Daddyjt 9,628 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 A little history - In 2005 I decided it was time to upgrade from my first sub purchase of a Klipsch SW10. The Klipsch was a big step up for me, being my first sub, but it was time for something bigger and badder. At that time of my life, money really wasn’t an issue, so I decided to spring for the new Velodyne DD series. Conventional wisdom at the time was that you didn’t want a sub bigger than 12”, especially for music. It was believed that 15 & 18 inch subs were too slow and sluggish. With this in mind, I opted for the DD12, a sub I still currently love and use to this day. What I did NOT know, was the ground breaking effect of two technologies that Velodyne was the first to combine in one sub (at least in a mass-market line up): servo control, and a microphone calibrated room correction program with 8 band parametric eq. These technologies made the 18” version (DD18) arguably the best sub available at the time. The servo eliminates any “sluggishness” in the larger drivers, and the parametric eq is the icing on the cake. Thus started over a decade of regret. The DD18 sold for just north of $4,000 back in ‘05, and the routinely sell for for north of $2,000 today. Further complicating the issue, the DD series have a proprietary remote (that the sub is virtually useless without) and a very nice microphone/cable kit. Many used specimens lack these accessories. Fast forward to yesterday. A couple are selling their vacation home in Wyoming (about a 10 hour round trip from me), and liquidating many items in it -including a near-new Velodyne DD18, with all accessories, for the incredible price of $550. Needless to say, I have made arrangements with the seller to come and get it Wednesday. I offered an extra $50 to hold it, or offered a PayPal deposit. She would not hear of it - she was just glad it was going to someone who would appreciate it as much as her husband. I am beyond thrilled. I have included a photo (sorry about the poor resolution) below showing the size difference between the DD12 and the DD18. My question is, what is the best way to avoide ANY swirlies/scratches in the mirror black piano finish? I plan on taking moving blankets, but I do not want to impart even the slightest scratch in the finish. I have thought about wrapping it in shrink wrap...? Looking for some advice before Wednesday afternoon:-) thanks for reading my ramble... 1 9
Zenith4me 1,485 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) Congrats on a great score. What a beautiful sub. Perhaps lots of very soft blankets wrapped around it I presume. It is likely pretty heavy too....be careful. Watch out for belt buckles when moving it. I used to move very expensive antique clocks and we always removed anything sharp in our pockets first. What is that speaker next to the sub? I'm having speaker envy! Carter Edited October 23, 2018 by Zenith4me Bad spelling. 2
PDR 1,194 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Very nice. I've been using servo controlled subs for over 7yrs now. Rythmik (Hypex 370w) amps with 12" GR paper cone drivers. A quad in open baffle H frames......wouldnt trade 'em for anything 2
Sk1Bum 11,464 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Check your packing blankets for gravel, metal, wood, or even hard plastic shavings. Anything that might cut, scratch, or gouge the finish. Take off any jewelry, belts, and even Levi's rivets can reach out and leave a mark. Cover the prize completely, layering is good, tape the blankets down, and then wrap it all in bubble wrap. Make it look like the StaPuft marshmallow man for transit. Awesome score! Congratulations! 3
PDR 1,194 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 4 minutes ago, Zenith4me said: What is that speaker next to the sub? I'm having speaker envy! Its a B&W 800 series.....and the center is a Klipsh....seems a weird combo for an HT system. 2
BrianD 507 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 I would consider wrapping it with plastic wrap as a thin anti scratch layer. 2
Daddyjt 9,628 Posted October 23, 2018 Author Posted October 23, 2018 9 minutes ago, PDR said: Its a B&W 800 series.....and the center is a Klipsh....seems a weird combo for an HT system. I thought the same - B&W and Klipsch go together like salsa and ice cream. 7 minutes ago, BrianD said: I would consider wrapping it with plastic wrap as a thin anti scratch layer. I was wondering that - I think the shrink wrap would cling to the smooth surface and prevent anything (even a moving blanket) from rubbing on the drive home. 18 minutes ago, Sk1Bum said: Check your packing blankets for gravel, metal, wood, or even hard plastic shavings. Anything that might cut, scratch, or gouge the finish. Take off any jewelry, belts, and even Levi's rivets can reach out and leave a mark. Cover the prize completely, layering is good, tape the blankets down, and then wrap it all in bubble wrap. Make it look like the StaPuft marshmallow man for transit. Awesome score! Congratulations! Great advice, thanks! 26 minutes ago, Zenith4me said: Congrats on a great score. What a beautiful sub. Perhaps lots of very soft blankets wrapped around it I presume. It is likely pretty heavy too....be careful. Watch out for belt buckles when moving it. I used to move very expensive antique clocks and we always removed anything sharp in our pockets first. What is that speaker next to the sub? I'm having speaker envy! Carter Yes, heavy - 125 lbs...?? 2
