It's hard to imagine that the subwoofer has any surprises left. Oh, don't get us wrong; we jump when it alerts us to the action or belts out the low parts of a good tune. However, the actual product is just sort of, well... square.
Velodyne is planning to shake up the category with its new EQ-MAX Subwoofer Series. All four of the new models in this line offer an easy installation thanks to a digitally controlled five-band equalizer.
That pretty much means that you can place the subwoofer where you want it, place the included microphone in the desired listening area, push the included remote's EQ button, and just wait. From there, the built-in equalizer takes over, using Velodyne's Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to automatically calibrate the subwoofer.
That same remote allows you to get your sweaty mitts all over the rest of the subwoofer's functions, without having to get off the couch. Flip between presets, set the sub to "Night Mode" to limit output, access phase adjustment, mute the subwoofer, and more. Visible feedback is prominently displayed right on the front panel of the subwoofer.
Each EQ-MAX model has a newly designed, digital Class D amplifier, which features a switching-mode power supply. That boasts clean bass peaks and low heat. Each one also has four custom-designed "Extended Excursion" drivers. Those have vented pole-pieces and large, dual layer copper wound voice coils. Other features include Velodyne's own Distortion Limiting System, an adjustable 40Hz-135Hz low pass crossover, and the Subwoofer Direct feature so that sub can play the output of the LFE channel of a 5.1 or 7.1 channel receiver unaltered.
"The new EQ-MAX subwoofer series offers a combination of high performance bass, Auto-EQ and other features never seen at this price point," said Bruce Hall, president of Velodyne Acoustics. "Made possible by Velodyne's 28 years of subwoofer innovation, EQ-Max's rich feature set and advanced technologies combine to deliver high performance bass, simply and affordably."
Velodyne says that all EQ-MAX products will be available this month. The 8-inch EQ-MAX8 has an MSRP of $479, with the 10-inch EQ-MAX10 coming in at $579. The 12-inch EQ-MAX12 will cost $679, with the top of the line being the 15-inch EQ-MAX15. That's priced at $979.
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