A 'homecoming' of sorts..

[jephdood]

My first "real" foray into subwoofer land was with my VTF-3 mkII a few years back. I foolishly sold that, (loved that sub) and picked up an SVS PB12-ISD/2 (as it was known at the time) because I thought bigger HAD to be better. Well, boy was I wrong.

After listening for awhile, the output was definitely there, but the articulation was not. Disappointed, I thought maybe their "Plus" subs were more what I was looking for, so I sold the ISD and picked up a Plus/2 from them. Nope. Same deal. Lots of output, but still not as much detail as I'd come to expect with my old beloved Hsu.

Still not happy, I stumbled upon a couple of their Ultra cylinders being sold used locally. It was really a price a couldn't refuse, so I once again gave SVS a try. With these I am now satisfied with my movie 'thump', but they still weren't what I was looking for on the music side. And my mains need a little help down low with something..

Brilliant! Let me go back and see what Hsu has to offer! So toward the end of last week I ordered an STF-2 to be used for 2-channel duty. I was looking at some sealed sub options out there, but they were usually more than I wanted to spend, or didn't go as low as I'd like. So I recalled the 'quickness' that my old VTF-3 offered, and pulled the trigger.

FedEx says it's supposed to arrive today.. So here I wait.. giddy with excitement about returning to the Hsu family. Corny, but because Hsu gave me my first real butt-rattling, I'm really looking forward to coming back for more. Er... Uh... Yeah. :)

And actually, now I've got my eyes on a pr. of HB-1 speakers for my PC as well. Funny how a good product keeps people coming back for more... eventually. :)

[amdeutsch]

Let me be the first to welcome you back to the fold. :D

[cschang]

jephdood....welcome back!

What you experienced is what I have been telling people for a LONG time Along the way there are many disbelievers who insist that I am biased, but do not bother to listen for themselves.

My bottomline is Hsu gives you value sound quality....dollar for dollar, Hsu is the leader.

[jephdood]

Thanks guys.. And Curtis, you are right.

Well... she just got here. :D

Pics will follow a bit later, of course.. :cool:

-jeff

[Lwang]

Welcome back. After drinking the Kool-Aid and getting a prolonged hangover, you are now back to reality.

[jephdood]

Haven't even had a chance to hook it up and listen to it yet. :mad:

[lradden]

And just you remember young man, if you ever leave us again, we'll make you listen to those one note subs you left us for, 24/7 for the rest of your life.:D

Glad to have you back:cool:

[tedjack]

Haven't even had a chance to hook it up and listen to it yet. :mad:
Ok....I'm waiting on the report. It's between the Outlaw compact or the HSU STF2. I'm ready to get a new sub.

[cschang]

Ok....I'm waiting on the report. It's between the Outlaw compact or the HSU STF2. I'm ready to get a new sub.
You realize the Outlaw was designed by Dr. Hsu. The similar size subs will sound very similar.

[jephdood]

The STF-2 is all of what I remember, but just in a smaller package. It's exactly what I was looking for.

Mind you, I'm not using it for any HT work, so I don't know how it performs in that regard, but for what I need, it's not going anywhere.

Just ordered a subdude platform for it this morning. ;)

[Pete_Hsu]

Welcome back my friend, it's such a pleasure to have you in the Hsu camp once again! I really really like the STF-2/VTF-1 subs. Great price, low shipping cost, light weight, relatively small enclosure, and they really are quite good sounding and powerful in their operating range. The bigger subs sometimes get all the glory, but it's the smaller lower cost subs in the lineup that I consider to be real gems.

[tedjack]

You realize the Outlaw was designed by Dr. Hsu. The similar size subs will sound very similar.
My understanding is Dr. Hsu had input on the Outlaw sub, but , the Outlaw has a bottom port and 225 watt amp. I dont think 25 watts will make any difference in sound level. I wish I still lived in Venice so I could visit HSU and listen to the sub.

