Velodyne MiniVee Listening Tests

Unless otherwise noted, all listening tests were conducted using the streaming services of Pandora.com fed from my PC to my Headroom micro preamp and DAC connected directly to the EMP VT-40.2 Hybrid Tube Amp Speaker system in my office space which is roughly a 6' x 10' room.  The source material was streamed from Pandora.com via their high resolution paid membership which is said to be 192 kbps/sec.  Given the really good audio quality I hear from their service, I have no reason to doubt their claim.

Will Smith: Miami
This song had my chest pumping.  Bass from the Velodyne MiniVee hit hard and tight without any hint of overhang.  It was just clean, clean, clean.  The MiniVee was providing real subwoofer action to the music, not a fake one notey boom box that so many small high compression subs tends to be.

Technotronic: Pump up the Jam
This is not music I normally listen to but I wanted to get some hard hitting bass tunes to break in this little sub.  Bass enveloped my room with excellent sustain and clarity making me feel like I was in a nightclub sans the smoke and cheesy dancing. Bass from the MiniVee seemed like extension to the speakers not a separate entity which is a sign of good integration.

Bluetech: Triangle
New age music with some prodigious bass.  The Minivee really plunged the depths of this song that the MiniVee simply could not.  I felt the full tactile impact of the bass.  I was really digging the laser and other keyboard effects of this song while being pelted with the intoxicating bass. 

Pat Metheny: H & H
It's an absolute must for me to throw in a little Metheny to any listening session. The realness of the drums in this song was kinda freaky as the snare was so lifelike and dynamic while the bass just thumped my chest.  The EMP & Velodyne pair were belting out the goods.  Pat's guitar was like butter.  The Velodyne MiniVee never got in the way, it just did its thing and provided a level of realism and depth to the soundstage that would have otherwise been impossible without it.  I was having that "better than being there experience" I often notate in reviews of products that really dazzle me.

Donald Fagen: On the Dunes
I always listen to Steely Dan / Donald Fagen music when testing a new sub.  If a sub doesn’t sound right playing kick ass music like this, what's the point?   Donald Fagen's "On the Dunes" was a great song to give the MiniVee a good workout.  Long sustain on bass notes was heavenly.  The thumping had great impact and added a new dimension to this song that simply wasn't there without the MiniVee pumping away.  When I switched over to the MicroVee, the bass was still tight and plentiful but it just didn’t have the tactile impact that the MiniVee provided.

Steve Perry: Foolish Hearts
Steve' voice just captivates you making it impossible to just turn this song off when I pops up on Pandora.  The weight of the bass in this song was so well delivered via the Velodyne MiniVee subwoofer.  I loved how the bass struck while I was sitting back enjoying pristine vocals overlayed with digital piano.

Tangerine Dream: Scrap Yard
The deep continuous bass in this song had my office shaking and my phone ringing with complaints from my wife on the first floor being hammered with the boom.  Apparently I was distracting her from her favorite cooking show on the Food network.  I was quite impressed with how the Velodyne just kept slamming out the bass with no signs of distress.  This system just loved to be played loud, which I especially took advantage of while the wife wasn't watching Giada.   

Lee Ritenour: Module 105
Man can Lee whale on the guitar like only a few handful of proficient jazz guitarists can.  I'm so glad he started putting lumps in his Jazz again as for a time in the late 90s he like most jazz musicians went the "smooth" Jazz route for radio playtime.  The Velodyne sub just belts out tight snappy bass from the bass drum which really provided a dimension of realism to the music that was enjoyed more as the volume level was turned up.  

Peter Gabriel: Down to Earth
The bass output was monstrous on this wonderful Peter Gabriel song popularized by the Wall-E movie.  I felt some good room shake I just wasn’t expecting from this song. 

Banzai Republic: Faetter Dub
Holly cow the bass had my ceiling lights in my main theater room adjacent to my office rattling.  I never heard of this band, but I am totally digging and the MiniVee apparently was as well.  Bassheads should definitely check this out!