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Pete_Hsu
November 6th, 2010, 5:11 PM
Hello all,

I am very proud to introduce the new VTF-15H Variable Tuning Frequency 15" Hybrid True Subwoofer!

This product has been in development for more than 2 years. Almost everything was designed from the ground up. The driver design, amplifier design, enclosure design, port design, grille design, and feet design were all done in-house from the ground up by Hsu Research. Up until today, all listening tests (and measurements) were done internally at Hsu Research.

One of the most interesting and unique aspects of this design is the new triangular port structure. The triangular ports have integrated flares that are continuously flared at both ends of the port. In our internal testing, amazingly enough, these triangular ports showed significantly less port noise at moderate-to-high playback levels vs. comparably sized round heavily flared ports! In addition to providing the foundation for variable port tuning, these ports brace the largest panels of the enclosure. Compared to thin wide rectangular slot ports, the point of bracing is more optimal, and the ratio of cross-section-to-surface area tends to be more optimal too.

Here is what was presented at our Open House for this new product launch:

Product Pricing: $879 base price in Satin Black finish, $999 base price in Rosenut real wood veneer finish (fully veneered on all panels) best-in-class pricing on large non-vinyl black enclosure and best-in-class pricing on large fully veneered enclosure

Product Warranty: 7 years on driver, up to 5 years on electronics (2 years standard), +$100 for extended warranty on electronics, warranty is transferable, best-in-class warranty coverage

Driver Design: 15” front-firing custom-made driver, designed from the ground up for exceptionally flat frequency response and low distortion, best-in-class response linearity

Amplifier Design: 1400w short-term, 350w continuous high headroom amplifier designed from the ground up with custom EQ, soft clipping, subsonic filtering, class A/B output stage, phase switch, 24dB/oct low-pass adjustable crossover, continuously adjustable Q, best-in-class amplifier feature set

Enclosure Design: 25”x18”x26” HxWxD (add 1” H for feet, 1” D for grille, 1” D for amp controls) enclosure designed from the ground up with rounded corners and smooth edges, non-vinyl finishes, front-firing radiating elements, internal bracing on all panels, ultra-high grade acoustic foam internal lining, state-of-the-art enclosure design with cutting-edge industrial design

Port Design: Dual front-firing triangular slot ports, designed from the ground up with large cross-sectional area, continuously flared on both ends, used for variable tuning and for bracing the enclosure, unique and innovative patent-pending port design

Grille Design: 1” deep V-shaped cloth grille, designed from the ground up to be contoured and not cover the ports, with solid metal pins to fit soft rubber grommets, distinctive and attractive grille design

Feet Design: 1” tall and 2.5” diameter silicone disc feet, designed from the ground up to be soft and durable, suitable for all flooring surfaces, practical and flexible feet design

Hybrid Tuning: Support for five different operating modes, including both ported and sealed hybrid modes, best-in-class operating mode flexibility

Frequency Response: +/- 2dB from 15-200Hz in ported max extension mode (measured outside, Q = 0.7), best-in-class upper/mid/deep bass frequency response linearity

Output Capability: 123-125dB max clean CEA2010 peak output capability from 40-100Hz, 121dB @ 31.5Hz, 118dB @ 25Hz, 114dB @ 20Hz (measured outside @ 1m distance, both ports open), best-in-class max clean peak output capability using CEA2010 stepped harmonic distortion limits

WhskyTangoFxtrt
November 6th, 2010, 5:40 PM
Very impressive.

Pete_Hsu
November 6th, 2010, 5:45 PM
Thank you!

Please let me know if you have any questions

Sincerely,

Rob Tomlin
November 6th, 2010, 5:53 PM
I have to say that I was very impressed with this sub's performance at the open house today!

I have some research to do regarding whether to buy a couple of these or two of the ULS-15's.

Pete, I would really like to thank you and everyone at HSU Research for hosting this event today. Your professionalism and hospitality were really appreciated. :cool:

unknownshadow
November 6th, 2010, 5:57 PM
Thank you!

Please let me know if you have any questions

Sincerely,

Yeah I have a question Pete... how soon on Monday can you get me a shipping quote for two of these bay boys to Canada?!!! ;-)

Looks like a killer sub. Can't wait to read some in depth reviews!

pbmpharmacist
November 6th, 2010, 6:26 PM
Thank you!

Please let me know if you have any questions

Sincerely,

I PM'd you a quick question. Not sure if you could help me out, but I figured I'd try. Thank you!

cacihome
November 6th, 2010, 8:46 PM
WOW! Beautiful design. Can't wait to hear it...
A ported/sealed sub from HSU Research with a 15" Hsu designed driver....
Gotta have it!
I feel that the ULS is going to take a rest in my living room...

Pete_Hsu
November 6th, 2010, 9:12 PM
I have to say that I was very impressed with this sub's performance at the open house today!

I have some research to do regarding whether to buy a couple of these or two of the ULS-15's.

Pete, I would really like to thank you and everyone at HSU Research for hosting this event today. Your professionalism and hospitality were really appreciated. :cool:

Thank you so much for coming Rob, glad to hear that you enjoyed the demo, it was a pleasure having you!

If you can accomodate large enclosures, then VTF-15H DualDrive would be the way to go. If you really need something much more compact and with wireless, then ULS-15 DualDrive would be the way to go.

Thanks again

Sincerely,

Pete_Hsu
November 6th, 2010, 9:15 PM
Hi unknownshadow,

Yeah I have a question Pete... how soon on Monday can you get me a shipping quote for two of these bay boys to Canada?!!! ;-)

Looks like a killer sub. Can't wait to read some in depth reviews!

I'll try to work up a quote for you on Monday morning. I need to rest tomorrow, I am pretty tired right now! :)

So glad that you like the design, and it is so much better in person.

Sincerely,

Pete_Hsu
November 6th, 2010, 9:26 PM
I PM'd you a quick question. Not sure if you could help me out, but I figured I'd try. Thank you!

PM answered!

Pete_Hsu
November 6th, 2010, 9:27 PM
Hi cacimar,

WOW! Beautiful design. Can't wait to hear it...
A ported/sealed sub from HSU Research with a 15" Hsu designed driver....
Gotta have it!
I feel that the ULS is going to take a rest in my living room...

The build quality, sound quality, feature set, and output capability of this new subwoofer is extremely impressive. One would need ULS-15 DualDrive to match/exceed the clean output capability of one VTF-15H from 16-100Hz. Of course, the VTF-15H is twice the size too, but very impressive in many respects!

Sincerely,

dalumberjack
November 7th, 2010, 12:26 AM
Hey Pete,

Any possibilit on a trade in program? I have two some what new VTF3-MK3's I'd love to trade in for the vtf-15h.... maybe two of them!

Pete_Hsu
November 7th, 2010, 12:31 AM
Hi dalumberjack,

We don't have any trade-in program, but you are more than welcome to put them up in the Audio Equipment for Sale section

Sincerely,

Sepen
November 7th, 2010, 3:16 AM
Hey Pete,

Any possibilit on a trade in program? I have two some what new VTF3-MK3's I'd love to trade in for the vtf-15h.... maybe two of them!

LOL, that s what I asked over at AVS, tongue in cheek though. :)

Sputter
November 7th, 2010, 5:58 AM
Yeah I have a question Pete... how soon on Monday can you get me a shipping quote for two of these bay boys to Canada?!!! ;-)

Looks like a killer sub. Can't wait to read some in depth reviews!

Group buy for Canadians? ;) I expect shipping costs will be "pricey". I can hardly wait for my quote to get this show on the road.

I was checking the forums randomly through the day to see what the new offering was...
I saw it and leaned over to my wife and whispered sweetly in her ear.."please pass the credit card" :D

I got the standard questions, why? where is going? what about what you have already? etc lol. I just gave the all encompassing response. " we need it". :)

unknownshadow
November 7th, 2010, 6:34 AM
Group buy for Canadians? ;) I expect shipping costs will be "pricey".

Any chance of that happening I wonder? Some dealer bringing in a load of them to save on brokerage fees, duties, using the pen fees etc. If I could walk into a local shop and buy these for the listed price I'd have 2 sitting in my room right now. But I fully expect shipping costs to Canada (especially the east coast) will kill this for me. :(

Sputter
November 7th, 2010, 6:53 AM
Any chance of that happening I wonder? Some dealer bringing in a load of them to save on brokerage fees, duties, using the pen fees etc. If I could walk into a local shop and buy these for the listed price I'd have 2 sitting in my room right now. But I fully expect shipping costs to Canada (especially the east coast) will kill this for me. :(

unlikely and i'm set to pay the shipping costs. at anyrate it's cost of doing business cross border. Though, I may faint when I actually see the bill. lol

dalumberjack
November 7th, 2010, 6:57 AM
LOL, that s what I asked over at AVS, tongue in cheek though. :)

Of course! Just playful thinking.

Love the new sub. Good job on the design and awesome look.

manu4panjab
November 7th, 2010, 8:00 AM
awesome job sir but to be very honest i still like uls-15 :D

tdekany
November 7th, 2010, 9:17 AM
I have to say that I was very impressed with this sub's performance at the open house today!

I have some research to do regarding whether to buy a couple of these or two of the ULS-15's.

Pete, I would really like to thank you and everyone at HSU Research for hosting this event today. Your professionalism and hospitality were really appreciated. :cool:

Hey Rob!

Rob Tomlin
November 7th, 2010, 12:30 PM
Hey Rob!


Small world! :D

Pete_Hsu
November 7th, 2010, 7:10 PM
You guys know each other huh? :)

Rob Tomlin
November 7th, 2010, 8:12 PM
You guys know each other huh? :)

Yes, from an auto detailing forum of all places (and AVS)!

Pete_Hsu
November 7th, 2010, 8:27 PM
Very cool! Thomas has been a member of this forum for many many years :)

Rob Tomlin
November 7th, 2010, 8:46 PM
Very cool! Thomas has been a member of this forum for many many years :)


He's been around Autopia for a while too! ;)

Pete_Hsu
November 7th, 2010, 9:31 PM
:D

Sputter
November 8th, 2010, 7:57 AM
Darn you guys three hours behind EST. Wakey wakey, some of us are looking for our quotes. ;) (just teasing)

taoggniklat
November 8th, 2010, 8:50 AM
Man those are beautiful...if only I had $900.

Nice work!

Pete_Hsu
November 8th, 2010, 9:38 PM
I emailed out a bunch of quotes just a few hours ago. Sorry for the delay, I was totally swamped today!

Thanks tao, glad you like it!

Sincerely,

unknownshadow
November 9th, 2010, 3:38 AM
I emailed out a bunch of quotes just a few hours ago. Sorry for the delay, I was totally swamped today!

Thanks tao, glad you like it!

Sincerely,

Got my quote! Much appreciated Pete, yesterday must have been a very busy day for quotes! :)

Unfortunately the shipping/brokerage/duties really puts the price over the top for me (a whopping 50% of the sub price! Ouch!) so I'll have to sit this one out and hope that HSU gets an authorized dealer in Canada at some point in the future.

Good luck with the new sub. I'm sure it will sell very well, especially within the US. I might even get to hear one if some day if somebody in the North Eastern states really cranks it up lol!!!

nydennis
November 9th, 2010, 3:38 AM
Man those are beautiful...if only I had $900.

Nice work!

I'm in the same boat Taog. 1018 is just 100 dollars over my budget which I am trying to stick firm to.

Sputter
November 9th, 2010, 8:35 AM
Yay me, it's ordered and now it's just a waiting game. :D

JonnyOzero3
November 9th, 2010, 10:21 AM
I'm in the same boat Taog. 1018 is just 100 dollars over my budget which I am trying to stick firm to.


Situation A) Buy mediocre sub in your price range. Watch an epic movie while eating expensive meal of filet mignon and escargot. Think about how much better your meal would taste if the movie was slamming with a VTF-15. Go online and lurk, and be sad you stuck to your budget. Fail.

Situation B) Buy VTF-15. On the day of arrival awesomeness, watch epic movie while eating a cheap steak. The movie sounds so good that your meal tastes better than filet. Realize that the extra 10% you spent on the sub will net you years of happiness, with no buyer's remorse. WIN!

