* Offical Velodyne Support Thread * - Page 102

We are just finishing up the last few punchlist items for our new Home Theater, and I finally got the time to set the speakers and DD-15 back up for final placement. I was finally able to take my first shot at serious calibration using the onboard EQ.

Speakers are Paradigm Studio 100's for LR, 20's for the back surrounds, CC570 for the center, and APD's for the side surrounds. PreAmp is an Anthem D1 paired with a Sherbourn 7 channel AMP.

The room has been treated on all walls with Linacoustic (up to ear level on each of the side and back walls, and to the ceiling on the screen wall)

The 7 speakers were previously calibrated to 75db using the D1's onboard test tones and a RS SPL meter. Using the previous settings, all of the speakers levels were still locked in at 75 while the DD15 read between 76-78db. The last volume setting on the DD15 was "10". Looked like I was ready to try and calibrate.

Here are some notes that I took along with some pictures:
First, verified the Crossover in the D1 was set to 80 (THX)
Next, reset the DD15 to factory defaults with 8,9,0.
Lowered the volume of the DD15 from 30 to 15.
Switched to EQ setting 2 (Movies).
Muted the DD15
I had to lower the volume of the D1 significantly to -20db to get a reading close to 76db.
Here is the response I got for the LR speakers only:



Next, I unmuted the sub and raised it's volume to 18 to get it as close to 76db to match the LR speakers:



I next decided that I would defeat the low pass XOver since I had it crossed at 80 in the D1. Doing so resulted in the following:



I then went back and tried some different settings and settled at 100. Here is how that looked:



I'm curious as to why I got such bad results defeating the DD15's crossover. I assumed this would be the way to go since I set it up for 80 in the D1. Any thoughts??

Next, I experimented with the Subsonic Slope, and kept the setting at 24.
I experimented with Polarity and kept it at 0.
I experimented with Phase, and ketp it a +.

Last, I ran the Auto EQ and achieved this response:



How does this look? Is this relatively flat?? Any suggestions on further tweaking or things I did above that I should change? Any input appreciated.

Hello All..

First post in this thread...

Is there any planned revision to the SMS-1 software to reduce the low frequency rolloff?

Even with the new 5hz high pass code tests are showing it to be down 25db at 10hz.

Thanks,

-Eli

Hi,
Your graph is excellent, being it appears, close to +/- 3db from 20hz up. I'm very impressed with the 'auto-eq' results you obtained. To me, that's very good and I doubt if any flatter will sound much different. You could of course switch to 'manual', and see if you want to work on the 55-90hz area. You can also use the parametric mode when tweaking by shifting the eq bars around. Currenly, 50, 63, 80 and 100 aren't even being used so you have lot's of flexibility, just depends on how far you want to go.
Curt (480) 595-7141

My first time here - great forum.

I just purchased a DD-15 which was intended for HT use, but it integrates so well, that I have decided to keep it for 2ch. My amp is a Blue Circle 206 which has very low input sensitivity, which means that the volume setting on the DD-15 is set as low as "5". I understand that volume controls are not usually linear, so am I at any disadvantage by having to set the volume so low on the DD-15? Am I better off by hooking the sub through the speaker connectors?

Thanks,
Andy.

Hi,
I would recommend you continue your line level hook-up and '5' on the volume is fine. You're not missing a thing. Good to hear you discovered how well the DD integrates for two channel use. I couldn't do without it for stereo or H/T.
Thanks,
Curt (480) 595-7141

Curt, So I am assuming you feel this is a good enough connector with no signal loss?

BTW, I have had my DD-18 for about 6 weeks now. Finally feel like I have it dialed in and I couldn't be pleased more. For HT, it's really earth shattering. Music I was more concerned about with a sub this large, but it really blends in nicely. I'm really pleased. This thing does rock.

Hi,
When it comes to wire, cables etc., you need to make the decision. I've never seen any 'signal loss' problem with any 'Y' splitter I've used and that includes inexpensive as well as expensive ones. This will always be a matter of opinion so I say get what you like. I too, use the DD-18 with music and it's the best I've ever heard.
Thanks,
Curt

I just bought a Velodyne DD18. I also have an HGS 15. Right now the HGS 15 is daisy chained to the DD18. The HGS 15 doesn't play as loud or with nearly as much authority as the DD18 but it adds to the bass energy in the room and helps create a fuller sound.

