Deep powerful bass, continous phase control, anti clipping circuitry

It's huge, bad manual

This is where subs start to get exciting and the CT-150 is no exception as it produces deep, clean and powerful bass. It doesn't seem to be very boomy like some of the cheaper subs and won't readily bottom out. I wouldn't exactly call it a bargin at $800 but it isn't bad either. Some have called it the best under 1K subwoofer and it is a competitor. It definetly should accomodate most rooms very adequet bass.

Power, power and power, deep clean bass!

none so far, maybe size?

This a heavy one, very strong output and a deep clean bass. I bought this one especially for Home-theather, i think its not that good for music, cause its not a close box. But for HT is fantastic, now you can really feel explosions and this sub drops bombs near your seat. Its fantastic, i'm very happy with this one.

Similar Products Used:

Rell strata III, rel q200, canton-as50

Bass quality and quantity, value

Massive size and weight

Bigger is better in most cases. In the case of the Velodyne CT-150, it is fact. This subwoofer is a behemoth, but it gets the job done in style. Certainly, this sub can rock your world in a very undignified fashion (home theater, heavy metal, rap). However, the typical mass market fart box can achieve that result. No, the great thing about the Velodyne is it's ability to play music and nuance at the same quality level that you would expect of Velodyne's higher priced offerings. If you can't afford, say, the HGS-series or Bag End's giants, then this sub is a legitimate alternative at half the price. No, it's not as good in all respects, but it's damn close. Specifically, the bass is tight and deep with great articulation throughout it's frequency range. When the Vel hits it limit, the box just stops getting louder, instead of sloppy. Finally, the CT-150 is full featured, and will fit into any setup with ease, but...

The only sigifigant weakness I can see in this sub is it's size. Some people will refuse to live with such a large piece of equipment. And that's fine. However, I will not take anything away from it's rating. This is a high-performance subwoofer, and to achieve this level of performance at the price is simply amazing.

One final note: I previously reviewed NHT Supertwo's (which I also own), and stated that a subwoofer was not necessary for musical enjoyment. I was wrong. Adding this sub to my system has given me a revelation. I can now live with my system without major complaint (a great achievement!). With my Denon's 80wpc removed from producing bass, mids and highs now sound incredible, without any signifigant glare or harshness that existed to a certain extent before.

Happy Listening!

I'll call this the first impression review. I'll probably re-review in a few months.

The velodyne ct series is clearly a price-point line with a few corners cut to keep costs resonable. That does not mean this a low quality product. It does mean that less expensive drivers, box construction, and electronics have been used compared to velodyne's reference HGS series.

At this point I believe this is a great, category defining product, and I want to thank Velodyne for making an powerful, accurate subwoofer at an amazing price. It seems that the miss informed low-end market wants more of a bass shaker than a subwoofer and thats what most manufactures are producing at this price point -- "sub-woofers" that are tuned to produce 150HZ blats of distored sound. That's not music. It sound more like someone coming up the driveway with a snowplow and running into the house. But it makes your pant legs shake even with simple acoustic music and somehow people like that. I guess they want to feel like they got their money's worth and want to "hear" the sub doing its job. The velodyne on the other hand produces clean and accurate (if a bit less controlled than my friends HGS, but darn close) low frequencies. It extends rather than dominating the image. That's what a subwoofer is supposed to do.

I purchased the CT-150 even though it has more air moving capabilities than I really need because it is velodyne's least expensive sub with almost all of the electronics features of their high-end products. It has their less expensive distortion correcting circuts (the current sensing servo), variable low pass crossover, and variable phase adjusts. These features just don't exist elsewhere at this price point, yet are essential to getting a sub to work properly with the main system speakers.

The one thing I wish they could have left out are the clipping and excursion protections circuits. These are pretty much dummy features. They assume the user is a dummy. I can't imagine someone would be able to get the amp to clip or the cone to go past its excursion points, unless you are using it for a warehouse rave or something, but then you bought the wrong product. If I got anywhere nears those limitations I think my ears would bleed and all the nails would fall out of the walls of my house. This thing has some serious air moving capabilities that are scary even at a fraction of its output.