TL;DR (too long; didn't read): All joking aside, if you're already in the market for a $900 sub (whatever your choice will be) I would def recommend stretching the budget ~10% to get what you want. Trust me, buyer's remorse and upgraditis are more expensive in the end. Do it right the first time :)

nydennis
November 9th, 2010, 11:20 AM
Point well taken, I've upgraded my budget to 1200.00 giving me more options. :-)

tdekany
November 9th, 2010, 5:06 PM
Yes, from an auto detailing forum of all places (and AVS)!

LOL Pete and Rob.

I think I purchased my first pair of HSU subs in the early 90s.

Rob Tomlin
November 9th, 2010, 5:08 PM
LOL Pete and Rob.

I think I purchased my first pair of HSU subs in the early 90s.

I ordered my first HSU sub in early 2000. And I still use it (as a second sub) in my HT!

Pete_Hsu
November 9th, 2010, 6:20 PM
I know what you mean unknownshadow. It is true that shipping/brokerage fees/taxes/duties are significant when shipping to Canada. But if we sold through a dealer, then the end user price would probably be higher (and possibly much higher).

We did already get some orders for VTF-15H to Canada, so these things will be crossing the border very soon!

Thanks to all of you for showing interest in the new product!

Sincerely,

Ddavidson
November 10th, 2010, 10:14 AM
Well done Hsu. No doubt yet another class leading model with performance well above any of its competitors.

Congrats !!!

Ddavidson

monkuboy
November 11th, 2010, 7:20 AM
Fortunately for my wallet I don't have to even consider the new sub since it is too large for the only space I have for it. :D I love my VTF-2 Mk 3, though, and there's no need to look for anything else. I just wanted to put in a good word for Hsu in general - the products are so often overlooked because they aren't glamorous or trendy or whatever, but they just keep making excellent, solid products backed by great service. It's a company you can depend on, day in and day out! :) Now if I did have more space, I would be sorely tempted..
________
Ford Model Tt Picture (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Ford_Model_TT)

Sputter
November 11th, 2010, 8:54 AM
I emailed out a bunch of quotes just a few hours ago. Sorry for the delay, I was totally swamped today!

Thanks tao, glad you like it!

Sincerely,

It seems us Canadians are in a holding pattern while the shipping details are being worked out with fedex and AA brokers if I understand it correctly.

It means the shipping will be a bit cheaper but also take longer to get here not to mention having to deal with a broker. I dunno if it'll even be shipped this week. :eek:
I'm hoping it will. :)

Sputter
November 11th, 2010, 12:11 PM
The official word is Thurs or Friday next week for my sub. :D

Sepen
November 11th, 2010, 1:07 PM
Pete, as you know I love the VTF-3 MK3 so how much more of a sub would the VTF-15H be as compared to output or percentage wise? I did get an offer on the MK3, albeit a bit lower than I wanted but I may take it as this would give me more than enough funds for the 15H. Double :)

And boy did this cause a lot of conversation on the various forums about your output numbers not being realistic etc. I get a kick out of it. It is a great looking sub and even if the numbers are only 95 percent of your stated quotes it will be a smashing success.

Pete_Hsu
November 11th, 2010, 2:27 PM
It seems us Canadians are in a holding pattern while the shipping details are being worked out with fedex and AA brokers if I understand it correctly.

It means the shipping will be a bit cheaper but also take longer to get here not to mention having to deal with a broker. I dunno if it'll even be shipped this week. :eek:
I'm hoping it will. :)

Yeah, that was just bizarre, we upgraded our FedEx software this week on Tuesday and suddenly the International Economy quote method I worked up on Monday was not an option anymore for this size package :mad: So sorry about this, it is frustrating for you guys and for us, but hopefully this will only delay things by a couple days. In the future things should go smoothly. We truly appreciate all your patience!

Sincerely,

Sputter
November 11th, 2010, 2:37 PM
Yeah, that was just bizarre, we upgraded our FedEx software this week on Tuesday and suddenly the International Economy quote method I worked up on Monday was not an option anymore for this size package :mad: So sorry about this, it is frustrating for you guys and for us, but hopefully this will only delay things by a couple days. In the future things should go smoothly. We truly appreciate all your patience!

Sincerely,

No sweat Pete, I just received my tracking number. I'm happy :)

Pete_Hsu
November 11th, 2010, 2:40 PM
Hi Sam,

Pete, as you know I love the VTF-3 MK3 so how much more of a sub would the VTF-15H be as compared to output or percentage wise? I did get an offer on the MK3, albeit a bit lower than I wanted but I may take it as this would give me more than enough funds for the 15H. Double :)

And boy did this cause a lot of conversation on the various forums about your output numbers not being realistic etc. I get a kick out of it. It is a great looking sub and even if the numbers are only 95 percent of your stated quotes it will be a smashing success.

No doubt the VTF-15H will have significantly more output capability than the VTF-3 MK3, and it will be able to maintain a flatter response at higher playback levels too.

The maximum clean output numbers I quoted were from an older prototype. Dr. Hsu recently pulled out a random new production unit and got even a tad higher output than what I had quoted! In Ported Max Output Mode he measured 124-125dB from 40-80Hz, 122dB @ 31.5Hz, 119dB @ 25Hz, 114dB @ 20Hz maximum clean peak output using the CEA2010 stepped harmonic distortion limits.

Sincerely,

Pete_Hsu
November 11th, 2010, 2:42 PM
No sweat Pete, I just received my tracking number. I'm happy :)

I'm so happy to hear that Sputter, thank you for the update!

Sincerely,

Pete_Hsu
November 11th, 2010, 2:50 PM
Dr. Hsu was kind enough to send me a photo of the VTF-15H Satin Black with grille on. Do note that it will look much more black and not gray in person!

WhskyTangoFxtrt
November 11th, 2010, 4:38 PM
How's this?

Sputter
November 12th, 2010, 7:46 AM
Watching the Fedex tracker is like a child watching the news for Santa sightings.:D

pbmpharmacist
November 12th, 2010, 7:53 AM
My VTF-15H arrived about an hour and a half ago. Took me that long to get it into the house, unpack, and have lunch.

Sputter
November 12th, 2010, 8:39 AM
My VTF-15H arrived about an hour and a half ago. Took me that long to get it into the house, unpack, and have lunch.

I've been following your posts and looked at your pictures. I'm living through you atm. ;)

pbmpharmacist
November 12th, 2010, 9:57 AM
Hi Pete,

You said you didn't have any good pictures of the black model so here you all go...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbmpharmacist/

VERY pleased thus far. Still trying out all of the different settings/modes etc. Right now I'm focusing on Q at lowest setting and no port plugs.

taoggniklat
November 12th, 2010, 10:04 AM
+1 Jealous!

Sepen
November 12th, 2010, 10:09 AM
My VTF-15H arrived about an hour and a half ago. Took me that long to get it into the house, unpack, and have lunch.


Impressions?

Pete_Hsu
November 12th, 2010, 1:28 PM
Hi Pete,

You said you didn't have any good pictures of the black model so here you all go...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbmpharmacist/

VERY pleased thus far. Still trying out all of the different settings/modes etc. Right now I'm focusing on Q at lowest setting and no port plugs.

Wonderful photos Mel, thank you very much!!! You did a great job with the unpacking. Hope you enjoy the unit :) I'll be curious to know what tuning mode and Q control setting that works best for you.

Sincerely,

Sputter
November 12th, 2010, 2:01 PM
Wonderful photos Mel, thank you very much!!! You did a great job with the unpacking. Hope you enjoy the unit :) I'll be curious to know what tuning mode and Q control setting that works best for you.

Sincerely,

I'm curious, are they all signed by Dr Hsu?

pbmpharmacist
November 12th, 2010, 4:42 PM
Wonderful photos Mel, thank you very much!!! You did a great job with the unpacking. Hope you enjoy the unit :) I'll be curious to know what tuning mode and Q control setting that works best for you.

Sincerely,

Hi Pete,

Watching "Scott Pilgram" right now (just taking a quick brake). It's hardly a bass-heavy movie but the music feels nice and punchy. Very cool!

Right now I'm running it with no ports and Q at the lowest setting. I watched "the cave scene" four times today, all with different settings so I've been experimenting. It's fun to have such flexibility!

Pete_Hsu
November 13th, 2010, 12:40 PM
Hi Mel,

There are literally dozens of different settings you could choose between the five different operating modes and the continuously adjustable Q control. I'm sure that could keep one occupied for endless amount of hours in itself :)

Sincerely,

Pete_Hsu
November 13th, 2010, 1:27 PM
Just a heads up everyone, we recently added a VTF-15H Quick-Setup Guide and VTF-15H Owner's Guide to our website. These are listed as a *.pdf file in the lower right hand corner of the VTF-15H product page.

The Owner's Guide is actually the Owner's Manual (yes, even though rare nowadays, we did provide an Owner's Manual!!!), and provides some details on placement, settings, operating modes, Q control, etc.

Sincerely,

Sputter
November 13th, 2010, 3:28 PM
Just a heads up everyone, we recently added a VTF-15H Quick-Setup Guide and VTF-15H Owner's Guide to our website. These are listed as a *.pdf file in the lower right hand corner of the VTF-15H product page.

The Owner's Guide is actually the Owner's Manual (yes, even though rare nowadays, we did provide an Owner's Manual!!!), and provides some details on placement, settings, operating modes, Q control, etc.

Sincerely,

Awesome

Jim

P.S. just how big is Cal? my sub is stuck there according to the tracker lol

Pete_Hsu
November 13th, 2010, 5:28 PM
Hi Jim,

I'm sure it's on the move. Sometimes FedEx will not provide regular tracking updates for a day or two while the item is in transit.

Sincerely,

nydennis
November 15th, 2010, 1:48 PM
Ordered mine today. Was up in the air with a couple of companies, but decided to go with HSU as I wanted the ported.

Excited to get it.

Pete_Hsu
November 15th, 2010, 2:10 PM
Thank you so much nydennis! I'll be curious to know what settings end up working best for you. I hope you all enjoy listening to this product in your home as much as we enjoy listening to it in our demo room (none of us have one at home yet!) :)

Sincerely,

_Jon_
November 16th, 2010, 9:26 AM
Just ordered mine - I think I may have gotten the last one, as I accidentally tried to add a second one and was told that there weren't any more.:)

Any idea how long this will take to get to NJ? I'm actually hoping that it WON'T be here this weekend, since I will be out of town.

Jon

Sputter
November 16th, 2010, 2:02 PM
Just ordered mine - I think I may have gotten the last one, as I accidentally tried to add a second one and was told that there weren't any more.:)

Any idea how long this will take to get to NJ? I'm actually hoping that it WON'T be here this weekend, since I will be out of town.

Jon

Hi Jon

When you get the tracker it will give the expected date.

Jim

2 more sleeps till mine arrives :D

Pete_Hsu
November 16th, 2010, 2:30 PM
Hi Jon,

Just ordered mine - I think I may have gotten the last one, as I accidentally tried to add a second one and was told that there weren't any more.:)

Any idea how long this will take to get to NJ? I'm actually hoping that it WON'T be here this weekend, since I will be out of town.

Jon

Yeah, looks like we already ran out of stock of VTF-15H, but we will be getting much more quantity very soon (within a few days I think, by early to middle of next week).

Shipping to NJ usually takes no more than 4-5 business days.

Thank you very much for the order, hope you like the product!

Sincerely,

nydennis
November 16th, 2010, 2:53 PM
Ordered mine Monday Jon and being shipped to Long Island, NY. Delivery is scheduled for Friday. It says signature required so I doubt they would just leave it anyway.

Sputter
November 16th, 2010, 3:20 PM
Mine is in Ohio now :D

_Jon_
November 17th, 2010, 9:55 AM
Yeah, looks like we already ran out of stock of VTF-15H, but we will be getting much more quantity very soon (within a few days I think, by early to middle of next week).


So, if my order from Tuesday hasn't shipped yet, should I assume that mine is on back order?

Jon

nydennis
November 17th, 2010, 10:28 AM
So, if my order from Tuesday hasn't shipped yet, should I assume that mine is on back order?

Jon


Jon, I believe I was told that if I ordered before 11am it would ship same day. I didn't receive my tracking info until later that evening. If you ordered close to 11am then maybe it went out today.

