Just ordered a VTF-3 MK3!!! [Archive] - HSU Research Forum (HRF)

blk_addr

December 27th, 2006, 4:34 PM

Planning on ordering the VTF-3 HO plus Turbo, I emailed the sales staff with some questions on room setup, sub location, and the MBM-12. Dr. Hsu himself responded quickly to my questions, then pointed me to the MK3 instead saying it would better meet my needs.

It took me a couple days and a few back-and-forth emails, but I finally changed my plans and ordered the MK3. It has taken me a few hours (I really wanted the "flagship" big boy!) but more research really has me feeling good about this decision... besides, how do you argue with The Doctor himself?!

Anyway, I did go against one of his recommendations and I ordered the Turbo along with it because hey, I'm saving plenty on the MK3, and I'm a guy who likes to tinker. Plus, I really dig the way that turbo looks!

I'll keep you all updated and post some pics once it arrives, as well as what I think of it. I'd write a review, but all I have to compare it to is an old Mirage BPS-150 (dual powered 8" subs, 150w amp) so I'm sure the MK3 will blow me away.

Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

jwill242004

December 27th, 2006, 5:44 PM

It will.....blow you away that is. I just ordered the turbo for my 3 MK3 today. :D

blk_addr

December 27th, 2006, 8:49 PM

I'm driving the wife crazy, can't stop with the subwoofer talk, can't stop pacing or trying to find more to read about the MK3... I want that tracking number, but I know that once I have it things will only be worse!

jwill242004

December 28th, 2006, 5:12 AM

It only took me 6 days to get it from the day I ordered, all the way to Florida. I did however, have to call HSU and get the tracking # over the phone a few days later. They forgot to email me it.

blk_addr

December 28th, 2006, 6:32 AM

I placed my order yesterday and figured if I didn't get the tracking number by tomorrow afternoon I'd call. I want it NOW though!

Anybody want to chime in about their VTF-3 MK3 experience?

jwill242004

December 28th, 2006, 6:42 AM

Ive praised this thing enough already in threads here, im sure the members are getting sick of my responses. But I will say this, buy a long sub cable and try it out everywhere in your room. I have tried it in about 15 different spots in my room (its a huge room with no 90 degree corners) I know this sounds odd, but true. I Found the best place for the sub to be right behind my couch (main listening position) just as Dr. Hsu recommended, with the woofer firing directly into the back center of the couch. You will never need to install shakers on your seat with it set up this way, as it shakes the entire couch, very cool!

J

blk_addr

December 28th, 2006, 8:29 AM

J, Dr. Hsu made the same placement recommendation to me... not looking forward to the price of a 30' cable though ;) I'm also looking at adding a BFD to my system, which could cause me to buy a replacement cable (RCA to 1/4") rather than using an adapter... but I think I'll look into bass traps first.

BTW, I've enjoyed reading all of your praises, I find myself going over them every few hours!

tdekany

December 28th, 2006, 1:18 PM

blk_addr

December 28th, 2006, 1:28 PM

you can get some good sub cables right here from Hsu. Not much $$$$

If I hadn't been so excited when I placed my order, I would have added it when I ordered the sub - but since I want to play with my toy the minute it gets here, I'll be buying one from my local stereo shop. Much more $$$, but worth it due to the immediate gratification aspect :D

tdekany

December 28th, 2006, 1:30 PM

If I hadn't been so excited when I placed my order, I would have added it when I ordered the sub - but since I want to play with my toy the minute it gets here, I'll be buying one from my local stereo shop. Much more $$$, but worth it due to the immediate gratification aspect :D

go to radio shack!

blk_addr

December 28th, 2006, 6:08 PM

UPDATE!!!! The MK3 and Turbo were picked up by FedEx today at 4:32PM PST! I can't wait until they pass through their first checkpoint.... (pacing, pacing)

