Subwoofers — Velodyne Deep Blue 8

The Deep Blue 8 is the smallest subwoofer in the Deep Blue series from Velodyne Acoustics, a lineup of four closed-box powered models with 8, 10, 12 and 15 inch drivers that was launched in March 2021 by a company that had been making subwoofers for more than 30 years. Velodyne called the range its first completely new design in a decade and gave it a compact form and a modern look. As the entry point of the family, the Deep Blue 8 sits below the Deep Blue 10 and ships in black at a UK price of GBP 895.

Key specs that matter

Its 8 inch driver (203 mm) faces forward and is fed by a Class AB amplifier quoted at 300 W RMS, with 800 W given as the dynamic rating. The 3 dB window spans 32 to 180 Hz, and Velodyne states an overall range from 18 Hz to 300 Hz. A crossover with a 12 dB per octave slope can be tuned between 50 and 180 Hz, and the phase control covers 0 to 180 degrees. The box is 26 x 28 x 29 cm and weighs 9 kg, rising to 10 kg with its shipping carton.

Engineering and use context

A reinforced polypropylene cone is used, and the high-excursion driver uses a double-vented basket to let air escape from behind the spider. Its four-layer copper voice coil measures 2 inches (52 mm), and the motor carries two ferrite magnets. The cabinet is solid MDF and completely sealed, a layout that avoids port noise, and its front panel is 52 mm thick. Power handling offers three modes - Off, Auto with signal sensing, and On. Controls for volume, filter and phase sit on the rear of the cabinet, which keeps the front clean. According to Velodyne, the multi-layer coil and twin magnets are chosen for efficiency and pulse fidelity, while the closed cabinet in solid MDF is meant to suppress resonance and distortion.

Pairing

The small size makes the Deep Blue 8 a fit for desktop, bedroom or compact living room systems. Stereo line inputs on gold-plated RCA connectors take a signal from a preamplifier or streamer with a sub output, a dedicated LFE socket takes the bass channel from a surround receiver, and nickel-plated high-level inputs accept speaker cable from an amplifier that lacks a pre-out. A gold-plated LFE and RCA output lets a second subwoofer be linked. Because the filter can be raised high, the Deep Blue 8 can be matched with small satellites that stop producing bass early.

Alternatives

The Velodyne Deep Blue 10 is the next model up the range, using a 10 inch driver and a 350 W RMS amplifier to extend the lower 3 dB point to 28 Hz.