Monitors or floorstander to match Velodyne DD15?

Vladimir - That's my expectation too, especially since the DD-15 used the same magnet as the larger DD-18. Do you have any thoughts about getting fronts and whether it's wise to get something that's lighter in the base and use the Velodyne in 2-channel?

Aroc/Emile - Thanks for the suggestions. There's a dealer a couple hours away who has Maggies, Velodynes and even the Anthem elctronics I'm interested in and I hope I can listen to them together.

Vladimir. Jonsher. This is an interesting theory, something I was not aware of. Thanks for pointing this out.

Many people seem to feel the Velodyne Digital Drive subs are top notch. All 4 models seem to use the same amp. The 10" and 12" models seemingly the same magnet while the 15" and 18" commonly use a bigger one.

So I am wondering is the only reason to have these different size units because of the way they each react with different room sizes based on their driver sizes and not for matching with main speakers? Also, since a larger driver will push more air volume wouldn't this also have the effect of possibly slowing it? Or is it because of the DD design, ie damping factor, etc. that this volume difference becomes negligible and therefore irrelevant?

Thanks for your input.

It really shouldn't matter what speakers you go with. When it comes to a good sealed subwoofer. You should be able to match it up with time and patience to any speaker.You have to decide which configuration you want to use. That's using the crossovers in the subwoofer as a filter for the mains. Or just running RCAs to the low level inputs, allowing the sub to supplement the LFE.

If you ever get the chance to hear these subs or any other decent sub run in stereo. You will wish you had two of them. It just isn't the same sound when they are run in stereo.The only way to understand it ,is to hear it for yourself. The key word is stereo. Running two subs in mono will not give you the same effect. Infact it may overpower the room with two subs run in mono depending on the room size.

Gunbei - I am an accoustical novice so take my theory with that in mind. It just seems to me there are several questions to ask when it comes to speed it is not simply the diameter of the woofer but rather the diameter and its interplay with the the type of material and design of the woofer and the type of magnet and design. And again, using my intuitive sense, I would suspect that a magnet powerful enough to drive the DD-18s would be more than ample to drive the DD-15s with speed and precision. I sure hope so.

Gmood1 - Stereo subs aren't in my cards for now but I will try to listen to such a setup if I get the chance.

Jonsher, as always there are tradeoffs when using one or two subs. Provided the subwoofer cabinet is well braced and has no resonances and that you blend it well with the satellites, you can use a single subwoofer and never notice its contribution to the sound. I have done that with RELs many times for myself and for friends, even with difficult speakers like Quads. I am sure it can be done with one DD-15.

By the way, bass foundation is only one of the advantages or subwoofers, the other is improved soundstage due to the ambience cues that were previously hidden in very low frequencies. You can read more about minimonitors and subwoofers at my blog here (scroll down). Both articles are targeted at new audiophiles but the basics are sound, I believe.

As you will see there, I am a fan of small high-quality monitors and subwoofers instead of floorstanders at a similar price point.