Pete_Hsu

December 28th, 2006, 8:12 PM

Excellent blk_addr, now we are pacing as well in anticipation of your first impressions! :)

lemonsp

December 29th, 2006, 11:00 AM

I am on a pretty tight budget so I couldn't afford a VTF 3, any model. Ended up buying the STF 3 over the VTF2 MK3 and it should arrive today. I actually placed the order Wednesday and it is scheduled to arrive today, friday. Amazingly fast shipping. Anyway, I am totally with ya blk_addr. I can't wait until it gets here. Pacing...pacing...pacing. What is a good cable and where is the best shop to buy one. If I knew Hsu had them I would have had them throw it in with my order. Pacing...pacing.

blk_addr

December 29th, 2006, 12:04 PM

From the sound of it, you'd be happy with any Hsu product! I wish I would have ordered the cable too, but oh well... I don't know if I'll pick up a cheapo at the Rat Shack or if I'll drop over $100 at my local stereo shop... we'll see.

One Day Closer

jwill242004

December 29th, 2006, 12:47 PM

I ordered the HSU cable, no too thrilled about it. As I posted in another thread it doest fit into the RCA input on the sub properly. I am awaiting tech support to respond to my email, its been a couple days :mad:

blk_addr

December 29th, 2006, 1:04 PM

hmm, that sucks... though I haven't read of any other problems with Hsu cables (haven't really looked either though). Did you get a reply at all?

jwill242004

December 29th, 2006, 3:46 PM

Peter Marks replied to my post in this forum, but no one responded to my email I sent directly. It isnt bothering me too much at the moment, I just had to put a RCA coupler ( or whatever they are called) to attach another cable to the end of my HSU cable that fit into the sub corrrectly. The HSU cable fit into the connector but not into the jack on the sub. I had a Monster Cable 6 footer lying around and I used it to plug into the sub after I Conected the 2 cables.

This isnt ideal for me though, I feel the more connections you have the higher chance for distortion or a slight loss of a full signal. I dont know if it affects it or not, the sub still sounds perfect.

blk_addr

January 2nd, 2007, 6:27 AM

UPDATE:::

Jan 2, 2007 5:32 AM On FedEx vehicle for delivery

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Liaury

January 2nd, 2007, 6:47 AM

blk_addr

January 2nd, 2007, 7:32 AM

Beat ya. VTF3-MK3

Jan 2, 2007 9:04 AM Delivered

I'll be sitting there until I get home today.

It is a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Also, the wife picked up a PS3 this weekend. I'm not a gamer, but I'll put that Blue Ray to use.

haha no fair :P Mine better be there by 4:15 when I get home tonight... otherwise it will be a loooooooooooooong evening of waiting!

Liaury

January 2nd, 2007, 7:44 AM

haha no fair :P Mine better be there by 4:15 when I get home tonight... otherwise it will be a loooooooooooooong evening of waiting!
At my house, UPS delivers around 6:30pm...FedEx around 9am. I like FedEx. UPS is always making me nervous.

Hoping, FedEx will come through for you today.

jwill242004

January 2nd, 2007, 8:11 AM

im getting anxious awaiting my turbocharger delivery scheduled on jan. 4th. Im as excited to get this as I was waiting for my sub the first time. Ill let you guys know my thoughts when I get it.

blk_addr

January 2nd, 2007, 10:35 AM

Delivered and waiting in my garage... only 3.5 hours of peace left in the neighborhood!

blk_addr

January 2nd, 2007, 9:22 PM

WOW, just wow... I got off work early, ran to the store and bought a 40ft sub cable, then started setting up for the new Hsu about 8 1/2 hours ago - and haven't been able to tear myself away since. I really can't say much more than WOW - the balance of power and articulation blew me away.

anyhoo, while I gather my thoughts I'll be throwing some pics together to post here either tonight or tomorrow afternoon. And to anyone waiting for their own VTF3-MK3 be prepared to smile for hours straight!

