Hsu discontinues cylinders! (1 Viewer)

[Garrett Lundy]

No, this is not a belated April Fool's prank. Hsu research has stopped selling their award-winning TN series cylinder subwoofers. It would seem they are poor sellers compared to the powered box series, and have been discontinued in preparation for the "turbo" adapted new flagship, the VTF-3 Mk.2 H.O. (damn thats alot of letters).

Thats a shame because I had wanted to get a pair of 1220's for my 2-cannel system. :frowning:

 

[Reginald Trent]

I wouldn't worry with SVS as an option. Which probably why their cylinders are not selling so well.

 

[David Bikeman]

No closeout specials?

David

 

[BradJudy]

It appears that they are already gone.

 

[Evan M.]

.......Why did I know that when I read the title of this thread someone would come in and say something to this effect......

 

[Peter Marcks]

This is the response I gave at the Hsu forum:

Dear fellow audio enthusiasts,

We are now starting to transition from the end of an old era to the beginning of a new era here at Hsu Research. The TN series, introduced in the mid-1990's, were remarkable products and very effective in achieving Dr. Hsu's goal of maximizing bass per given floorspace. They were celebrated by numerous reviewers and owners alike. One of the things we are most proud of is the fact that they helped push forward the Do-It-Yourself craze. The TN subwoofers were created based on very fundamentally sound ideas in physics, and yet were easy enough for almost anyone to build in their own home, even those with no background in physics or in engineering. The pure simplicity of the TN design, coupled with the very high performance and relatively low cost, ultimately helped lead to the creation of numerous other similar subwoofer designs based upon the same principles we have used at Hsu Research.

As a relatively small company, we have always tried to limit the number of models that we carry at any given time to as much extent as possible. This gives us more opportunity to streamline and perfect existing products. Dr. Hsu always believes in providing more for less, and in providing for the greatest good. That is why you see him focusing his efforts first and foremost on the most affordable subwoofers and speakers. We have some great ideas for the expensive and exclusive "flagship" subwoofer market, but rest assured that our primary focus moving forward will be on providing higher quality and higher output bass for as many budgets as possible.

The TN1220HO had remarkably clean output at and above 16Hz, especially based on it's size, and even performs comparably to some of the "latest and greatest" cylinder designs available today. In my opinion, the new technology that Dr. Hsu has developed will take this performance to a new level. In the past, it was arguable that the TN1220HO/TN1225HO were cleaner low bass performers than the VTF-3/VTF-2. This fact alone helped to justify their existence, regardless of the fact that the box shape is much more popular with consumers. This situation does not hold true when comparing the TN series with the upcoming VTF-HO series. The upcoming VTF-2HO has the potential to be as potent as a TN1220HO in the low bass, and the upcoming VTF-3HO has the potential to be as potent as dual TN1220HO's in the low bass, with added flexibility too.

In a sense, Dr. Hsu is helping to redefine the ported subwoofer market, again. I hope you are all excited about what lies ahead. We are definitely excited.

Sincerely,

 

[Peter Marcks]

One last note for Garrett, it will be the VTF-3HO, not VTF-3 MKII HO. Rolls off the tongue much more nicely.

 

[Tony Genovese]

Peter:

Now if you only send a couple of muscleheads with the delivery to help move these big boxes for us old dudes, you'd be talking. That to me was the beauty of the TN Series: even someone muscularly challenged could set one in the right spot without a trip to the chiropracter. Oh well.

 

[Peter Marcks]

I am with you all the way, Tony. The combination of low weight, minimal width, flexible placement and hookup options, and high performance is what made the TN series so appealing to us. We are all really sad to see it go.

Sincerely,

 

[Lewis Besze]

Given their close resemblence to one another that comment was almost inevidable but not completelly accurate,don't see why you need to be upset about it though.

 

[Evan M.]

hmmmmmmm......thanks for agreeing with me Lewis.......
And you are correct....that original statement is not correct as Peter already stated. That is why I said what I did. Not sure why you think I am upset though........I don't own a sub from either company. I'm just a long time reader and poster of this forum who rolls his eyes when the fanboys come out in a thread that does not pertain to "their" brand. Maybe I shouldn't have posted what I did but the original comment was innacurate, predictable, "inevitable" and "not completely accurate".

 

[Reginald Trent]

quote:
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I wouldn't worry with SVS as an option. Which probably why their cylinders are not selling so well.
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.......Why did I know that when I read the title of this thread someone would come in and say something to this effect......


My comment is accurate as they are both cylinders and since the post is about cylinders why is mention of another cylinder off base? Seems logical to me.

 

[John Garcia]

I noticed this last week when I went to look for info on the TN1220 and they were no longer listed. The comment that consumers prefer box subs would seem to be a far more telling. I would imagine if you inquired with SVS, you would find that their cylinder sales have certainly not increased, and likely decreased quite a bit with the box subs available.

 

[Evan M.]

EXACTLY!! Well said John!

 

[Patrick Sun]

It's that damn WAF!

 

[Evan M.]

LOL!! You know what though??...... I bet you are correct!! Heck, even I think that all of the cylinder subs are quite ugly (no comments ploease ). Since the vast majority of the "average" HT people have their "theaters" in the living room (me included).......I am sure very few of them want a giant water heater in the main living space of the house. This is partialy why I am leaning the Hsu route.....the box subs are high performance and smallish as well as attractive. I really like the VTF 2 with that maple finish.....or the 3 with the rosewood finish. If the PB10 came with a nice "wood" finish I would be ALL OVER THAT!!

 

[CurtisSC]

When I saw the VTF-2HO at CES in the maple finish, I thought the shape was perfect for an end table. Then when Dr. Hsu told me it would have the performance of a TN1220....I felt that it truly was going to be unsung hero. In my room, I'd possibly opt for two of them rather than one VTF-3HO.

 

[Lewis Besze]

It's the "second part" of your comment that can be inaccurate, regarding sales.

 

[Evan M.]

LOL!!!! Lewis, I am not sure why you keep trying to understand my feelings..... but I guess I am flattered LOL. You know what......I am going to end my part of this useless conversation and keep my posts to just HT, hopefully you can do the same......

 

[Lewis Besze]

I'll do one better, put you back where you belong!