News

Velodyne Launches New Software Upgrade for Digital Drive Series Subwoofers (2/11/2005)

Velodyne Acoustics, Inc., today announced the availability of software version 2.0, a major upgrade to the current line of Digital Drive (DD) subwoofers. Numerous enhancements including auto-EQ make this software upgrade compelling for both past and current DD Velodyne customers. The software is free and available for download from the Velodyne website.

Version 2.0 is the first major feature enhancement to the Digital Drive Series since the line was introduced in July, 2003 and is shipping now with all new Digital Drive subwoofers. All Digital Drive subwoofers can take advantage of the new features in release 2.0, regardless of the current version they are running.

Over a dozen new features can be found in the software. Some of the most notable enhancements include:

á Auto-EQ. This feature automatically analyzes the frequency response in the listener's room and adjusts the 8-band EQ.
á Individualized EQ curves by preset. Tailor individual EQ curves for each preset Ð Action/Adventure, Movies, Jazz/Classical, Pop/Rock, or Custom.
á Improved navigation. All four directional arrows of up, down, left and right can be used to navigate around the setup screens.
á Defeatable low-pass crossover. The low-pass crossover can be completely shut off.

"We're excited to be the first manufacturer to offer software updates for a subwoofer. Even for users who purchased their Digital Drive sub in 1993, this free update makes it like they just bought it yesterday," said Bruce Hall, president of Velodyne. "By incorporating highly requested features like auto-EQ, we've made the DD series even more adaptable to any room's special acoustical anomalies, and made it even easier to perfectly match the subwoofer's behavior to the listener's tastes."

Downloading the update is straightforward from Velodyne's website. Setup is easy using a 9-pin, male-to-female RS-232 "mouse extension" cable and a standard PC running Microsoft Windows. The cable can be obtained from any PC store or directly from Velodyne. Computers with USB ports only can obtain RS-232 adapters from any computer store.

Digital Drive is the industry's first all-digital, high gain servo-controlled subwoofer series and the first to incorporate Velodyne's patent pending Digital Drive room equalization system that allows the sub's frequency response to be measured using a calibrated microphone and viewed graphically on a TV. The series is available in 18", 15", 12" and 10" models and all feature Velodyne's patented 1250-watt RMS Energy Recovery System (ERS) switching amplifiers.

www.velodyne.com