A substantial home theater component
The difference that a quality subwoofer can make in your home theater's performance really is — all puns aside — substantial. The low-frequency audio effects provided by a subwoofer realize impressive changes. The sound of a helicopter's blades in your favorite action flick leap from whimpering to thundering. Explosions literally shake your living room walls. And that's just when you're watching movies. Pop in your favorite album or recording — whether classic rock or just plain classical — and discover a hidden layer of fullness and dimensionality. With its 8" forward-firing bass driver backed by an incredible 1200W of power, the Velodyne Optimum-8 subwoofer is designed to complete your home audio experience. And thanks to its compact size, you can fill your listening area with full, clear, detailed bass performance and not with a large, obtrusive speaker cabinet.
The helm
The Velodyne Optimum-8 picks up the slack where other subwoofers fall short. Most contemporary subwoofer units feature volume, phase, and other manual controls. The only problem is, most other subwoofers place these controls at the rear of the unit, making it a real hassle to reach behind the unit to fine tune your system. The Optimum-8 is unlike "most other subwoofers." First off, the Optimum-8 includes a remote control that allows for fast, convenient control over volume, phase, room equalization, and four preset modes . . . all from your comfy seat on the couch. Second, a digital LED display on the unit's front gives you a clear view all the sub's settings. Change to your favorite settings in a flash — 15 for television programming, 25 for dramas, 35 for action movies, and 40 for your favorite heavy-metal band.
Forward thinking, forward firing
As with any type of loudspeaker, a subwoofer's ultimate level of performance is determined as much by the construction of its driver as by the design of its cabinet. The Velodyne Optimum-8's 8" driver combines with a high-excursion EPDM rubber surround, oversized spider, and 204-oz magnet structure to reproduce bass that characterized by low distortion, control, efficiency, and clarity. The forward-firing driver placement and sealed enclosure design, on the other hand, combine to create a subwoofer that is ideal for placement in a corner or entertainment center. While down-firing drivers might generate unwanted resonance if placed in a cabinet or entertainment center, forward-firing woofers are able to project bass outside the cabinet, taking advantage of your room's walls to achieve directionality. Advance your home theater.
Customize . . . automatically
Just as a subwoofer's driver and cabinet design can affect performance, so too can the unique acoustic properties of your listening area. Walls, floors, ceilings, furniture . . . all these can influence the way sound behaves an a room. Allowing you to customize its performance to match the characteristics of your living room or home theater area, the Velodyne Optimum-8 features an integrated room equalization system. Simply plug the included microphone into the Optimum-8, place the microphone on the included stand in your most common listening position, and press the "EQ" button on the remote control. The subwoofer automatically emits a pattern of sounds into the room, measuring their properties with the microphone, and ultimately adjusting speaker settings until the optimum performance for your room is achieved.
Get ready . . . preset . . . go!
The Velodyne Optimum-8's room equalization function customizes your system's bass to your listening area, but for a completely customized experience, you need to match the sub's performance to the requirements of the type of audio you're listening to. Simplifying this task, the Velodyne Optimum-8 features four preset modes designed to deliver bass tailored to the demands of four different genres. First, the Movie preset offers maximum output and impact for explosions and other action-movie content. Second, the R&B-Rock preset provides the driving bass found in today's rock music. Third, the Jazz-Classical mode offers the tightest, cleanest, lowest-distortion bass. Finally, the Games preset serves up the maximum loudness available for the impact of video-game audio.
Included with purchase
The following items are included with the purchase of the Velodyne Optimum-8: setup microphone, microphone stand, remote control.
