Home > Consumer Reviews > VELODYNE ACOUSTICS CHT-8 Classic Home Theater Series Powered Subwoofer ? Black

After much debate and product testing of other solid and reputable namebrand speaker companies, the Velodyne CHT-8 won me over to the nth degree ! At my local Circuit City in Chandler, Arizona I tested the other name brands Polk and Infinity. The Polk, while exceptionally reputable for creating fine audio speakers for theatre application, one of their models just couldn't cut the mustard like the Velodyne. No matter how much tweaking or adjusting was done to the 12 inch Polk it only kicked in when an explosion or punch occurred faintly. Then, I jumped across town to Best Buy to try the Cerwin Vega 12 inch 150 watt model V12S. While CV is known for their loud thundering speakers the bass on this particular model was muddy and soft. Not at all defined, tight, and believable. It was more of a bump than a thump suited more for musical applications. So, back to Circuit City.

The CHT 8 produced clean, firm and focused bass. Yet, not so focused as to draw attention to the location of the sub. Afterall, bass is non-directional or omni-directional. It should be felt, slightly heard but not pinpointed ! One nifty feature is being able to put the sub in an auto standby mode. With this feature you do not have to always shut the sub off after turning the rest of your system off. The auto detection signal system will shut the sub off after 10 minutes of no signal input rendering the sub in a standby mode the next time the receiver or amp is turned on. The most incredible feat this modestly sized box can do is rival most 10" and 12" subs. In some instances it outperformed the competition. Several recommended test discs would include Lord of The Rings, Phantom Menace, The Fifth Element, and Saving Private Ryan (basically any dvd with major action and effects). Also, do not make the mistake of thinking that the deep rich bass should only occur because you visually see an actor getting punched or a car exploding. There should be a constant sonic presence or atmosphere that you do not get without a sub ! This is where other name brands fail !

I bought this sub 2 years ago, and one day i turned the power switch on the amp did not switch on. i looked behind the sub, and the light did not even come on! I tried replacing the fuse, but it kept blowing them, so I took it back, but they said I would have pay for the shipping. I gave it to someone that needed it, and they are powering it by an external amp. On another note, the sound was descent, and it did play pretty low, but not low enough. It was loud, and provided tight, clean bass. I now own a jbl sub, and I would recommend listening or purchasing one of their subs.

Well, this sub is powerful, and it is tight and clean, but i can't give it 5 stars for one simple reason. It only goes down to 35 hz. The whole purpose of a sub is to fill out the lowest frequencies of the sound spectrum. This sub just doesn't do it. I listen to mostly rap music and i also have a fair collection of dvd's. Most people will probably immediately say....oh he listens to rap, he doesn't know anything about quality speakers. Well, either way, i will say that this is a high quality product, but if you're looking for really low bass, go with something else. Sony's SAWM40 does a good job for about 200 dollars, and the audiosource fifteen does a wonderful job for 190 dollars. I just can't justify paying 300 dollars for something that doesn't cover the whole frequency range.