Velodyne SMS-1 Subwoofer Parametric EQ System Review
- Product Name: SMS-1 Subwoofer Parametric EQ System
- Manufacturer: Velodyne Acoustics
- Performance Rating:
- Value Rating:
- Review Date: April 09, 2006 19:00
- MSRP: $ 749
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Pros
- Automatic or manual subwoofer calibration
- On-screen display
- 8-band fully parametric EQ
- Includes microphone and various mounts
- Multiple SMS-1 units can be daisy-chained
- Works with any subwoofer
Cons
- 3rd octave smoothed frequency response graph
- Non independent EQ'd subwoofer outputs
- Inaccurate (aggressive) auto calibration
Velodyne SMS-1 Subwoofer Parametric EQ System Introduction
We were introduced to the Velodyne SMS-1 system at the CEDIA show in Indianapolis last year and were instantly impressed with its potential for improving how subwoofers interact with the room. The SMS-1 is basically Velodyne’s flagship Digital Drive room correction software offloaded into a standalone system that allows it to be used with any (even *gasp* non-Velodyne) subwoofers. The SMS-1 is essentially an 8-band parametric EQ with variable frequency, Q, and gain that shows you a real-time smoothed graph of the room’s low frequency response from 15Hz to 200Hz via an on-screen display.
What does this mean for you? Well, in a practical sense, those of you desiring the most out of your subwoofer and room can make changes to your system in real-time and see the results on-screen. Additionally, once you’ve found the optimal positioning and phase settings, you can provide the final touches to your bass response using the integrated EQ system – taming room modes and eliminating some of the peaks and dips that are inherent to almost every system.
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