Subwoofers — Velodyne VI-Q 12

The VI-Q 12 is the middle model of the Velodyne Acoustics VI-Q range, placed between the VI-Q 10 and the VI-Q 15 in a family of three sealed powered subwoofers. The series replaced the Wi-Q line and became available to order in August 2023, when the 12 inch version was priced at EUR 1,990. Velodyne develops the VI-Q in Germany and has it made in China. It targets hi-fi and home theatre systems in medium to larger rooms.

Key specs that matter

The Class D amplifier delivers 500 W RMS and 900 W dynamic. The rated response is 25 Hz to 180 Hz at the 3 dB points and 22 Hz to 250 Hz within 10 dB. A low-pass filter from 50 Hz to 180 Hz with a 12 dB per octave slope handles the crossover, and a phase switch offers 0 or 180 degrees. Dimensions are 41 cm in width, 48 cm in height and 41 cm in depth, and the net weight is 25 kg, increasing to 28 kg with packing. Customers choose flat matt black or flat matt white.

Engineering and use context

Velodyne fits a front-firing high-excursion woofer with a carbon fibre membrane shaped as a convex cone. It sits in a triple-vented basket and gets its drive from a twin ferrite magnet and a four-layer voice coil, specified at 63 mm and wound on a former made of carbon fibre. The closed enclosure uses 22 mm HDF panels, and the baffle at the front is 50 mm thick. Four aluminium decoupling feet with rubber pads support the cabinet. Setup can be handled over Bluetooth with the iWoofer app, which provides a 25-band parametric EQ and presets, while the DSP can also be switched off so that the subwoofer runs on its analogue rear-panel knobs for volume, crossover point and phase alone. The power mode can be off, auto or on.

Pairing

The rear panel carries gold-plated RCA and nickel-plated XLR sockets that each take a stereo or LFE feed, together with a high-level input, and RCA and XLR outputs allow daisy-chaining for systems with more than one subwoofer. A trigger input lets an amplifier or receiver switch the sub on, and a USB power socket feeds the optional Velodyne wireless system, so the VI-Q 12 can be placed without a signal cable to the electronics. It fits AV receivers, stereo integrated amplifiers with or without a sub output and balanced preamplifiers alike.

Alternatives

The Velodyne VI-Q 15 is the larger sealed sibling, with a 15 inch carbon fibre driver, 650 W RMS, a 23 Hz lower limit and a 48 x 48 x 56 cm cabinet.