My problem is this; my receiver has a bass peak feature. I set the bass peak to where I think the HGS 15 starts to distort. To be honest, I have a hard time telling what distortion is. The sub plays pretty loud and clean. I just turn the bass peak level up until the sub starts to make a weird crunching sound (barely audible over the rumble tone) every 10 seconds instead of the constant rumble from bass peak's test tone. I have HGS's volume set at about 3.5 dots. The volume for the DD18 is set to 30.

What I am wondering is since I have the DD18 and HGS 15 linked together, am I putting a governor on the DD18 since it can play a lot louder than the HGS 15? I don't want to set the bass peak to the level of the DD18 because that will overdrive the HGS 15. A few of my friends are trying to get me to sell them the HGS 15 because of this and I really don't want to do that.

I tried to hook the HGS 15 to my two front channels and cross them over at 80hz while the DD18 was connected to the LFE channel. Within the receiver's setup I the set the front channels up as large since they now had the HGS 15 connected to them. This worked out ok for movies and video games. Some passages sounded full and robust while others sounded weak and thin compared to when everything was ran through the LFE channel. I could learn tolerate this, but want drives me nuts is anytime I'm listening to a two channel source, I get absolutely nothing from the DD18. Only the two front channels and HGS 15 are active.

I really don't know what to do in this situation. I want to incorporate both subs into my system without shortchanging the DD18. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks!

No Output Period! Worked Fine For Almost A Year, Absolutely Nothing Was Changed. All Of The Sudden Noticed Light Was Not On And No Bass Was Coming Out. I Dont Even Push Anything Hard. I Have Seen Other Posts That Talked About Amplifier Failing. Is This A Common Thing With Dd Line. It Was Manufactured In August 2005. If Any Bugs Were Known. And Is There Anything I Can Troubleshoot? Please Help Me!

Hi,
If the sub will take remote commands, do a reset. Turn the unit off, then back on after 30 seconds or so and press 8-9-0 on the remote. also make sure everything is set correctly in your receiver or pre/pro. You can try a CD (audio output) directly into the sub's inputs. If nothing works then call our service manager Dave Santos at; (408) 465-2819 or dave.santos@velodyne.com.
Thanks,
Curt (480) 595-7141

I plugged the sub in and turned it on. I waited 30 seconds and pushed 8-9-0. I hooked up a cd player to the subs lfe input. Still no light comes on and no sound. Could it be the power cord? I noticed it looks smaller that some sub power cords. Is that common in these amps? Also, is anyone available on Saturday?

Hi,
Please contact service (see above) on Monday. We have not had any issue with the power cords.
Curt

Hey Curt, my SPL-1000R has developed the "stutters". I've had it a few months now, and it did once when I first connected it (and had to tighten the RCA plug on the cable) and its been fine for the most part.

It has happened a couple of times since, but went away after I either cycled the power and/or reset the cable plugs. Today when I turned it back on it is stuttering again and it won't go away.

I changed cables to no avail.

The receiver is an older Yamaha R-V905. Maybe its the receiver but I'll have to wait til the weekend to haul it over to friends house and hook it up to his Denon for a test to see if its my receiver.

Any ideas?

Hi,
A few things to try;
1) Use a 'Y' into both inputs.
2) Raise the subwoofer volume in the receiver to about two thirds of the way up.
3) Do a reset on the sub (1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1)
4) Keep the sub's volume below '40'.
Thanks,
Curt (480) 595-7141

Quick question here, I currently have my SPL1500R plugged into a power conditioner that is on it's own 15A circuit with the rest of my HT equipment, but I have to have a 20 foot extension cable to get that to work.

I want to move the sub to a different circuit and use one of those Monster SW200's. My only concern is that is not on a dedicated circuit, and there is a "beer fridge" plugged into that circuit, and when it kicks on, I can see the lights dim.

Will that damage the sub? The SW200 will cover the spikes, but I don't have a battery solution to cover the dips...

Thanks

Hi,
The amplifier is designed to operate in it's rated range. A drop in voltage could damage the subwoofer amplifier.
Thanks,
Curt (480) 595-7141

Still fooling around with the new DD-18 and enjoying the tinkering. A couple of quick questions:

1. The contour freq/contour level settings: I'm taking it that this is somewhat analogous to a "house curve" in that a setting of 35 and 2.0 boosts the output at 35 Htz for 2 Db (this is the default of preset 1). And if so, then a setting of 35 and 0.0 would have no effect whatsoever (the default of preset 2) Is this correct? I.E. if the contour level is set to 0.0, the contour freq will have no effect, yes?

2. When setting filters, what does "Q" represent? I am gathering this is a bandwidth setting and the lower the number, the wider the filter effect. Is this correct?

