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NEWS: Honey, I shrunk the subwoofer! Velodyne unveils the MicroVee

Clare Newsome 15 August 2007 17:00

If you're struggling to squeeze a subwoofer into your room/past your partner, Velodyne may have the answer in the diminutive form of the MicroVee.

The bass box measures a tidy 22.9x22.9x24.4cm - that's roughly nine-inches squared in old money – while still claiming to deliver "huge" bass. Velodyne Microvee

Velodyne's baby sub uses the latest generation of the company's patented digital amplifier, along with a triple-driver system, to deliver what the company describes as "room-pounding bass from a room-friendly box".

Aimed at both movie and music set-ups, the MicroVee is available from September, priced £575. We'll be running an exclusive First Test review of it in our November issue, out 20th September.

In the meantime, here are the MicroVee's full tech-specs:

Drivers: active 6.5" forward firing anodized aluminium cone (5" piston diameter) 2 x 6.5" side-firing passive radiators with aluminium cones  (5" piston diameter)
ERS class D amplifier: 1200 watts Dynamic power, 600 watts RMS
Frequency response: 38-120 Hz +/-3 dB
Digital Dynamic Driver Control: yes
Phase: 0 or 180 degrees (selectable)
Low-pass crossover: 50 Hz – 200 Hz (adjustable), 12 dB octave, 48 dB ultimate
Auto on/off: yes
Magnet structure: 1.8kg
Voice coil: 2" dual layer
Inputs: speaker-level, mini-jack and gold plated line-level
Outputs: speaker-level (120 Hz high-pass crossover), mini-jack (through)
Subwoofer direct (crossover bypass): yes
Cabinet (hwd) includes grill: 22.9 x 22.9 x 24.4 cm
Warranty: electronics – 3 years (parts/labour) / driver – 5 years (parts/labour)
Shipping weight (approx.): 9.1Kg
Finish: black or white

Technorati Tags: Velodyne, subwoofer

Comments

freecitizen August 18, 2007 07:12

Looks interesting. Doesn't say what volume of listening space it is suited for. Also doesn't say if it is bass reflex or infinite baffle. The price is on the high side for movie use.

Andrew Everard August 18, 2007 07:25

Neither bass reflex nor infinite baffle. Uses twin passive radiators on the sides instead.

snowyweston August 19, 2007 13:29

38Hz? £575? And the point is?

I can't understand this "something for nothing" mentality - face it, you want bass, you've got to sacrifice something; and 22.9x22.9x24.4 really isn't THAT much of a gain...

Mania August 20, 2007 17:52

Either the specification's are wrong, or the marketing description is false advertising. I think I'm going to write to them to find out which - I mean, by no definition of driver can a passive radiator be described. So they have to make up their mind, is it a triple-driver or a single-driver with 2 passive radiators.

Talk about misleading, if you just read the spiel you think hmm that's more surface area then a single 10"... but unless you read the actual specifications you'll be mislead in to continuing to think that. Disappointed in velodyne here.

martin morecroft October 8, 2007 18:09

The MicroVee is a unique product. The driver array of a single 6.5" active unit and 2 x 6.5" passive units will give a dramatic result when you consider the size of the unit. Using passive drivers while not new, allows the MicroVee to play much louder than any other subwoofer of similar size.

At 38Hz the MicroVee plays 3dB louder than a Velodyne SPL800i and will comforably fill a room of 1500 cubic feet.

MicroVee is not aimed at customers wishing to produce 20Hz and below. Velodyne already make a huge range of Subwoofers that will do this. The MicroVee will produce loud clean bass for hybrid AV/Music systems in an environment where ultimate extension is a lesser consideration.

Try one and you will amazed what it can do!

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About Clare Newsome

Clare Newsome has been a technology journalist for 17 years, the past 9 years as a consumer electronics specialist. As well as being editor-in-chief of What Hi-fi? Sound and Vision, whathifi.com and the Ultimate Guides series, Clare is a regular contributor to The Guardian and other national newspapers and magazines, and often comments on all aspects of home entertainment technology and trends on TV, radio and online.