dennismiller55 4,816 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 I use plastic packing wrap on everything I ship. Available everywhere. 4
kve777 6,889 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 I recommend buying a new microfiber blanket at Target or Walmart or wherever... For $25-$30 you will have a wrap that won't hurt your sub and something to keep you warm this winter. You could even hang it on the wall for reflection damping. I used to have a Velodyne ULD-18, with it's servo controlled 400 watt amp. It was a BEAST, but did music quite well. Enjoy! 3 2
Rockster2U 668 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) What a great challenge to tackle. Personally, Kevin’s idea of first wrapping it in a microfiber blanket makes a lot of sense. Add to that Dennis’s suggestion and wrap the blanketed sub with stretch wrap and then wrap that package with moving blankets and finally, stretch wrap the whole kit & kabuto. If anything happens and you somehow manage to scratch it, send it to me and I’ll fix it. Then I’ll send you some pictures so you can forever see just what you will forever be missing. Edited October 23, 2018 by Rockster2U Spelling 1 6
B-Man 4,781 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Are you moving it inside your truck Mark ? If so, set it on the floor, with the rear panel facing the front seat back. If you hit the brakes hard the rear panel is what might touch the seat back. Put a piece of dense foam between the rear panel and the seat back. Otherwise it will just sit there and nothing need touch it. Blankets and such attract sand, dirt, etc. and make it difficult to handle a heavy item. If you do get any scratches, Meguiar's Ultimate Polish will take care of them easily. https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/products/meguiars-ultimate-polish-g19216-16-oz-liquid Congrats on the score - that is an awesome sub !!! 4 1
Community Admin AndrewJohn 10,496 Posted October 23, 2018 Community Admin Posted October 23, 2018 Dreams really do come true! Loved your story, Mark. I'm a little off-convention in my suggestion, here. But I'll share it in case you deem it valuable. Do what you think is the best solution, in the end. I have always saved that white styro-foam-material that comes with any flat panel screen. Seems like the manufacturers came up with that for precisely this purpose - as scratches on your flat panel really suck. When I move a flat panel, I reuse one of the many I've saved. I put the microfiber or moving blankets around the white material/wrap because microfiber and other materials/blankets/etc..., may have manufacturing imperfections dirt, grit, sand, etc, that are not caught in quality control. The white material that flat panels are shipped encased in, seems to be designed for precisely this purpose. You can go to Best Buy, and get one from their geek-squad install unit. A big 50" screen is going to give you enough of that material to wrap your sub. Then use the shrink-wrap that Dennis suggested to hold it fast to the sub for the inner layer. Then blankets and such with potential scratchies and imperfections will not touch your finish. I see that U-haul also offers this product: 4
Brian_at_HHH 2,692 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) 10 hours ago, BrianD said: I would consider wrapping it with plastic wrap as a thin anti scratch layer. First off WAY TO GO!!!!!! That totally rocks! That will be a stellar addition. +1 for the plastic wrap. Then use the soft blankets. Oh and invest in a furniture polish company - you're gonna need it. ? Edited October 23, 2018 by Brian_at_HHH Missed the important bit! Oops! 1
Daddyjt 9,628 Posted October 23, 2018 Author Posted October 23, 2018 4 hours ago, B-Man said: Are you moving it inside your truck Mark ? If so, set it on the floor, with the rear panel facing the front seat back. If you hit the brakes hard the rear panel is what might touch the seat back. Put a piece of dense foam between the rear panel and the seat back. Otherwise it will just sit there and nothing need touch it. Blankets and such attract sand, dirt, etc. and make it difficult to handle a heavy item. If you do get any scratches, Meguiar's Ultimate Polish will take care of them easily. https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/products/meguiars-ultimate-polish-g19216-16-oz-liquid Congrats on the score - that is an awesome sub !!! I think it is too big to fit in the back seat of my crew cab truck:-( the plan is to wrap it up and strap it Against the back of the cab (less bounce there from bumps and such, vs against the tailgate). I plan to place the side agains the bed wall, avoiding any pressure on the driver or amp panel. I was going to remove the grill cover and keep in in the cab. The car polish is genius - I never would have thought of that. 1
Brian_at_HHH 2,692 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 1 minute ago, Daddyjt said: The car polish is genius - I never would have thought of that. I can definitely second the Meguires for scratches. It's something that gets used a lot in one of my other hobbies to polish out fine scratches in clear plastic. That said, here's wishing you luck that you never need it!