I am using the line in and outs in a bi-amped manner which I believe are the only way to go. The speaker level ins will definitely cause distoration as the signal needs to be reduced back to line level before going to the sub's amp. This isn't efficient. Plus your main amp is forced to produce the entire frequency range which reduces its headroom for producing the higher ranges that it actually sending to the main speakers. I am currently using a vintage 10watt/channel tube amp with the line level ins and outs and it sounds outstanding. Material with heavy low frequency output sounds much cleaner and open now that my monitors aren't moving uncontrollable trying to produce frequencies that they are not capable of. Plus it is now possible to run the entire system at a much higher SPL now that over excursion is less of an issue.

Overall it is a good sounding sub at a great price. Just what the hi-fi doctor ordered.

Solid sound, excellent controls (for internals), room skAkiNg PoWeR!

Rumbles a bit too much in warm-up phase, can get a bit BoOmy in deep bass sections of movies.

This is a pro/con review for simplicity of reading:

Pros:
1) LOUD room shaking earth quaking bass!
2) Good volume and phase controls
3) Powerful, powerful, powerful (did I mention it is LOUD?)
4) One of those subs that doesn't have to be cornered to blow out your eardrums (is this a good thing?:).

Cons:
1) Boomy at times
2) Loses clarity at extreme lows (X-Men DVD with Magneto stresses it to the limit with volume above setting at 3+).
3) Not cheap, but what is in the speaker world....

All in all, this is a great sub worth your attention. I looked at the NHT SubTwo as an alternative (NHT was $200 more). The SubTwo is probably a better choice, but you can't beat the CT-150 beast in all out sound production. Some music gets distorted and a bit boomy, but it is an overall great sub!

If you are in the market for a high power sub that will fill most any movie and most music needs, get a CT-150.

Similar Products Used:

Used or tested: JBL's, Paradigms, NHTs

Being a poor starving college student I needed a big performing sub in a big package at a small price.

Lets cut the bull here. This sub is all performance and has no weaknesses at this price!!!

I bought it about a month ago for a steal at $449! At this price there is no comparison. The HSU research vertical tube subs are pretty good except you need to buy an amp to boot and they seem kind of distant in comparison. My friend has a Sunfire Signature II that pounds like a monster and is probably a bit tighter, but it suprisingly doesn't sound any better for music. When you crank either of these units up (CT150 or Sunfire) I honestly can't tell which is hitting harder. My ears can't stand either of these units much past half power anyway. Full power would be insane. The Sunfire seems kind of sloppy in comparison and being a smaller woofer it has to work harder to move as much air. The sunfire might be better for home theatre, but it's close.

I have this sub connected directly to my Denon receiver via a monolink AR sub cable that I got for $25 bucks. Screw paying $100+ for an overhyped monster cable that isn't any better.

I typically listen to Everything from Floyd to Hip Hop to Techno and then Metal as well. It shines well and doesn't overpower my Infinity RS5s (which go down to 35hz themselves). It is great for music eventhough I primarily bought it for home theater.

I slipped in Gladiator and was very happy with the results. It would sound good for a $1000 or $1500 dollar subwoofer and it has the added controls of the higher end HGS series at a fraction of their price.

It's appearance is sort of ho hum. Kind of boring. I am going to add a few coats of clear varnish to the cabinet to make it look more attractive like the HGS series. I am also going to install a larger heatsink for shyts and giggles. No real need for a larger sink, but I want to put one on anyway.

Overall this sub fascinates me with it's performance and when you bring it's price into the equation it is almost unimaginable. It integrates very well with the system and it seems like it isn't even a seperate unit from the other speakers.

Don't get me wrong, if you want a bass powerhouse and you are affraid that 250watts rms isn't enough, this subwoofer shoots your theory right down the drain. 250watts has never sounded so loud before. Just turn up the sub volume if you want to blow your ears out.