Also the site doesn't let you add the Sub to the cart so hopefully you got in one of the last ones.

Pete_Hsu
November 17th, 2010, 12:46 PM
So, if my order from Tuesday hasn't shipped yet, should I assume that mine is on back order?

Jon

That could very well be the case Jon. I am out of the office right now, so feel free to call us to inquire about that.

Thanks so much

Sincerely,

lradden
November 17th, 2010, 1:35 PM
Guys, I haven't been on any subwoofer forums since midnight 11/5 until my unit arrived yesterday. No AVS forums, Hsu forums etc... I went cold turkey, so that I didn't hear or read anything about the new sub until I opened the box.

Over the past 5 years I've had dual VTF3 MKII and a VTF3 HO w/Turbo. I bought the 15H on the advice of Pete without ever reading a single thing about it, or even seeing a picture of it, so buying the 15H was a complete blind buy. Heck, I didn't even know the name of it was until I got the tracking number and even then I emailed Pete and told him it was called VTF-15H1007 and said that was a strange name for a sub. I knew absolutely nothing about this sub, not the specs or even the price. Pete told me to sell my VTF3 HO w/Turbo and he would place my order for the new sub. I sold the HO within 12 hours of listing it on eBay and put complete faith in Pete's word that this new sub was going to be absolutely fantastic.

I just got it last night and I haven't plugged it in yet, so I have no idea how it sounds (I'm still at work). I just wanted let you guys know how absolutely beautiful this thing is. I loved the looks of VTF3-HO, but this is just in a completely different league. The fit and finish on this sub is nothing like anything Hsu has ever put out(that I know of at least). This sub is just so perfect looking that it's almost a shame to call it audio equipment. It truly is a work of art and it's a shame to put in a corner out of site. This sub is HUGE (which I like) and I mean huge and the fit and finish are just stunning. Pictures just don't do it justice, and even my wife who cares nothing about audio equipment said "wow that's REALLY nice".

My hat is off to everyone at Hsu Research for putting out a product that is just gorgeous. I looked at my invoice AFTER unpacking the sub and I expected it to read $2000.00. My jaw dropped on the floor when I saw I was only charged $879.00 for something like this. How in the world can they charge only $879.00 for this sub. I have no doubt that the performance is equal to the fit and finish and I'll have it EQ-ed with my BFD and calibrated properly later tonight and put it through it's paces.

I'm dying to get home and finally set it up. OK, I've raved enough about the quality and looks of the sub. I'm getting out of here so I can see what it sounds like. I'll post back later tonight and post pics too.

BTW the good Dr. was nice enough to sign my subs amp too:cool: . I guess it's time to change my avatar.

Sputter
November 17th, 2010, 2:39 PM
Guys, I haven't been on any subwoofer forums since midnight 11/5 until my unit arrived yesterday. No AVS forums, Hsu forums etc... I went cold turkey, so that I didn't hear or read anything about the new sub until I opened the box.

Over the past 5 years I've had dual VTF3 MKII and a VTF3 HO w/Turbo. I bought the 15H on the advice of Pete without ever reading a single thing about it, or even seeing a picture of it, so buying the 15H was a complete blind buy. Heck, I didn't even know the name of it was until I got the tracking number and even then I emailed Pete and told him it was called VTF-15H1007 and said that was a strange name for a sub. I knew absolutely nothing about this sub, not the specs or even the price. Pete told me to sell my VTF3 HO w/Turbo and he would place my order for the new sub. I sold the HO within 12 hours of listing it on eBay and put complete faith in Pete's word that this new sub was going to be absolutely fantastic.

I just got it last night and I haven't plugged it in yet, so I have no idea how it sounds (I'm still at work). I just wanted let you guys know how absolutely beautiful this thing is. I loved the looks of VTF3-HO, but this is just in a completely different league. The fit and finish on this sub is nothing like anything Hsu has ever put out(that I know of at least). This sub is just so perfect looking that it's almost a shame to call it audio equipment. It truly is a work of art and it's a shame to put in a corner out of site. This sub is HUGE (which I like) and I mean huge and the fit and finish are just stunning. Pictures just don't do it justice, and even my wife who cares nothing about audio equipment said "wow that's REALLY nice".

My hat is off to everyone at Hsu Research for putting out a product that is just gorgeous. I looked at my invoice AFTER unpacking the sub and I expected it to read $2000.00. My jaw dropped on the floor when I saw I was only charged $879.00 for something like this. How in the world can they charge only $879.00 for this sub. I have no doubt that the performance is equal to the fit and finish and I'll have it EQ-ed with my BFD and calibrated properly later tonight and put it through it's paces.

I'm dying to get home and finally set it up. OK, I've raved enough about the quality and looks of the sub. I'm getting out of here so I can see what it sounds like. I'll post back later tonight and post pics too.

BTW the good Dr. was nice enough to sign my subs amp too:cool: . I guess it's time to change my avatar.

I'll look forward to a small review. :)

Mine just hit Canada an hour and a half ago, actually it's just 2 hours away in a Fedex depot.
Sleeping could prove to be a challenge tonight. lol

Jim

cacihome
November 17th, 2010, 2:59 PM
I love reviews...
And even more from people who have heard lots of subs...
I am waiting anxiously for this! HAHAHHA
Mine should arrive tomorrow. At last I will know how this compares to the other 15-20 subs I have had.
And...I will see if this one makes me stop buying these things man, before my wife kills me!HAHHAHAHA

lradden
November 17th, 2010, 3:07 PM
Just got home and will EQ it soon. Man 15-20 subs? Even if I count the non Hsu subs I've only had 7 subs in 8 years. Wow you've had a lot of subs.

cacihome
November 17th, 2010, 3:23 PM
Just got home and will EQ it soon. Man 15-20 subs? Even if I count the non Hsu subs I've only had 7 subs in 8 years. Wow you've had a lot of subs.


mmm. Maybe I exaggerated a little bit...Let's see...

Polk (2) 404 and 405,
Infinity (1) (dont remember the model, but only one with a 12" and cost was about $500 or so)
Cerwin Vega (1) with a 12 or a 15" I think...dont remember well..
Velodyne (4) CHT-12, CHT-10, VLF-1012 or VLF-810, SPL1200
Elemental Designs (2) A7-450,A7s-450
Sony (1) with a 10" woofer
HSU ULS-15, VTF3 MK3 Turbo, MBM, VTF-2, now the VTF-15H, VTF2 MK3...
I think those are all...So, about 16 right?
But I have heard more at local stores, CES, etc...

_Jon_
November 17th, 2010, 4:15 PM
That could very well be the case Jon.

I got the bad news via a phone call this afternoon. :( I was hoping to try it out w/the extended family on Thanksgiving, but it looks like it probably won't make it in time. I did appreciate the call, though.

Jon

nydennis
November 18th, 2010, 3:06 AM
I got the bad news via a phone call this afternoon. :( I was hoping to try it out w/the extended family on Thanksgiving, but it looks like it probably won't make it in time. I did appreciate the call, though.

Jon

Sorry to hear that Jon.

I almost waited an extra day and decided to just do it. Glad I did or it would have been OOS. :-(

Sputter
November 18th, 2010, 4:49 AM
Nothing quite so bad as making the decision then having to wait.


Fedex is here

They just dropped it off and it's a big ass box.
Time to have a peek.

Sputter
November 18th, 2010, 5:56 AM
The wood is beautiful except for a messed up rear corner.:(
I have no way of telling where it was caused. The boxes and foam packing weren't punctured or otherwise damaged. On the plus side, it's not in area that you would easily see (in a rear corner). I took a few pictures to send to Pete.

The height of it would make an decent end table lol

I haven't plugged it in yet as I'm still looking for anything else that might be out of order.
The good Dr signed it as well, very :cool: .


Jim

Pete was very quick to respond to my email regarding the damaged corner. He gave me a couple good options. I poked aound the outside box corners and found a "sliver" of what looks to be a piece of pallet. Over an inch long poking it's head out on the outside of the one boxes corner. I sent him pictures of it. Man, it's such a nice looking finish for this to have happened. My wife even liked the finish, though her first words were "it's big" (lol i'm not going there)

bdpf
November 18th, 2010, 7:14 AM
Hi Sputter,
I'm very interested on the VTF-15F as well. My only concern is the price for shipping and import taxes to Canada. Can you tell me how much the sub ended up costing all in?
Thanks.

Sputter
November 18th, 2010, 7:31 AM
Hi Sputter,
I'm very interested on the VTF-15F as well. My only concern is the price for shipping and import taxes to Canada. Can you tell me how much the sub ended up costing all in?
Thanks.

I don't have the final bill yet, Fedex is going to send me a bill for the taxes/duty. :eek:
So I can only give you what I do know.

$1370.00cdn so far. That includes the premium price for Rosenut,$100.00 for extended amp warranty.(5 years instead of the basic 2 years).

The duties/tax I don't know yet.

I hope this helps.
Jim

bdpf
November 18th, 2010, 7:47 AM
Thanks very much. So I guess shipping to Canada is around $270. Please let me know once you find out the taxes/duties/brokerage/etc... Thanks again.
WOW! Nice! Congratulations!..........And yes, I am jealous :)

Sputter
November 18th, 2010, 3:28 PM
Man, there is a bunch of settings to play with:eek:
I ran my MACCA and did my Db meter adjustments. Did I mention that there are a lot of settings to play with? lol

I played some Alice Cooper to start and then some scenes from a few different movies.
The Dark Knight, The last Terminator flick, Hurt Locker and BlackHawk Down.

Very nice, a vast improvement over my Mirage omni S10, no surprise there.
Don't expect a big review from me as this is only my 3rd sub.

Once I get it broken in (dunno how many hours to expect) and play with the different modes i'll have something better to add.

It's keeper for sure.:D

Jim

taoggniklat
November 19th, 2010, 7:07 AM
Which L/R speakers are those?

Looks nice!

Sputter
November 19th, 2010, 8:18 AM
Which L/R speakers are those?

Looks nice!

The left/right are Jamo C-807s the Center is a Jamo E-8 cen.

45_ACP_AUTO
November 19th, 2010, 2:18 PM
Hey guys, new to the forum. Just wondering, what is the driver made of? is the surround foam or rubber? This thing on paper looks like a monster, this may be a first ID sub I buy. I now use a pair of Velodyne DD-15'S, I am itching for a pair of something new. The VTF-15 is looking promising, what to do.

45

lradden
November 19th, 2010, 5:04 PM
Guys, sorry for taking so long with this but it's taken me two days to really spend time with the sub and understand just how much the "EQ" and "Q" controls effect the room response. This sub is really incredible and the use of the "EQ" and "Q" controls makes this a completely different sub. Depending on how these are used you can literally transform the sub into many different subs. Changing these controls is like swapping out one sub for another or being able to have an external EQ with different room response setting for different kinds of movies and music.

I didn't realize just how important the "EQ" and "Q" controls are until I EQ-ed the sub with my BFD. I used my BFD to EQ the sub with the sub set to EQ1, Q=0.7 and had a nice house curve built in. Then by flipping over to EQ2 all of a sudden the curve was the same, but all the frequencies went down and depending on the Q setting, I could even change the response curve. Through the use of the Q control you can have different response curves for different DVD/BD, whether movies, music or just CDs. These features are very useful for say movies that are really bassy and dig deep and you play at a medium volume vs. a BD like War of The Worlds that is way overcooked in the bass and I want to play it loud, but still want to feel that deep extension. I can simply flip the EQ from EQ1 to EQ2 and change the Q from 0.7 to 0.3. Now I still have a sub that digs deep but let's me play very loud too because the response has now flattened out and lowered. The combinations of EQ and Q settings from 0.3-0.7 are ridiculous(in a good way though). You really have to graph out the response curves to see how the changes effect the sub and the room.

Imagine having 10, 12, 14? subs all with different room response curves and you'd swap in the sub you want depending on the material playing. Or imagine having a single sub with an external EQ that has memory settings for 10,12,14 or more response curves. The EQ and Q control combined with ported or sealed modes makes this sub really special. I just need time to graph out maybe three or four EQ and Q settings that fit the different material and the way I like it.

