Velodyne DD15 - worth repairing the plate amp?

The DD series doesn't connect to a computer. The plus series does. Although there is a way to upgrade the firmware for the DD series with a computer but it takes a special cable from USB to serial

You do need the remote and a video hookup. But there is a quick setup button on the back of the sub. Read the manual!

csmgolf, you are correct. I was wrong about the quick setup button.

There is a second mic input on the front of the DD-15 and 18. So you don’t have to move the subs to connect it.

Replacing the plate amp with another is not really an option considering the power(1250 watts) and abilities of the Velodyne model. And there’s also a video output for complete setup.

The DD-15 is still a great sub. I own two. I recently repaired one of mine myself. I ended up having to replace the amp which costs around $370.00 from Velodyne in Germany plus about $180.00 for shipping. I had replaced all of the caps on the main board but it didn’t fix the problem.

The DD-15 was $5000.00 new and still competes with the best available. REL is not a real sub IMO. They don't even go down to 20hz.

You can’t just replace the plate amp with an off the shelf version as someone suggested. The Velodyne amp is 1350 watts plus eq and much more is involved.

The DD series does have a video output which is very helpful. The DD Plus is the newer model. It also has computer connections. The DD Plus series uses the same amps as the DD models. That's one reason the amps are still available.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

Robert

Kraftwerk and m-db, I replaced the 2 caps and all the SMDs on the board. They are quite numerous and small. And you have to pry the boards apart from the foam insulator. Which is glued. I used a steak knife. The sub worked but was much lower in volume than my other one. That does not mean it won’t repair yours. But my amp was bad. M-db, they do not have the whole plate amp, only the amp itself because they still use them in the new subs. They will repair the whole plate amp but shipping to and from Germany will be high. The amp module just plugs in. You have to make sure the amp is for your model because they have to be programmed for different DD subs. The DD-15 and DD-18 use the same amp but different programming. And they all look alike. Here’s a picture of the amp. https://www.ebay.com/itm/145278181171?hash=item21d3411f33:g:MQcAAOSwroNk9GcZ&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4Dlasd1VpHEE7IZzv%2F56e1lWtlfQ2PXUvSHuVeapZpoxPQ1UD452WTaWHIocJVvedVfo3hbabQ%2BtmOf%2BqqSCDoEIcNFehjJDa6m8hoXp4GPt2Cuyg25ntkxeOhcoHljjSZzIPtPiowt1qZR2b5HY1zQJUqnV1VVPTqO158QP%2FUmCBN1lIhMFVFWLkw1KO2oFF8GBCK1gKxHffCRCd0KS5psP10q0G0dhD67b1v7kQGIbm0SpNx5tWsmp9Cl09X6ImWgjUIaAKn3LISHO%2FOQWbcduTnEtsUr35tY4F6rpSmXD%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8jS6u_dYg

I forgot to point out that Origin Acoustics is the US distributor of Velodyne. They do have parts but it was more expensive for them. Although they would be better if you needed to send the plate amp to them for repair in the US.The caps were bad in mine as well as the SMDs on the board. I don't think you will have good luck using an outboard amp because of the EQ and power that is involved with the DD series. But you may if you used something like mini DSP with a powerful amp.https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/minidsp-2x4-hd

Another option is to use a Velodyne SMS-1 with a power amp to replace the subwoofer plate amp.

That's a possibility but remember the DD has a 1350 watt amp and EQing a sub down to below 20hz requires exponential amounts of power.

No the DD series has automatic room and main speaker EQ if you run the output into your preamp. But I never use the electronic xover in the sub for the main speakers. I want my mains to run full range without any other electronics to distort the signal.

It's could be that your amp is not using as much power. I'm not using my subs for a surround system.

I don't think you can. The cabinet and drivers are different as well as the boards.

The mini DSP uses a microphone and computer to equalize the sub much like the Velodyne software. But it is more sophisticated. They also make many other products for home and studio.https://www.minidsp.com/applications/subwoofer-tuning/dual-sub-with-mso

Correct.

We'll all be interested in the outcome. He probably doesn't have the amp in stock if it needs one, does he?

I just don't believe your receiver will have nearly enough power for the sub.

I did misunderstand Kraftwerk. The Berhinger should work.

Waytoomuch, Have you tried Mini DSP with the Velodyne?

https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/minidsp-2x4-hd

https://www.minidsp.com/applications/digital-crossovers/stereo-34way-xover

It could work. Mini DSP mentioned above is made for what you want to do. I’ve never tried one. But I’ve heard it works great. Look it up on YouTube. If interested.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4OY0MhMKTc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU-H-HD4bxg

He's already done so kep.

I have a DD-10 that's apart and it measures 12 ohms. I never checked the 15 when it was apart. Do you have a multimeter?

What kind of deep bass are you getting and will it play loudly?

Sounds about right. EQ and a large amp are very important with a for a small cabinet to go deep.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235171193481?hash=item36c14ba289:g:m00AAOSwWP5k8e9c&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4D2R47q6a0gjClh3E2yk2dJEaQ9UB3uuayQATBHs87m1Ud1LN58h0zQ9Ig9OLp8ZnONSh8HEUzpVyMkiehzCupm%2BbFub5hiuVsA2RVmdKglP0Iviu3wg2NF78MpA8HJ1O0z2nnxm9mQszKzXgOcK2siJdEKmr6zvJoav9X3qtX13fAHEEhtBN3zI0vL0tQUzGoqARrOTIXuiCqCQthEiBJ5k1ing89b1hKGFRGn4uty4UAjjnTjWhH%2F1WNa7RRfnv%2BhLoGxYbJJI2wtkVD1fwitPoSygm%2BR70FF7ccDTc2q7%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8rZ0-fiYg

It's an outboard version the one built into the Velodyne DD series. You can use it with any sub though. Can be used as a replacement for the Velodyne built in EQ if needed.

It's a great product if you want a simple way to set up subs that don't have built in room correction.

Minidsp does more but requires a computer. Once set up it doesn't anymore though.https://www.minidsp.com/

Usually, unless things have changed, Audessy doesn't do that much to equalize subwoofers. And I would also assume that Velodyne's EQ works more closely with it's internal amp. But I could be wrong because miniDSP is supposed to work great for subs.

I would just run Audessy normally then go into to manual setup and set the sub's xover higher than Velodyne's internal one. Adjust mains if possible to match the sub.

Have you ever used the video out on the Velodyne? The DD series uses the microphone to equalize the sub to your room. I believe the standard xover is set at 80. You can set the xover to whatever and for 5 different settings. You can also use the parametric EQ and manually adjust the output at different frequencies. But to do so you need to use the video out from the sub. There's lot's of settings you can access by using the video out. If you don't have a manual, download one.

To remove the amp when stuck I tapped on the plate lightly with a rubber mallet. It loosened right up.