Subwoofers — Velodyne Digital Drive 12 Plus

The Digital Drive 12 Plus, sold as DD-12+, is the 12 inch member of the Digital Drive Plus subwoofer line from Velodyne Acoustics, which also includes 10, 15 and 18 inch versions. The series pairs a sealed cabinet with a class D amplifier and high-resolution digital control that tracks the movement of the cone and corrects output as it plays. The UK price is GBP 5,195.

Key specs that matter

Amplifier power is 1,250 W RMS, with 3,000 W quoted as the dynamic figure. Velodyne specifies 17 to 120 Hz within 3 dB and an overall response from 10.2 Hz up to 300 Hz, with total harmonic distortion typically under 0.5 percent. The magnet structure weighs 15.88 kg, and the voice coil is a six-layer design with a diameter of 65 mm. Dimensions are 40 x 37 x 46 cm and weight is 38.6 kg. Buyers can choose black gloss ebony, satin cherry or walnut.

Engineering and use context

Its forward-firing driver has a cone laminated from fiberglass and Rohacell, a structural foam, which keeps it stiff for its mass. Low-pass filtering runs from 40 to 199 Hz in 1 Hz increments with a selectable slope, and phase can be set between 0 and 180 degrees in 15 degree steps, with a separate polarity switch. A high-pass filter at 80 or 100 Hz with a 6 dB per octave slope is available for the main speaker feed. A full-function remote control comes in the accessory kit, together with a measuring microphone that connects through a mini-XLR socket on the rear panel. Five user presets each store crossover frequency, slope, subsonic filter and phase, and a night button on the remote applies a stored maximum volume limit. The amplifier is built on the patented Energy Recovery System topology used across the series. Velodyne covers the electronics for 3 years and the driver for 5 years.

Pairing

The DD-12+ takes an LFE signal on either RCA or XLR, a stereo line signal on RCA or XLR, and speaker-level wiring with bare wire, banana plugs or spade lugs. Two sets of line outputs are fitted - a thru pair on RCA and XLR that carries the unfiltered signal, and a second output pair on RCA and XLR that can be used for the high-passed feed. This lets it work with a balanced preamplifier and separate power amplifiers in a stereo setup, or with a multichannel processor in a cinema room, and a further subwoofer can be linked from the thru outputs.

Alternatives

The Velodyne Digital Drive 15 Plus moves up to a 15 inch driver within the Digital Drive Plus line.