As for the sound what can I say, the sub hits hard hell and sounds fantastic. You can even alter the sound depending on the settings you choose. On the first night I thought "yeah the subs OK, but my VTF3-HO w/turbo wasn't too far behind". Well that changed last night after I learned how to use the EQ and Q controls and graphed the results of changing the settings. Now the sub is a completely different animal. You really just need to tweak this monster to your room. Now the HO isn't even in the same league as the 15H. The VTF3-HO w/turbo is a really powerful sub, and sounds great, but the 15H really is at a different level. It can be smooth or punchy all depending on the settings and it can also have more or less low and/or mid bass depending on the settings.

My theater is in our finished basement, and the theater part is closed off, 13x24 with carpet over padding over concrete. Even in a basement theater the sub really moves a lot of air and shakes the hell out of my room and the entire house. This is one serious sub and I can't imagine having it upstairs on a wooden floor. I played the Iron Man 2, and Matrix Revolutions BDs. I used 1 port open, EQ1, Q=0.5 for IM2 and set my pre/pro master volume at -17 and showed "un-corrected" peaks of 100dB on my RS meter(remember I have a house curve built in and I also get a lot of room gain below 18Hz and the BFD can't EQ below 20Hz). The scene when IM jumps out the plane was unlike I've ever heard it and the scene when whiplash spins his whips and they hit the ground 7 or 8 times fast in a row towards Tony was just ridiculously strong. You'd really have to feel it to believe it. I only played these two scenes, but several times and I imagine the rest of the movie is equally as powerful with the H15.

Then I put in Matrix Revolutions. I tried the scenes when the machine speaks and the final battle with the water ball explosion. The machine speaks and water ball explosions both go down to around 5HZ, so I wanted more headroom and the deepest extension so I used 1 port open, EQ2, Q=0.3. and set my pre/pro master volume at -12(revolutions is mastered at a lower volume for some reason). It was really scary how strong the bass was. With my room gain below 18Hz the water ball explosion has always been a demo scene for me with the HO, but with the 15H it's really is scary how strong the bass is.

I'm going to try some more sub settings with, concert BDs and music CDs tonight, so I'll keep it short and sweet the next time. The main thing for me has been understanding the effects the EQ and Q controls have to get the most out of this beast. I haven't even tried it in sealed mode yet, but IMO with this subs fit, finish, performance, and the flexibility of the settings, if Hsu had charged 2K I would have paid it.

Dr. Hsu & Pete, just pretend you didn't read that last part. I like the price right where it is.:)
.
.

Sputter
November 19th, 2010, 7:11 PM
Iradden, good information and thanks for sharing. I'll be waiting for any additional information you can add. :)

Jim

Sepen
November 20th, 2010, 5:15 AM
Nice pictures! Your room is just a tad smaller than mine and my VTF-3 MK3 shook the room and house like no other. Any this monster is even better.I just can't fathom people putting two, three, four and more monster subs in a room and most of the time the room is smaller than ours!

This is the mode I would probably want to run it at due to my grandsons bedroom right above. Medium volume and still have a shaky and punchy experience.
2) Ported Max Extension Mode: 1 port open, and operating mode switch set to ‘EQ1’. This mode is ideal for those with medium-to-large
room sizes, or small to medium rooms but who listen at low-to-moderate playback levels where the rising low bass from room gain
will help compensate for the ear’s insensitivity to bass at lower levels.


Guys, sorry for taking so long with this but it's taken me two days to really spend time with the sub and understand just how much the "EQ" and "Q" controls effect the room response. This sub is really incredible and the use of the "EQ" and "Q" controls makes this a completely different sub. Depending on how these are used you can literally transform the sub into many different subs. Changing these controls is like swapping out one sub for another or being able to have an external EQ with different room response setting for different kinds of movies and music.

I didn't realize just how important the "EQ" and "Q" controls are until I EQ-ed the sub with my BFD. I used my BFD to EQ the sub with the sub set to EQ1, Q=0.7 and had a nice house curve built in. Then by flipping over to EQ2 all of a sudden the curve was the same, but all the frequencies went down and depending on the Q setting, I could even change the response curve. Through the use of the Q control you can have different response curves for different DVD/BD, whether movies, music or just CDs. These features are very useful for say movies that are really bassy and dig deep and you play at a medium volume vs. a BD like War of The Worlds that is way overcooked in the bass and I want to play it loud, but still want to feel that deep extension. I can simply flip the EQ from EQ1 to EQ2 and change the Q from 0.7 to 0.3. Now I still have a sub that digs deep but let's me play very loud too because the response has now flattened out and lowered. The combinations of EQ and Q settings from 0.3-0.7 are ridiculous(in a good way though). You really have to graph out the response curves to see how the changes effect the sub and the room.

Imagine having 10, 12, 14? subs all with different room response curves and you'd swap in the sub you want depending on the material playing. Or imagine having a single sub with an external EQ that has memory settings for 10,12,14 or more response curves. The EQ and Q control combined with ported or sealed modes makes this sub really special. I just need time to graph out maybe three or four EQ and Q settings that fit the different material and the way I like it.

As for the sound what can I say, the sub hits hard hell and sounds fantastic. You can even alter the sound depending on the settings you choose. On the first night I thought "yeah the subs OK, but my VTF3-HO w/turbo wasn't too far behind". Well that changed last night after I learned how to use the EQ and Q controls and graphed the results of changing the settings. Now the sub is a completely different animal. You really just need to tweak this monster to your room. Now the HO isn't even in the same league as the 15H. The VTF3-HO w/turbo is a really powerful sub, and sounds great, but the 15H really is at a different level. It can be smooth or punchy all depending on the settings and it can also have more or less low and/or mid bass depending on the settings.

My theater is in our finished basement, and the theater part is closed off, 13x24 with carpet over padding over concrete. Even in a basement theater the sub really moves a lot of air and shakes the hell out of my room and the entire house. This is one serious sub and I can't imagine having it upstairs on a wooden floor. I played the Iron Man 2, and Matrix Revolutions BDs. I used 1 port open, EQ1, Q=0.5 for IM2 and set my pre/pro master volume at -17 and showed "un-corrected" peaks of 100dB on my RS meter(remember I have a house curve built in and I also get a lot of room gain below 18Hz and the BFD can't EQ below 20Hz). The scene when IM jumps out the plane was unlike I've ever heard it and the scene when whiplash spins his whips and they hit the ground 7 or 8 times fast in a row towards Tony was just ridiculously strong. You'd really have to feel it to believe it. I only played these two scenes, but several times and I imagine the rest of the movie is equally as powerful with the H15.

Then I put in Matrix Revolutions. I tried the scenes when the machine speaks and the final battle with the water ball explosion. The machine speaks and water ball explosions both go down to around 5HZ, so I wanted more headroom and the deepest extension so I used 1 port open, EQ2, Q=0.3. and set my pre/pro master volume at -12(revolutions is mastered at a lower volume for some reason). It was really scary how strong the bass was. With my room gain below 18Hz the water ball explosion has always been a demo scene for me with the HO, but with the 15H it's really is scary how strong the bass is.

I'm going to try some more sub settings with, concert BDs and music CDs tonight, so I'll keep it short and sweet the next time. The main thing for me has been understanding the effects the EQ and Q controls have to get the most out of this beast. I haven't even tried it in sealed mode yet, but IMO with this subs fit, finish, performance, and the flexibility of the settings, if Hsu had charged 2K I would have paid it.

Dr. Hsu & Pete, just pretend you didn't read that last part. I like the price right where it is.:)
.
.

shadyJ
November 20th, 2010, 7:36 AM
Nice review Iradden, you should repost that in the VTF-15H thread in the subwoofer forum at AVSforum.com, I think there would be a lot of interest in your insights, especially about the configurability of the sub.

lradden
November 20th, 2010, 3:39 PM
Iradden, good information and thanks for sharing. I'll be waiting for any additional information you can add. :)

JimThanks sputter, I'm going to put together a graph of EQ1 & EQ2 showing the effects of Q 0.3 through 0.7.

Nice review Iradden, you should repost that in the VTF-15H thread in the subwoofer forum at AVSforum.com, I think there would be a lot of interest in your insights, especially about the configurability of the sub.Done ShadyJ. I've posted it on AVS. I'm not sure people who have this sub really know how flexible it is.

pbmpharmacist
November 20th, 2010, 5:54 PM
Hey all,

Just a heads up, be careful when you are pulling the port plugs in and out of the VTF-15 H. I got one a little stuck and I ended up ripping off a piece of the port plug. Not a huge deal, but I thought I'd post this so that others know that's a possibility. Didn't have this issue with my old Hsu sub.

pbmpharmacist

Sputter
November 20th, 2010, 6:11 PM
Thanks sputter, I'm going to put together a graph of EQ1 & EQ2 showing the effects of Q 0.3 through 0.7.

Done ShadyJ. I've posted it on AVS. I'm not sure people who have this sub really know how flexible it is.

I'd love to see the graphs.

Jim

Sputter
November 20th, 2010, 6:11 PM
Hey all,

Just a heads up, be careful when you are pulling the port plugs in and out of the VTF-15 H. I got one a little stuck and I ended up ripping off a piece of the port plug. Not a huge deal, but I thought I'd post this so that others know that's a possibility. Didn't have this issue with my old Hsu sub.

pbmpharmacist

Softer foam or a tighter fit?

pbmpharmacist
November 21st, 2010, 4:35 AM
Softer foam or a tighter fit?

Softer foam, if memory serves me right

Ddavidson
November 21st, 2010, 9:36 AM
lradden well done. A great review.

Ddavidson

nydennis
November 22nd, 2010, 2:41 AM
I've had my 15h for several days now. I watched just two movies on it so far and I can say it is one of the best investments I have made. The bass this puts out is incredible. Even at the lowest settings this thing is a beast. I keep the volume at the 9 O'clock position and the Q between 3 and 5. ( Mostly 3) and this thing just shakes my house.

The customer service is beyond great. Pete is just always here to answer my annoying noob questions. This isn't a company who forgets about you once you buy the product.

lradden
November 22nd, 2010, 12:53 PM
lradden well done. A great review.

DdavidsonThanks Davidson. As you can tell I'm VERY satisfied with the subs performance and flexibility.

lradden
November 22nd, 2010, 12:59 PM
I've had my 15h for several days now. I watched just two movies on it so far and I can say it is one of the best investments I have made. The bass this puts out is incredible. Even at the lowest settings this thing is a beast. I keep the volume at the 9 O'clock position and the Q between 3 and 5. ( Mostly 3) and this thing just shakes my house.

The customer service is beyond great. Pete is just always here to answer my annoying noob questions. This isn't a company who forgets about you once you buy the product.The bass is really strong and I'm just starting to appreciate how good it sounds. I don't need a second one,. Heck one is already more than I need, but I'm thinking about purchasing another, because if one is this good I'd just love to have two. Besides, to keep things symmetrical I should put one behind my right front speaker so it doesn't look so lonely:)

MurrayMartini
November 22nd, 2010, 1:24 PM
My new subs arrived today!! It took me a couple of hours to unpack and set them up and I was able to test out some settings with stereo music, concert and movies.

First of all, the build quality is superb and the Rosenut finish is gorgeous, it matches my other speakers perfect!

So far, I have tried both ports seal and one port opened with various EQ/Q settings. I must say that with both ports sealed, the bass is extremely tight and the sound quality was very impressive.

Currently I have both set on one port open, EQ2 with Q set to 0.5 and I think I have found my sweet spot! The bass is deep and loud but very very clean. I still have to try more settings with one port open as well as both ports open but this is a dramatic improvement from my single VTF3 HO Turbo.

lradden
November 22nd, 2010, 1:39 PM
Murray, that is a sweet setup and the rosewood really does match your other speakers perfectly. I keep posting how much an improvement the 15H is over the HO. I love the HO, it really is a great sub, and I have nothing but respect for it's sound and performance, but the 15H is a noticeable improvement no matter the material. Go to hear from another owner who's coming from the VTF-3 HO w/Turbo.

