VTF-HO no go in igloo land....

[radio]

Hiya,

So after looking around making several calls to hsu and also living without a sub like eating pizza without beer, my wait has come to an unexpected yet abrupt but uncertain stop.

As per my conversation with my canadian supplier and HSU (canadian supplier giving me just a little more information than a mossy rock) the vtf3-HO will not be available in canada and that they said with a vague uncertainty?

I mean canada is only a toll booth and highway away but i understand the cost of shipping and logistics that have to do with duties and other paper and cost consuming details.

But i am one dissapointed man as i was waiting for the HO as per recommendation by the hsu staff as per my call just a bit before xmas.

Now i may have to go out and find and be vaguely accomodating to a vtf3-mkii.

Any thoughts from the hsu staff readers and or any other fellow igloo-ers about this HO fiasco?

[jmprader]

Did you check w/ Damaster, a canadian dealer who posts here regularly and has received thumbs up from several other posters? He might have the info you are looking for on expected Canadian HO availability.

[unknownshadow]

Don't worry, the HO's will definitely be available in Canada. DaMaster will be sure to post when he gets his hands on them ;-)

On the other hand, if you do decide to go with a VTF3 you won't be disappointed in it I can assure you. That is one mighty subwoofer!

[GaryMB]

Order direct from HSU. It might even end up costing less that way. From what I've seen, unless there's a sale, the Canadian list prices are inflated way beyond what you might expect from the current favorable exchange rate.

I've ordered Ascend speakers and an SVS PB10 sub direct from the U.S. with no regrets. If I eventually decide to upgrade to a VTF-3HO, I would have no qualms about ordering it direct from HSU, unless the total landed cost from a Canadian dealer was equal or better. http://www.hsuresearch.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

[unknownshadow]

Order direct from HSU. It might even end up costing less that way. From what I've seen, unless there's a sale, the Canadian list prices are inflated way beyond what you might expect from the current favorable exchange rate.

I've ordered Ascend speakers and an SVS PB10 sub direct from the U.S. with no regrets. If I eventually decide to upgrade to a VTF-3HO, I would have no qualms about ordering it direct from HSU, unless the total landed cost from a Canadian dealer was equal or better. http://www.hsuresearch.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

When I bought my VTF3 in Canada I saved at least $200CDN over buying it from HSU directly. You get to avoid all kinds of taxes/duties/brokerages fees etc by purchasing in Canada. And yes, there are quite often sales from the HSU dealers in Canada.

[GaryMB]

Yes you do avoid numerous charges by purchasing from a Canadian dealer - 3% that your credit card company charges for the currency exchange (unless you have a U.S. currency account), brokerage fee, duty (since HSU subs are manufactured in China rather than the U.S.), GST/HST on these fees, and possibly PST (depending on the vendor and your province). In addition, the shipping charges from the U.S will likely be higher.

These amounts are substantial, but so is the mark-up that Canadian vendors charge, to make up for the fact that they pay these charges themselves. The current non-promotional list price for the VTF-3HO with turbo is $999 U.S. and I bet it will be listed at $1499 CDN when available, despite the fact that $999 U.S. ~ $1160 CDN at current exchange rates. Hence my assertion that it may still be cheaper overall to purchase direct from HSU, even after paying all those additional charges.

I would be happy to purchase from a Canadian dealer if the final cost to me is equal or better than ordering direct, as I said above. My point was simply that there is an alternative to ordering from a Canadian vendor, and in some cases, it may even be a better alternative.

[radio]

Thanks for all the thoughts... i think i will have to wait longer for a sub in my system than i thought.... as per my conversations with hsu and reading all these comments... the ho's release date is not even released for US customers.

I think the canadian date will shortly follow the us date if they are to send it... the hsu rep that i spoke to showed interest that they will not leave the canadian customers hanging.

I guess the waiting game begins.

[GaryMB]

Well, much to my surprise and embarrassment, I see on their "Contact Us" page that HSU does not currently accept Canadian orders. So my last convoluted post above is moot...

One possible alternative for Canadian buyers is Ascend Acoustics (http://www.ascendacoustics.com/), an authorized U.S. dealer for HSU products. Ascend definitely does sell to Canucks, and that statement presumably applies to HSU products ordered through them as well. Of course, it's likely that the new HO models will only be available direct from HSU at least until the pre-orders are filled (and the promotional pricing expires), so this alternative may not help much, either... http://www.hsuresearch.com/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif

[Pete_Hsu]

Dear Gary,

What is meant by that statement is that we do not offer factory direct orders for people in Canada, but instead we use a dealer network in Canada where customers can purchase our products.

We are still working out details on the HO. Let's just say that I can't imagine the HO not being available for purchase in Canada. I'll have to get back to you guys on this after we work everything out.

Sincerely,

[GaryMB]

Thanks, Peter. I think we're all aware of the dealer network to which you refer. I was simply trying to propose alternatives to purchasing in Canada pending Canadian availability of the HO models, based on my overall good experience buying direct from Ascend and SVS (as long as one is aware of all the associated costs beforehand). I had wrongly assumed that one could order direct from HSU as well.

I stand corrected...

[radio]

Oh i cannot wait!!!!!

I am running my system wihtout sub as i gave away mine and was anxious to buy the vtfmkii but was told about the HO from your office and decided to wait...

Needless to say i dont really watch many movies or music or tv anymore...

Sleepless in toronto for HO. :)


Dear Gary,

What is meant by that statement is that we do not offer factory direct orders for people in Canada, but instead we use a dealer network in Canada where customers can purchase our products.

We are still working out details on the HO. Let's just say that I can't imagine the HO not being available for purchase in Canada. I'll have to get back to you guys on this after we work everything out.

Sincerely,