Pete_Hsu

January 2nd, 2007, 9:26 PM

My reaction to that, blk_adder, is WOW as well :D Thank you! I would love to see some pics, and thanks again for sharing!

blk_addr

January 2nd, 2007, 10:54 PM

Well, I wasn't able to put the pics up tonight, as I was kidnapped by a "Band of Brothers" and a scene or two in Flight of the Phoenix. You know, I think those 4" ports do their job... the whole room shakes but the airflow from the ports is far less than I'd expect! Leaning back in my recliner, the turbo sits about 16" from my right ear and I hear absolutely no port noise - and the localization is very very slight. Simply amazing.

I did have to turn the MK3 around so that the driver faces away from the sofa because it was too powerful and easy to localize - the couch still shakes a LOT too! (and more evenly) It may work better for others but our couch is only solid in the center, with a recliner on each end.

One last thing before I sign off for the evening.

I obviously love the visceral power I feel from this amazing piece of equipment, but the look of it makes it seem even tougher! With that turbo sitting on top, the thing looks just as beefy and massive as it sounds. The pictures really do it no justice, and it has become my favorite thing in that room

except when the wife is there, of course

Liaury

January 3rd, 2007, 11:56 AM

Hope I'm not hi-jacking your thread. :p

I installed my VTF3-MK3 (no turbo) last night. My Room is 2,400 cf (plus 1,200 cf adjacent room sharing a 6 feet opening). The sub (in max extension mode, x-over at 80Hz) is sandwiched between the sofa and the back wall with the driver 3" from the sofa. Previously, I was using a Rocket UFW-10 in the same location. Calibrated with AVIA, the sub amp gain is practically on the "MIN" marker with the receiver sub level at 0 (this concerns me a little but I'll go with it for now). I'm expecting to receive my R-DES from AV123 this Friday to further my calibration.

So far, I haven't been able to stretch it's legs (excursion) yet (little one asleep). At the loudest, my volume position was -33 dB from reference. I flipped through a few scenes (Open Range (OR), Electra, Mr./Mrs Smith, Nemo, War of the Worlds (WOTW), and LOTR). It's provide the depth that I was lacking from the UFW-10. The general impression throughout all listening last night was the sound was leaner, deeper, and more precise. I feel like I'm finally get the bottom 1/4 of a thunder clap or explosion that I wasn't getting from the UFW-10. I won't say "WOW" since I'm expecting this from the VTF3-MK3. This is a compliment. We'll see how things go when I can run it full throttle.

Like blk_addr, I'll probably turn my sub 180 so that the driver is facing away from the sofa. I don't think I like to feel so much vibration from my chair. This seem to distract from what I can hear from the sub.

jwill242004

January 3rd, 2007, 1:34 PM

I havent tried flipping the sub with the woofer facing away from my couch, I will try this tonight and see how it sounds. This might help the slight localization problem I am having. Getting my turbo tomorrow :)

Wiluven

January 5th, 2007, 9:37 AM

Received my VTF-3 MK3 yesterday - it looks ridiculous in my living room haha. Now I just have to wait roughly 2 weeks until my speakers come in :cool:

blk_addr

January 9th, 2007, 9:54 AM

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I'm sure you all know that life gets hectic...

Over the last year, all I've thought about is upgrades - mains, center, receiver, surrounds, subwoofer... now that I have my MK3, I feel content for the first time. Now I realize this isn't going to be the case forever, but I'm enjoying every moment - now I just need to find the time to watch more movies!

My Hsu CD will not play in my CD player or my DVD player - haven't tried it in my PC yet - so I went out and bought a bass CD. The music sucks, but the bass is sweet! With both that CD and bass-heavy movies, when the door is open I can feel pressure in two adjoining rooms ... impressive!

I have been able to produce a little audible distortion in the heaviest portions of War of the Worlds - Pods Emerge scene. I'm running +6dB hot (calibrated at -6 on my receiver to 73dB pink noise then turned it up to 0; gain on sub amp is around 9:00) at -10 volume (0 is Reference) in DTS format. I was not taking any dB readings at the time. I have the Turbo on. Has anyone else experienced this? I realize everything has its limits, so if I am pushing the sub too hard I'm fine turning it down a bit. Of course I don't watch movies at that volume often.

