# My new Velodyne Impact 10.



## gsmollin (Apr 25, 2006)

My first impression of the Velodyne Impact 10 was accurate and lasting. When I first picked it up I was amazed how light-weight it is (about 22 lbs.). It also sounds light-weight. My second impression was also lasting and accurate. It is a handsome-looking little box. It is also a handsome-sounding little box. The opening piano chords from Adele’s _Live at the Royal Albert Hall_ rang with a realistic resonance, but this is no boom box. It has a very tight and musical sound that is a delight to listen to. You can read Velodyne’s literature here: http://velodyne.com/subwoofers/impact-series/impact-10.html
I performed some testing on the Impact 10, using the ground-plane method, outside. The frequency response is specified at 32-140 Hz ± 3 dB. I measured -3 dB at 34 Hz in my tests. Testing also showed nearly fixed group delay above 40 Hz, and an exponential-decay impulse response; both looked very good. THD is 8.8% at 35 Hz, at 85 dBC. Notice how steep the skirts are at 35 Hz. That is the port resonance at work. At 40 Hz the THD is 3.8%, and it falls to 1.9% at 50 Hz. One concern I had with the downward-firing port was interference with a carpeted floor, so I tested the Impact 10 on a hard surface and with a carpet over that. My surprise was that the speaker had a smoother frequency response with the carpet. Some ripple in the FR was prevalent around the port resonance at 35 Hz, but reduced with the carpet. Apparently the damping provided by the carpet is a good thing.
However, the spec and testing both agree that you will not get any sub-bass from the Impact 10. If you want a subwoofer to reproduce explosions and general rumble from the LFE track in your home theater, you must look at, ahem, a heavier player. If you want a small and inexpensive woofer to play music with your satellite speakers, and/or in a small home theater setup, then you will be satisfied with the Impact 10. One other caveat is that the Impact 10 does not have a variable phase control fitted to the crossover, only a 0-180 phase switch. If you want to use the Impact 10 with an amplifier that lacks bass management, this may not be sufficient to remove the phase-null that usually forms in the crossover between sub and speakers. I recommend pairing the Impact 10 with a modern AVR with bass management, and using that to control the crossover. 
Overall, I am satisfied with my choice. I have the Impact 10 in a mini-theater, paired with B&W M-1 satellite speakers in a 1000 cubic foot room. This combination has very good musicality, and does well enough in movies if you don’t expect a good shaking. As a bonus, it will be easy to move the sub for cleaning!


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

Thanks for your post. That's good information which I'm sure will benefit others.


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