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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$1375.00
from Hi-End Home Theatre Summary:
The Velodyne Deco Sat/Sub system simply cant be beat even at it MSRP @ $1699! The Deco Satellite's are by far some of the best sounding Satellite Speakers I have heard to date hands down!
Just removing them from their box, immediately revealed the quality that went in to these speakers with their very solid construction. Each speaker is enclsoded in a very durable (thick) plastic for a better lack of words, which almost feels as though its made of a combination of a very durable polyeurathane/plastic construction which houses a combination of hi-end speaker components. The woofer is a 4"Polypropylene long throw design which produces very realistic & believable midrange reproduction. The tweeter is a 1" soft dome silk design found in many hi-end (and hi $$) speakers.
Im all about sound quality 1st, and design 2nd. But in this case with the Velodyne Deco's you get both! The hi end look of these sats was just a bonus for me. I can't stress enough how spectacular these little 8"x5 1/2"x6" guys sound! Velodyne has established their name with their incredible subwoofers over the years, but now they have taken that hi end technology and designed what I consider one of the best sounding sats I've ever heard! Close your eyes and you would swear they are much larger than their actual size. Velodyne really knew what they were doing when they designed these little gems. Inside these little guys they included High quality Mylar-film capacitors and built-in protection circuit.
Although Velodyne says on their website that the fabric grill is removable, I did find it quite a task to get it off to view the super hi quality 4" driver. If your going to try this, I would recommend using a screw driver for eyeglass repair. By doing this you can avoid leaving any marks on the cabinet (although very durable) in the process. But, its well worth taking the time to do this, to see the quality drivers Velodyne uses in these speakers. Their nothing short of incredible craftmanship. To top off these hi-end little sats, on the back they are equipped with hi quality 5 way binding post with a spring loaded push and pull cap for banana plugs or the like. Once you see the binding post, your start to get an idea of the quality and craftmanship that went in to these speakers. They are easy to mount with a number of ways to mount them, including just a simple screw keyhole hanging option. They make stands for these speakers, but they themselves are expensive!!
The Velodyne Deco Sub:
Well... not much to say here other than its no different than any other Velodyne sub, simply sounding fantastic. Its sealed enclosure, and 600 watts with 1200 peak watts makes for a super fast, very musical subwoofer. Although its woofer is only 8", its long throw construction with a kevlar impregnated cone and inverted dust cap can reach down to 25Hz (in my room, which is 15x15 with 12' ceilings), although its posted range says down to 28Hz. It all depends on the room size. Its very heavy considering its size, weighing in at 38lbs!
Summary:
I spent more time reviewing the Velodyne Deco's satallite speakers since most audio enthusiast already know how good their subwoofers are, simply being some of the best subwoofers in the world for their price.
But I just cant do the Deco Satellites justice. As their sound stage is just so impressive for their size! I have mine mounted about 10' apart (left & Right), with the center (same sat construction as the others, as you just use one for your center channel) sitting atop my big screen TV.
The only way you will get a clear understanding of how good these speakers sound is to take the plunge and buy them.
Another sign that they are so great, is that you rarely see them for sale on Audiogon, or eBay for that matter.
Owners of this system know what they have, and simply wont sell .
You can mate these sats with just about any subwoofer (thats of good to great quality), but I recommend mating them with a seal enclosure for fast response on music.
If you can find this system on the net, I wouldn't hesitate as you won't be dissapointed!
If you can find the sats sold seperately, and already have a subwoofer, I highly recommend them without hesitation as you can save $400 bucks for not having to buy the sub (again provided you already have one).
Strengths:
Incredible sound stage!
Seamless movement from the front sound stage to the rear channels hence the same speaker design for all 5 speakers.
Speakers dissapear on movie sound tracks with an enveloping 360 degee surround sound experience!
Superb construction on all speakers and the sub!
Hi end speaker components & drivers!
Weaknesses:
Absolutely NONE! Similar Products Used:
Too many to list. My wrist would hurt the next day if I took time here to list all my current and past audio gear.
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5 of 5
