civilwartamarinmonkey

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
This subwoofer is amazing. Before I added this sub to my home-theater, my music and movies were reproduced by my Alpha50 front speakers and the Alpha37c, driven by a Marantz SR7000 receiver. The room was so small that it was impossible to place rear speakers anywhere that would not intrude upon its inhabitants. So small that my decision to buy a 15" subwoofer might seem a little short-sighted. But I sought a long-view and knowingly purchased the sub with its destiny close at heart. One day, it will be in an amazing room where my system will shine, no longer aside a 13" TV, but something worthy of its presence. The sub, for me, is not best described by the technical specs, (type "CHT-15" into Sound and Vision magazine's search-bar for those impressive figures). I prefer to describe my memories associated with the sub. The first comes on day when I came home from school and because I did not see my father's car, I assumed I was the only one home. This was an extremely rare occurrence and whenever it happened, I decided to take advantage of the event by listening to my system. I put a techno CD in that I had burned for work that day and cranked the volume. I kind of danced around and while looking toward the adjoining kitchen, I saw, but not heard, my dad in his underwear with his arms moving up and down like and angry Popeye, mouth creating shouts inaudible to my ears. My dad worked nights at the time and valued his sleep. The bass sounded great. Other times, my brother and I would place my old GI Joes in front of the port to see who could take the most bass. Usually it was the Cobra Commander. The best was always sitting around with friends who had not heard it before. I'd start up Terminator 2 and with complete disregard to the structural integrity of the house, sat guffawed by the THX introduction. It was an ethereal experience. So enveloped by the sound pressure, hearing was not a functioning sense at the time. We looked at each other in a sort of haze created by the sound. A buzzing sensation tickled our necks and genitalia. A synthetic orgy created by Velodyne. I have ideas. Ideas for the subwoofer, my fiancé and myself. NIN Closer will create an animal out of Kevlar and flesh. Phoenix reborn. Thank you Velodyne. You have given me happiness.

Strengths:
The depth of bass and loudness. Knowing that no matter what is on the disc, I'm going to hear as much of it as my budget would allow.

Weaknesses:
It is quite large, but the volume is easier to stomach than its bone-rattling deliverance. Its versatility is perhaps limited due to its strengths. I could not take it to my apartment, or even the room in a house that I now rent. Sadly, it resides as a endtable in my dad's living room.

Similar Products Used:
Polk psw404 (half the cost) Polk PSW1200 (dual 12's) Infinity Alpha sub(CMMD cone, very nice)

ATO

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $862.00 from Soundroom

Summary:
I used to have a B&W subwoofer (ASW 675) because I always believed in the B&W quality and sound. Before, I had an all B&W home theater setup, all 5 speakers and one subwoofer. However, things changed when I experienced problems with my new B&W ASW 675 sub. It simply cannot cope up with bass-heavy movies like U-571. Twice, I returned my B&W sub (ASW 675) and had it replaced because it made cabinet/driver noises (which were not present before) after viewing U-571. I was disappointed with the B&W subs as they did not live up to the B&W name. I have come to the conclusion (like most B&W owners) that while B&W is a name you can trust when it comes to high quality, high fidelity, full range loudspeakers, it is mediocre at best when it comes to subwoofers. Anyway, after having two B&W ASW 675 subs damaged by U-571 (the first one and the replacement), I decided to replace it this time with the Velodyne CHT-15. At first I thought the CHT-15 was not as tight and as fast/responsive as the ASW 675. I was wrong. After extensive listening tests, I realized that the perceived difference was actually the type/nature of the bass produced. B&W bass sounded loud, tight,and boomy where as the CHT 15 produced a much more subtle, stronger, hard hitting, bass. You feel the bass on your chest with the CHT 15. With the B&W it's more like your ears, though it does have some chest-pounding output when it is set loud enough. However, CHT 15 is by far the better of the two subs as it did not muddy my mains even at high output levels unlike the B&W which tend to mask my mains to produce any considerable chest-pounding bass. Also, bass with the CHT 15 is so much stronger which makes it easily cope up with bass heavy movies like U-571. It is also good for music as it is as fast enough when set to 'audio' mode (instead of 'video'). Overall, the only advantage of the B&W over the Velodyne is the looks and the size and possibly a slightly faster bass since it is much smaller (10" driver vs. CHT-15's 15" driver). I am convinced that while B&W is a name you can trust on full-range loudspeakers, when it comes to subwoofers, Velodyne wins. I highly recommend the Velodyne CHT-15 for die-hard B&W fans who are disappointed with the low output levels of B&W's subwoofer line. The CHT-15 has enough quality bass for both music listening and movies.

