Velodyne Acoustics MiniVee X Subwoofer Review
Velodyne Acoustics, a specialist in low-frequency sound, introduced the new MiniVee X earlier this year. This ultra-compact subwoofer promises to be a true all-rounder. It also comes with room calibration and app control. Tested at 999 euros.
by Simon Mendel
Velodyne Acoustics are true experts in low-frequency sound. They have specialized in subwoofers for over 40 years, even before the home cinema boom. The company was founded in 1983 in Silicon Valley, USA. Since then, they have placed great emphasis on innovation and modern technology. This focus paid off early, as a year after the company was founded, Velodyne received several awards for their ULD-18 subwoofer. However, the company didn’t rest on its laurels and continues to advance technical innovation. For example, in 1998, they developed the first subwoofer with a distortion rate of less than 0.5%, and in 2003, the first subwoofer with automatic room calibration.
In addition, Velodyne has ventured into other areas. Since 2005, the company has developed LIDAR products, which are used, for example, in autonomous driving. This led to Velodyne Lidar separating from the parent company in 2016. Another division, Velodyne Marine, developed a ship called “Martini,” equipped with active suspension that stabilizes itself, preventing even a drop of the namesake Martini from being spilled, even in rough seas.
The most recent change at Velodyne Acoustics occurred in 2019 when Mansour Mamaghani, managing director of Audio Reference—Velodyne’s long-time distributor in Germany—became the new owner. As a result, Velodyne moved its headquarters from the USA to Hamburg.
Design
Velodyne has extensive expertise and experience in subwoofer development due to its history. This competence is evident in the MiniVee X, the latest low-frequency speaker. It is an ultra-compact subwoofer, controllable via smartphone app, and supports convenient and reliable DSP room correction. In addition, the “little one” has many different connections.
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Due to its dimensions, the Velodyne MiniVee X is very space-saving. The cube-shaped subwoofer measures about 29 centimeters on each side and weighs 15 kilograms. The ultra-compact housing is made of MDF and is internally reinforced multiple times. These reinforcements increase the stiffness of the MiniVee X and minimize disturbing resonances. The housing is sealed, meaning there is no bass reflex port, which results in a controlled, tight bass. The sleek, high-gloss finish suits the small bass cube very well.
The front is adorned with the company’s logo in a classic style. Overall, the subwoofer is not only very high-quality but also attractively crafted. There are no visible screws or edges, except on the back. Two eight-inch drivers are installed on the sides. These are Velodyne’s brand-new eight-inch drivers, precisely tuned and allowing for a long excursion, moving a lot of air, translating into a high level of output. However, not both drivers of the MiniVee X are active. It features a “Force Cancelling Design,” where only one driver is active, and the other is a passive radiator. This combination of active and passive drivers reduces cabinet movement, improving bass precision.
Filter & Phase
The back hosts rotary controls and buttons for controlling the subwoofer. You can adjust the low-pass frequency from 20 to 200 Hz. The filter has a slope of 12dB per octave, a value that effectively separates the signal without being too abrupt. For adjusting the crossover frequency and volume, there is a small display that shows the set values. The volume can be adjusted on a scale of 0 to 30. In addition to the rotary controls, there is a button that flips the phase by 180° and a start button for room calibration.
But more on that later. A three-position toggle switch allows you to set the subwoofer’s wake-up mode. You can set it to always on, to turn on automatically, or to wait for an external trigger signal. For this trigger, there are both an input and output. In addition, on the back, there is a connection for the included measurement microphone and a USB slot. The latter is for power. This makes it ready for the Velodyne Acoustics Wi-Connect function, which allows a wireless connection of the subwoofer.
Connections
In terms of connections, the MiniVee X is probably one of the best-equipped subwoofers in its price range. For 999 euros, the small Velodyne subwoofer offers all the connections you need for Hi-Fi, home cinema, or the studio. On one hand, we have LFE/RCA jacks to connect the subwoofer via the sub-out of the amplifier or stereo-out. Also included is the option, especially popular among experts, to connect the subwoofer to the amplifier with speaker cables. The MiniVee has the necessary high-level inputs for this. Here the subwoofer is connected in stereo, as if it were a pair of passive speakers.
In professional audio, subwoofers are often connected via XLR. This is because such a cable is balanced and, therefore, less susceptible to noise and interference. In the studio, the subwoofer is then connected in stereo to the sound card via XLR. Then, the active studio monitors are also connected to the subwoofer’s outputs via XLR. All the necessary connections are present on the Velodyne MiniVee X. It’s amazing that the small subwoofer is equipped for all these areas. The MiniVee X is an option for virtually all applications.