Regards,
Zach Johnston

Denon AVR-1801
Infinity RS5 mains
Infinity CC2 center
Mission 733i rears
Velodyne CT150 sub
Panasonic RV33 DVD
Arcam 7SE CD with Burr Brown DAC
MIT Terminator 4 Speaker pythons...err...I mean wires:)
Acoustic Research Wiring
Cheapo 27" JVC TV

good tone, powerful bass that is felt more than heard

boomy for music not detailed in stereo mode

This velodyne is quite the compliment to any home theater due to it's good output and reasonable size. This sub pretty much rocks when used for HT the bass it produces is not really heard but felt. It gives a good impression of size and scale which is what is trying to accomplish with a HT subwoofer. Everything seems larger and bigger due to this sub, this thing is just remarkable in the price range the only sub you will need. The only thing that I've heard that compares would be the 18 inch velodyne which is close to triple the price. The sub does have it's weaknesses though. I've heard some people say that they can't distort this sub, well they are wrong, play the opening scene of Top Gun and this sub will disort at high levels and get the heatsinks very warm in the process. It does bottom out when pushed really really hard but most of the time you won't come close. For music it doesn't have the accuracy desired and tends to sound boomy. So I recomend purchasing another sub ie 10 or 12 for music reproduction and use this the 150 for HT only. Overall if you want to experience the full force of this sub play the t-rex scene in Jurrasic Park (probabally the best scene out there for measuring the scale and size of a subwoofer) and you souldn't be disapointed.

strong, powerful, low bass, great features,good looks,and great power

a little big

This subwoofer is outstanding! Great lows that really pounds your heart.This is definatley the best sub for its price.Its features are, volume control, phase control,frequency control.It also has 3 switches,they are, auto/on switch,video/audio switch,and a crossover in/out switch.

Its loud,I mean very loud,its 98 db at 1 watt at 1 meter.That is mighty impressive.It is 300 watts rms, and 750 watts peak.And you also get CSS (Current Sensing Servo) You have nothing to lose put your pictures on the wall for this deal.

I played "Twister" on it and it really thundered,shaking my bones in the process.I played bass mechanics and it was intense.It went really low,the distortion was very little.Alot less than I was expecting.If you decide to buy this subwoofer,be very careful that you do not live in an apartment.That would not be good.You would probably be kicked out immediatley.

Anyway, I recommend this sub to anyone who has the money to buy it,and anyone who wants a sub under $1000.You can turn this baby up at the highest levels and you will still get the cleanest bass possible. This sub does not sound muddy or boomy.I give the sub's performance a 5.Space isn't a big flaw for me.

So, I wish you well to your new subwoofer. Happy subwoofing!

Similar Products Used:

cerwin vega,infinity,paragidm,and bose

Build quality, features, low, bone rattling extension!

no remote (I know, thats picky for a sub at this price!)

Just got this sub for my 21X15 room and I haven't been so pleased with any addition to my HT system as I am with this sub! I got it at a really good deal via a dealer...

I wasnt going to right a review until I really started listening to it close to reference levels (close, because I live in an apt. heehee). I was watching Ronin a week ago and this sub was packing some serious punch! During one explosion scene I actually felt it right in the chest...scared the Sh*t out of me! And the volume was set on "3" (out of 10)!!!! There is no way anyone will get me to take the volume to mid-point!

This is a great sub from Velo. I don't think I will need to upgrade for a very long time because I'm one happy HT fan!

Similar Products Used:

PW2200, HPS-500,

This is definitely one of the best sub I've heard. After listening to many other subs (klipsch, energy, boston accoustic), velodynes just stands out above the crowd. I was debating whether to get the ct120 or 150, but after comparing the two, ct150 was just too good to be passed. The only drawback is that it is huge. You will need a large area to accomodate this beast. It'll rock your room for sure though! 5 stars!