Velodyne DD: 10 or 12?


Will be replacing a REL Strata II which is very nice, but a recent upgrade has left me looking for more. I like the room correction idea but now am wondering if I should upsize. The Strata II is an 8" driver and seems to have provided adequate bass in my large-ish room, but maybe that is due to down-firing? The floor is carpet over wood, with a full-height basement beneath so there is some reverb due to that. Am also using a Gramma/SubDude which I like and will probably keep.

For budget reasons am considering only the 10 or 12, so the 15 and 18 are not really players for me. Looking at specs the only diff seems to be 1.7" in driver size, amps, etc all the same, and the 12 goes 1 hz lower, which I don't see as significantly different. Is the 12 worth the extra $500 msrp for a budget-conscious decision? Obviously I can afford it if I am considering it but prefer to not overspend.

Would be interested to hear esp from users who have weighed this type of choice before.

On an aside, which finish is preferred in general? The gloss black is no doubt attractive but am concerned about how it would wear. Most of the gear is black/dark but it is parked on a Salamander Twin 20, in cherry, which seems to be close to the Velo cherry.
kck
Thanks everyone. I think I am almost ready to pull the trigger on the DD12. I do have one question though... I ran a frequency sweep of my speakers with the REL off. While I did not record the results exactly, the things that stood out were:
1) Bump of 4-6 db between 80-95 hz
2) Small dip in the mid-to high 100s... maybe 170 hz? Do not remember and I cannot confirm right now.
3) Rapid rolloff from 55 hz down, to about 6 db down at 40, pretty much nothing there after 37 hz.

Also, I am running an integrated with a subwoofer out feature, which is placed AFTER the volume control (so the SW follows the amps volume). With the REL, I have been using the high-level (Neutrik) connections out of the amp's speaker posts so I have not had to worry about any of this.

Given the points above, is the DD still the way to go to correct all the bumps and dips, and will it do all it is made to do using the connections I have now? As you can tell, I am a bit illiterate when it comes to advanced SW connections, not having had to do so for a while. I am not a technophobe, and am sure I could learn how to set it up, so that is not an issue. But I just want to be sure, before laying out cash, that I can realize the full potential of this impressively-spec'd machine.
BTW, I will be using the sub in a strictly music-only, 2-channel system... does that change any of the answers above or any to come? Sorry, should have stated that earlier. I do like the individual settings feature, so I can use a different one for rock, classical, etc.
Hi, just giving this a little bump... would love to get some answers to my latest set of questions above. Thanks much.
Kck - I am a velodyne DD15 owner. Buy the DD12. It is exactly what you need. The DD15 enabled me to put a band aid over my room's major problems and enabled me to listen to music without being constantly distracted by boomy bass.
I will add that the DD-12 should be fine. The onboard digital EQ should equalize most of the bumps and dips. I've got my room nearly flat all the way to 22hz.
There is a very good article on the DD-12 in the Dec 2004 issue of Stereophile Ultimate AV. There has been a software update since the review was printed.