Inherited from my Father. I've listened to numerous cheap subs and this just blows away everything in the $660 or less price point. This thing is almost 25 years old and still rocks!

Hook ups are difficult without pre amp

Deep floorshaking clean bass

Sound using speaker level connection sucks, foam surround (might rot in about 5 years time here in a tropical country)

One of my friends who own this sub model migrated to Canada and so he sold me his sub. It was like a gift from heaven! I have always wanted to buy this sub before but I didn''t have a budget that high. I first heard it over at the Upscale Audio dealer Makati. And the bass is awesome. You can feel the floor (raised flooring) vibrating. On the "Daylight" DVD where one of the container tanks filled with deadly chemicals fell, it''s like the tank was dropped just beside me! And when the scene showed the trucks passed by, the place shook, reminds me when I''m on a car caught in traffic at top of a flyover while the other cars/trucks speed up in the other direction - so the flyover sways! That was unforgetable experience. And now that it''s in my home, I can relive the same spine tingling sensation! Wohoo! Viva Velodyne! This sub is great with music too. Truly living to its name "audio-video subwoofer"!

Similar Products Used:

Heard M&K V-series, PSB, Paradigm, NHT

Any reviews of the VLF 1012? This is a new model and is a replacement for the VA xxxxxxx line.

TIA,
Joe

Deep, clean and detailed bass
Can meet minimum THX specs requirement (105dB at 25Hz)

None at this pricepoint

I guess it was my lucky day! I went to LA Audiophile shop planning to buy either a B&W ASW800 ($650) or a Velodyne SPL1200 sub (costing around $1K+). We were talking about the previous model, this model VA1012XII and how I missed on the opportunity to get one. Then the dealer told me that they still have one more stock in their warehouse. I got so excited!

True enough, it is in good shape. Bass was awesome yet with finesse! Power and grace is how you would describe this subwoofer. It has got enough power to shake your house, yet it can also reproduce the smooth musical bass lines, of say an orchestra. Hence it is perfect for music and video, so to speak.

In comparison, the B&W ASW800 is too boomy (bass is prolonged)which is no longer the same as to how the recording was made, hence no longer high fidelity. The Boston Acoustics on the other hand is so forcefull that it is only good in videos. Comparing this to the newer model that I wanted to buy, Velodyne SPL1200, the sound is close in terms of definition and depth. In that respect, they are almost identical in performance except that the SPL1200 is smaller physically. In Sound Pressure Level criterium however, the SPL can play louder by a few dB. In a bigger room, maybe the SLP1200 can justify its higher price. But in my room (15 x 30 feet), a single VA1012XII is more than enough! That's how powerful this little subwoofer is!

So I was sold on the VA1012XII, and at only half the price of the SPL1200, it was a steal!

Similar Products Used:

B&W AS800, Boston Acoustics VR2000, Velodyne SPL1200

I am in my early twenties and I purchased the VA1012 (sold at Circuit City) for my first home theater system. I am now upgrading to the big time HGS-18, but I have been very satisfied with the VA1012 performance. It performs outstanding, when compared to its price.

LET ME START BY SAYING THAT I THINK MOST VELODYNE PRODUCTS ARE OVERRATED AND OVERPRICED. I HAVE SEEN AND HEARD THE VA1012X AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT FOR AROUND $650.00 IT IS REALLY NOT A GOOD VALUE. FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE A PSB STRATUS SUBSONIC 3 THAT COULD LITERALLY BLOW AWAY THE VELODYNE FOR ONLY ABOUT $250.00 MORE. I THINK THAT FOR A COUPLE OF HUNDREDS DOLLARS MORE YOU CAN AT LEAST DOUBLE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE VA1012X IN TERMS OF QUALITY OF SOUND AND DEPTH. AND IT DOES NOT HAVE "MARBLE" LEGS, IT ACTUALLY HAS PLASTIC "MARBLE-LOOK-A-LIKE" LEGS.

Very clean and deep bass. Great subwoofer for any home theater setup.

None at this price!!

I had tested out many different subwoofers including JBL, Polk, Klipsch, Definitive, M&k, Paradigm and Velodyne. The M&K sound great but pretty pricey. Velodyne was next in line and for the price none could beat it. The first time I watched The Matrix with the subwoofer I was a happy customer. To actually here each bullet distinctively firing was incredible and to hear the miny gun firing and again hearing each bullet was impressive. If you crank it up you can have the whole house shaking. I actually lived on the third floor of an apartment complex and a neighbor on the first floor that was not even directly under me could here each distinct sound coming out of the subwoofer. So it is a great addition to any system for the price. Best system you can get for the price and check out the ratings on this site for this system:
Onkyo TX-DS595 A/V Receiver
Onkyo DV-S555 DVD Player
Klipsch RF-3II Front Speakers
Klipsch RC-3II Center Speaker
Klipsch RS-3II Surround Speakers
Velodyne 1012X Subwoofer
All Monster Cables Connections

Serious Bone Jarring, Flesh Moving Bass. No flutter.

Huge size

My brother has this same sub. He paid around $700 for his back in '96 or '97. I always envied him for the way his music and home theater system sounded with his sub. I am on a limited budget, very limited! In fact, paying $300 for a single speaker would never have crossed my mind until I found this deal on eBay. I could not pass it up, and I didn't.
This sub is simply awesome. Is provides deep bass that you can feel.

Similar Products Used:

1st Sub Ever

I have not heard the VA-1012X myself, but I'd like to point out that you'recomparing a subwoofer that is $250 more than the Velodyne. One would hope on his life that the PSB sounds better, for $250 more. As for "at least double the performance...", I can't think of a more subjective phrase to choose from. Ok, so in a blind test, auditioners would rate the PSB a 10, and the Velodyne a 5. Right.

I just picked one of these up at 6th avenue Electronics for $300. In that light, it seems to be quite a bargin. It seems that that is about the actual going price for these around here when they go on sale, which is about once a month or so. In any case, the stated price is $500 in the store. If you wanna spend that kinda money, go right ahead. That simply measn you're not a smart shopper.
Velodyne has several lines of subwoofers, some seem to be puerly for mass market outlets and I beleve I am talking about that item. As such, it delivers quite a lot of bang for the buck.

Yes, there are better subs out there but you cannot, or at least should not, compare apples with oranges. To recognize true value, you must work within certain constraints, like price. It dosen't take much brainpower to realize that something much more expensive is, in all probability, going to sound better. And it should, although that's not always the case.

I have been involved in audio since the sixties and even then when comparing one component against another, you have to take in consideration the cost, unless money is no object. In that case, you have no business here. You should be frequenting the stuffy audio salons where they argue over which solder sounds better in their 3 watt $15,000 single ended triode amps.

My rating is based in my estimation of price ($300) vs. performance