Velodyne Acoustics SPL-1000 Subwoofers

Velodyne Acoustics SPL-1000 Subwoofers 

DESCRIPTION

10" forward firing driver 750W RMS power 24-120 Hz

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 20  
[Oct 31, 2019]
Motown - L


Strength:

I bought my SPL 1000 new in 1999. It was on sale for $800 ($1200 in 2019 dollars). Clearly not a cheap subwoofer. I have used it in both home theater and 2 channel applications. Stunning sub. Small footprint, tight bass and will fill a pretty big listening area. What can I say? 20 years of steady adult use without needing service or wanting to upgrade.

Weakness:

Needed to install/engineer carpet spikes for best results.

Price Paid:
800
Purchased:
New  
Model Year:
1999
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Feb 18, 2011]
black321
Audio Enthusiast

Seamless addition to my system...really complements my two front B&W 805s. Very musical, but adds excitement to movies too.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 29, 2007]
kc
AudioPhile

Strength:

Stunningly fast, very clean, drives deep for a 10" driver in a sealed cabinet of its size.
Better than the Sunfire!
Fun to watch!

Weakness:

New models have balanced inputs and cond. mic for tuning.
Does not drive as low as larger models.
While the SPL series lacks the servo feedback control hardware the HGS and now Digital Drive series have, this line brings elite performance to a new price level, although still at a fairly significant cost compared to what many may expect to budget for a nice subwoofer.

Found on eBay used in near mint condition.
Clean, fast, drives deep and doesn't take up tons of space.
Placement is key, especially since enclosure is totally sealed, worth playing around with placement, corners are good places to start.
Massive rubber surround fairly significant in size.
Worth finding a new SPL II series at a hifi salon as Velodyne has 1yr upgrade options and slightly deeper enclosure enhances performance.
Video shielding a plus for use in studio.
Be prepared for a 4 digit pricetag when buying new

Customer Service

Although Velodynes have had certain issues over the past, the company is always happy and willing to help with even the smallest problem or question it seems.

Similar Products Used:

Sunfire, Velodyne HGS, VLF

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Apr 10, 2005]
Ironskull
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Big precision bass from a small box

Weakness:

If you find one, let me know

Full Review Velodyne specializes in the sub-woofer field of audio so it shouldn't be a surprise to hear such deep precision sound coming from such a small box but it was. Every time I listen to it serve up a house shaking soundtrack from, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or torpedo explosions from, In Search of Red October or heart-pounding bass from the Montroux jazz festival I'm blown away. My surround system consists of a pair of $5000.00 Kef 201 reference floor-standing mains, Polk dual-cone 6.5" center and Polk for surround, left, right and rear center. I use a Samsung dvd-hd 931 hi-def dvd player bolted to a $7000.00 Mitsubishi 73" rear projection TV. I subscribe to VOOM which delivers 25 channels of Hi-Def movies, HBO, etc, directly to my sunfire amp via fiber optical. My system is no slouch and at the heart of it is the Velodyne SPL-1000

Similar Products Used:

Polk PSW-650 non-shielded, Sony

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 21, 2004]
Wboro
AudioPhile

Strength:

Clean, tight awesome base from a very small box.

Weakness:

I haven't found any yet.

I just added this Velodyne SPL-1000 subwoofer to my high-end two-channel system and I am just blown away . . . by the incredible improvement it makes in overall sound! I understood that ducting the base to a separate amp and speaker would reduce the stress on my primary speakers but I had no idea the difference it would make. If you have a high-end system you HAVE to experience the difference a top quality subwoofer will make. I choose the SPL-1000 because my wife didn't want yet another big speaker in the room (my main speakers are Thiel 3.5's). It slips into the room virtually unnoticed - except for the quantum improvement in sound. If you have a high-end system, go ahead, take one of these babies home and hear how good it can be!

Similar Products Used:

I have an 8" Cambridge audio subwoofer that I spent $350 for. The difference between the two is so substantial as to place the Velodyne in a different category all together.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 23, 2003]
AudioPhile

Strength:

size and the lows

Weakness:

bright blue light on top that indicates that it is on keeps me up at night.

I love this tinney sub. The bass is so clear and crisp I could hardley belive me ears and my eyes. I have had it for about 2 months and I still can not belive how small it is. At liest for the sound quality.

