Velodyne SMS-1 Subwoofer Parametric EQ System Review

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.