Sean D
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2001
- Messages
- 181
Ok, first off let me start off by saying that I am not a reviewer or an audiophile. I am an enthusiast with a half decent ear. 
I am also a drummer/guitar player (primarily drums) and have spent many hours on stage/studio with a bass player. So I suppose I have a basic idea on how the rhythm section is supposed to sound when reproduced. This past Tuesday I received my two Hsu VTF-3 subs from AV123.com. The subs were dual boxed and came with a yellow envelope containing the manual, some DVD recommendations for deep bass as well as deep bass music. A cd was also provided that contains 5 songs (classical with some good bass material) and three different pink noise variations.
My room is approx. 26' X 16' X 7.5', a fairly large room. I am using Swans Diva 6.1 mains, Swans Diva C3 center, Swans Diva 2.1 as rears, powered by an Anthem MCA5 mkII with an Outlaw 950 pre/pro.
Before I get to the sound I will say that these subs look much better in person than the pics I've seen on the net but that is usually the case with most gear. They are built like a tank. They weigh 85lbs. each. I'm not sure what the finish is made of but I doubt very much that any harm could come to the finish without a lot of effort. The subs are black, they kind of look grey in the photos I've seen. The subs come with a removable port blocker for max extension mode. There is a switch on the back for max extension or max output mode as well as switches for phase and crossover in or out. The power cord is also removable. There is a decent sized heat sink sticking out of the back as well (which has yet to get beyond barely warm). The subs also came with a cheater plug for those who may need it.
The grill is removable with a flat jeweler screwdriver or something similar (butter knife), to expose the driver which has the letters HSU in the middle of the cone. Kind of cool looking if you are a "grills off" type of guy like me.
I have the subs stacked on top of each other in the same spot as my previous subs (Dual SVS 20-39CS with Samson S700). I have my system calibrated with AVIA at 82db (seemed loud enough to me). The subs are running 3-4 db hot. The same calibration settings as my previous sub setup.
So how do they sound? This is the part where I have to put in my disclaimer. The opinions expressed below are exactly that....my opinions. I don't have any graphs or anything of the sort.
First off, I have listened to one sub as well as the two. I listen to a lot of music, my tastes range from Heavy Metal to New Age.
This is my 3rd sub configuration. My 1st sub was an Energy e: xl-S12, my second setup was a dual 20-39CS combo with Samson S700 amp. The VTF-3 is a very dynamic sub compared to my previous setups. With music the notes are much cleaner, they have more punch, and they seem to be faster, tighter and less strained at higher volumes. Mind you, in all fairness, the price difference is quite substantial. I will go out on a limb and say that one VTF-3 is almost comparable to my dual 20-39CS setup as far as volume goes at my listening levels, but I have not taken any measurements so I can't say for sure. All I can say is that I rarely listen at reference level, usually about 10db below reference and the single VTF-3 can definitely hold up without a problem. Regardless of volume, the VTF-3 is the most musically dynamic of all of my previous subs. Drums, especially kick drums really shine with the VTF-3. I was watching the Fleetwood Mac "The Dance" DVD and the kick drum at the beginning of the "The Chain" sounded and felt like the real thing. The bass guitar notes were very clear and musical as well.
For HT the subs are awesome, almost scary with two, they really make their presence felt. These subs really seem to pressurize my room, providing a nice whack in the chest during the heavy LFE tracks. I ended up buying two because I had two previously. I had no intentions of selling my SVS subs but I was given an offer I couldn't refuse so I did. I was going to go with a dual SVS 20-39CS+ with Samson combo but I read a review that made me consider the VTF-3. I have no intentions of turning this into a comparison or showdown between SVS and Hsu. They are both very good subs, and again, they are different price points so it would not be fair to do a direct comparison.
If you are looking for a good sub for both music and HT with some real nice punch, I highly recommend the Hsu. I apologize for my wording and lack of graphs and such, this is my first "review" and I don¡¦t really even consider it to be that. I consider it more to be my opinion/thoughts. I could post more and I'm sure I will end up posting more in the future if necessary.
