Reviews: Product Profile: Tame That Sub – 56

There are the purists who say, “There shall be no change in the sound from the source to my ears,” and those who say, “I don’t care. Pump up that bass, turn up those highs – I like it.” To those in the first category, any equalization to tweak the sound wouldn’t be an improvement and, in most cases, I would agree with them. But then along comes a device that cures a problem that afflicts most audio fans. We can have the most sublime-sounding CD player, the fastest and most neutral amplification, and the purest, most extended frequency-responsive speakers, but the room we place them in is often @#*!. Sure, you can cure bright-sounding rooms with drapes, carpet and furniture, which can help with mid frequencies and to some extent lows, but it can be very difficult to treat a boomy room – especially in the frequencies associated with subwoofers.

Velodyne is a company that has specialised in subwoofers for over 20 years and has incorporated a computer- controlled equalizer called a ‘subwoofer management system’ into some of its subwoofers. Now the company has released a stand-alone version, which can be used with any sub.

The SMS 1 is a small rectangular box about the size of a DVD player that sits in your equipment rack and, once properly set up, need not be fiddled with again. It is also supplied with a rack-mount kit for professional installation, and comes with a remote control, a microphone, cable and mic stand for set-up of the device, and a very comprehensive manual.

The SMS 1 has balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA line level inputs and a hard-wire speaker level input. There are also corresponding XLR and RCA line level outputs and hard-wired speaker output. Additionally, there’s a video output so that you can graphically see the changes being made to your sub’s sound, and a line level through-put so that unchanged line level audio can be sent to another SMS 1 for independent control of a second subwoofer.

I set up the system using the supplied microphone and tried it with my 12-inch Jamo subwoofer. While I was aware that my home theatre room had a standing wave problem, I did not know the frequency at which it occurred. The Velodyne SMS 1 performed a series of sweeps of the lower frequencies and, using a programmable eight band parametric equalizer, tailored the frequency response of my system for this subwoofer and the deficiencies in my room. This is done in an automated setup but you can change these settings and create your own custom ones if you disagree with Velodyne’s assessment. You should also try placing your subwoofer in other parts your room to see if a better position can be found.

A very comprehensive manual, which explains how best to position a subwoofer as well as how to use the device, forms a crucial part of the Velodyne package. It is important to read the manual fully before using the SMS 1, as there are issues that could result in overloading your subwoofer. Also, the SMS 1 can only help with frequencies your sub can reproduce, so if you have a small, cheap sub the SMS 1 won’t make it reproduce sound down to 15Hz. However, if you have a sub with a better response, the SMS 1 is able to smooth this out and integrate it better into your room and system. The difference was easily noticeable, and using the video out from the system I saw the changes in frequency response it had made; I had a problem in the 32-40Hz region and the Velodyne SMS 1 made the necessary alterations for those frequencies.

The Velodyne SMS 1 is an interesting addition to any home theatre system and the better the sub, the more you can appreciate the usefulness of it. Velodyne clearly intends the device for professional use, too; along with rack mounting brackets and balanced line-level ins and outs, the device can also cater for up to three subwoofers. But whether you’re a professional or not, the SMS 1 is an intriguing product that has the ability to sway even the purists.

VELODYNE SUBWOOFER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM $999
CONTACT: velodyne@soundgroup.co.nz

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