Price Paid:  $886.00 from onecall.com

Summary:
Nice looking sub. You can tell that it is maid with good parts you would expect from a thing that costs $2k. It is my first home sub really so it is hard for me to compare with anything else except the 18" Treo SSX subwoofer in my car. this Velodyne seems to go as deep as 18" I have except it is more precise and more musical so to say.

Strengths:
tight, loud and clear bass

Weaknesses:
there is a noise that can be heard within 2-3 feet but not further than that coming from the speaker. Velodyne customer support told me that it Servo noise that is supposed to be like that. I told him that for this price range you kind of expect something that does not make any extra noise. Kinda expensive for me, even $900 I paid for an open box sub.

Similar Products Used:
Treo SSX 18" for car stereo

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Nicholson's Hi-Fi

Summary:
I bought the floor model of the HGS-12 (my hi-fi salesman turned the HGS-12 on for scarcely 45 seconds by the time I got out my checkbook) back when I had Thiel .5's (www.thielaudio.com), the smallest in Thiel's full range line, and it blended seamlessly. Since then, I've moved up two models, having 1.5's for a few weeks before purchasing brand new 2.3's, upgrading my amp from the Musical Fidelity A300 to the A308, and I still have to keep the HGS-12 x-over set to 40Hz and the volume at 11 o'clock. With Perfect Sound spikes added, my entire floor (if not my entire room) BECOMES the sub, and I mean it when I say it, there is no better sub on the planet. The servo system gives the 3,000W amp more control of the driver than Streisand has over her career, and tighter, cleaner, more MUSICAL bass and sub-bass cannot be had at any price. It's easily the best $1000+tax I've ever spent on anything, ever ever! (I most definitely would've given up the next $1000 if I hadn't been able to get the floor model, no question.) But don't take my word for it, go hear one yourself.

Strengths:
If you hear it, you will buy it. And unless your room eventually needs a second Velodyne HGS series sub, it'll be the last sub you ever buy.

Weaknesses:
My HGS is last year's model, and is not a Series II, so there is a tiny hum when it's on, but it's nearly inaudible unless you put your ear right up to the driver, so it's not a problem. And in regard to the gentleman who wanted to blame the cables, a legitimate assessment in most cases, this hum happens even when you've unplugged the cables and turned the volume all the way down. However, none of the Series II have this 'problem' whatsoever.

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from onecall

Summary:
very sharp, small enclosure with the amp on the inside of the box. has all the necessary features but the optional remote cost $60. hooked up to yamaha rxv3000 with klipsch synergy speakers. this sub was to replace the va1512. after comparing the 2, i have come up with a few comments. the servo technology works... it is cleaner, tighter and more enjoyable to listen to. however, overall output without monitoring distortion still leaves the two subs on the same field(118db's). the hgs sub wont break any sound barriers, but it will sound better. one last point on this, with the klipsch pushed to 90% of max, the hgs sub would monitor its output. the va1512 would just distort trying to keep up. i like this new sub for movies and music, it performs very well. i will need to purchase a second to get the output i want(125db's), or purchase bigger subs.

Strengths:
sonic accuracy and clarity size features

Weaknesses:
spl output

Similar Products Used:
mirage bps 400 (awesome-too big) klipsch ksw15 velodyne va1512

Price Paid:  $1250.00 from onecall.com

Summary:
Well, this about does it – all I ever wanted in a subwoofer, except, perhaps, the ability to actually demolish the foundations of my home (although it does come very close to that), or cause kidney damage. I had dealt with smaller subwoofers in the past, due partially to budget constraints, and mostly to shipping constraints (U.S. Mail can accommodate, at best, only the smallest 10” subwoofers). My latest attempt had been with dual NHT Super Subs. Talk about placement problems! I learned more about room acoustics just trying to get good sound out of them than I ever would have otherwise. And, after several months of experimentation, I ended up with reasonably powerful bass, but never fully integrated them to get rid of that lagging, slow bass on music. (nothing will kill certain forms of music more effectively than low bass that can’t keep up). On the other hand, the Velodyne HGS-12 required virtually no special positioning or set up to get an outstanding blend with my main speakers. Music really moves now – my reference bass tracks have never sounded better, not even on my reference headphone setup of Sennheiser HD600s driven by a Headroom Supreme amp. And WOW! What bass! It’s true that that last half- or quarter-octave of bass missing from most small subs makes a real difference. Aside from the direct impact on pieces of music and soundtracks that actually contain low frequencies below 32Hz (organ music, rocket launches), all other music and movies benefit substantially by just coming across as more solid, for lack of a better description. A sense of enlarged scale is imparted that was previously lacking – movies and music now sound “full sized”. Plus you can impress your friends and family with ridiculous demonstrations like the “Jurassic Lunch” track on Telarc’s Surround Spectacular – my 11-year old nephew looked at me in awe and said he could feel the pressure in his head! You just can’t put a price on that level of owner satisfaction. Associated equipment: Sony STR-DA777ES receiver (as preamp/surround processor) NHT 2.5i main speakers NHT 1.5 as surrounds NHT Audiocenter 2 Velodyne HGS-12 subwoofer MIT Terminator 2 speaker cables, interconnects Monster Subwoofer interconnect Sony 222ES SACD changer Onkyo 555 DVD player Monster Power HTS2500 line conditioner

Strengths:
Does everything right, leaves me with no desire to upgrade.

Weaknesses:
Price?

Similar Products Used:
NHT Super Subs (2 x 6”, 150 watt), Atlantic Technology PBM 162 (6”, 50 watt), JBL (8”, 60 watt)

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I saw these articles on the web pertaining to the new HGS Mark II series. This new line will solve the amplifier humming problem, and they say they''ve increased reliability of the amp and the related parts (probably the servo etc.). The best part has to be the new Kevlar drivers. This doesn''t do much good for people who are bothered by the humming noise now but maybe you''ll consider upgrading? This is from http://www.reference-av.com/news.html "Velodyne Acoustics, who along with M&K, led the way for high-performance subwoofers, announced the Mark II version of their vaunted HGS (High Gain Servo) series. Over 20 upgrades and modifications were made to the internal digital amplifiers improving both the quiet and reliability of the amps. The subwoofer drivers are now using a new custom designed multi-layer resin, Kevlar-reinforced cone, variable thickness EPDM surrounds and unique new die-cast aluminum baskets. A new generation High Gain Servo driver lowers distortion to a little as .3%. The new subwoofers are available now with no price increase. The HGS-10 CA Series II will be available in a clear acrylic cabinet which looks very cool. Best of all, prices for all models remain the same." some pictures from CES 2002 http://www.smr-home-theatre.org/ces2002/loudspeakers/page_12.shtml