My 2 cents,
Sean
I am also a drummer/guitar player (primarily drums) and have spent many hours on stage/studio with a bass player. So I suppose I have a basic idea on how the rhythm section is supposed to sound when reproduced. This past Tuesday I received my two Hsu VTF-3 subs from AV123.com. The subs were dual boxed and came with a yellow envelope containing the manual, some DVD recommendations for deep bass as well as deep bass music. A cd was also provided that contains 5 songs (classical with some good bass material) and three different pink noise variations.My room is approx. 26' X 16' X 7.5', a fairly large room. I am using Swans Diva 6.1 mains, Swans Diva C3 center, Swans Diva 2.1 as rears, powered by an Anthem MCA5 mkII with an Outlaw 950 pre/pro.
Before I get to the sound I will say that these subs look much better in person than the pics I've seen on the net but that is usually the case with most gear. They are built like a tank. They weigh 85lbs. each. I'm not sure what the finish is made of but I doubt very much that any harm could come to the finish without a lot of effort. The subs are black, they kind of look grey in the photos I've seen. The subs come with a removable port blocker for max extension mode. There is a switch on the back for max extension or max output mode as well as switches for phase and crossover in or out. The power cord is also removable. There is a decent sized heat sink sticking out of the back as well (which has yet to get beyond barely warm). The subs also came with a cheater plug for those who may need it.
The grill is removable with a flat jeweler screwdriver or something similar (butter knife), to expose the driver which has the letters HSU in the middle of the cone. Kind of cool looking if you are a "grills off" type of guy like me.
I have the subs stacked on top of each other in the same spot as my previous subs (Dual SVS 20-39CS with Samson S700). I have my system calibrated with AVIA at 82db (seemed loud enough to me). The subs are running 3-4 db hot. The same calibration settings as my previous sub setup.
So how do they sound? This is the part where I have to put in my disclaimer. The opinions expressed below are exactly that....my opinions.
I don't have any graphs or anything of the sort.First off, I have listened to one sub as well as the two. I listen to a lot of music, my tastes range from Heavy Metal to New Age.
This is my 3rd sub configuration. My 1st sub was an Energy e: xl-S12, my second setup was a dual 20-39CS combo with Samson S700 amp. The VTF-3 is a very dynamic sub compared to my previous setups. With music the notes are much cleaner, they have more punch, and they seem to be faster, tighter and less strained at higher volumes. Mind you, in all fairness, the price difference is quite substantial. I will go out on a limb and say that one VTF-3 is almost comparable to my dual 20-39CS setup as far as volume goes at my listening levels, but I have not taken any measurements so I can't say for sure. All I can say is that I rarely listen at reference level, usually about 10db below reference and the single VTF-3 can definitely hold up without a problem. Regardless of volume, the VTF-3 is the most musically dynamic of all of my previous subs. Drums, especially kick drums really shine with the VTF-3. I was watching the Fleetwood Mac "The Dance" DVD and the kick drum at the beginning of the "The Chain" sounded and felt like the real thing. The bass guitar notes were very clear and musical as well.
For HT the subs are awesome, almost scary with two, they really make their presence felt. These subs really seem to pressurize my room, providing a nice whack in the chest during the heavy LFE tracks. I ended up buying two because I had two previously. I had no intentions of selling my SVS subs but I was given an offer I couldn't refuse so I did. I was going to go with a dual SVS 20-39CS+ with Samson combo but I read a review that made me consider the VTF-3. I have no intentions of turning this into a comparison or showdown between SVS and Hsu. They are both very good subs, and again, they are different price points so it would not be fair to do a direct comparison.
If you are looking for a good sub for both music and HT with some real nice punch, I highly recommend the Hsu. I apologize for my wording and lack of graphs and such, this is my first "review" and I don¡¦t really even consider it to be that. I consider it more to be my opinion/thoughts. I could post more and I'm sure I will end up posting more in the future if necessary.
My 2 cents,
Sean