MurrayMartini
November 22nd, 2010, 1:53 PM
I agree, the HO was amazing in its own right and it has served me very well over the years. It was a huge upgrade from an old Velodyne I had. The pair of 15s is a whole other level in terms of output and sound quality. It is hard to believe!

cacihome
November 22nd, 2010, 5:19 PM
Ok. My VTF-15H arrived!

Ehhh...I will not bother saying anything, besides it is the best subwoofer I have owned!...As simple as that... WOW!

Will post SPL readings soon with a more detailed review, but I am getting new SPL room records.

I am so happy, I even feel Dr. Hsu designed this exactly for my tastes.HAHAHA

The feets, the cabinet construction(fit &finish), the triangular ports, the driver, all are excellent... This product has at last ended my quest for a subwoofer, it is really great!

I heard Jurassic Park 3 (DTS), in the scene where the two dinosaurs fight, and the sub ports were literally blowing up the curtains...Since those curtains are very very heavy, this is a first in my room!
I had in that same corner the ULS-15 and the A7s-450, and they were good... but this thing is putting out more bass than the two together...I just can't believe this. It even makes me sick after a while of hearing it.
It has extremely good transients in Die Hard 4, and hard hitting midbass in movies like LOTR3 (Oliphants stomps).

Sputter
November 22nd, 2010, 5:43 PM
Ok. My VTF-15H arrived!

Ehhh...I will not bother saying anything, besides it is the best subwoofer I have owned!...As simple as that... WOW!

Will post SPL readings soon with a more detailed review, but I am getting new SPL room records.

I am so happy, I even feel Dr. Hsu designed this exactly for my tastes.HAHAHA

The feets, the cabinet construction(fit &finish), the triangular ports, the driver, all are excellent... This product has at last ended my quest for a subwoofer, it is really great!

I heard Jurassic Park 3 (DTS), in the scene where the two dinosaurs fight, and the sub ports were literally blowing up the curtains...Since those curtains are very very heavy, this is a first in my room!
I had in that same corner the ULS-15 and the A7s-450, and they were good... but this thing is putting out more bass than the two together...I just can't believe this. It even makes me sick after a while of hearing it.
It has extremely good transients in Die Hard 4, and hard hitting midbass in movies like LOTR3 (Oliphants stomps).

Now you an hear it rather than having to read about it :D

SeattleDucks
November 22nd, 2010, 9:03 PM
Pete, is there a discount price for duals? There was when I purchased two VTF-3.3's a few years ago.

Ross

Whiper101
November 23rd, 2010, 5:12 AM
I should be getting my Dual Drive Friday or Monday, and can hardly wait. Reading the great reviews is only making it harder. I am a little concerned about the "keep it 4 feet away from hard drives" warning. Where I wanted to put them will be too close to my PVR and PS3. Anyone place theirs close to a PVR or such and erase the drive?

lradden
November 23rd, 2010, 5:55 AM
I should be getting my Dual Drive Friday or Monday, and can hardly wait. Reading the great reviews is only making it harder. I am a little concerned about the "keep it 4 feet away from hard drives" warning. Where I wanted to put them will be too close to my PVR and PS3. Anyone place theirs close to a PVR or such and erase the drive?Speakers are shielded, but subs usually aren't so the keep it 4 ft away applies to most subs. I don't ever remember having a shielded sub.

BTW welcome to the forum and congrats on the twins. I'm sure they make a nice addition to your home and keep people awake with lots of clean bass.

shadyJ
November 23rd, 2010, 7:28 AM
Pete, is there a discount price for duals? There was when I purchased two VTF-3.3's a few years ago.

Ross
I remember reading on the first post there was something like a $50 discount on each sub when purchased in multiples, but that seems to have vanished. I bet that demand is so high they just don't need that as an inducement to sell more of these things. Even without that additional discount, it's still a hell of a deal, get two anyway!

MurrayMartini
November 23rd, 2010, 2:02 PM
I should be getting my Dual Drive Friday or Monday, and can hardly wait. Reading the great reviews is only making it harder. I am a little concerned about the "keep it 4 feet away from hard drives" warning. Where I wanted to put them will be too close to my PVR and PS3. Anyone place theirs close to a PVR or such and erase the drive?

I have one about less than 2 feet from my dvr and ps3, they are both still working fine. No worries!

cacihome
November 24th, 2010, 8:15 AM
Yesterday, I watched LOTR3(Battle of pelennor fields) and Spiderman3(chapter 6 I think...) and I registered 117dbs uncorrected peak values, at the seats, with Radio Shack analogue meter....Impressive!

It sounded clean, extremely tight, and appeared to have more in the tank to offer...

While Im sure it can do more(couple more of clean dbs)...I didn't want to push it more, I really value this subwoofer... so, no need to break it.
Excellent SPL monster sub!

This was with two ports open, Q @.5, volume at receiver -12, LFE level at 0, level at sub about 9'o clock...(11-12 feet listening position in a 3,100cufeet room)

I also tried it with This is It, and it sounds like a sealed sub (very tight and punchy), without being "boxy", even at the ported config. WOW!

lradden
November 24th, 2010, 9:43 AM
Sounds like your having a good time. The sub is pretty addicting. My sons came home from college last night and saw the sub for the first time and they were shocked at how little it cost. Then I put in Iron Man 2 and played the scene in the beginning where he jumps out the plane. During the scene the looks on their faces was priceless.

Afterward they both said "this thing is crazy" and asked me to get another one. They agreed I don't need another and that the one is waaay more than enough, but they still said get another one. I told them that's funny because I've been saying the same thing. There's no way in heck I need another one, but I sure am thinking about getting a second one.:eek:

Sputter
November 24th, 2010, 10:21 AM
Sounds like your having a good time. The sub is pretty addicting. My sons came home from college last night and saw the sub for the first time and they were shocked at how little it cost. Then I put in Iron Man 2 and played the scene in the beginning where he jumps out the plane. During the scene the looks on their faces was priceless.

Afterward they both said "this thing is crazy" and asked me to get another one. They agreed I don't need another and that the one is waaay more than enough, but they still said get another one. I told them that's funny because I've been saying the same thing. There's no way in heck I need another one, but I sure am thinking about getting a second one.:eek:

I'm with you on this. Do I need another? hell no but do I want another to even out the whole room, maybe lol.
I'm have about 4100 feet of space to fill. My wife likes it but not pairs worth. (not that i've mentioned that thought)

Jim

lradden
November 24th, 2010, 11:30 AM
Hey Sputter, maybe you and I can work a deal with Pete. We both agree to buy another if he drops the price by $50 for us:D. The sad part is my wife wouldn't mind me getting another, but I really don't need two. My theater is in the finished basement, and it's 13x24 and sealed off from the other rooms. I just don't need two, but man I REALLY do want two.

BTW last night my wife did say "you should get another to make it look even". I want another for the sound and she says to get it for the decor. As long as she says yes I don't care why:D

Sputter
November 24th, 2010, 12:14 PM
Hey Sputter maybe you and I can work a deal with Pete. We both agree to buy another if he drops the price by $50:D for us.. The sad part is my wife wouldn't mind me getting another, but I really don't need two. My theater is in the finished basement, and it's 13x24 and sealed off from the other rooms. I just don't need two, but man I REALLY do want two.

BTW last night my wife did say "you should get another to make it look even". I want another for the sound and she says to get it for the decor. As long as she says yes I don't care why:D

LOL, I never thought about the "make it look even" angle. I haven't even attempted to bring the subject up. With Christmas coming, bribery just might be in the cards. ;)

Whiper101
November 24th, 2010, 12:37 PM
I was thinking of one sub from another company, but I thought having two of these would look awesome. Plus I have a 5100 ft3 space to fill.

MurrayMartini
November 24th, 2010, 1:02 PM
Guys, get 2 if you can, you dont "need" it but it is just that much better with 2!

Sputter
November 24th, 2010, 4:58 PM
Normally I calibrate using MCACC and a SP meter.

For fun I thought i'd graph it. I used the test tones from RealTraps.
I set the sub lvl to 70db with the pink noise then ran the test tones up to 91hz.
My crossover on my AVR is set to 80hz.
I'm not even sure if this is the correct way to do it.

I'm assuming my results are more room based and wouldn't apply to others correct?
I'll post it if anyone has an interest in seeing it. I'm not sure how to really interpret the results. :eek:

lanion
November 27th, 2010, 2:37 PM
ULS-15 dual drive still working for me.... I never even push them given apartment setting.

When I go for +1 sub for flatter in room EQ I will look to HSU as I like the continued innovation. Based on Harman research interested in the two subs on floor level far apart and 1 sub high up.... or 4 subs at mid walls... but that is at least a year off.

Pete_Hsu
November 28th, 2010, 4:26 PM
Hi Legairre,

Sounds like your having a good time. The sub is pretty addicting. My sons came home from college last night and saw the sub for the first time and they were shocked at how little it cost. Then I put in Iron Man 2 and played the scene in the beginning where he jumps out the plane. During the scene the looks on their faces was priceless.

Afterward they both said "this thing is crazy" and asked me to get another one. They agreed I don't need another and that the one is waaay more than enough, but they still said get another one. I told them that's funny because I've been saying the same thing. There's no way in heck I need another one, but I sure am thinking about getting a second one.:eek:

This is priceless, thanks :)

I am a huge proponent of multiple subs, as they will give smoother response across multiple seats, higher headroom, lower distortion, better long-term reliability, etc. And if you wife gets on board due to the symmetry, then all the better!

Sincerely,

lradden
November 28th, 2010, 5:54 PM
Thanks Pete. The logical side of me keeps saying "what are you nuts two 15H in a 13x24 theater?" Ahh, then the side that doesn't give a hoot about logic kicks in and says "stop being a wimp and just order another one, your wife already said yes" :D.

Pete_Hsu
November 28th, 2010, 6:28 PM
Once you get used to having multiple subs in your room, it's hard to go back to a single sub. You and everyone else will really love it, not necessarily because duals can play louder, but because of flatter and smoother response across all seats :)

cacihome
November 29th, 2010, 5:23 AM
Thanks Pete. The logical side of me keeps saying "what are you nuts two 15H in a 13x24 theater?" Ahh, then the side that doesn't give a hoot about logic kicks in and says "stop being a wimp and just order another one, your wife already said yes" :D.

HAHHAHAHAH

movieboy
November 29th, 2010, 2:03 PM
I think I'll wait until after the holidays to order mine. I need to get all the other gifts out of the way before I satisfy my own indulgences. :p

Pete_Hsu
November 29th, 2010, 9:25 PM
Speaking of indulgence, we used to hand out Lindt truffles at CES/T.H.E. SHOW in Vegas :D

guj
November 30th, 2010, 10:34 AM
Speaking of indulgence, we used to hand out Lindt truffles at CES/T.H.E. SHOW in Vegas :D

But still I'm sure the people's ears have had better time than their taste buds.

Earcandy > candy.

JKW
December 7th, 2010, 11:02 PM
Pulled the trigger on one today, and it should be here on Friday. Wonder where I will put it? My current subwoofer is about the same height and width, but the depth of this beast is significantly greater.

lradden
December 8th, 2010, 6:27 AM
Pulled the trigger on one today, and it should be here on Friday. Wonder where I will put it? My current subwoofer is about the same height and width, but the depth of this beast is significantly greater.What is your current sub?

taoggniklat
December 8th, 2010, 11:38 AM
Speaking of indulgence, we used to hand out Lindt truffles at CES/T.H.E. SHOW in Vegas :D

Those things never last long in my house...

JKW
December 8th, 2010, 6:05 PM
What is your current sub?

NHT Sub2i

Sputter
December 10th, 2010, 5:40 AM
A couple calibration pictures.

