I was really looking to get an SW1. I liked it very much in the showroom. However, when I explained my room, and showed photos of it to my dealer, he recommended the DD-12. At first, I was somewhat put off by this, because I am a big fan of Thiel, and as stated, was quite taken with the SW1. I decided to contact Shari directly, and without telling her that my dealer had recommended the DD-12, I began asking her how to get the SW1 to work with my 3.6's and with my room. As we discussed all of the options, it became apparent that I would, in all likelihood, need to make signal adjustments above and beyond volume level and crossover settings, and that I would probably need control over more parameters than the SW1/SC1 would allow. We did discuss the possible use of outboard processors, but in the end, Shari did say for my room, the Velodyne DD-12 might be a better choice than the SW1 (with or without the controller).
Granted, Shari did say (and I wholeheartedly agree) that the SW1 would be a better match in a "normal" room. I haven't heard Thiel's newer subs, but at the time that I was looking, the SW1 was the best subwoofer that I had heard (and still is). If my room wasn't such a bear, I would have bought one for sure. But, given my situation, the DD-12 made more sense. My dealer told me this, and Shari told me this. I was the one who was hard to convince, really. As it stands, I am very pleased with the resulst that I am getting with my DD-12. I don't think that set flat it is a better sub than the Thiel (though it is commendably close, given the price differential), but as stated, my room needed the extensive diagnostic and signal shaping abilities of the Digital Drive series.
Shari has been a great resource for me, and I very much respect her opinion. The fact that she recommended a competitor's product for my particular application did nothing but increase my respect for her, and my high regard of Thiel in general. Through this, and other actions, Shari and Thiel have helped cultivate me into a life-long fan (although in truth, just listening to their products did that for me!).
That's about as much of the "whole story" as I can recall. If you have additional, specific questions, I would be happy to address them.
Tom.
Granted, Shari did say (and I wholeheartedly agree) that the SW1 would be a better match in a "normal" room. I haven't heard Thiel's newer subs, but at the time that I was looking, the SW1 was the best subwoofer that I had heard (and still is). If my room wasn't such a bear, I would have bought one for sure. But, given my situation, the DD-12 made more sense. My dealer told me this, and Shari told me this. I was the one who was hard to convince, really. As it stands, I am very pleased with the resulst that I am getting with my DD-12. I don't think that set flat it is a better sub than the Thiel (though it is commendably close, given the price differential), but as stated, my room needed the extensive diagnostic and signal shaping abilities of the Digital Drive series.
Shari has been a great resource for me, and I very much respect her opinion. The fact that she recommended a competitor's product for my particular application did nothing but increase my respect for her, and my high regard of Thiel in general. Through this, and other actions, Shari and Thiel have helped cultivate me into a life-long fan (although in truth, just listening to their products did that for me!).
That's about as much of the "whole story" as I can recall. If you have additional, specific questions, I would be happy to address them.
Tom.