Velodyne has been producing large dedicated bass driver speakers since 1983, long before subwoofers were a necessary part of a hi-fi system.  The DPS line of subs from Velodyne bears considerable engineering history upon the modern digital realm of DSP or Digital Signal Processing.  But the DPS line, featuring a 10” and a 12” model, shouldn’t be seen as a single attraction sideshow act.  Velodyne’s DPS has a lot going for it including a unique front slotted design, the feature which gives this new sub its name DPS; “Digital Power Slot”.  The slot below the forward firing driver is like a port that helps augment the deepest bass.  Unlike the conventional port designs the slot extends the entire width of the box, Velodyne claims this helps extend the bass to proportions beyond the normal limitations of the driver.

The DSP settings are controlled from a digital panel found on the top of the sub.  The panel is neatly laid out with an attractive indigo lighting to indicate the current mode and volume.  Each mode augments bass in at a different frequency range based on what Velodyne feels is best to support the style of material.  The Jazz/Classical setting is the flat position, no augmentation at all, but I guess Jazz/Classical makes it sound more exciting than “flat”.  The amplifier that drives the 12” cone packs 200Watts of continuous power, capable of over 400Watt peaks, more than enough power to fill a medium large room.  The rear panel has only a crossover dial and a phase switch which offers only a 0 or 180 degree setting, more than you need with receivers these days that control bass management, variable phase control is one of those faux luxuries few subs bother to offer.

The sub I tested is the DPS-12, the larger of the two from this line, also available is a DPS-10 with a ten inch driver.  The DPS 12” features a hefty 55oz magnet and the whole sub really packs 60 pounds of weight to heft across the room to set it up.  The box is slightly taller than it is wide so it fits neatly into a corner of my rec room, leaving less foot print than my old 8” sub but weighing significantly more.  The top of the box has a black lacquer finish that should fit discreetly with any décor.  Fortunately the indigo lights are optional; hitting the volume up and down simultaneously turns them off.  This is a deceptively valuable feature when you have a 2 year old that’s attracted to lights with buttons attached to them.

I’ve thoroughly tested the various DSP settings, and I must admit that I am skeptical of DSP settings, they’re usually junk.  Switching to the “Movies” mode is supposed to bring out the bass found in action movies, augmenting explosions, gunfire and such that would be associated with action movies.  First on my list was the entire Terminator Trilogy including the special edition of the first Terminator and the Extreme version of the T2.  T3 is probably the best action movie made for demonstrating a surround sound system’s directional bias.  The “Movie” settings makes smallish booms sound big and big booms sound even bigger, which is great for about the first action scene or two.  By the time the she-Terminator was driving around in the giant service vehicle dragging Arnold through buildings I began to appreciate the more dynamic flat setting under the “Jazz/Classical” button.  I also listened to different kinds of music, and truly the Rock/R&B setting blended in well listening to Linkin Park’s Reanimation DVD-Audio.  It gave unreal emphasis to the deepest lows, which made me give out a few superficial “wows” at the amazing deep bass response that shook the walls; this is what you’re supposed to do when you pop in a Linkin Park DVD-Audio.  But for Frank Zappa’s Halloween DVD-Audio (possibly my favorite piece of recorded music) the Rock/R&B setting did it no favors.  The rock setting was powerful and needed to be turned down a bit after listening to Linkin Park, but it gave the intricate tones of the bass drums and guitars a kind of monotone.  I knew the tonal sameness that afflicted the bass veiled the music because I had heard it before using an 8”sub.  Setting the DSP back to flat demonstrated how musical the sub could really be.  Drumbeats from Zappa’s playful Zeets track bounce through the room in circles around the listeners perspective and the sub sounded tight keeping up with every position in the in the surround track.  The DPS-12’s driver gave the track all the punch it needed while remaining remarkably reserved and didn’t overpower my smaller surround speakers.

All in all, the DSP settings only solidified my opinion of DSP settings in general.  They have only so much superficial hoopla that button mashers will find it fun to play with them for a while.  In just about every application the flat setting was best.  No other “action movie” DVD clarifies the weakness of DSP than the THX qualified Star Wars trilogy.  The opening scene of A New Hope, a scene burned into the memory of anyone of my generation, is an exercise in how bass should be menacing but subtle.  When the Imperial Cruiser passes over the viewer’s POV the bass will make your walls shudder with the cruelty of an Empire gone awry.  But with the DSP setting on Movie, that deep pitched menacing rumble of the cruiser’s engine is emphasized a few hertz higher than it should.  The effect is about as menacing as a goofy Storm trooper asking to see your ID.  Set the sub back to flat (Jazz/Classical) and just turn the volume up a few notches if you want more wall shaking, suddenly that Imperial Cruiser is as fear inducing as the vanguard of the Dark Lord should. 

The DSP feature of this sub is just a toy that you might have fun with for awhile, but underneath it’s a monstrous sub with enough power to rattle the pipes of my gas fireplace over 30ft away.   The DPS-12 is a high quality sub and easily among the best in its price range, at time of writing you can find this for around $500 US and $600 Cnd.  Home Theater Secrets put the 10” model through the wringer and it came out with their approval, for more technical details on the Velodyne DPS 10 check out Secret’s complete review.