Thanks Curt.

Hi,
1) You are correct. Think of contour as a 9th eq or the old 'loudness compensation'. At '0' there is no effect.
2) Correct again.
Good Job.
Curt (480) 595-7141

snookboy,

I didn't fully understand what the purpose of the "Q" setting was, and asked about this feature a while back. Bruce Hall chimed in with the following detailed explanation.

Mark

Hello All,

I'm interested in getting a DD12 or DD15 sub because of the line level pre-outs. For mains I have B&W 804s and am interested in running the sub inline for home theatre and 2 CH music. To accomplish this I would set my mains in my processor to LARGE and have Sub set to NO. Physically it would look like this.

Processor Front pre-outs-> DD15 Line level Inputs -> DD15 Line Level output -> 2CH Amplifier Inputs -> 804S Speakers


I just have a few questions before i audition:

In the specs, the High Pass filter for the line level pre-outs is at 80Hz at 6db/octave roll off, is there anyway to lower this to say 50-60hz?

The reason i want a lower x-over point is to reduce bass localization. The sub would be placed in a corner away from the front soundstage and i do not want to know bass is coming from the corner.

Also, if i go this route for setting the sub what x-over setting should i set the Low Pass filter? Would it be set at 80Hz and 6Db roll off to match the high pass filter?


BTW, would the DD12 fill a 25 x 15 size room open to a 16 x 12 kitchen?

Thanks
Steve

Hi,
Your cubic displacement calls for a DD-18 or a pair of DD-15's. The high-pass filter is 80hz and not adjustable. You would set the low-pass crossover to blend with the speakers, and that may or may not be 80hz. With the DD set up correctly you can view the integration on your TV. Feel free to call.
Thanks,
Curt (480) 595-7141

On the Velodyne Site, the Dealer Locator for Canada always returns "No Results Found". I tried every possible Postal Code, Area code and nothing returns.

I dont want to call long distance to Velodyne.

Can i get a few dealers in the Toronto area please?

In the meantime Velodyne, please fix your site.

Hi,
I PM'd you some Canadian contacts.
Curt

I just got my HGS-18 amp back, and I have to tell you I have never dealt with a company that gives this type of customer service before. Curt C, Dave Santos, and Rob Morse, were terrific to deal with - took care of the problem quickly and cost effectively for me. And this for an old product - way out of warranty - that they absolutely did not have to mess with. Bravo! Other companies should strive to come close to these guys. I am a die-hard Velodyne fan forever!

Thanks yatchaks. Very helpful.

Dr. X
Thank you very much. This made my Monday! I forwarded your message to Dave and Rob.
Curt

I recently had the same experience as Dr. X.

My old HGS-15 had amp issues. I run it all the time with the TV, which gets alot of use at my house. It was making clipping noises, but at low levels.

I emailed the guys at Velodyne and they said to send back the amp. I was relieved, since I had no idea how I'd send out the whole thing.

They said it was bad and they had a replacement for me for a reasonable cost. This is a 6 year old speaker. I can't think of anything else I own that's 6 years old for which I can get such great service.

I asked them to overnight it so it would be ready for my superbowl patry. No problem.

It's now back shaking the walls like when it was new.

Thanks.

To anybody reading this doing research: In addition to making great hardware, Velodyne really backs their work.....and I'm hard to please.

Good Tuesday too. Thanks much.
Curt

Perhaps I can make your wednesday?!

The Velodyne customer service works great in Sweden also.
A while ago I needed a new amp for my HGS-12, and they gave me fast service and a fair price too...

Still I have a question. How do I change the auto on/off time in the HGS?
I am asking because the sub keeps turning on and off while watching a movie.
At first I believed that there were problems whit the LFE signal from the receiver, so I tried a different sub and it worked fine. (NOT considering the terrible sound performance )
(And yes, I have tried changing the parameters in my receiver and sub. I´am using a 'Y' splitter.
The sub works fine (GREAT) when in power ON mode and the problem is with AUTO mode.

What are my options? Can I change the timer that turns it off or maybe the freq. is set to low internal for wake up?

Placement of the sub in my theater makes it difficult to manually turning it on/off.

Thanks /Peter

Hi,
I'm sorry there are no adjustments for the auto on/off sensitivity or timing. The best method (usually) is to have the sub-out volume in your receiver about three fourths of the way up and back off on the sub's volume. If you are watching sources without bass content it is going to time out, normally around 15 minutes.
Thanks,
Curt (480) 595-7141