Customer Reviews

Velodyne SMS-1 In-Room Bass Correction Kit With Included Microphone

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was hesitant to purchase this unit because it is rather expensive, but at least Amazon's price reflected a nice discount so I decided to take the plunge. I am glad I did - this unit really did improve the response from my subwoofer and what I have now is noticeably cleaner and tighter bass.

What I like about the Velodyne: It is very easy to use, the build quality is excellent, and it is very flexible and versatile when it comes to making adjustments when tuning the bass for your room. An on-screen display and a continuous sweep tone shows you what the bass response is at the location where the microphone is placed. The SMS-1 has an 8-band parametric equalizer (meaning you can adjust the middle frequency of each of the 8 bands to really tailor the sound), continuous phase adjustment, a polarity switch, and easily adjustable controls. Audiophiles will know what I am talking about. If you aren't familiar with these terms, just know that this product is very powerful in its ability to achieve a flatter bass frequency response curve. As you fiddle around with the adjustments, you can see the results in real time on your television screen - what could be better feedback than that?

What I don't like about the Velodyne: I like everything about it! This is great! Well actually there is something that didn't seem to work right: the quick setup in which you let the unit set everything automatically. When I ran the auto quick setup, the bass tones were extremely loud and the room shook so much I was afraid it would damage the house! There are supposed to be 25 sweeps that enable the unit to configure itself. Mine ran 5 sweeps then stopped, and no auto configuring was done. I assume that this premature shut off happened because the bass was too loud and overloaded the microphone. Most likely if I had turned the volume knob down on the sub this would have cured the problem but since I really intended to use the manual adjustment (which is much better plus it is relatively easy), I didn't bother going any further with the auto configuration/setup. My sub volume was set between 9:00 and 10:00 and I didn't want to touch it. When doing the manual adjustment, I had no problems whatsoever.

All in all this is an excellent unit. No matter how good a subwoofer is, your room plays a significant role in the response. The Velodyne overcomes limitations imposed by your room and/or the sub itself and really improves the listening experience.

The SMS system has improved bass response in my room to near perfection. The ability to see the bass response on your display lets you find the best location for your sub woofer quick and simple. The auto set up feature goes above and beyond the limitation of most receivers since they often only correct a couple of points in the lower bass frequencies.

Things get more interesting when you choose manual setup as it allows you to fine tune your bass response. This has been one of the best components I have added to my system and cant recommend it enough - It has literally transformed my music. Until receivers incorporate this type of bass correction the velodyne SMS is a must for anyone who wants the best bass possible out of their system.

I am finalizing my home theater build, and my room has 4 sub woofers. As many HT/Audio enthusiasts know (ie you... why else would you be looking at a $500 bass correction), multiple subs help provide smoother bass response throughout multiple seats in an HT. Unfortunately, controlling 4 subs seems like a daunting task. You can imagine my excitement when I was referred to the SMS-1: automatic bass correction for up to 3 subs. Now having a connection for only 3 subs was a bit perplexing since most would suggest an even number of subs in a space. But having a simplified system with immediate feedback on any correction applied seemed PERFECT for my needs.

So when the packaged arrived, I quickly unpacked the system (very well packaged btw) and hooked everything up. Ran the sweeps and started correcting the bass. As a side note, the auto calibration is VERY aggressive... try the manual correction. Then I ran into the major limitation of the product: THE SMS-1 CAN ONLY APPLY ONE SET OF FILTERS (CORRECTION), AND IT APPLIES IT TO ALL THE SUBS. How can Velodyne claim to correct for multiple subs or why even put multiple sub connections when you can only implement one set of filters? Multiple subs will be spread out throughout the room, so each sub will have their own individual set of room issues to correct. This requires a separate filter for each sub. Imagine you have a peak at 50 Hz from sub woofer 1, and you correct by taking it down 3 db @ 50 Hz. If you only have one set of filters, you are applying that -3 db @ 50 Hz to ALL the other subs who, 99% of the time, are not having the same issues. This creates another issue for seat 1 since subs 2, 3, and 4 all have been lowered 3 db @ 50 Hz needlessly. When you move on to the 2nd sitting position, the unnecessary correction of -3 db @ 50 Hz applied to sub woofers 2, 3, and 4 create even more issues. If that second seat has another problem with Sub Woofer 3 at 70 Hz, then any correction for that issue will be again applied to subs 1, 2, 3, and 4 which creates problems for the second seat and the first seat. You get the idea. I have 7 seats in my little HT.

Why is having individual sets of filters to correct each sub better? Lets go back to the sub 1 example of the -3 db adjustment @ 50 Hz for seat 1. When you move to seat 2, the adjustment made to sub 1 MAY adversely affect seat 2. But then you can adjust either sub 2, 3, OR 4 to correct. But in reality, smaller changes to ONE sub will probably not negatively impact the rest of the seating since there are 3 other subs for support. On the other hand, applying the change to ALL subs will definitely impact the rest of the room. I know there will be compromises even with the ability to apply individual filters for each sub. But having only ONE filter for ALL subs makes calibrating a room for smooth bass response nearly impossible.

I expected more for a relatively expensive piece of equipment ($469). Velodyne obviously took the time to put together a well thought out piece of hardware. Why did they limit it by excluding a crucial aspect of correcting multiple subs by allowing only ONE set of filters? How can the company claim that this can correct for multiple sub woofers unless, I guess, the subs are stacked on top of each other (acting as one sub... sort of... this only provides more output, but not smoother bass response)? I can overlook some of the SMS-1's other limitations like 3rd octave smoothed freq response graph, aggressive auto calibration, and having only 3 (odd number) sub connections. But having the ability to apply one set of corrections for ALL the subs is a deal breaker.