But the Velodyne also impresses with its features under the hood. The compact subwoofer drives its driver with a Class-D amplifier module that provides a maximum output of 800 watts. To convert this power into sound pressure, an oversized ferrite magnet motor is used. In addition, the voice coil measures two inches in diameter and is four layers of high-purity copper wire. This allows for high currents. The MiniVee X delivers very clean playback. At 350W RMS, its distortion is below 0.5%. At very high levels, it can still reach a low 2%. A built-in digital signal processor, which handles the room calibration, completes the feature package.
Auto EQ
For Auto EQ, the automatic room calibration of the Velodyne MiniVee X, we used the included measurement microphone. It consists of the microphone and a heavy stand. It is also equipped with a sufficiently long cable to connect directly to the back of the subwoofer and place it in the listening position. Once that’s done, you’re ready to go. You can start the automatic room calibration with the button on the back of the MiniVee X, or you can use the Velodyne Acoustics Auto EQ SUB App. Here, the smartphone connects to the subwoofer via Bluetooth.
Then, all values can be conveniently controlled from the sofa. The Auto EQ activates with the push of a button, and two frequency sweeps later, the subwoofer is calibrated. In our listening room, the system effectively compensates for room modes. If you want to complement the automatic adjustment with your sound preferences, you can do so with the fully parametric EQ integrated into the app. You can set the six bands entirely as you like.
Unfortunately, the operation is somewhat cumbersome, as you can’t hear the EQ live when adjusting. You have to save each setting first for the DSP to implement it. Therefore, effectively searching for resonance frequencies is very difficult. It’s advisable to first analyze the room sound with a frequency analysis app and then adjust the sound according to your taste or room acoustics.
In Practice
The MiniVee X serves as a subwoofer in many tests in this issue’s core theme, home cinema. Therefore, it must prove itself in many different setups and test rooms. In the test of the Denon AVC-X6800H, we used it in our large cinema hall, for example. This situation is admittedly a bit unfair for the small subwoofer. After all, the hall is quite large at 70 square meters, and the compact low-frequency cube is simply overmatched. Nevertheless, since we want to hear the subwoofer in a Dolby Atmos context, we simply place it in our seating area against the wall.
Now it is adequately distanced. We watch “Godzilla II: King of the Monsters,” the 2019 American Kaiju spectacle. Here, there’s hardly a moment without effects, explosions, and rumbling. There’s plenty of work for the small subwoofer, but it immediately shows what it’s capable of. We’re impressed with how deep and powerful the low-frequency output is from the MiniVee X. It reaches frequencies down to 37 Hz while remaining very clean and controlled. We never feel that the subwoofer is overwhelmed or loses focus.
The MiniVee X also supports the test of the Anthem MRX SLM. Here, in the context of a 5.1 home cinema system in our Hi-Fi listening room. Since we use only bookshelf speakers, the subwoofer practically takes over the entire low-frequency range. Now the Velodyne presents itself so clearly and integrates so harmoniously with the bookshelf speakers that we completely forget that the MiniVee X is in the room. It acts musically and dynamically in a way we rarely experience from subwoofers in this price range and size. When listening to music, it’s particularly noticeable how effortlessly and smoothly the MiniVee X performs.
Good subwoofers are unobtrusive. They support the playback symbiotically, without drawing attention to themselves. This is exactly how we experience the MiniVee X. It sounds beautifully balanced and rounded.
However, it can also powerfully and aggressively bring out the low-end when needed. At the same time, it’s one of the few compact subwoofers that can handle both film and music playback equally well.
Specifications
Device Class Subwoofer
Price Category Mid-range
Manufacturer Velodyne Acoustics
Model MiniVee X
Price (RRP) €999
Dimensions (W/H/D) 29x30x29 cm
Weight 15 kg
Information www.velodyneacoustics.com
Frequency Response 18-300 Hz
Phase 0 or 180°
Power Max 800W
Wireless Operation Via module
Power Supply Standby: <0.5W, Operation: 11W
Inputs 2x XLR, 2x RCA, 2x Speaker terminals
Outputs 2x XLR, 2x RCA
Verdict
With the MiniVee X, Velodyne Acoustics has managed to launch an ultra-compact subwoofer on the market that is convincing both in terms of sound and design. The small subwoofer acts exceptionally cleanly, offers various adjustment options, and delivers the best performance for the price. We particularly liked the fact that Velodyne included all the connections, so the MiniVee X fits into any setup. Only the included app could be more intuitive.
Features
• Ultra-compact design
• Room calibration
Sound 20/20
Dynamics 19/20
Pulse Fidelity 19/20
Playback Quality 58/60
Features/Build Quality 18/20
User Friendliness 10/10
Up/Down Ratings None
Intermediate Result 86 out of 90 points
Price/Performance Very good 9/10
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