Get More Bang For Your Buck With the Velodyne DEQ-10R Subwoofer
Bigger isn’t always better, but with bass, it typically helps. Take the Velodyne DEQ-10R 10-inch subwoofer- we know from personal experience it can be overwhelming to pick out of the vast array of subwoofers to go with your stereo or home entertainment system. Velodyne offers a wide variety of models at different price ranges, and the DEQ-10R is a perfect mid-range model (versus the 8, 12, or 15 inch models). They were able to integrate a slotted bass-reflex design with a series of efficient, low-noise, digital Class “D“amplifiers that showcase a switching-mode power supply. We say the greener and more powerful, the better.
The DEQ has plenty of juice with 390 watts of dynamic power and 195 watts RMS. We were ecstatic that of all the rooms we tried this in, the DEQ subwoofers were a sure thing, thanks to their automated room correction system. You just place the microphone in your choice of seating positions and after pressing the “EQ” button, a five-band equalizer adjusts the subwoofer speaker to better suit the acoustics of the space. We were a little skeptical, but it definitely had a positive effect for cinema, noticeably so with a bit of adjustments for mic positioning and placement. With music, it didn’t seem to matter quite as much, though bass-heavy hip-hop tracks certainly had plenty of oomph.
Though the outside is a sleek, black pica matte vinyl wrap, under the skin is even more beautiful (and technical) with a 2.5 lb. magnet structure and a 2- inch 2-layer copper voice coil with a reinforced driver cone. Two thumbs up for deep, clear bass with low distortion, great for small to mid-sized rooms. Larger spaces (even those with higher ceilings) should probably consider stepping up a bit, especially considering that the price jump is not too large. If in doubt, Velodyne offers a handy subwoofer selection wizard on their site, which should help you choose wisely.
Though we feel remotes tend to add to general clutter and dementia about where we hid them and who had it last, they are necessities when it comes to home audio gear. We were able to mute, phase, and change the volume to combine the sound to meld ceremoniously with our main speakers. There are also 4 one-touch presets so we could pre-select the bass sound to maximize the best execution out of our movies or music. A separate remote for your sub might seem like overkill, and it can be, but it’s easy enough to combine the controls into your all-in-one or multi-function remote.
We particularly liked the fact that with one touch of a button we could limit the subwoofer’s output for night listening and as a courtesy to our neighbors. As a sidenote, if you don’t already have one, make sure you purchase a subwoofer cable as well, and potentially a Y-adapter cable if your receiver has limited ports.
The DEQ-10R is a perfect way to expand your listening horizons at the most, er, basic level. At around $400 on Amazon, the price is pretty great. You could spend an unlimited amount of money trying to amp up your bass and move your floorboards from the vibrations, but for this Velodyne model is the perfect amount of bang for our buck.
