Subwoofer Reviews

Calling a product “the best X ever” is a foolish mistake for a reviewer to make — but it’s a mistake I’ve made on more than one occasion. There was that projector that looked really great but was completely outclassed by a less-expensive model just one month later.

It's funny when I think back now about how long I resisted getting a cell phone. Maybe it had something to do with living in Los Angeles and watching people in their spotless, scratch-free SUVs: latte in one hand, cell phone in the other, chattering away to someone they want us to think is their agent but is more likely their dog's therapist—or no one at all. Now that I have one, though, I don't know how I lived without it. The same

When it released its Digital Drive subwoofers back in the mid-2000s, Velodyne got the jump on all of its competitors. The Digital Drive circuitry and software let you tweak a sub’s sound — manually or automatically — to perfection, and also provided several preset EQ modes to suit different types
of material.

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Scout & Caldera 12: Stylish and distinctive appearance, doesn’t look like a budget product
Scout & Caldera 12: Small enclosure
Scout & Caldera 12: Inexpensive
Caldera 12: XLR input

Minus
Scout: Low efficiency rating
Scout: A bit soft in the upper frequencies
Caldera 12: Small size imparts some limits on output and extension
Caldera 12: Bass Boost feature is centered at 120Hz
Caldera 12: Auto-on functions in an unorthodox manner

THE VERDICT
The midrange from the Vanguard Scout speakers is silky smooth, while the Vanguard Caldera 12 subwoofer can go lower and play louder than its small size would suggest. At a very competitive price of $698 for a 2.1 system, Vera-Fi Audio gives you good sound quality that they bundle in unique and nicely finished cabinets. You can’t ask for more than that.

Ever hear of Vera-Fi Audio before? Neither had I, until this review. And that’s coming from the guy perhaps most associated to budget subwoofer evaluations, a person also known for finding under-the-radar brands. It’s not often a company like Vera-Fi would escape my gaze, but they did.