HSU STF-2/Cambridge Soundworks P200 (1 Viewer)

[ChrisCollins]

I am picking up a new sub. I have a small Cambridge soundworks sub that I can turn in for full price and then pay $400 for the $600 P200 subwoofer. Or I can just pay $400 for the HSU STF-2.
Pairing it up with my Axiom lineup and Yamaha receiver
70% music, 30% HT
Does anyone have any thoughts on which sub might be a better choice?
Thanks in advance

 

[Matt_Smi]

I wont comment as being the owner of an STF-2 and never hearing the P200, I am biased. But on paper they seem very similar; both have 10” drivers, 200 watt BASH amps, and can both go to 25 Hz. Just to let you know you can get the STF-2 for $350 at a local CompUSA.

 

[ChrisCollins]

Thanks Matt
I just was at the CompUSA in Woburn
their set up is terrible

 

[Matt_Smi]

Woburn, Ha-ha that’s where I bought mine, is the floor model sub still propped up by Styrofoam blocks? I went there and wanted to listen to it but the sub did not have spikes on it, so it was just bottoming out on the carpet. I talked to an employee and he said that someone stole the spikes, I made him go get something to prop it up with, so he retuned with some Styrofoam! I agree their setup does suck, and it is very hard to judge how the sub sounds in a huge warehouse anyway.

 

[ChrisCollins]

HAHA thats great
They actually had the spikes back on but you cant tell anything there
They had it hooked up to some home theater in a box setup
So how is it are you happy with the HSU?

 

[Matt_Smi]

I like my STF-2 a lot; at first I was a bit disappointed with it for two reasons. First I think I hyped it up a bit too much which is a big mistake when buying any electronics. And secondly I was used to the boomy bass of my previous Sony SAWM-40 sub, so it took/still is taking me some time to adjust to the flat bass of the HSU, for music anyway. The text below is from another post I made on both this forum and HSU forum, it basically summarizes how I feel about it. I would have loved to get an STF-3, SVS PB1-ISD or SVS 20-39 PCi, but I could not see spending $600 on a sub alone when I am also in need of upgrading my DVD player and receiver. I am selling my old Sony to one of my brothers friends for $100, so for $250 I am pretty damn happy with the HSU.


“Ok I was having some doubts about buying another STF-2 after returing my damaged one. But now I am almost positive that I will be getting another HSU STF-2. I spent a lot of time today comparing the HSU with the Sony, and my Uncle (the one who gave me the Advents) was also here. I would not necessarily call him an audiophile, but he enjoys good sound and has a good ear, so he really helped me in comparing the subs. We watched scenes from terminator 3 with the level of the HSU on 11 o clock and the level on the Sony between 12 and 1 o clock. We watched the crane chase and the bathroom fight mostly. He said that the HSU was much tighter, deeper, cleaner, and mostly more defined that the Sony. He said the HSU bass could be felt much more than the Sony and that while the Sony put out decent bass you heard more of a “whoomp” whoomp” (if that makes any sense) from it, rather than feeling a nice tight impact (like you did with the HSU). He said the Sony was muddy most of the time and put out more of an undefined rumble rather than a clean impact. He also said that the Sony sounded obtrusive and called attention to itself, while the HSU was much more omni-directional than the Sony, and if one did not know better, could mistake it to be coming from the front speakers. He said the HSU also sounded much more natural and blended in with my system better than the Sony. He also said the Sony always sounded (and looked) like it was being pushed too hard even though it was not necessarily being pushed that hard. Also he stated that the HSU was much quicker and more accurate than the Sony and during explosions you could hear it producing separate hits, where the Sony could not keep up and just blended together with one big muddy sound. We also watched Matrix revolutions and there was no real comparison here, he was very impressed with how the HSU handled the source speaking and the water explosion, and said that the bass could be felt plenty, while the Sony again just made more of a “whoomp” whoomp” sound and a vibration could that could be felt, but not nearly as much true bass as the HSU. So to summarize, the HSU…

- Is not boomy (obvious)
- Is much more accurate, tighter, quicker, deeper, and more defined
- Blends better with my system, sound more natural and does not call attention to itself
- Puts out higher quality bass that you can feel, more than hear

I really like the fact that it seems to sound more blended and natural in my setup and it makes it sound more like a true HT, and also the fact that you can feel the impacts rather than hear/feel a boomy, undefined rumble. I would really like an SVS PB1-ISD, but for almost twice the price of the HSU I don’t know if it would be worth it and I can’t really see spending that much on a sub alone. So I will be retuning the HSU in the next few days, but will hopefully be able to get a rain check so I can buy another one at $350 once they are back in stock, because I am not going to pay $400 for one. I will then sell the Sony to someone I know who wants to buy it for $100, so I will technically be getting the HSU for $250. The Sony served me well for 3 years, so I got my moneys worth out of it and it was a decent budget sub. BTW I also am starting to be less and less fond of my car stereo, so maybe I am getting used to non-boomy bass. My car stereo just does not sound as clean anymore. Sorry for yet again another long post but I wanted to let everyone know how I feel about the HSU now. And don’t worry I am still going to calibrate it when I get my new one. I will be ordering a calibration disc in the next few days; I am still trying to decide between Avia and DVE.”

 

[ChrisCollins]

Thats interesting because right now I am so use to hearing the boom with my sub I wonder if I will have the same reaction

 

[Matt_Smi]

Well for movies I wanted to get rid of the boomy-ness, I hated how I heard the sub working and making a “boom” “boom” noise rather than feeling that bass, Esp. during demanding explosions and such. So I did not have to adjust to the HSU for movies at all, I liked it from the start. It’s for music that I need to adjust, I listen to a lot of rap music and am also a bit used to my car stereo, and getting used to flat bass is somewhat difficult. I normally just turn the level on the sub up when I listen to rap and it gives it a much stronger, tighter and overall better impact than my old Sony.

 

[ChrisCollins]

Thats exactly my issue, for movies the "boom" is just brutal and so unrealistic

 

[GregBe]

Chris,

I have owned the P200 and now the P1000. The Newton series of subs are very tight and musical and not boomy. I have not compared the HSU subs, but the P200 would be a nice upgrade from any of the other CSW Basecube subs.

Greg