Extreme output at low volume, blends with main speakers especially given its size, dead silent when not actively being fed signals and gorgeous cabinet finish. This is the only subwoofer needed in just about any listening room unless you are using a commercial venue.

For me absolutely none, but having said this some may find the size too imposing if you are trying to hide it away. Initially the cost would deter some as well but given the subwoofers age (20 years+) you can find these monsters at much more affordable prices.

It's easy to get loads of bass sound. After all, who's to know what a truck falling from a cliff and exploding is supposed to sound like. Now, the Bach concerto for organ or the bass on a Norah Jones standard, demmand tight bass an accuracy. The servo on the HGS-18 serves that aplenty. Quality sound from a high quality product.

The size. Doesn't bother me, but it is not very wife friendly. ** WARNING ** Hertz around 16 can be addictive ** (once you go down there, there's no coming back...) **

Initially I bought this sub for home theater, but it so dissapears that I forgot that it is there as it automatically turns on. I listen to mostly classical music in 2 channel stereo, and it complements my pair of Dali Grands at the front seamlessly. You do notice however if it isn't there though (if I turn it off), as the gut satisfying bass and the grand scale sound aren't all there anymore.

Similar Products Used:

Dali, Polk, Advent, B&W, Canton, Boston Acoustics

The Bass and how it integrates with my Maggies

They replaced it with the DD-18

The Velodyne HGS-18 is edge of the art in sound. It teams with the Magnepan 3.6 to make wonderful music, with bass extended below the threshold of audibility. My entire collection of Jazz and Classical music has never sounded as good as it has the past 2 years. The servo design makes this a much more musical sub than anything on the market.

Similar Products Used:

Hsu VTF-3

Very clean output that will only be noticed when compared to other killer subs like the Hsu TN1220 and VTF-3, or the SVS 16-46PC with TEST-TONE signals. With musical or home-theater inputs all of them are surprisingly close, with solid response right down to 20 Hz. I rather doubt that most of your other reviewers need that kind of extension, by the way, since most seem to be rock-music head bangers.

Price. You can get nearly as good performance for a lot less money. Still, there is no denying the absolutely clean response, and under some conditions (very serious pipe organ) its measureable advantage might be fleetingly audible.

I reviewed the earler F1800RII version of this sub for The Sensible Sound and found it to be a sensational performer. The earlier version has about half the power, but the later one has its max acoustic output limited more by driver mechanics than electricity, and so the extra power is more of a bragging point than a real advantage. Two comments: 1. One of your earlier reviewers mentioned the sub being a tad "slow." However, subs do not need to be "fast." All they need to be able to do is move fast enough to handle the frequencies being sent to them by the low-pass filter in the crossover network. The fast attack part of any bass transient will be handled by the midrange or tweeter drivers. If a sub were reproducing the fast attack signals it would call attention to its location. In other words, you do not want a subwoofer to be "fast." 2. One reviewer said that it would take two 10-inch subs to match the big 18-inch Velodyne. That is nonsense. With the same excursion limits from each driver, it would take four 10 inchers do do the job. However, since most 10-inchers cannot match the excursion reach of the big Velodyne, it is likely that even six or eight would be required. 3. One reviewer mentioned pumping the unit so that it was moving back and fourth three inches. He also indicated that his main speakers have three 12-inch woofers apiece and that his surrounds each have several 10 inchers apiece. He then noted that he has actually damaged his listening room with bass power. Unless this guy has a listening room the size of an airplane hanger, all I can say about this is that he needs to get a life

Similar Products Used:

Subs: Hsu TN1220, VTF-3, VTF-2; SVS 14-46PC, 25-31PCi; Paradigm Servo 15; Velodyne HGS-15, HGS-12, FSR-12; Triad Silver sub pair; Waveform MC.1 sub pair; plus a number of others with lesser

Extraordinarily boomy and clear bass.

None, unless your allergic to low frequencies.

What I can say about this subwoofer that hasnt been said already apart from the fact that I paid quite abit more in aussie dollars for mine. Just make sure you have good foundations because even at mid level the frequency of these subs can shake the roaches out.

