind of nice not having to get up and turn the sub volume up and down while staying put. The 1200 was way before they started having remotes. Again this got me thinking even more.
My rig is for 2 channel only and I can use either RCA out or speaker level so no bass management on the rig. A remote for the sub would nice but, its's not a deal breaker. The 3500R does have a remote and I really find it nice for making changes on the fly per album your listening to. My Livingroom is not huge but, it does open up to a dining room to the right and hallway to the left so the nearest side wall is at least 13 feet away. I am thinking of trying out dual but still on the fence. What I am thinking of is 1 SVS SB-2000 Pro @$800 each or $1500 for dual with their discount, RythmikL12 Direct Servo subwoofer $589 each or $1100 for dual with discount, or HSU ULS-15 MK2 $799 each or $1549 for dual.
All of them have fantastic reviews. I realize the potential best bang for the buck would by the Rythmik and I believe the only one of the bunch that can be controlled with any kind of remote is the SVS. I am leaning towards the SVS because it has an app that you can dial it in for your taste for bass management. I imagine if I am going to run duals, the SVS would be easier to get dialed in because of the app. It seems like SVS completely redesigned the SB-2000 calling it a "pro",and changed the driver. If I am not going with the app controlled SVS, the HSU ULS-15 MK2 has my curiosity peaked. This is another sub that they redesigned not too long ago.
I realize it's a lot of choices here and the smart, cheaper and easy thing would be to get the old Velo fixed but, If I am going to shell out money, I might as well think of all options.
While I had things tore up to make sure the Kef were still OK, I put the Velodyne DLS-3500R on my main rig just to see what it would add to the Tyler's and even though the Tylers can dig down, I was liking what I was hearing. Now in sound quality \ tone not volume, that old 1200 from 2001 SMOKES the DLS-3500R as it should since there is one heck of a price difference and I thought if I like what I am hearing with the 3500R attached, maybe I will fix the 1200 and try that in the rig but, then I started thinking, what else is out there. A lot has changed since 2001 in subwoofers. I also noticed I was using the remote on the 3500R when something was bass shy on the mastering. That is kind of nice not having to get up and turn the sub volume up and down while staying put. The 1200 was way before they started having remotes. Again this got me thinking even more.
My rig is for 2 channel only and I can use either RCA out or speaker level so no bass management on the rig. A remote for the sub would nice but, its's not a deal breaker. The 3500R does have a remote and I really find it nice for making changes on the fly per album your listening to. My Livingroom is not huge but, it does open up to a dining room to the right and hallway to the left so the nearest side wall is at least 13 feet away. I am thinking of trying out dual but still on the fence. What I am thinking of is 1 SVS SB-2000 Pro @$800 each or $1500 for dual with their discount, RythmikL12 Direct Servo subwoofer $589 each or $1100 for dual with discount, or HSU ULS-15 MK2 $799 each or $1549 for dual.
All of them have fantastic reviews. I realize the potential best bang for the buck would by the Rythmik and I believe the only one of the bunch that can be controlled with any kind of remote is the SVS. I am leaning towards the SVS because it has an app that you can dial it in for your taste for bass management. I imagine if I am going to run duals, the SVS would be easier to get dialed in because of the app. It seems like SVS completely redesigned the SB-2000 calling it a "pro",and changed the driver. If I am not going with the app controlled SVS, the HSU ULS-15 MK2 has my curiosity peaked. This is another sub that they redesigned not too long ago.
I realize it's a lot of choices here and the smart, cheaper and easy thing would be to get the old Velo fixed but, If I am going to shell out money, I might as well think of all options.
Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
Comments
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I'm in almost the same predicament. My 30 year old 18'' sub has also crapped out and I'm also looking for a modern replacement as opposed to patching up the old dinosaur. From my research it seems like subs have advanced a lot over the past 30 years. Right now I'm leaning towards a SVS sb4000 but I'm open to other options to. Good luck to you in your quest.
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I just bought a Rythmik L12 for my 2.1 nearfield setup and I'm beyond thrilled with it, completely satisfied. Great bang for the buck.
The bass is incredibly tight, fast, and musical. Absolutely no overhang or bloat/boom. Their direct servo tech really works. And it digs really deep! Really happy with it. -
I have been really happy with my REL's. But considered the Rythmik's and went with the REL's. I think I would go Rythmik over the SVS. I have a friend with a SVS 4000, I thought my Velodyne VA-1012 sounded better and I got it in 1992. The SVS could pump out some SPL but was boomy, bloated and I could very easily pinpoint where it was.2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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All good questions, points and insightful experience. I have to admit, playing with subs recently, the remote option is something I wish I had sometimes. That desire crops up a bit more when switching between genres with variance in bass presence.
I became a bit spoiled for remote sub tweaks on the fly when I was using the LS50W and app with them, which offers sub control.
Tough choice though, because overall I'd have to go with a music-first sub. Those with SVS Pro models seem to enjoy them, but I'm still skeptical and probably will be until I can play with one myself.
Maybe trial one?I disabled signatures. -
Velodyne is back. Their DD+ servo subs are excellent, I have one for 2 channel.
I also have an SVS SB4000 in my HT rig. It performs very well for that purpose and even does a decent job with music videos, but it's no Velodyne.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I have been really happy with my REL's. But considered the Rythmik's and went with the REL's. I think I would go Rythmik over the SVS. I have a friend with a SVS 4000, I thought my Velodyne VA-1012 sounded better and I got it in 1992. The SVS could pump out some SPL but was boomy, bloated and I could very easily pinpoint where it was.
Your friend doesn't have it dialed in correctly, probably too much volume. I have mine at -10dB for TV/movies.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
All good questions, points and insightful experience. I have to admit, playing with subs recently, the remote option is something I wish I had sometimes. That desire crops up a bit more when switching between genres with variance in bass presence.
I became a bit spoiled for remote sub tweaks on the fly when I was using the LS50W and app with them, which offers sub control.
Exactly! Since my 2 channel doesn't have anything like this, a remote like the Velodyne or the app that the SVS has would be nice. I wish the Rythmik had a remote but, outside of the looks, a servo subwoofer at that price is going to be really hard to beat.
@F1nut The DD+ looks amazing but that 3-4k mark is out of my price range. I saw they also have a replacement for the SPL series called Deep Blue or DB series now that checks all the boxes with DSP, remote, and speaker level but, there doesn't seem to be too many dealers in the USA. I found Sound Approach has them for $1190 each for the DB12. Is your svs 4000 the newer pro version that has the app? Russ has dual 1000 pro and he said the app made a big difference on getting it dialed in easier.
Looking at https://themasterswitch.com/svs-3000-micro-review I keep reading how amazing this or the Kef micro are for their size but, didn't Velodyne do this same thing a long time ago with the MiniVee and before that with the SPL 800?
Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's. -
Is your svs 4000 the newer pro version that has the app?
Yes, mine has the app. The SVS app is really no different than a sub with full feature remote such as the DD+. It does save SVS some money by not having to supply a remote.Looking at https://themasterswitch.com/svs-3000-micro-review I keep reading how amazing this or the Kef micro are for their size but, didn't Velodyne do this same thing a long time ago with the MiniVee and before that with the SPL 800?
Yes, Velodyne was making small high performance subs way before anyone. The SPL-R series from the early 2000's were I believe the first small subs with remote control. I have the SPL-R 800 in my shop rig. They also made and still make the Microvee, which is a 9" cube.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
