Price Paid:  $270.00 from parkavenueelectronic

Summary:
Ok First off I want to tell you about my system:

It consists of a Mark Levinson No.23 Amp 400w/channel @ 4ohms, a Mark levinson no.23 preamp, an Audio control Ten series 3 EQ, A pair of JBL TR 225's (4) 15's all together plus two titanium tweeter horns 1800 w peak @4ohms. and so far one VRP-1200 sub with ANOTHER on it's way!!

As soon as I got the sub and hooked it up I was amazed. I am not some technical guru about numbers but I can tell you that this sub rocks the house!! For the price ($270) this sub is great. I have about 4000 cubic ft of space (L x W x H of the room) and this sub fills it well. I just believe that another sub would make it even better although this one sub would be plenty for average listener. If you guys out there are building some $100k or more home theater in your house sure maybe go with something else but with my set up it makes me want to stay home and watch movies and listen to music whether sirius radio or cd's in the comfort of my own house.

My family and I have owned all types of high end equipment from Krell to FM Accoustics to Bryston and Mark Levinson. To be honest with you when we owned the FM accoustics amp @ $30k there are cheaper amps and pre-amps like Bryston that are darn close or even better in comparisson for a fraction of that price. What I am trying to say is as long as you have the rght speakers, room etc and YOUR ear is happy with it then it is the rite one for you. If you are too picky you will never be happy, nothing is perfect and eventually if you think your system is perfect, later in life you willl eventually find something wrong with it later. once again It does not matter what anyone or myself says, it is just our "opinion". Spending more money is not always the solution.

For example, When I called the Tech support line at Velodyne the man was nice and educated about guiding me in the right direction, however he told me I needed two DLS 15's to fill the amount of cubic feet I had and said that it still might not be enough? Well I disagree with him because this one 12 is about enough for me and would be enough for most users as the neigbors can agree with this one. Once again, I am buying another one as I am just a bass junkie and want a little more but I really dont need it. This SUB may not sound good to some but might sound great to another including myself. What I did is bought it at circuit city brought it home, auditioned it, then returned the new one that was delivered after buying it online for $120 cheaper. Form your own opinion before purchasing online, but I can tell you that this sub has great "all around bass". Auditioning it at circuit city or another audio shop might sound better there than your own room as they have an acoustically sound room. It really all depends on your room and the construction of your walls and wheather there are windows etc. and once again your ear and goals. Cinderblocks, concrete, or brick are a good inner structures to start with, than foam covering the walls etc. Have your electrition run a seprate line and breaker to your fuse box so nothing else shares the circuit with your equipment.

I disagree with this first guy that gave a 3.67 rating because it is just his technical opinion, experience, house, walls, equipment, and his ear. Remember about the guy from Velodyne that told me he has 40 years of experince and told me to get the two 15's well I disagree with him now that I have this one VRP-1200. Check out the reviews on circuitcity.com as you will find many who give it a good rating.

In summary, for the money you can not beat this and spending 100's of dollars more may not really make much more of a difference but once again this is my OPINION. Thanks for reading and keep bass, mids, and highs pounding.

Strengths:
Great value
Great "all around" bass range
Great looking
Low distortion
Chest pounding performance
Adjustable level controls
Velodyne

Weaknesses:
Cover rattles because of the plastic velodyne lable vibrates off the enclosure during movies with thunderous scenes, simple fix put a small piece of foam in between the label and the enclosure. Not a big deal.
You have to turn the volume up to about 75% to really feel the bass but dont forget I am trying to fill a lot of cubic space with this sub.

Price Paid:  $710.00 from Syncrotape

Summary:
I liked this Sub, the sound is strong, it´s much, much beter a yamaha's sub 6" I had.
For me, the sound it's like a movie theater in may room of 10 meters.
Unfortunality, the price was expensive because I live in Brazil, so have tax of importation.

Strengths:
Low distortion sound.

Weaknesses:
Don't have a cliping protection like DLS models

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha in-a-box.

Price Paid:  $359.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
This sub is basically a noise maker under 45 Hz or so. Output sound quality at this frequency and below are fittingly described as being sloppy and underdamped. The bass reproduction from a pair of Klipsch KG4.5's (10 inch woofer) I own is superior to this sub.

Having clarified that up front, this sub is not too bad for punchy mid bass reproduction and would be fine with a pair of decent bookshelf sized speakers located in smaller room.

So then, for the most part, you get what you pay for. If you expect top shelf performance from a 50 Hz. in the system described above.

Strengths:
Build quality/cabintery isn't first class, but it is very good for this price range. Some decent features such as auto on, electronic crossover.

Weaknesses:
Limited extension, underdamped output at low frequencies. The 'subsonic' filter should begin passing signal until well into the sonic region.

Similar Products Used:
Definitive Technology PF1500. SVS 31-25PC+.

Price Paid:  $259.00 from ebay

Summary:
I was skeptical at first because of the price but after hooking this sub up and coupling it with a pair of JBL arena speakers also purchased at a great price my system sounds awesome. Music is crisp and clear and movies really rattle the house. An onkyo receiver with low distortion rounds off my system well with 95w of power. My wife keeps telling me to turn it down. It dosent have the power of the one step up dps model but is more than enough for my 25 x 20 living area and still rattles the windows.

Strengths:
Great sound great price for a Velodyne

Weaknesses:
None

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Electronics Expo

Summary:
This sub is actually a new model for the 2005 model year lineup from Velodyne. I had been auditioning subs for several months trying to find the best to suit my listening needs. I needed a sub that was at home both with music as well as movies. My needs are about 75% music and 25% movies. I was prepared to pay a lot more for a sub but when I heard the VRP-1200 I knew I found the one I was looking for. In a movie setting the 1200 punches out amazing amounts of low frequency sound. Although not as low as some of it's bigger siblings, the clear and distortion free sound really adds a new dimension to the home theater experience. I has more than enough power to rattle an average size listening room. And as expected from a 12 inch sub, the sound is felt as well as heard.

For music listening, this sub really shines over others in this price point. It's crisp and snappy adding no "muddyness" to the source music. Rarely having the gain over half way the sub fills in the low end bass without abruptly rolling over to the mains. I have the crossover set to 80hz and combined with the Infinity Beta 50's it producing an incredible soundstange and presence. My vinyl collection never sounded better.

The variable crosover capabilities, phase switching, auto-on and two line in inputs make adjustments a breeze. This is one truly great sounding sub for a bargain price. I rate this sub 4 stars out of 5 only because there are much better subs out there if you're willing to pay the price.

Strengths:
"snappy" bass
good looks
lot's of adjustment
more than adequite power for an average room

Weaknesses:
spring clips for speaker level input/output
seemingly thin enclosure though it doesn't affect the sonics at all.

Similar Products Used:
Sony