Velodyne Acoustics

Velodyne Acoustics is a pioneering American subwoofer manufacturer founded in 1983 by David Hall (born 1951), a billionaire engineer and inventor whose passion for bicycle racing inspired the company name. Originally established in Silicon Valley, California, with a $250,000 loan from Hall's grandfather, Velodyne revolutionized low-frequency reproduction through Hall's groundbreaking accelerometer-based High Gain Servo (HGS) Speaker System patented in 1983. The company's first notable product, the ULD-18 subwoofer, employed piezoelectric accelerometer technology to continuously monitor and adjust speaker cone movement, reducing bass distortion from the industry standard 15-30% to less than 1% at 105 dB SPL. Velodyne introduced the world's first digital subwoofer with DSP technology in 2003, maintaining its reputation as the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality powered subwoofers across all price ranges. After Hall diversified into lidar technology (spun off as Velodyne Lidar in 2016) and marine engineering with Servo Yachts LLC in 2011, the audio division was acquired in November 2019 by Audio Reference GmbH of Hamburg, Germany, led by Mansour Mamaghani, a long-time German distributor. Now operating as Velodyne Acoustics GmbH with headquarters relocated from Morgan Hill, California to Hamburg, Germany, the company continues manufacturing high-performance active subwoofers for HiFi and home cinema applications, specializing in products like MiniVee X, VI-Q, and Digital Drive Plus series targeting audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts worldwide while maintaining the innovative legacy established by David Hall's revolutionary servo technology.