pangl

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.50 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $275.00 from eBay

Summary:
This is one very disappointing sub. Bass is boomy and loose. Cabinet design is cheap and without proper vibration control. It may be good for some low end home theater setup. IMHO the ULD series is among the very best Velodyne subs out there (if not the very best subs). If you are serious about home theater or 2-channel, get the REL instead.

Strengths:
Nothing to write about.

Weaknesses:
Cheap cabinet design, vibration is a major problem. Mount loosen up easily. Nowhere to put floor spikes.

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne ULD 15, ULD 18; Wharfedale; REL.

Price Paid:  $599.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
The CHT-120 is a very quirky unit. It is more sensitive to room location than any other sub I have ever heard. It will take time to find its proper placement. For those who have a spot designated for their subwoofer, and are not willing to put it somewhere other than that, this sub is not for you. If you don't find its "sweet spot", this sub will be the weakest, deadest, most terrible sub you will ever hear. BUT, if you are willing to experiment, you will be rewarded to an experience second to none. Your neighbors and your neighbor's neighbors will be calling you to complain about their walls shaking. That being said, the CHT-120 is not for the weak of heart. It is loud, very loud, the rest of your system will have to work very hard to keep up with it. Musically, it is probably not the best choice. It has a very low voice and it accentuates room resonances. What I mean is this, if you run a 200-20hz sweep, it is nice and smooth until it reaches about 60hz, once you reach the resonance frequency of your listening room (every room has one), it gets ridiculously loud (+6db) and stays loud to right at 20hz. Reviews have stated this sub is one of the only ones ever tested to achieve a clean 20hz output. They are correct. But I believe, in order to achieve this, the enclosure was tuned to play very, very, VERY low. If you plan to run this sub alone, you will need full towers to even out the sound. The CHT-120 plays more like a 15" or even an 18" sub. The CHT-120 is a very good piece, well designed and purpose built. If you are serious about your system, it will not work well on its own. Any audiophile will tell you, no sub is capable of covering the full musical range of bass in music. My solution to this problem was to add a Polk 10" sub to the mix. I set the x-over on the Polk to 100hz and the Velodyne to 60hz. The Polk, and almost any 10" sub, plays very tight but has very little below about 50hz, but that is where the Velodyne shines. This arrangement makes the transition and musical range seamless. The CHT-120's volume is set to about 20% and the Polk is about 50%. This arrangement is the smoothest, and most consistent, I have ever heard, anywhere PERIOD. Musically, almost perfect for any style. Movies will snap like never before.

Strengths:
Very powerful! Unmatched low end extension. Plays very low and smooth. Outplays most any other brand. Well constructed.

Weaknesses:
Plays very low. Narrow range. Can be bloomy. VERY sensitive to room placement.

Similar Products Used:
Infinity, Polk, Paradigm, Hand built.

Price Paid:  $560.00 from CICUIT CITY

Summary:
THIS IS AN OK SUB BUT SHOULDNT COST NO 500 TO 600 DOLLARS. YOU CAN GET BETTER AT A HUNDRED DOLLARS LESS. I HAD THIS SUB FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS AND SOLD IT TO BUY A PARADIGM. IT DOES A LOT BETTER WITH MOVIES THAN IT DOES MUSIC, NOT VERY MUSICAL. ITS ALSO HEAVY ABOUT 65 LBS AND HUGE EYE SORE.

Strengths:
GOOD FOR MOVIES

Weaknesses:
TOO PUNCHY NEEDS MORE DEPTH

Similar Products Used:
POLK

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Okay i bought this sub used for half what it sells for retail but after all the great reviews i am slightly disappointed in its performance. Bass is hard hitting (with volume up)but fails to go low as the stated 25 hz as far as i can tell. I had planned to sell my Sony SA WM 40, but now have it daisy chained for the real low end bass.

Strengths:
great quality and will shake the house when volume is cranked up.

Weaknesses:
hard to adjust-needs easier to reach controls (they are in back)

Similar Products Used:
Sony SA WM 40, JBL PB12

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Ebay

Summary:
I purchased this sub from public auction on Ebay. Apparently the guy recently purchased it for his home theater and had to sell it because his neighbors were complaining. His loss was definitely my gain. After hooking the sub up to my home theater, I can honestly say I am very impressed with it. The CHT-120 met all of my expectations so far. There is a review below mine that states that the Velodyne doesn't have any "slam" to it. I am under the assumption that this critic is either missing part of his brain, or is suffering from hearing loss. The Velodyne packs a great deal of punch in home theater applications. I had to keep the sub level extremely low so that it wouldn't overpower the rest of my home theater. I am using my sub with: 1)Yamaha RXV-795 Receiver 2)Toshiba SD3800 DVD Player 3)Advent AS2 L/R Speakers 4)Advent Center Channel 5)Adcent AS1 L/R Surrounds 6)Monster Cable I set the crossover on the sub at 80, since the speakers begin to roll off slowly on any frequency below that level.

Strengths:
Excellent sub for the price. Will shake the paintings off the walls if you don't adjust it carefully.

Weaknesses:
No remote with preset/saved settings between home theater and 2-channel stereo use.

Similar Products Used:
None....Velodyne is the best in this dept.