Ventriloquist VT-12 MY review..

[John P]

First of all, I am a consumer, and have not reviewed many speakers out there. I am merely giving MY opinions, and anyone who reads this should make their own judgements and compare to mine....I am not affiliated with HSU in any way. I made my decision to purchase these after many hours of research on the 'net to get the most speaker for my money.
I am using an Onkyo reciever (115watts/ch), and an Onkyo CD player. The speakers are spaced 9ft apart on the front wall, and are on the rear wall about 4 ft above my head and 18 ft apart facing each other. I have about 40 hrs played out of these and feel they are "burned in" and I am ready to state my opinion...
PACKAGING=Very good....although the speakers are shown with ports on the box. (Probably didn't have a chance to change package in time for production run)-no big deal.
CENTER CHANNEL=NICE! Great finish (flat black finish, but looks very nice.) Gold binding posts that accept banana plugs and are heavy duty. Rear ports-ummm, a little generic looking but I'm sure they do the job. (could have had aero-ports like the subs to reduce port noise, but I guess there isn't much air moving through them anyway) (2) 4X6 speakers with foam surrounds-would have liked to see rubber, but I guess cost was an issue and they DO have a long warranty. Center "tweeter". Hmmm, again I guess cost was a constraint. The left 4X6's cone didn't seem to be glued all the way on, but I figured I would wait and see if I had any prob's then call if I did. Nice MDF cabinet and a heavy feel like I got more for my money. Always makes a difference to me....
SATELLITES=Hmmm. Plastic. I hate plastic, but I guess cost was a constraint again. Good finish, but I was hoping they would have been MDF like the center. Take off the grille cover. Hmmm, not much to look at. Not much to it. Looks like the same as the center channel "tweeter". Better off keeping the grille on..... Again, nice binding posts and nice screw holes to use with different wall mounts.
Hooking it up=a snap!! If you can't read, you might have a problem, but otherwise E A S Y !
SOUND=Eric Kunzel, The Rippingtons, Patrick O' Hearn, GRP, Deep Forest, Enya, Boston Bass disc, Tel-arc, IASCA test disc...WOW!! The small looking "tweeter" satellites sound very clean, crisp, and very good. Patrick O' Hearn. The left/right channel separation are very good. Metal. The "tweeter" satellites have no problem reproducing high notes.
The "tweeter" on the center channel is moving when I am playing lower notes. I wonder if it is separated from the 4X6's to avoid coloration. It doesn't seem to be divided.
Overall, I am VERY pleased with the sound I can get from such a small speaker system. It was well worth every cent. Despite some of my "picky" comments, I would recommend this system to anyone with my same interests. I also purchased the FIRST batch of the VT-12's, so they will probably be more discriminating QA on the next batch. Oh yeah, designed in the USA and made in China? I guess most items are made in China nowadays.... :D
Any other comments are welcome. I invite you to share your "un-biased" opinions. Lets get some feedback, so HSU can take into consideration what WE want as consumers, and maybe change future production runs. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[Lwang]

I always wondered how those big cone tweeters would perform at the very high end, and how their sound dispersion is like off-axis?

[Michael Bain]

Have you used this Ventriloquist system with a sub yet? If so, how do you think the sub changes the character of the system as a whole?

[Retread]

Originally posted by Michael Bain
Have you used this Ventriloquist system with a sub yet? If so, how do you think the sub changes the character of the system as a whole?

Ventriloquist without a sub? I can't imagine it!

I think I've finally got my system (Ventriloquist, VTF-3R, Pioneer 110 watt per channel receiver, and Sony DVD player) set up. Too many variables and combinations. However, it turns out my Pioneer receiver has an automatic setup mode. One puts the microphone that comes with it at the listening point and it automatically goes through a whole bunch routines that measure the distance from the speakers, and the volume levels of the speakers, and then optimizes the whole system for that point. It's facinating to listen to it go through the routine, and the result seems to be pretty good.

I don't hear much live music, so my ears aren't calibrated to know how accurate the system is. My Golden Ears Audiophile son who touted me onto the Hsu in the first place will be visiting tomorrow, so I'll get an independent hearing.

My impression is that the system is pretty accurate. Track 5 on the demo disk plays through without any problem, maintaining transparency at about 10 dB above the level suggested in the accompanying comments, which puts the chorus at 100 dB (on my Radio Shack SP meter) in sections. I have an early Telarc CDs of the 1812 Overture, the one where they recorded the cannons too hot and destroyed some systems, and it plays the section with both cannons and bell without washing out the bells. I have a large room, about 15' by 25' with 10' ceilings, and the system doesn't seem to have any problem at 105 dB. I didn't measure the peaks of the cannons on the 1812, but will do so next time I play it.

[Michael Bain]

Sure it is designed for use with a sub, and it should sound way better that way too. Just did not see anything in the review about any sub.

[John P]

I really can't comment on their off-axis response. I have them facing the seated position in front of the tv. I have NOT used them with my sub yet. I wanted to hear what they sounded like alone for a while so I could get a fair review. I currently have a Velodyne sub, but may be seriously thinking about the Hsu subs after the new year. I am so impressed with these, I'm sure I would be happy with the sub.
It is true that they will sound so much better when I flip the switch to the sub! It's tempting, but I haven't done it yet.
You get your money's worth when you buy these. You won't be disappointed. (as long as your priorities are the same as mine and Retread.)
I have a simple set-up (K.I.S.S.) and believe that less is more. The more knobs, switches, hook-ups, the more variables that can go wrong........:p

[Retread]

Audiophile Son did a listening test last night and pronounced it excellent. We listened to "Pictures" at SPL peaking above 106 dB and heard no distortion. The individual instruments maintained transparency. Listened to the Telarc "1812" at an average 100 dB SPL, with the cannons pegging the meter at above 106 dB, again with no apparent distortion and maintaining transparency.

[John P]

Again I'm no expert, but I have been into music/speakers/audio for many years. I generally like a speaker with a little "timber" to it. I have always enjoyed Quarts for my vehicles, and my friends commented they sounded "bright". I liked the "crystally" sound of them. The HSU's sound great for not having an actual tweeter.

Glad to see the test passed with "Golden Ears".....!:)

[Sasha_G]

Wow, I really pleased that they have passed muster in people rooms, and at reference levels to boot. I knew they sounded good, but I was thinking maybe I just had gotten used to them after 9 months. :D Makes me proud to support this stuff.

Ventriloquist without a sub? I can't imagine it!
Neither can we. I can understand wanting to hear them by themselves for a while. However, we absolutely recommend a subwoofer. This makes them sound a little better-- it will prevent the speakers from trying to play the notes the subwoofer would normally play. This reduces the stress on the speakers and their amplifiers. Of course there is the obvious benefit you know of full frequency sound, which makes a big difference...