Other than that scene, I haven't noticed any distortion at all. Music sounds wonderful, movies are more enjoyable, and I love walking into that room and seeing that marvelously huge hulk sitting there behind my couch :)

Overall, I've been incredibly impressed by my entire Hsu experience. Thank you, Hsu!

Ben

Liaury

January 9th, 2007, 12:56 PM

My Hsu CD also does not play in my Sony progressive DVD player from 2000 and my PS3. :(

SeattleDucks

January 9th, 2007, 1:16 PM

I have been able to produce a little audible distortion in the heaviest portions of War of the Worlds - Pods Emerge scene. I'm running +6dB hot (calibrated at -6 on my receiver to 73dB pink noise then turned it up to 0; gain on sub amp is around 9:00) at -10 volume (0 is Reference) in DTS format. I was not taking any dB readings at the time. I have the Turbo on. Has anyone else experienced this? I realize everything has its limits, so if I am pushing the sub too hard I'm fine turning it down a bit. Of course I don't watch movies at that volume often.

Hi blk_addr,

If you used the Radio Shack meter during pink noise calibration then the sub would actually be about 2-3db hotter already from what the reading showed due to the known RS meter inaccuracy, then you are running it an additional 6db hot, then playing at -10 from the standard reference of 85db (I assume), so in essence you were running the sub at -1 to -2 from reference, which is an extremely tough test! Now if you remove the Turbo and recalibrate you'll find you have much more headroom above 20hz and I bet you will be able to play back that scene at the same high volume but without any distortion.

Glad you are enjoying your HSU! With my -3mk3 I love having the option of max output or max extension w/Turbo depending on my mood.

blk_addr

January 9th, 2007, 1:27 PM

Hi blk_addr,

If you used the Radio Shack meter during pink noise calibration then the sub would actually be about 2-3db hotter already from what the reading showed due to the known RS meter inaccuracy, then you are running it an additional 6db hot, then playing at -10 from the standard reference of 85db (I assume), so in essence you were running the sub at -1 to -2 from reference, which is an extremely tough test! Now if you remove the Turbo and recalibrate you'll find you have much more headroom above 20hz and I bet you will be able to play back that scene at the same high volume but without any distortion.

Glad you are enjoying your HSU! With my -3mk3 I love having the option of max output or max extension w/Turbo depending on my mood.

About the pink noise calibration, I did calibrate it 2-3dB lower than the rest of my speakers (bouncing between 72 and 73 whereas the rest were at 75). I do realize that near-reference levels are tough for any sub to attain, just thought that since it's only a foot away (and gain is around 9:00) I may be able to get away with it - but I guess not :)

Thanks for the info!

SeattleDucks

January 9th, 2007, 2:02 PM

About the pink noise calibration, I did calibrate it 2-3dB lower than the rest of my speakers (bouncing between 72 and 73 whereas the rest were at 75). I do realize that near-reference levels are tough for any sub to attain, just thought that since it's only a foot away (and gain is around 9:00) I may be able to get away with it - but I guess not :)

Thanks for the info!

Ok I see, so since you had already compensated for the RS meter then you were in essence running the sub at about -4 from reference on that scene. I would be real curious for you to try it again without Turbo in max output mode (after recalibrating because it will be louder) and let us know how it does. I am dying to try some tests at this volume level myself but will have to wait until the neighbors are gone for a weekend because even at -15 levels they are aware when I am watching a movie :D

BTW, that pods emerging scene in WOTW is OUTRAGEOUS!!! The first time I cranked that pretty loud I was afraid for my life, as well as the structural integrity of my home! I like the deep extension I get in that DVD with Turbo attached, but without it in max output mode it can definitely play louder from 22hz on up. I want it all, which is why I have started to dream of two co-located VTF-3mk3's with Turbos :)