Sealed/Q=0.5/EQ=1

Bottom left No EQ
Bottom Right with EQ

It's a work in progress as i'm still learning the SMS-1.

victor Llorens
December 10th, 2010, 2:30 PM
after going crazy looking and pondering which way to go i called and ordered a rosenut VTF-15H yesterday and ETA is on Wednesday.....had for a good 17 years plus a Velodyne F1500 that went dead about 2 years ago, had re-coned the woofer, was working great, then it zapped....boughtr a ED A-300 to replace it, a good sub for the money, but i needed to move "air" in a 3600SQ LR, so here i am now, serching the web, of course had been looking for a while at the HSU ULD 15, but then this came along.....from what i have been reading this is some sub!!As i do listen to music (45 %) as well as watch movies (55%), this should do the trick...any one with thoughts on the music side of it??

cacihome
December 11th, 2010, 6:24 AM
It sound excellent in music, very very tight!
I have found sealed mode to sound the best with music though.

victor Llorens
December 11th, 2010, 8:37 AM
hopefully Salsa music will really "slam"...

victor Llorens
December 14th, 2010, 11:03 AM
finally arrived a date early!...yes folks the box is huge! the Fed Ex guy needed my help carrying it in...took my time opening it after reading all info on it, it's place where my old sub was, right next to the love seat near the front left speaker LR is in an L-shaped configuration).Re-calibrated thru the Pioneer VSX21 THX , have the VTF set @ Q 0.5, EQ 1 cross-over @ 80hz.... just pulling out my usual bass c d's...very punchy, does fill the LR quite well, definitely needs to break in more for music, will now go thru the evening by droping in some music DVD's as well as some Blu Rays, will keep all posted!!:) :)

movieboy
December 14th, 2010, 5:42 PM
Hey Victor. What size is your room? After you play with some blu-rays, post the best setting that produces the deepest bass response. I read a few posts that said 1 port open with the EQ set at 2 and the Q set to 0.3 gives a really deep response.

victor Llorens
December 15th, 2010, 3:58 AM
I ran music for a good while, then i sampled Master & commander , the beginning with the gun firing thru the fog scene, good hit there, then i samples The Matrix , the lobby scene & the helecopter scene where Neo is shooting the Gatling gun...hits right at the chest!, after that listened to mostly music DVD's; if anyone does not have it, must get Boz Skaggs greatest hits , it's recorder in HD & sound is in DTS, great concert for good bass cuts & that Hammond B3! Can tell it will need a little break -in period for music and also just need to play with different settings....but overall, a great sub!

mantrika
December 15th, 2010, 5:37 PM
Received mine last Saturday. Have been up and running since 3 days now. Like it very much so far. VTF-15H replaced my STF-2. currently running it in the sealed mode with Q=0.3. It blends very well with my overall system which consists of Energy RC-50s, Energy RC-LCR, Energy RC-Rs and Energy RC-Minis.

I read in one of the posts that you get a demo disk with VTF-15H. I didn't receive any. Does it really come with one?

hubs153
December 15th, 2010, 6:23 PM
Hey Pete, its Logan. Just wondering if you guys have submitted any of these for professional reviews? I would love to hear what they have to say. ;)

victor Llorens
December 15th, 2010, 6:49 PM
i did receive a demo cd too, but have not yet played it, will have plenty of time this weekend..... also very thankful for the t-shirt....played some more cd's tonight, played Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon on Super Audio, as well as Stanley Clarke & Waymon Tisdale ( great bass music)...."very nice"...need to get an SPL meter to fine tune it as LR is 3600 SQ...:)

Pete_Hsu
December 15th, 2010, 7:55 PM
Dear Logan,

Hey Pete, its Logan. Just wondering if you guys have submitted any of these for professional reviews? I would love to hear what they have to say. ;)

Yes, we have submitted review units to several different well known reviewers. So I'm sure you will hear more about that in the coming months!

Sincerely,

Enthused
December 16th, 2010, 7:52 AM
Received mine last Saturday. Have been up and running since 3 days now. Like it very much so far. VTF-15H replaced my STF-2. currently running it in the sealed mode with Q=0.3. It blends very well with my overall system which consists of Energy RC-50s, Energy RC-LCR, Energy RC-Rs and Energy RC-Minis.

I read in one of the posts that you get a demo disk with VTF-15H. I didn't receive any. Does it really come with one?

I didn't get a demo disk with my VTF-3 MK3 (2008) or my VTF-15H, so I'm 0 for 2. I contacted HSU the first time and they sent me a disk in the mail.

45_ACP_AUTO
December 16th, 2010, 10:57 AM
Well, I just talked to Pete and pulled the trigger on the VTF15H. I am excited as hell to get it. I hope it lives up to the hype, I am sure it will. This will be my first internet direct sub purchase. Now I cant wait for it to show up. I will post a review and some pictures when it is all set up and working.

Thanks again for all your help pete.

Ralph.h

Sputter
December 16th, 2010, 10:59 AM
Well, I just talked to Pete and pulled the trigger on the VTF15H. I am excited as hell to get it. I hope it lives up to the hype, I am sure it will. This will be my first internet direct sub purchase. Now I cant wait for it to show up. I will post a review and some pictures when it is all set up and working.

Thanks again for all your help pete.

Ralph.h

Speaking for myself and as one of the hypsters lol, i'm not disappointed at all.

Jim

cacihome
December 17th, 2010, 10:27 AM
Next Monday will be the release date for the shootout on Audioholics where the VTF-15H was reviewed!

Stay tuned!

Even though the SVS won the POTY award(no comments...), I know the VTF review will be stellar!

tdekany
December 17th, 2010, 10:53 AM
Next Monday will be the release date for the shootout on Audioholics where the VTF-15H was reviewed!

Stay tuned!

Even though the SVS won the POTY award(no comments...), I know the VTF review will be stellar!

What is POTY?

Corfius
December 17th, 2010, 11:22 AM
I just got my new VTF-15H and I just finished unpacking it. Sadly there's a messed up top left corner on the back of the sub. It seems the sub was hit by something at some point during packaging (this is my guess since there wasn't much damage on the box and the packaging on those beasts is just rock solid).

Anyway can't wait to try it this weekend and i'll see with HSU how to fix esthetical issues. I'm thinking some black paint will hide the problem ;)

I'll try to post some pictures once my setup is complete :D

bzmanbass
December 17th, 2010, 1:00 PM
What is POTY?

Product of the year;)

bzmanbass
December 17th, 2010, 1:01 PM
I just got my new VTF-15H and I just finished unpacking it. Sadly there's a messed up top left corner on the back of the sub. It seems the sub was hit by something at some point during packaging (this is my guess since there wasn't much damage on the box and the packaging on those beasts is just rock solid).

Anyway can't wait to try it this weekend and i'll see with HSU how to fix esthetical issues. I'm thinking some black paint will hide the problem ;)

I'll try to post some pictures once my setup is complete :D

Sorry to hear about the cosmetics:(
Can't wait to hear your impressions:)

cacihome
December 17th, 2010, 2:05 PM
What is POTY?

Product of the Year...

Sputter
December 17th, 2010, 2:52 PM
Next Monday will be the release date for the shootout on Audioholics where the VTF-15H was reviewed!

Stay tuned!

Even though the SVS won the POTY award(no comments...), I know the VTF review will be stellar!

I'm looking forward to it as well. It'll be interesting reading if nothing else.

Pete_Hsu
December 18th, 2010, 4:12 PM
I'm sure Cacimar would agree that the VTF-15H is our Product of the Decade :D

cacihome
December 18th, 2010, 4:25 PM
I'm sure Cacimar would agree that the VTF-15H is our Product of the Decade :D

Yep.

lradden
December 18th, 2010, 5:36 PM
I'm sure Cacimar would agree that the VTF-15H is our Product of the Decade :DMe too.

Pete_Hsu
December 18th, 2010, 8:10 PM
Me three :)

Sputter
December 19th, 2010, 8:27 AM
I just got my new VTF-15H and I just finished unpacking it. Sadly there's a messed up top left corner on the back of the sub. It seems the sub was hit by something at some point during packaging (this is my guess since there wasn't much damage on the box and the packaging on those beasts is just rock solid).

Anyway can't wait to try it this weekend and i'll see with HSU how to fix esthetical issues. I'm thinking some black paint will hide the problem ;)

I'll try to post some pictures once my setup is complete :D

That sounds like the same corner that I had some damage to. (mine is in the rosenut).
I found a a good size splinter that pierced the box. It looked like a piece of pallet.
To see the Rosenut finish it was such a shame to have it marred.
However, I was in no way sending it back :D. Pete looked after me promptly.

Jim

45_ACP_AUTO
December 21st, 2010, 2:35 PM
Going to FEDEX tonight to pick up mine. I am very excite!!!!!!!! I will let everyone know how I like it.

Thanks again Pete for all your help.

Pete_Hsu
December 21st, 2010, 3:04 PM
You are most welcome Ralph, we are very much looking forward to first impressions, and perhaps some pics too :)

Thanks so much

Sincerely,

45_ACP_AUTO
December 21st, 2010, 8:09 PM
Well, I picked up my sub tonight from fedex. The first thing I noticed was the box had a few battle scars on it. When I got home and opened it, when looking at it from the front, the back right hand top edge corner of it was smashed and dented. I am a bit unhappy about that. I will call Pete in the morning to see what can be doe about this.

Just a little back ground about me first. I work in a hi-end A/V store in the Chicagoland area. I have been selling hi-fi for about 15 years. I have always been a lurker in the avs forums and so on. I have always wonderd how internet direct subs & companys stacked up against retail b&m stores and brands. So I have been pondering on ordering a sub from someone else other than a household name sub. I have owned M&K just about everyone of them including the MX-5000, MX-350, MX125. I have also owned Paradigm servo-15's, some Klipsch subs and so on, this is just a very few of the woofers I have owned. In my Ref theater in my basement I have a Velodyne DD-15. I am no stranger to hi-performance subwoofers.

Lets talk build quality 1st. The VTF-15H is built very well. I thought the cabinet would be a bit more inert, dont get me wrong, its good, but, not the best built cabinet I have seen or knuckel tested. The flat black finish is very nice, ranked up there with the best of the finishes I have seen at any price. The driver is very very nice, as good looking as anything else I have seen at any price. The amp is also very nice, well layed out with many usefull features for the end user to play with. I love the grill & the triangle ports. They make the sub look pretty mean, very neat design, hats off to you Dr. Hsu for a great looking product.

So my buddy and I lug this beast into my bedroom. I look it over and read through the owners manual just to see what they have to say about the settings. " I ALWAYS READ THE MANUALS " First I run it in max output mode, 2 ports open eq2 and the Q @ 0.3. I pop on the IronMaiden flight 666 blu-ray DTS HD-MSTR and rock out to a few songs. Nice tight bass output, not really wowing me to much, but nice bass. So next I try 1 port open eq1 and it was a bit better. Than I try 1 port open eq2 and it was about as good as it was going to get with the q @ 0.5. Now I put on the test disc and listen to some tones, really cool disc they include. I listened to all the diffrent tones and wow, the sub delivers!!!!! WITH EASE!!!!!!!!!

I now am ready to level match it to my system. I set it up about 2db hot, I like a little more than spot on perfect. I re-listen to my IronMaiden disc and I was very pleased with the results. Now its time for a movie, I play the opening seen in the first Underworld movie. The LFE in that movie is great and the sub did a great job. The next movie I checked out was the opening seen in War with Jet Le. The LFE in that is really good as well. Back to some more music listning, I listened to some more Maiden. I was trying to compair it to my Velodyne DD-15. I must say, output wise, it is better, midbass slam, it was better. Pitch definition, accuracy, speed, and the ability to play very accurate musical notes the Velodyne DD-15 takes it. Keep in mind people, the Velodyne also costs over 3 times the $$$$$$.

I have only had the HSU for 5 hrs and am not going to be to critical. I am going to brake it in for a while and do some more tweaks to it. Overall I am pretty satisfied with the it. The only thing that really bothers me is the smashed corner. It is such a awesome looking sub and evertime I see the corner, I get sick to my stomach.

So how does it stack up against the B&M subs????? It holds its own just fine and at the price, it is a no brainer. I must say, I will keep this sub in my bedroom system and will not look back. I am very happy with it overall, I am certain with some brake in time and some fine tuning this sub will be a force to be reckend with. Anyone on the fence about buying this sub, do it. For under $2200.00 I know of nothing that can match it in anyway. This thing for a thousand dollars shipped is just flat out amazing!!!!!!!!!!

Pete, thanks again for helping me. I bought the sub because of you, I am very happy with it so far. I will keep everyone posted with more results as the sub brakes in and I tweak it some more. I will also post up some pics, I am in the middle of revamping my whole system in the bedroom. It is almost done, but, I am still waiting for some more stuff to show up.