Similar Products Used:

Energy Veritas 2.3 loudspeakers

Read the review.

Read the review.

I had to comment on the series of reviews here. First, I've had the HGS-18 (series 1, I think... don't remember anything about a series 2 at the time of purchase) for over a year as a replacement for two (serially, not at the same time) Sunfire True Sub Signatures which were either defective or REALLY WEIRD in my listening room. They produced a "flapping" kind of distortion that Sunfire thought might be caused by delamination of the driver from the surround. In retrospect, guess it could have been my fault. They didn't produce enough output and I could have been turning them up loud enough to distort.) I'm one of those dudes who believes in overkill squared when it comes to subs. Anyhow, the Velodyne has given me flawless performance even when overdriven. I've had that driver flapping at 3" excursion. It has done literal structural damage to my house. Just repaired a spot on the wall where the plaster vibrated off, and my house is only 9 years old! Keep blowing light bulbs too. I use it for both music and movies. Should also say the rest of my system is also a bit on the large side. I use front mains by Legacy Audio with 3 12" woofers each, and rear surrounds with 3 10" woofers each. Front and rear centers are slightly smaller but could still probably handle a DD "large" setting. (I run them on small) All driven by OLD carver amps-- before the company took a nose dive. They seem to be coming back though. I digress. With respect to the "hum", I wonder if people might be hearing the internal amp itself. I can hear amplifiers, and I'm not talking about through the drivers. Transformers can emit a certain hum, and I've returned equipment in the past not b/c of being defective, but because I can hear it operating. This could be resonating through the rear faceplate which doubles as a heat-sink for the amp. Just a thought. Also, on the "fast vs. slow" issue, my opinion is that people who refer to "fast" are talking about the initial fractional millisecond of the first advance sound wave. There *is* a difference between large and small subs in terms of reaction time. The people who say this is impossible due to frequency of bass being relatively longwave are also forgetting their lessons about inertia and mass. A larger mass (bigger cone) will initially move slightly slower, or take many X the power to move as fast as a smaller cone. Transient impact could theoretically be slightly reduced. In any case, this sub's 18" cone, servo-regulated design, and massive peak power are more than enough to compensate for its mass. It's big but moves small. Check it out, just watch out for the overhead stucco dust falling on your head. 4 stars for price, this sucker is expensive! 5 stars once your wallet recovers.

Similar Products Used:

Sunfire True Subwoofer Signature. See review for equipment list which admittedly affects my bass situation considerably.

Ungodly loud. Tight and accurate for an 18in sub. Magnificent amp. Velodyne hand assembles everything and the people that work there are very nice. Appearance is impressive. Remote is handy if your neighbors think they can play their music loud.

Blue led in front. Some may like that, I don't though. Makes me want to upgrade to a more powerful receiver to push my speakers loud enough to contend with the sub during music.

I got this sub for around accomodation from Velodyne, so price for me was superb... It is nice working for an audio retailer. Anyway, I have the HGS-Series II 18inch. It is awesome. 1300watts rms, 3000watts peak can you say anything else. I usually listen to it just above the THX certification mark, which is too freaking low except for movies and it is very pleasant. For an 18in sub it is accurate and responsive, granted the bass might not be as "tight" as a 10, but you need 2 10's to compete with this 18 overall. I have noticed a little hum/crackle/pop when the sub cuts on and off, I can't remember if it has always done this, but I think it has. I don't see that as a problem however, because it doesn't continue and im sure firing up that beast takes some power. It could be my cableing too, I'll find out when I move. To show you the power this thing pulls, I was using AVIA setup just for the hell of it to see how recommended settings compare to what I like (mostly video..), and went into the test tones for the sub. The disc outputs tones at different frequencies, down to 20 or something. So I am going through the test tones again and again, increasing the volume just to see what it can do when all of a sudden my track lighting above the tv (same room as sub) start to flicker like crazy. I cut off the lights real quickly and cut down the sub, but it was too late I had already blown a bulb... I live in a new apartment so I am scared to see what this thing does when I move into an older house in a few months... I may need a voltage stabilizer.. :-) I don't really care for the high gloss cabinet seeing as it is forever dusty and shows any fingerprint, etc. but it is impressive none the less. The blue led on front is absolutely too bright. My pioneer elite dvd player has that same annoying blue led, but at least i can dim it off with the dvd, with the sub I have to position the other couch to blow my view of the light. If you are listening to music it is unbearable above about 60% sub volume, %75 receiver volume. Some may think this sub is expensive, but it is a very affordable high end sub, considering the others out there that do not even perform as well as this one does.