Bottom line: I bought 4 subs so I can have smoother bass throughout the HT. Though the SMS-1 is relatively easy to use and has decent hardware (like the mic), it cannot effectively control multiple subs. Again, for the price, that is a HUGE let down. Needless to say, I am returning the SMS-1.

I am replacing the SMS-1 with an equalizer system I am putting together.

Mic: Behringer ECM8000 (same mic the SMS-1 uses)

Equalizers: Two (x2) Behringer DSP1124P (each can apply 2 sets of 12 filters for 2 subs. SMS-1 only has 8 filters TOTAL... also more accurate than the SMS-1).

Mic Preamp: Behringer XENYX 502

Software: Room Equalizer Wizard (REW) This is FREE!

This actually allows me to correct all 4 subs individually. All these (except the REW), can be found on Amazon. When I shopped around and priced all of it (including cables), the system came to over $150 LESS than the SMS-1. The downside is that the REW is not as straight forward as the SMS-1 software.

This is a terrific product. I am using this as a crossover to remove 80hz and below from my bookshelf speakers and to boost the bass signal that is sent to my subwoofer. I am using the SMS-1 in-between my preamp and power amp. Removing the low bass allows my bookshelf speakers to better reproduce midrange and allows them to throw a larger soundstage. Since the maximum gain on my subwoofer is a little low when used with a 2 channel preamp, the SMS-1 does a great job boosting the bass signal so that the bass volume is properly matched to the bookshelf speakers. This unit was a huge improvement for my system and it sounds better than I expected.

You don't have to worry about the SMS-1 degrading your preamp's signal since there are no op-amps on the left and right channels (your preamp's signal will just pass through the SMS-1 without being amplified again). But there is an op-amp on the LFE out put. Set up is easy- basically you put the microphone in your favorite listening position, connect it to the SMS-1, and push 3-2-1 on the remote. The SMS-1 emits a series of tones for about a minute and then it's done. It automatically configures the bass equalization points and crossover slope for the subwoofer (NOTE- the high pass crossover is fixed at 80hz at a 6db slope). If you don't trust the SMS-1's calculations or you feel the need to tinker with it's results, you can hook up the SMS-1 to a TV and use a GUI to tweak the EQ. I plan on keeping the automated settings.

The equalized bass is just amazing- tight and clear. It has an 8 band EQ, which is amazing since all 8 bands are just for bass- most stereo EQs are 5-7 bands and cover the entire audio spectrum. I guess what's more amazing to me is how much better my bookshelf speakers sound now that they don't have to reproduce lower bass. A word of caution is that when the SMS-1 sets up the EQ, the sweet spot for the sub will be wherever the microphone was positioned. In my house, the equalized signal creates "nodes" in other rooms where the bass is incredibly powerful. So if you are NOT sitting right in the sweet spot, you may have to turn the equalization to "off" (aka flat), which is easy to do with the remote.

Other thoughts:
*The "THRU" and 80hz high pass output work when the unit is not powered (a good feature if you have a power amp driving speakers in another room)
*The remote is a great feature since each album is recorded different and requires a little tweaking of the bass volume. But the remote is huge!
*The SMS-1 is sturdy and well built and is heavy for its size. You can tell there are good parts inside.
*Blends well with bookshelf speakers when using the 80hz high pass filter (maybe due to the gentle 6 db slope?).
*Make sure you turn on your main speakers to a descent volume (say, 70db) when setting up the SMS-1 with the supplied microphone. The test tones actually go up beyond bass levels so that the sub's volume can be set up to match the satellites' volume (this is not clear in the manual)

Cons:
*Runs on a 12 volt power supply rather than 120v. However, the power supply is not a wall wart. It's the type that has a standard power cable that plugs into a transformer (like a laptop power supply) so that the power supply can sit on the floor or behind the unit.
*I wish this unit was standard depth. Since it's only about 6 inched deep, you really can't stack other equipment on top of it. So placement can be tricky.

Final Thoughts:
I found this product after looking for a 2 channel electronic crossover. I found many "DJ style" units for around a hundred bucks, which weren't aesthetically pleasing and seemed to be made of cheap parts. I didn't find this unit until after many days of searching the web. The SMS-1 has to be one of the most poorly marketed audio products out there. By calling it a "Subwoofer Management System," the fixed 80hz high pass crossover feature can be overlooked, which is one of it's best features. The "HSU High End Crossover" was another contender for my needs, but it has far less features than the SMS-1 and costs about the same. Plus I trust the Velodyne name over HSU.

Hope this helps.

4 stars only because GUI is antiquated...works as described remote and everything. If you have a highend system that does not use any other kind of correction, this is the product for you. I am using a Bryston set up with a Velodyne sub (older model). This unit worked great....I could see the changes in the frequency response on the TV as the AUTO program worked its magic. System sounds amazing. One thing to be wary of is the fact that the manual mode only works if you have your own test sweep disc...so I just used AUTO. Nice product highly recommend.

These 5 star reviews are right on the money. The equipment helps you patch holes in your listening space. It is a bit tedious to configure but it is well worth it. I contemplated buying this because most amps come with Audessey which also manages bass. However, the SMS makes Audessey look like a toy. I let Audessey tune the bass first and listened to it for a day before pulling out the big gun SMS. The bass is noticeably more crisp and deep and even about the room. This is a must have piece of equipment if you require quality bass.

Allows visual evaluation of room equalization and adjustment of room equalization including main speakers and subwoofer(s)

Simple if your sub doesn't have any sort of bass management you need this. The on screen display is decent being able to have presets on the remote is awesome. I am running this on some jl audio phantom 113 and they have a base managemet system in them but this one is so much better I use this. I highly recomend this.