Blues Pwr 766 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Take the back seat out, what is it 4 bolts, and put it inside, and wrap it like Kev said 10hr round trip thats a lot of wind @ 70 mph., you know how it swirls in an open bed, just saying won't have to worry about the weather or stopping for fuel food restroom breaks ...... 1
Brian_at_HHH 2,692 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Remember guys, poor DaddyJT has to LIFT this 125lb sucker INTO his truck. It will be tough enough getting it in the back, let alone through a side door. Now I know he's definitely quite the macho, he-man fellow, but he also needs something left of himself at the end to get it out and then into the house. The goal is to survive to be able to listen to it. If it's padded well enough, wrapped well enough, and strapped in, okay, it will be just as good as in the back seat, short of something horrific happening. Anyone volunteering to meet him there to help out? It's a bit too much of a commute for me unfortunately. 3
fxbill 471 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) All I can say about moving it is Don't get a hernia!! I have the original 15 Velodyne sub with servos, but without the room correction. It has a marble base on it and either real or not real the unit is a killer to move! I got it for $200 about 12 years ago and immediately dumped my huge 18". I've never looked back although I heard some great ones at the fest. I very recently picked up a similar version of the 12" Velodyne for $60 off Fleabay as a non working unit. Turns out the guy didn't know how to connect it.... It works perfect! I would suggest that you find a soft flannel blanket as an inner wrapper on the unit and then using standard moving quilts over that. I doubt that you'll get any marks on it at all that way. Luckily mine don't have that finish.....black wood grain finish, but I've moved quite a few gloss black finished units and thick flannel as a first cover seems to work quite well for preserving the gloss finish without making any marks on it at all. You got a great deal.....enjoy!! PS.. I personally would not use plastic as a first wrapper. If it gets even fine dust between it and the finish it will rub it in enough to mar the finish, but if it does I also second the Mequires. They have grades to cover any amount of scratching as well as swirl removers to do a final cleanup. Edited October 23, 2018 by fxbill 4
Turbo 1,404 Posted October 24, 2018 Posted October 24, 2018 On 10/22/2018 at 10:49 PM, Daddyjt said: A little history - In 2005 I decided it was time to upgrade from my first sub purchase of a Klipsch SW10. The Klipsch was a big step up for me, being my first sub, but it was time for something bigger and badder. At that time of my life, money really wasn’t an issue, so I decided to spring for the new Velodyne DD series. Conventional wisdom at the time was that you didn’t want a sub bigger than 12”, especially for music. It was believed that 15 & 18 inch subs were too slow and sluggish. With this in mind, I opted for the DD12, a sub I still currently love and use to this day. What I did NOT know, was the ground breaking effect of two technologies that Velodyne was the first to combine in one sub (at least in a mass-market line up): servo control, and a microphone calibrated room correction program with 8 band parametric eq. These technologies made the 18” version (DD18) arguably the best sub available at the time. The servo eliminates any “sluggishness” in the larger drivers, and the parametric eq is the icing on the cake. Thus started over a decade of regret. The DD18 sold for just north of $4,000 back in ‘05, and the routinely sell for for north of $2,000 today. Further complicating the issue, the DD series have a proprietary remote (that the sub is virtually useless without) and a very nice microphone/cable kit. Many used specimens lack these accessories. Fast forward to yesterday. A couple are selling their vacation home in Wyoming (about