Strengths:
Can go very loud (above 115 dB SPL readings) and low (23 Hz). Clean, accurate and sufficiently fast bass for music and strong/hard hitting heavy bass for movies. My system: Panasonic 29" Progressive scan/100 Hz HD-ready tv Pioneer DV 667 A-S DVD-video/DVD-audio/SACD/VCD/CD/MP3 universal player Onkyo TX SR 701 THX surround receiver B&W DM 604 S3 (main speakers) B&W LCR 60 S3 (center speaker) B&W DM 600 S3 (surround speakers) Velodyne CHT-15 subwoofer (replaced the B&W ASW 675 sub) Monster subwoofer cable

Weaknesses:
Size. It's a big sub (21" x 20" x 18" or so). Most small powerful subs like the B&W ASW 675 (-9 dB lower sound level compared to CHT 15) may be sufficiently loud enough for one's taste but are generally not durable enough due to the heavier work the small driver has to do to produce the same amount of sound level as a bigger subwoofer.

Similar Products Used:
B&W loudspeakers (see my system above), B&W ASW 675 subwoofer, Kenwood (not really hi-fi)

BassThatHz

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $560.00 from EBay

Summary:
This is an exceptional sub for both music and movies. It is clearly a step well beyond the CHT-12(or below) to start it has a Current Sensing Servo, 80oz magnet and a 300watt amp (almost double that of the CHT-12). Placement and Eq is critical with this product. If you often find yourself reaching for the controls when switching from different source material, then clearly you didn’t spend enough time to fine tune your equipment. The AV switch and variable phase is a nice added touch, which is uncommon at this price range. I am currently using both the Velodyne CT-100 and CHT-15 in tandem-stereo (left/right, dual-mono), the 10” for speed/accuracy and the 15” for deep/loud/LFE bass. With my RS SPL meter and a tone generator, I was able to equalize the subs usable frequency response (23Hz to 80Hz) to within + or – 3dB. This product is great for anything in the mid-fi and under range. I would highly suggest upgrading to the Digital Drive series (or the like) if pairing it with equipment from the likes of B&W/Rotel (or above/hi-fi). To test any subwoofer the first thing I do is pull out Evanescence “My Immortal” because at 1:30-1:50 there is a 20hz signal in the background behind the piano that most subwoofers can’t produce. Another good song is Norah Jones “Sunrise” or Finger Eleven “One Thing”; Can you clearly here the drums throughout the entire song? or Does it just muddy the rest of the instruments/singer? If this is your first subwoofer you won't be disappointed!

Strengths:
The Current Sensing Servo is without a doubt the winning factor here; it truly does remove the distortion found in lesser products (when pushed hard at low frequencies). Port chuffing is non-existent under sane volume levels.

Weaknesses:
Size could be a factor (Its bigger than the new DD-15), but that doesn't affect me. Front grille blocks some of the port vent. It doesn't have a digital amp (90% efficiency) so heat could be an issue for large rooms. The heat sink is small 9sq inches, the CT-100 has 24sq inches at half the power output!

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne CT-100, B&W ASW650. (Lots of other mass-market junk not worth noting, like Sony/Bose/Yamaha/Quest etc...)

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
When i bought this i took my time to play with this subwoofer i just bought :) if your buying a subwoofer like this , its WERY important you find a place to put it.. sit in your chair and with the musik you love listning to( or a movie) and try moving the sub if arround in the room so you get the best sound in your sofa ( the place you listen to the sound moast of the time )

Strengths:
Some people wants "hard bass" , i for all like it and this subwoofer is able to give you all that with clear sound

Weaknesses:
Might be big , if you use it in a really small room , or else just try put it in a corner

Price Paid:  $599.00 from circuitcity

Summary:
This is a great sub for both music and movies. Once tuned in properly,I could not imagine a better sub that throws both power and accuracy at everything you feed it. The servo control seems to work great at stopping the driver from distorting,at a price that you would expect to pay more for! Try one,you won't be dissapointed!

Strengths:
POWER TO spare,accurate and tuneful once set up with the rest of the speakers and room.

Weaknesses:
To some its size,but I like it!

Similar Products Used:
Too many to list