Hats off to HSU for a very nice affordable subwoofer system.

Ralph.H

cacihome
December 22nd, 2010, 5:10 AM
I am glad you liked it!!!

When comparing it to the Velo, I think it would be best if you run it in sealed mode.

Let us know your thoughts.

Thanks man.

45_ACP_AUTO
December 25th, 2010, 8:54 PM
Well, I have had some more time to play with this sub and wow. Every time I listen to it, it gets better and better. Brake in is a must with this unit. After about 40-60 hours it is just flat out amazing. The sound quality is just fantastick, big output, yet with much control. I love this thing, this is by far the best money I have spent to date.

Ralph

Sputter
December 27th, 2010, 7:15 AM
For those of you that asked about shipping to Canada, Fedex finally sent me the duty/tax bill. $214.00 dollars on top of the shipping.
Pricey all told for shipping. However,I really like the sub and have no regrets at all. :D

Jim

monkuboy
December 28th, 2010, 12:10 PM
So anyone please feel free to chime in here.. (and Pete I know you will :D ). How does the new VTF-15H compare to the VTF-2 Mk 3? Has anyone had experience with both, and what are the main differences? Is it worth the upgrade? I keep telling myself, no it isn't. I don't have room for it, either. Yet. :D

lradden
December 28th, 2010, 12:50 PM
Before getting the VTF-15H I had a dual VTF-3 MK2 setup back in 2006. The VTF-3 MK2 used the same cabinet and woofer as your VTF-2 MK3, but with a 350 watt amp vs the VTF-2 MK3 250 watt amp. Then sold the dual setup and went with a single VTF-3 HO w/turbo which had more output than the dual setup. Neither the dual VTF-3 MK2 setup or the VTF-3 HO w/turbo can touch the VTF-15H. The VTF-15H is a BIG upgrade from the VTF-2 MK3.

Is it worth the upgrade? Absolutely. The two subs are so far apart that it's really not fair to compare them to each other.

monkuboy
December 28th, 2010, 1:25 PM
Before getting the VTF-15H I had a dual VTF-3 MK2 setup back in 2006. The VTF-3 MK2 used the same cabinet and woofer as your VTF-2 MK3, but with a 350 watt amp vs the VTF-2 MK3 250 watt amp. Then sold the dual setup and went with a single VTF-3 HO w/turbo which had more output than the dual setup. Neither the dual VTF-3 MK2 setup or the VTF-3 HO w/turbo can touch the VTF-15H. The VTF-15H is a BIG upgrade from the VTF-2 MK3.

Is it worth the upgrade? Absolutely. The two subs are so far apart that it's really not fair to compare them to each other.

Thanks for the input. Would you mind describing what some of the improvements are? Right now my sub and the VTF-15H are really not that far apart - only about 25 miles from the Hsu headquarters. :D But seriously, what would some of the differences be in sound quality? Also, does it make a difference if the woofer is facing forward or facing sideways towards the room?

cacihome
December 28th, 2010, 4:48 PM
Before getting the VTF-15H I had a dual VTF-3 MK2 setup back in 2006. The VTF-3 MK2 used the same cabinet and woofer as your VTF-2 MK3, but with a 350 watt amp vs the VTF-2 MK3 250 watt amp. Then sold the dual setup and went with a single VTF-3 HO w/turbo which had more output than the dual setup. Neither the dual VTF-3 MK2 setup or the VTF-3 HO w/turbo can touch the VTF-15H. The VTF-15H is a BIG upgrade from the VTF-2 MK3.

Is it worth the upgrade? Absolutely. The two subs are so far apart that it's really not fair to compare them to each other.

+1
Have heard both also. No comparison...In SQ, they are closer, (the VTF-15H is a more tighter/punchier)but in SPL they are too far.(in ported modes)

SQ in sealed mode is even better.

Whiper101
December 28th, 2010, 8:21 PM
Is it O.K. to make changes (phase, EQ setting, Q control) on the fly?

cacihome
December 29th, 2010, 6:41 AM
Well. You can make changes on the EQ, Q control on the fly, sure. Phase, well, there are cases when phase will not affect anything and there will be cases were it will.

At the end where you like it the most, is really the best setting.

lradden
December 29th, 2010, 6:54 AM
Thanks for the input. Would you mind describing what some of the improvements are? Right now my sub and the VTF-15H are really not that far apart - only about 25 miles from the Hsu headquarters. :D But seriously, what would some of the differences be in sound quality? Also, does it make a difference if the woofer is facing forward or facing sideways towards the room?The sound really depends on the settings of the Q and EQ controls. Especially the Q control. The 15H is a very tight sub. The 15H in max output mode(two ports open) with the right Q control setting actually sounds as tight as some sealed subs I've heard. The sound can be tweaked based on your Q setting and combination of sealed, 1 port or two ports open. The 15H definately sounds like other Hsu subs, but it's a lot tighter and hits VERY hard..

monkuboy
December 29th, 2010, 8:01 AM
Thanks for the info on the subs.. would it make a difference which way the sub is facing? If I were to get something like this, due to room constraints it would have to be placed in the right corner with the speaker facing towards the left wall instead of the rear wall. Also, since the port is in the front are there any requirements as far as how far away from the wall the other sides of the cabinet need to be?

cacihome
December 29th, 2010, 8:20 AM
It should be ok. I imagine that you can just leave 5-6 inches available...

monkuboy
December 29th, 2010, 8:31 AM
It should be ok. I imagine that you can just leave 5-6 inches available...

Thanks. I'm thinking I can't afford to upgrade anyway since even if I sell the VTF-2 Mk 3 that would still mean putting out another $500 or so including tax (at least I could go pick it up from the headquarters and save shipping). But, were I to go crazy and do so, then it would be in a pretty tight space - there's really only 19" available for the sub to fit sideways and the sub is 18" so is that not enough clearance on the sides of the cabinet? The rear would also be at most about 5" from the wall.

cacihome
December 29th, 2010, 8:37 AM
MMMM....It seems too tight..

monkuboy
December 29th, 2010, 8:45 AM
MMMM....It seems too tight..

Well I guess that is a good excuse for saving my money, haha.. Yeah, the room is pretty limited as far as placement. The VTF-2 Mk 3 is perfect in that space but another 3" all around makes it very tight. As it is, the VTF2 is a great sub so why am I even thinking of anything else? :D

bdpf
December 29th, 2010, 5:05 PM
For those of you that asked about shipping to Canada, Fedex finally sent me the duty/tax bill. $214.00 dollars on top of the shipping.
Pricey all told for shipping. However,I really like the sub and have no regrets at all. :D

Jim

Thanks Jim for the info. Greatly appreciated!
So $879 + ~$270 shipping + $214 taxes = $1363 to Canada
A bit more than my budget (and what I was hopping to pay) but I am sure it is worth it. I'll just have to save a bit longer for it, that's all ;)

Sputter
December 30th, 2010, 2:26 AM
Thanks Jim for the info. Greatly appreciated!
So $879 + ~$270 shipping + $214 taxes = $1363 to Canada
A bit more than my budget (and what I was hopping to pay) but I am sure it is worth it. I'll just have to save a bit longer for it, that's all ;)

I just pulled my bills out and shipping was $231.14 (shipping) + $65.05 (brokerage) + $11.30 (fedex ancillary fees) + $138.55 (HST)

Grand total $446.04 + $999.00 (sub in rosenut price)
So yep, it wasn't inexpensive to get it here. The shipping ramps up the bottom line quite a bit, the shipping price (I expect ) would be similar to any similar size/weight Sub though.
If I was buying a pair, a road trip might be the way to go.

Jim

Enthused
December 30th, 2010, 10:32 AM
I just pulled my bills out and shipping was $231.14 (shipping) + $65.05 (brokerage) + $11.30 (fedex ancillary fees) + $138.55 (HST)

Grand total $446.04 + $999.00 (sub in rosenut price)
So yep, it wasn't inexpensive to get it here. The shipping ramps up the bottom line quite a bit, the shipping price (I expect ) would be similar to any similar size/weight Sub though.
If I was buying a pair, a road trip might be the way to go.

Jim
Road trip with a moving van so we can supply all us poor Canadians. Here I was really hoping we had gotten away with something. Almost seems criminal that they can wait so long to charge you. I suspect I'll be getting a similar bill shortly, though I'm in AB and only have 5% GST.

If I add a second in the future, I'll be seriously considering a road trip. It's only a 2 - 3 day drive.

Sputter
December 30th, 2010, 11:45 AM
Road trip with a moving van so we can supply all us poor Canadians. Here I was really hoping we had gotten away with something. Almost seems criminal that they can wait so long to charge you. I suspect I'll be getting a similar bill shortly, though I'm in AB and only have 5% GST.

If I add a second in the future, I'll be seriously considering a road trip. It's only a 2 - 3 day drive.

I was surprised Fedex took so long to get the bill out.
Who's suppling the road beers for the trip lol

jshar85
January 8th, 2011, 3:38 PM
This question is for any1 who has owned the VTF3 MK3 and has upgraded to the VTF 15H...I have just recently purchased the VTF2 MK3 which I am very impressed and happy with, I am considering buying another sub which will have significantly more output and more of an impact to the chest during bass scenes while maintaining the same/better bass quality as the VTF2 MK3. I understand the room levels that HSU has their subs classified under to help pick out a sub that will perform great for your needs but I noticed that the VTF 15H does not have such a rating. So my question is if HSU had a room level 5 rating would the VTF 15H fall under this category, if any1 can give Me an idea its potential it would help Me tremendously in deciding between the VTF3 MK3 and the VTF 15H...? :)

lradden
January 8th, 2011, 5:31 PM
This question is for any1 who has owned the VTF3 MK3 and has upgraded to the VTF 15H...I have just recently purchased the VTF2 MK3 which I am very impressed and happy with, I am considering buying another sub which will have significantly more output and more of an impact to the chest during bass scenes while maintaining the same/better bass quality as the VTF2 MK3. I understand the room levels that HSU has their subs classified under to help pick out a sub that will perform great for your needs but I noticed that the VTF 15H does not have such a rating. So my question is if HSU had a room level 5 rating would the VTF 15H fall under this category, if any1 can give Me an idea its potential it would help Me tremendously in deciding between the VTF3 MK3 and the VTF 15H...? :)I didn't upgrade from the VTF3 MK3, but I did upgrade from the VTF-3 HO w/turbo to the VTF-15H.

The VTF-3 HO uses the same cabinet as the 3.3 with a 500 watt amp (3.3 has a 350 watt amp) and newer woofer . Then add in the turbo and the VTF-3 HO w/turbo moves as much as two VTF-3 HO without a turbo. So what I'm saying is the HO had better performance than a 3.3 and with the turbo it was a lot better than a single 3.3. The 15H EASILY out performs my VTF-3 HO w/turbo. I think I would need something like 3 VTF-3 HO without a turbo to compete with the 15H.

The 15H is that good and that big of an upgrade over the 3.3 and HO. I posted my impression of the 15H right after getting it. Post #88 of this thread http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showpost.php?p=78790&postcount=88 .

BTW: back in 2006 I had dual VTF3 MK2 subs. Same cabinet and woofer as the VTF2 MK3 but the VTF3 MK2 had a 350 watt amp vs the 250 watt amp in the VTF2 MK3. The 15H is such a large upgrade over the VTF2 MK3 I don't even know how to describe it.

jshar85
January 9th, 2011, 12:55 AM
I didn't upgrade from the VTF3 MK3, but I did upgrade from the VTF-3 HO w/turbo to the VTF-15H.

The VTF-3 HO uses the same cabinet as the 3.3 with a 500 watt amp (3.3 has a 350 watt amp) and newer woofer . Then add in the turbo and the VTF-3 HO w/turbo moves as much as two VTF-3 HO without a turbo. So what I'm saying is the HO had better performance than a 3.3 and with the turbo it was a lot better than a single 3.3. The 15H EASILY out performs my VTF-3 HO w/turbo. I think I would need something like 3 VTF-3 HO without a turbo to compete with the 15H.

The 15H is that good and that big of an upgrade over the 3.3 and HO. I posted my impression of the 15H right after getting it. Post #88 of this thread http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showpost.php?p=78790&postcount=88 .