a 10 hour round trip from me), and liquidating many items in it -including a near-new Velodyne DD18, with all accessories, for the incredible price of $550. Needless to say, I have made arrangements with the seller to come and get it Wednesday. I offered an extra $50 to hold it, or offered a PayPal deposit. She would not hear of it - she was just glad it was going to someone who would appreciate it as much as her husband. I am beyond thrilled. I have included a photo (sorry about the poor resolution) below showing the size difference between the DD12 and the DD18. My question is, what is the best way to avoide ANY swirlies/scratches in the mirror black piano finish? I plan on taking moving blankets, but I do not want to impart even the slightest scratch in the finish. I have thought about wrapping it in shrink wrap...? Looking for some advice before Wednesday afternoon:-) thanks for reading my ramble... If you ever happen to notice that there are what I call spider webs/(Swirlies) I'll give you one of my secrets to a mirror finish on my mint 1970 Pontiac GTO. I use a product called 3M Finesse it II. I use a powered buffer to very carefully polish the paint to a mirror like finish. It's the very best polish I've ever used on paint and plastics. My car was chosen as the pic of the week way back in 03/30/2003 and can be seen in the link below: http://ultimategto.com/cgi-bin/showcar.cgi?pow=yes&pic=/pow/pow0313 I also used that pic as my avatar, I was very happy that day when Jeff Klein emailed me to say one of my pics was chosen as the pic of the week. Turbo You can pick up Finesse it II from Superior Automotive or any reputable Automotive Paint supply store. PS Yikes! Congrats on finding a DD18. It must be a scary earth moving son of a gun! 2 3
Dadvw 2,877 Posted October 24, 2018 Posted October 24, 2018 Nice find! I can relate to finding that gem at an excellent buy and getting it home......what a rush.......grin 2
fxbill 471 Posted October 24, 2018 Posted October 24, 2018 Cornstarch also works pretty well and then you can clay the finish after that. This is what it did for mine. 2 6
Turbo 1,404 Posted October 25, 2018 Posted October 25, 2018 @fxbill, Sweet ride! Figured I'd just upload that pic that's stored on UltimatGTO dot com. She's been my baby since 81' 1 6
Daddyjt 9,628 Posted October 25, 2018 Author Posted October 25, 2018 Just got it home - here are a couple pics at the gas station earlier this evening. I’ll unwrap, shoot more pics, and tell the rest of the story tomorrow... i ended up going with the “flat panel tv foam sheets” suggested by AJ, then shrink wrap, then 2 moving blankets with 36” rubber band straps. 6
Daddyjt 9,628 Posted October 26, 2018 Author Posted October 26, 2018 So first, it poured rain here Tuesday and today (Thursday), but yesterday (Wednesday) was PERFECT - blue skies and clear. It was a beautiful drive. And I called the seller (Karen) when I got into town. She gave me directions to her house, which happened to be on the market for 1.7mil. I’d say about 8,000 sq/ft on 3 acres that backs up to wetlands. Incredible. In the course of our conversation, I found out her husband left her, and she has to sell the house and most everything in it:-( after I got the sub loaded up, I spent a little over an hour helping her take photos and giving her descriptions and prices to list everything from speakers (Theil), amps (Adcom), Preamp (Lexicon), DVD player and wires. She was greatful for the help, and I felt better about giving so little for the sub. Driving home, I realized that much of my gear has a “ story”, and now this sub does too. It made it home in perfect shape - thank you all for the suggestions! I hooked it up tonight, and all I can say is HOLY SHIT. Seriously. I played some Deadmou5 (what else?) and I had it set at “35” out of “100”. It was violently glorious. This is going to be a good relationship...?? Its sitting next to the 12” DD12 in the photos...? 1 6
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