Similar Products Used:

velodyne cht-10

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 09, 2003]
clarky
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Tight fast low end with definition so good, I'm listening to my old CD's to see what I missed.

Weakness:

The SPL-1000 is very sensitive to placement in the room, and it needs a few hours of break-in.

This sub is so good, my whole system sounds great. I'm gonna have to rethink my upgrade plan regarding the other components. My M&K MX125 died after 8 years, and I was skeptical the SPL-1000 was not a suitable replacment given its small size. Not only was it a suitable replacement, its in a completely different league. The SPL-1000 is well worth its price.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 14, 2003]
Pete Foley
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

A terrific combination of tight, fast musical bass with strong output for action movies.

Weakness:

It will take a little time to find that "sweet spot" during placement. However, the enjoyment you'll have from this Sub is worth the extra effort.

This Sub offers strong bass and wonderful musicality. The design of my family room required a Sub with compact size and enough output to fill the 17" X 17" listening area. I recommend this product to those who want a combination of tight, musical bass and high output for action movies. I set the gain at 10 O'clock while listening to Jazz, Blues and Rock... I turn it up to 12 O'clock for movies. This 10" Sub provides more than enough output and I highly recommend this product..... In addition to SPL 1000, my system consists of a Denon 2801 receiver, Monitor Audio Bronze One Speakers, Sony 36" Flat Screen TV and Sony DVD Player.

Similar Products Used:

Def Tech Pro Sub 100, which was great for movies. However, the SPL 1000 is a huge improvement for music.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Mar 04, 2003]
Adam
AudioPhile

Strength:

- Deep, accurate and tight bass reproduction. - Tons of headroom. - Extremely small in size. - Massive magnet structure which is nearly 10" in diameter! - Cheap, at roughly $600 a piece you can't beat that.

Weakness:

- One amp had a problem right out of the box on one of the subs (bumped during shipping). Velodyne repaired it quickly and cheaply (bought off Ebay so no warranty). Worked fine ever since. Got to take a look at the massive driver while amp was in service. - No performance issure otherwise, very nice product.

I have a pair of SPL-1000s to back up my KEF 104/2's. I have to say that these are some of the most outstanding subs I have ever heard. Though not quite as small as the HGS, it's still just a foot cubed in total volume, which makes it ideal if you're strapped for space. I've listened to both the HGS-10 and the SPL-1000. After listening to both, I decided that the SPL would be the way to go. Though the HGS is more accurate, I prefer the extra harmonics that are inherintly eliminated by a servo-controlled driver such as the HGS. Not withstanding, the HGS is still a fine product. Anyways, these subs are great additions to my KEF 104/2's. The KEFs do have great bass extension, but I've always been a little excessive and the SPLs fit the bill nicely. I can safely say that there isn't an object in the house that hasn't been rattled loose. The bass can be overwhelming if you desire (for all the bassheads out there), but an appropriate adjustment on the gain setting will have the sub blending in perfectly with your mains and sounding like a true audiophile subwoofer. The bass is crisp accurate and deep, perfect for casual musical listening. Home Theatre is equally as immersive and will have you feeling the impact of a heavy blast or explosion. You don't need a pair of these subs to have excellent bass extension. A single SPL-1000 has plenty of output for small to large sized rooms. I decided to go with two SPL's for a couple of reasons. I wanted the output of a 15" woofer with the clarity of a 10" woofer. Thus I chose two SPL-1000's rather than an SPL-1200. This is definately a great product and is well worth the price. I would definately recommend it for anyone who wants strong bass with great musicality.

Similar Products Used:

- HGS-10, Never owned one but have listened to repeatedly in local stores. - Sunfire True Sub JR, Nice but lacked the output and impact of the SPL. - Phase Tech PC50 (passive), Phase Tech Power 10,

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 17, 2003]
yohjo
Audio Enthusiast

Weakness:

Banana plugs do not fit.

Nice product but for the fact you cannot use banana plugs in the speaker level input. The posts have a "hole" for plugs but the hole is way too small to accept any plug I have found.

Similar Products Used:

Definitive Tech Super Cube

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
2
Showing 1-10 of 20  

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