Similar Products Used:

Tons of high end subs, some auditioned some listened to with friends, etc. Velodyne is the best sub I have seen for any price. And to top that they are reasonably priced....

Everything

none

72 hours of burnin in 3 days and I was actually ready to return the HGS-18II. I was beginning to think I had made a mistake. in the 3 days I had readjusted my system 4 times because of tonal changes in the HGS and every change just seemed to get boomier and slower regardless of placement...ON THE 7TH DAY, everything changed, I had come home from work and tossed on some tunes and I actually had to double check my connections thinking the HGS had gotten disconnected. After checking everything out I turning up the volume on the sub (which had been turned almost all the way down since I kept having to readjust), the change was amazing, the bass was tight with awesome impact and sounded even better than I remember it sounding when I auditioned it. It now sounds as good or better than anything out there I have heard. I would recommend this sub to anyone looking for top notch bass, in music and movies...just be prepared for a strange breakin time. Also I dont know why anyone would complain about the size or weight of the hgs, its relatively small and light and is very easy to move and place, especially when you consider how beautiful the unit actually is.

Similar Products Used:

RBH 1010SE, Paradigm Servo, Sunfire Sig, Klipsh RSW15

Clean Low Bass

Heavy.

I have HGS Series II, so I don't know nothing about Humming. As far as I know, this Sub is rock my world. It is very deep and clean bass that you can get for this price (Retail at $3,500 for Series II). I'm very satisfy with this one and recommend all of you at least listen to it. You won't dissappointed.

It has been a long time since I monitored sites like this. I see there have been a fair number of reviews of this sub since I originally posted in January 2000. I just wanted to say thanks to Micheal who also posted in January 2000 - you are absolutely correct - we all need to trust our own ears. And, above all else, enjoy the hobby. Otherwise, what's the point? Julius - apparently I have really hit a nerve with you. I'm glad you own the HGS-18 and I hope it gives you years of pleasure. For me, though, it was not the right sub. FYI, my up-front electronics are now an Anthem AVM-20 feeding an Earthquake Cinenova Grande 5-channel amp which is powering Def Tech BP-30s front and rear with a C/L/R 2000 center. Yes, these are not "audiophile" speakers, but they sure are fun! And the Energy ES-18XL, crossed over at 50Hz via the Anthem, is a perfect match. I have tremendous "presence" with this system. I only hope you are enjoying your system as much as I. As for Bass Hole - your choice of wording speaks for itself. Anyone looking for an excellent reference on subwoofers should check out: http://www.widescreenreview.com/archive/issuesub.html This is an excellent magazine that dispells many of the myths about this subject. It also includes reviews of over 50 subs. It is a bit dated, however, so some of the subs reviewed, such as the Energy ES-18XL (my sub), are not available any longer. Julius - you place a lot of emphasis on "the experts" and "reference standards" - you should read the review of the Energy ES-18XL in this Widescreen Review magazine. (The Velodyne HGS-12 is also reviewed, but not the 18). Richard Hardesty finishes the ES-18XL review with "If you've got a big room, along with a taste for awesome bass output, combined with true, high fidelity performance - and if you also care about how your components look - this is one subwoofer that you must audition. I liked the ES-18XL so much that I'm adding one to my primary reference system ..." There's that "reference" blessing you care so much about. As my system is currently in a "mature" state (at least for a while!), it will probably be a long time until I return to this site again, so Happy listening!