eagertrader

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $2000.00 from NEW fr/an Internet d

Summary:
Initially I bought this sub for home theater, but it so dissapears that I forgot that it is there as it automatically turns on. I listen to mostly classical music in 2 channel stereo, and it complements my pair of Dali Grands at the front seamlessly. You do notice however if it isn't there though (if I turn it off), as the gut satisfying bass and the grand scale sound aren't all there anymore.

Strengths:
It's easy to get loads of bass sound. After all, who's to know what a truck falling from a cliff and exploding is supposed to sound like. Now, the Bach concerto for organ or the bass on a Norah Jones standard, demmand tight bass an accuracy. The servo on the HGS-18 serves that aplenty. Quality sound from a high quality product.

Weaknesses:
The size. Doesn't bother me, but it is not very wife friendly. ** WARNING ** Hertz around 16 can be addictive ** (once you go down there, there's no coming back...) **

Similar Products Used:
Dali, Polk, Advent, B&W, Canton, Boston Acoustics

jimjazz

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:  $1800.00 from Local Dealer

Summary:
The Velodyne HGS-18 is edge of the art in sound. It teams with the Magnepan 3.6 to make wonderful music, with bass extended below the threshold of audibility. My entire collection of Jazz and Classical music has never sounded as good as it has the past 2 years. The servo design makes this a much more musical sub than anything on the market.

Strengths:
The Bass and how it integrates with my Maggies

Weaknesses:
They replaced it with the DD-18

Similar Products Used:
Hsu VTF-3

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Factory review sampl

Summary:
I reviewed the earler F1800RII version of this sub for The Sensible Sound and found it to be a sensational performer. The earlier version has about half the power, but the later one has its max acoustic output limited more by driver mechanics than electricity, and so the extra power is more of a bragging point than a real advantage. Two comments: 1. One of your earlier reviewers mentioned the sub being a tad "slow." However, subs do not need to be "fast." All they need to be able to do is move fast enough to handle the frequencies being sent to them by the low-pass filter in the crossover network. The fast attack part of any bass transient will be handled by the midrange or tweeter drivers. If a sub were reproducing the fast attack signals it would call attention to its location. In other words, you do not want a subwoofer to be "fast." 2. One reviewer said that it would take two 10-inch subs to match the big 18-inch Velodyne. That is nonsense. With the same excursion limits from each driver, it would take four 10 inchers do do the job. However, since most 10-inchers cannot match the excursion reach of the big Velodyne, it is likely that even six or eight would be required. 3. One reviewer mentioned pumping the unit so that it was moving back and fourth three inches. He also indicated that his main speakers have three 12-inch woofers apiece and that his surrounds each have several 10 inchers apiece. He then noted that he has actually damaged his listening room with bass power. Unless this guy has a listening room the size of an airplane hanger, all I can say about this is that he needs to get a life

Strengths:
Very clean output that will only be noticed when compared to other killer subs like the Hsu TN1220 and VTF-3, or the SVS 16-46PC with TEST-TONE signals. With musical or home-theater inputs all of them are surprisingly close, with solid response right down to 20 Hz. I rather doubt that most of your other reviewers need that kind of extension, by the way, since most seem to be rock-music head bangers.

Weaknesses:
Price. You can get nearly as good performance for a lot less money. Still, there is no denying the absolutely clean response, and under some conditions (very serious pipe organ) its measureable advantage might be fleetingly audible.

Similar Products Used:
Subs: Hsu TN1220, VTF-3, VTF-2; SVS 14-46PC, 25-31PCi; Paradigm Servo 15; Velodyne HGS-15, HGS-12, FSR-12; Triad Silver sub pair; Waveform MC.1 sub pair; plus a number of others with lesser

Price Paid:  $7000.00

Summary:
What I can say about this subwoofer that hasnt been said already apart from the fact that I paid quite abit more in aussie dollars for mine. Just make sure you have good foundations because even at mid level the frequency of these subs can shake the roaches out.

Strengths:
Extraordinarily boomy and clear bass.

Weaknesses:
None, unless your allergic to low frequencies.

Similar Products Used:
Energy Veritas 2.3 loudspeakers

Price Paid:  $3200.00 from OneCall

Summary:
I had to comment on the series of reviews here. First, I've had the HGS-18 (series 1, I think... don't remember anything about a series 2 at the time of purchase) for over a year as a replacement for two (serially, not at the same time) Sunfire True Sub Signatures which were either defective or REALLY WEIRD in my listening room. They produced a "flapping" kind of distortion that Sunfire thought might be caused by delamination of the driver from the surround. In retrospect, guess it could have been my fault. They didn't produce enough output and I could have been turning them up loud enough to distort.) I'm one of those dudes who believes in overkill squared when it comes to subs. Anyhow, the Velodyne has given me flawless performance even when overdriven. I've had that driver flapping at 3" excursion. It has done literal structural damage to my house. Just repaired a spot on the wall where the plaster vibrated off, and my house is only 9 years old! Keep blowing light bulbs too. I use it for both music and movies. Should also say the rest of my system is also a bit on the large side. I use front mains by Legacy Audio with 3 12" woofers each, and rear surrounds with 3 10" woofers each. Front and rear centers are slightly smaller but could still probably handle a DD "large" setting. (I run them on small) All driven by OLD carver amps-- before the company took a nose dive. They seem to be coming back though. I digress. With respect to the "hum", I wonder if people might be hearing the internal amp itself. I can hear amplifiers, and I'm not talking about through the drivers. Transformers can emit a certain hum, and I've returned equipment in the past not b/c of being defective, but because I can hear it operating. This could be resonating through the rear faceplate which doubles as a heat-sink for the amp. Just a thought. Also, on the "fast vs. slow" issue, my opinion is that people who refer to "fast" are talking about the initial fractional millisecond of the first advance sound wave. There *is* a difference between large and small subs in terms of reaction time. The people who say this is impossible due to frequency of bass being relatively longwave are also forgetting their lessons about inertia and mass. A larger mass (bigger cone) will initially move slightly slower, or take many X the power to move as fast as a smaller cone. Transient impact could theoretically be slightly reduced. In any case, this sub's 18" cone, servo-regulated design, and massive peak power are more than enough to compensate for its mass. It's big but moves small. Check it out, just watch out for the overhead stucco dust falling on your head. 4 stars for price, this sucker is expensive! 5 stars once your wallet recovers.

Strengths:
Read the review.

Weaknesses:
Read the review.

Similar Products Used:
Sunfire True Subwoofer Signature. See review for equipment list which admittedly affects my bass situation considerably.