[Lwang]

My understanding is Dr. Hsu had input on the Outlaw sub, but , the Outlaw has a bottom port and 225 watt amp. I dont think 25 watts will make any difference in sound level. I wish I still lived in Venice so I could visit HSU and listen to the sub.You mean Outlaw had input on the sub. Either that or Dr Hsu had alot of imput, telling them to change their original sub design so it will have almost the same port length and dimensions as the Hsu's, same interior volumes, same driver design, same amp design, etc.

[tedjack]

You are correct. Question. I know that the new Outlaw LFM plus has a 350 watt amp and the VFT-2mk3 has a 250 watt amp. I think I'm going with HSU because I own the HB-1 and HC-1. Do you know what difference the extra 100 watts would make in outlaw.

[cschang]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but as a general rule, all else being equal, a doubling of watts is equal to about 3dB more headroom.

[dafeist]

That is correct. Double watts for 3db increases. 100 extra watts will gain you about 1 db increase while keeping the same headroom. So basically not much difference at all, performance-wise. Sensitivity is much more important than wattage. My friend used to have a pair of Klipshorn La Scalas. Their sensitivity was something like 110db 1/watt. You could blow windows out with nothing driving them.

[Bob Hablutzel]

Welcome back! I agree with others who have stated that Hsu is the performance/value leader - in spades. Plus, the entire Hsu team are genuinely nice people. That is why it is such a pleasure to recommend Hsu products to others. Enjoy your great new subwoofer, and blessings to you, because "God is love." 1 John 4:8,16!

[gjl]

I plan to buy an STF-2 and take it to China as check-in luggage, not only because of its superb quality, but also because I can get 240 volts re-set by the factory.

Nowadays airlines have very restrictive linear dimension and weight limits -- 62 inches and 50 pounds. I just called Hsu Research, and was told that the ship-weight was 44 lbs (not 52 lbs in the owner's manual), but he was not sure if the dimensions 19”(h)/14”(w)/18”(d) are the unit dimensions or package ones. Jephdood, can you pls take a look at the package and tell me what the dimensions of yr box are? Many thanks before hand!

[gjl]

I plan to buy an STF-2 and take it to China as check-in luggage, not only because of its superb quality, but also because I can get 240 volts re-set by the factory.

Nowadays airlines have very restrictive linear dimension and weight limits -- 62 inches and 50 pounds. I just called Hsu Research, and was told that the ship-weight was 44 lbs (not 52 lbs in the owner's manual), but he was not sure if the dimensions 19”(h)/14”(w)/18”(d) are the unit dimensions or package ones. Jephdood, can you pls take a look at the package and tell me what the dimensions of yr box are? Many thanks before hand!

[jephdood]

Package dims:

L= 21.5"
W= 18.5"
H= 22"


I plan to buy an STF-2 and take it to China as check-in luggage, not only because of its superb quality, but also because I can get 240 volts re-set by the factory.

Nowadays airlines have very restrictive linear dimension and weight limits -- 62 inches and 50 pounds. I just called Hsu Research, and was told that the ship-weight was 44 lbs (not 52 lbs in the owner's manual), but he was not sure if the dimensions 19”(h)/14”(w)/18”(d) are the unit dimensions or package ones. Jephdood, can you pls take a look at the package and tell me what the dimensions of yr box are? Many thanks before hand!

[Ddavidson]

My first "real" foray into subwoofer land was with my VTF-3 mkII a few years back. I foolishly sold that, (loved that sub) and picked up an SVS PB12-ISD/2 (as it was known at the time) because I thought bigger HAD to be better. Well, boy was I wrong.

After listening for awhile, the output was definitely there, but the articulation was not. Disappointed, I thought maybe their "Plus" subs were more what I was looking for, so I sold the ISD and picked up a Plus/2 from them. Nope. Same deal. Lots of output, but still not as much detail as I'd come to expect with my old beloved Hsu.


Unfortunate catch22 caused by falling for the growing marketing craze of buying by the numbers ... or as I call it ... dB drag racing ... the ultimate subwoofer buying guide.

After all who listens to audio don't we all just sit around and procrastinate over who's subwoofer choice can give you the best graph?

Ddavidson