rick88
August 23rd, 2010, 2:42 PM
I got my new VTF-2 MK3 today. I took a vacation day from work to set it up and audition it. Here is my initial review:
When the FedEx driver showed up and we unloaded it I was amazed by the size and weight of the box. I don't know why though as I already knew the dimensions and weight of the sub. It arrived in perfect condition. So far so good.
Unpacking and build quality:
The sub was packed very well. I love the fact that HSU uses the better quality foam (can't remember what it's called) that doesn't crumble like the cheap stuff other companies use.
Upon taking the sub out of the box and going over it with a fine tooth comb, I couldn't find a single flaw in the finish. And the walnut veneer is beautiful. It doesn't match up with the cherry finish of my JBL Studio L Series speakers as well as I had hoped, but it is a non-issue for me though as it still looks much better than black to me. Plus I saved a bunch with the clearance pricing of the walnut!
Setup:
The setup went without a hitch. I had already done the sub crawl with my previous sub and knew the best location in my room (the right front corner). I bypassed the crossover in the sub and let my Pioneer Elite receiver do the bass management, setting all my JBL speakers to small with an 80hz crossover to the sub. I opted for the maximum extention mode and set the phase control at zero. I then set the levels with my trusty Radio Shack SPL meter. I like my sub level 2 or 3 db's higher than my other speakers so that is where I set it to. The level control knob is around the 10:00 position.
Listening test with music:
I started off with a few tracks from a couple of my favorite music selections with great bass.
First off was The Eagles Farewell One Tour on HDDVD. I listened to a few tracks, most notably Timothy B. Schmidt's "I Can't Tell You Why". This song has some great clean,deep,tight,punchy bass. It was immediately apparent that this sub goes lower and louder than my previous sub (which was a very good sub for music in its own right), and was still very articulate and musical sounding. Excellent!
Next up was Holly Cole's Temptation CD. Many people use this disc for testing the bass on their setups for good reason. Track #2 "Train Song" in particular has some incredibly deep acoustic bass. I have had some pretty good subs in my time but I have never heard the bass from this song sound this good before. It was like I was in the front row of an intimate Jazz club or studio.
I did not experience the least bit of boominess with the HSU sub during my music test, just as I had expected.
I believe all my months of studying and comparing subs has payed off for me. I am a big music lover and my sub MUST be equally as good with music as it is with movies.
Time to check out a movie:
I have been trying to decide for a few days what movies to use to check out my new HSU. I came to the conclusion that you can't go wrong with a good old Pixar movie and an action flick.
So I started off with Pixar's "Up". Wow! My previous sub only went down cleanly to about 28hz and I knew I was missing out on much of the deepest LFE from my Blu-Ray movies. The HSU effortlessly produced the lowest bass that this soundtrack can deliver, with a lot of punch. Again, no boominess.
I am going to check out a big budget action flick later tonight (not sure which one yet).
But I could not be happier with my initial impressions. This sub is just the upgrade I expected it to be. Great job HSU!
My ratings on a scale of 1-5:
Ordering/customer service: 5
Shipping Speed: 5
Packaging: 5
Product build quality/appearance: 5
Sound quality (music): 5
Sound quality (movies): 5
To sum it up: Grand Slam Home Run HSU!
When the FedEx driver showed up and we unloaded it I was amazed by the size and weight of the box. I don't know why though as I already knew the dimensions and weight of the sub. It arrived in perfect condition. So far so good.
Unpacking and build quality:
The sub was packed very well. I love the fact that HSU uses the better quality foam (can't remember what it's called) that doesn't crumble like the cheap stuff other companies use.
Upon taking the sub out of the box and going over it with a fine tooth comb, I couldn't find a single flaw in the finish. And the walnut veneer is beautiful. It doesn't match up with the cherry finish of my JBL Studio L Series speakers as well as I had hoped, but it is a non-issue for me though as it still looks much better than black to me. Plus I saved a bunch with the clearance pricing of the walnut!
Setup:
The setup went without a hitch. I had already done the sub crawl with my previous sub and knew the best location in my room (the right front corner). I bypassed the crossover in the sub and let my Pioneer Elite receiver do the bass management, setting all my JBL speakers to small with an 80hz crossover to the sub. I opted for the maximum extention mode and set the phase control at zero. I then set the levels with my trusty Radio Shack SPL meter. I like my sub level 2 or 3 db's higher than my other speakers so that is where I set it to. The level control knob is around the 10:00 position.
Listening test with music:
I started off with a few tracks from a couple of my favorite music selections with great bass.
First off was The Eagles Farewell One Tour on HDDVD. I listened to a few tracks, most notably Timothy B. Schmidt's "I Can't Tell You Why". This song has some great clean,deep,tight,punchy bass. It was immediately apparent that this sub goes lower and louder than my previous sub (which was a very good sub for music in its own right), and was still very articulate and musical sounding. Excellent!
Next up was Holly Cole's Temptation CD. Many people use this disc for testing the bass on their setups for good reason. Track #2 "Train Song" in particular has some incredibly deep acoustic bass. I have had some pretty good subs in my time but I have never heard the bass from this song sound this good before. It was like I was in the front row of an intimate Jazz club or studio.
I did not experience the least bit of boominess with the HSU sub during my music test, just as I had expected.
I believe all my months of studying and comparing subs has payed off for me. I am a big music lover and my sub MUST be equally as good with music as it is with movies.
Time to check out a movie:
I have been trying to decide for a few days what movies to use to check out my new HSU. I came to the conclusion that you can't go wrong with a good old Pixar movie and an action flick.
So I started off with Pixar's "Up". Wow! My previous sub only went down cleanly to about 28hz and I knew I was missing out on much of the deepest LFE from my Blu-Ray movies. The HSU effortlessly produced the lowest bass that this soundtrack can deliver, with a lot of punch. Again, no boominess.
I am going to check out a big budget action flick later tonight (not sure which one yet).
But I could not be happier with my initial impressions. This sub is just the upgrade I expected it to be. Great job HSU!
My ratings on a scale of 1-5:
Ordering/customer service: 5
Shipping Speed: 5
Packaging: 5
Product build quality/appearance: 5
Sound quality (music): 5
Sound quality (movies): 5
To sum it up: Grand Slam Home Run HSU!