SC-IW Conclusion
As designers and their design philosophies continue the path of less is more, engineering audio products that conform to the minimalist profile without performance sacrifice can be virtually impossible. No where is this truer than with subwoofers. Here is the concept: Take a large freestanding box subwoofer, shrink it down to fit in a 2x4 wall and still maintain high performance levels, Yeah I wouldn’t have believed it either. Yet, this is exactly what Velodyne has accomplished. The Velodyne SC-IW in-wall subwoofer rivals the performance of many very good 10-12-inch freestanding box subwoofers. Once installed, the only tell tale sign that you have a subwoofer in your room is the small unobtrusive grill. If your plan is to build a high end home theater system with little compromise in performance and minimalist design cues, this is your subwoofer. The SC-IW installation process is fairly straight forward, but if you have an older home it can present some interesting challenges. Careful planning, placement, and caution must be adhered to during the installation process.
Overall, the SC-IW subwoofers performed well beyond my expectations and erased any preconceived notion that I had about in-wall subwoofers. The SC-1250 amplifier is a sophisticated power monster that provided flexible connectivity and very good room equalization software. The SC-IW is not without faults as outlined in the music evaluation part of the review, but this is rather trivial considering this is an in-wall subwoofer system. In my modest sized room, two of the SC-IW subwoofers in conjunction with the SC-1250 amplifier achieved incredible performance levels with all but the most sophisticated soundtracks. Needless to say the Velodyne SC-IW is the best in-wall subwoofer system I have heard or installed to date. I highly recommend the SC-IW subwoofer and SC-1250 amplifier to home owners, custom installers, and designers that wish to maintain the minimalist design trend without performance sacrifice. –Bravo Velodyne!
345 Digital Drive
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Tel: (408)
465-2800
Fax: (408) 779-9227
www.velodyne.com
Company Overview
Velodyne Acoustics, Inc., founded in 1983, is universally recognized as the leading manufacturer of high-performance, low distortion powered subwoofers at all price levels. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, the company's technically innovative audio products are available through a select group of authorized dealers, custom installers, and distributors worldwide.
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
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| Ergonomics & Usability | |
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