BTW: back in 2006 I had dual VTF3 MK2 subs. Same cabinet and woofer as the VTF2 MK3 but the VTF3 MK2 had a 350 watt amp vs the 250 watt amp in the VTF2 MK3. The 15H is such a large upgrade over the VTF2 MK3 I don't even know how to describe it.

Thank You Iradden... it makes Me feel at ease knowing the extra money is going to be well spent and you will be hearing from Me real soon after I get My VTF-15H, for setting tips...LOL :D

victorwol
January 10th, 2011, 11:35 AM
Have mine arriving in about 2 or 3 days... will have to get help from my neighbor to get it downstairs :-)

Sputter
January 10th, 2011, 12:51 PM
Have mine arriving in about 2 or 3 days... will have to get help from my neighbor to get it downstairs :-)

Grats man on your purchase.
Let us know what you think.

jshar85
January 11th, 2011, 12:46 AM
So this question is for the luck few who were able to buy 2-3 15H and in different finishes....I have a VTF2-MK3 in Satin Black and very happy with the choice... But the 15H is a different story.... I hav seen pics in both finishes and I can't pick Satin Black or Rosenut.... Tell Me wht looks better not wht goes better with your HTS.... Thx:confused:

lradden
January 11th, 2011, 7:45 AM
So this question is for the luck few who were able to buy 2-3 15H and in different finishes....I have a VTF2-MK3 in Satin Black and very happy with the choice... But the 15H is a different story.... I hav seen pics in both finishes and I can't pick Satin Black or Rosenut.... Tell Me wht looks better not wht goes better with your HTS.... ThxIMO the satin black is beautiful http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showpost.php?p=78790&postcount=88, but if my speakers were rosewood I'd go rosewood because IMO its really stands out. I have all black speakers so black made sense. I still think the rosewood looks the best though. http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showpost.php?p=79248&postcount=101

jshar85
January 11th, 2011, 9:14 AM
IMO the satin black is beautiful http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showpost.php?p=78790&postcount=88, but if my speakers were rosewood I'd go rosewood because IMO its really stands out. I have all black speakers so black made sense. I still think the rosewood looks the best though. http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showpost.php?p=79248&postcount=101

Thx again

jshar85
January 11th, 2011, 9:27 PM
Okay so U all know tht I have a VTF2 which again is an awsome sub but I'm trying to get some perspective as to wht to expect whn My VTF-15H comes in (and by the way Im getting in Rosenut and maybe ordering two)... So from reading these post of other comparsions Im thinking the 15H will give Me, noticably tighter bass and punchier bass, about twice the output and a much higher SPL... I hope all My expectations will be met???:D

cacihome
January 12th, 2011, 6:27 AM
From the VTF-2 MK3 to the VTF-15 is more than double the SPL.

Sputter
January 12th, 2011, 7:17 AM
Okay so U all know tht I have a VTF2 which again is an awsome sub but I'm trying to get some perspective as to wht to expect whn My VTF-15H comes in (and by the way Im getting in Rosenut and maybe ordering two)... So from reading these post of other comparsions Im thinking the 15H will give Me, noticably tighter bass and punchier bass, about twice the output and a much higher SPL... I hope all My expectations will be met???:D

It goes without saying that placement and room is going to help or hurt. With proper placement it's pretty sweet.

victorwol
January 12th, 2011, 9:42 AM
OMG!!! Just got my box.... that thing is HUUUUUGEEEE!!!!! Can't wait to get home and try it....

movieboy
January 12th, 2011, 1:05 PM
Hey Victorwol, I hope you have fun playing with your new toy....make sure you tell us all about it and what settings give you the best bass, what movies you tried it with etc...:D

45_ACP_AUTO
January 12th, 2011, 1:35 PM
Yes, please give us your thoughts on performance. I love mine, best purchase yet.

lradden
January 12th, 2011, 5:02 PM
Okay so U all know tht I have a VTF2 which again is an awsome sub but I'm trying to get some perspective as to wht to expect whn My VTF-15H comes in (and by the way Im getting in Rosenut and maybe ordering two)... So from reading these post of other comparsions Im thinking the 15H will give Me, noticably tighter bass and punchier bass, about twice the output and a much higher SPL... I hope all My expectations will be met???:DI know you're counting on twice the output, but I think your underestimating the 15H. I would have needed probably two VTF3 MK2(same box and woofer as your but 350 watt amp) to equal the VTF-3 HO(without turbo).

I would now probably need three VTF-3 HO(without the turbo) to equal the 15H. So 15H vs. the VTF2 MK3 is a real lot more than twice the output.

You're in for a real treat:)

Enthused
January 12th, 2011, 6:02 PM
Got my belated Christmas gift from FedEx today. $1271.92 total to Edmonton, AB. I'm not even joking about a road trip for the potential second anymore. I may as well get some nice California weather for my $400.

victorwol
January 12th, 2011, 6:30 PM
Well, after I put it on the corner right next to the TV, my wife asked my why I was installing a washing machine on the family room :-)

I'll report my findings after finishing the first laundry ;-)

jshar85
January 12th, 2011, 9:59 PM
I know you're counting on twice the output, but I think your underestimating the 15H. I would have needed probably two VTF3 MK2(same box and woofer as your but 350 watt amp) to equal the VTF-3 HO(without turbo).

I would now probably need three VTF-3 HO(without the turbo) to equal the 15H. So 15H vs. the VTF2 MK3 is a real lot more than twice the output.

You're in for a real treat:)

Thanks for the insight... I was never expecting that comparison....And here I was thinking that the VTF2-MK3 is more than enough bass and I would be crazy to want more than this....Now I'm thinking what in the hell did I just get Myself into.........Jus placed the order on 1/12/11 should be here on the 18th. XTREMELY EXCITED!!!:D

Please post some settings for the VTF-15H, I would love to try out for Music, Movies, both...etc. Thx

45_ACP_AUTO
January 13th, 2011, 8:31 AM
Just watched the Creed Live concert just released on Blu-Ray tonight.
My VTF-15H just hammerd me to death. This sub is so good it's not even funny. I say, If you like Creed, go get this Blu-Ray the sound is unreal. This is by far the best Blu-Ray I have ever heard. Anyone on the fence about the VTF-15H, just buy the damm thing.

Check it out!!!!!!!!
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Creed-Live-Blu-ray/14117/

45

victorwol
January 13th, 2011, 8:54 AM
I have it connected to a Denon 4311ci, which arrived in not a very good conditions, was repaired once already, and now,I hope they will exchange it for a new one.... the vibrations of the sub are so strong that the receiver goes off...... :D

My son that was upstairs came down scared thinking there was an earthquake...

I could not hear my wife talking during the test .... I'm happy!!!!

lradden
January 13th, 2011, 8:57 AM
Just watched the Creed Live concert just released on Blu-Ray tonight.
My VTF-15H just hammerd me to death. This sub is so good it's not even funny. I say, If you like Creed, go get this Blu-Ray the sound is unreal. This is by far the best Blu-Ray I have ever heard. Anyone on the fence about the VTF-15H, just buy the damm thing.

Check it out!!!!!!!!
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Creed-Live-Blu-ray/14117/

45I have this one. The bass is just brutal with the 15H and Creed disc.

lradden
January 13th, 2011, 8:57 AM
I have it connected to a Denon 4311ci, which arrived in not a very good conditions, was repaired once already, and now,I hope they will exchange it for a new one.... the vibrations of the sub are so strong that the receiver goes off...... :D

My son that was upstairs came down scared thinking there was an earthquake...

I could not hear my wife talking during the test .... I'm happy!!!!:):):):cool::cool:

lradden
January 13th, 2011, 9:01 AM
Just watched the Creed Live concert just released on Blu-Ray tonight.
My VTF-15H just hammerd me to death. This sub is so good it's not even funny. I say, If you like Creed, go get this Blu-Ray the sound is unreal. This is by far the best Blu-Ray I have ever heard. Anyone on the fence about the VTF-15H, just buy the damm thing.

Check it out!!!!!!!!
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Creed-Live-Blu-ray/14117/

45The sub is a beast. I love your last line: "Anyone on the fence about the VTF-15H, just buy the damm thing."

after a person gets the 15H they always kick themselves wondering why it took them so long. to order.

I get that poop eating grin every time I fire it up.

irythros
January 13th, 2011, 12:53 PM
I'm not kicking myself on not ordering sooner.
I'm kicking myself on not trying to get it overnighted.

Waiting for it and knowing its coming to you sucks.

victorwol
January 13th, 2011, 12:58 PM
get the money you saved on shipping and buy a bunch of Bluray discs.....

45_ACP_AUTO
January 13th, 2011, 2:32 PM
The sub is a beast. I love your last line: "Anyone on the fence about the VTF-15H, just buy the damm thing."

after a person gets the 15H they always kick themselves wondering why it took them so long. to order.

I get that poop eating grin every time I fire it up.

Yeah, I work in a hi-fi store, been doing this for 15 years. In my theater I have some Velodyne DD 15'S. I will tell you the VTF-15H is no joke. I was on the fence a long time, so glad I bought it. What a great crowd here at the HSU forums, love this place, especially PETE.!!!!!!!!:D

victorwol
January 13th, 2011, 3:54 PM
Wow... Just WOW... I played track 5 of the demo CD, seat back on my chair, closed my eyes and... Man... That was like being high... The bass... The voices, all.... (using the HSU bookshelf too) I almost cry of emotion. Superb. Have no words....

luisev
January 13th, 2011, 7:03 PM
Just ordered the 15H.... can't wait for it to arrive!!

jshar85
January 13th, 2011, 8:34 PM
Got My tracking number...The sub won't be here till the 19th! Damn it! I thought it will be the 18th.:(

victorwol
January 14th, 2011, 3:07 AM
Mine arrived 2 days before than what the tracking said it will... So keep your hope high ;-)

lradden
January 14th, 2011, 8:13 AM
Mine arrived a day earlier than tracking said it would.

monkuboy
January 14th, 2011, 11:46 AM
Off topic, sort of.. but, where's Pete???

45_ACP_AUTO
January 14th, 2011, 11:57 AM
Off topic, sort of.. but, where's Pete???

Not to sure, I think we may have to send the audio police to find him.:D

lradden
January 14th, 2011, 12:35 PM
Off topic, sort of.. but, where's Pete???Considering how my subs they are selling he could be helping out on the loading dock:D

Sputter
January 14th, 2011, 1:16 PM
Considering how my subs they are selling he could be helping out on the loading dock:D

I know he's around enough to answer my semi daily emails :D

newyork
January 15th, 2011, 10:10 AM
hey i am selling my vtf15-h pickup only brand new

lradden
January 15th, 2011, 1:12 PM
hey i am selling my vtf15-h pickup only brand newHow much?

45_ACP_AUTO
January 15th, 2011, 3:27 PM
hey i am selling my vtf15-h pickup only brand new

How come???

45_ACP_AUTO
January 15th, 2011, 3:28 PM
I would not trade mine for anything, I love it.

Sputter
January 15th, 2011, 3:44 PM
How much?

I believe he posted $950 picked up over on the AVSforum.

lradden
January 15th, 2011, 4:19 PM
That's a bit steep considering I can get one new from Hsu for $879.

newyork
January 15th, 2011, 8:36 PM
if i get 900 i take it pickup it is new

Sputter
January 16th, 2011, 7:19 AM
We need somebody to weed out the spammers.

newyork
January 16th, 2011, 8:12 AM
i am not a spammer ok i just looking for someone who wants to buy it u dont believe i have one my wife say it is too large because we are moving to another apt actually a studio but at our current apt she is ok with it but it is one of the best sub i own

Sputter
January 16th, 2011, 9:52 AM
I didn't say you :eek:
The idiot that posted 5 of the same bs messages above you.
Geez. make that 2 idiots Dremifessmal and Aldaheringtono.

lradden
January 16th, 2011, 10:49 AM
if i get 900 Ii take it pickup it is new$900?????:eek: I can get it new from Hsu for $879. IMO no one is going to give you $900 for a $879 sub that you've taken delivery of. You'd have to come down to about $800 for someone to be interested.

Sputter
January 16th, 2011, 11:02 AM
$900?????:eek: I can get it new from Hsu for $879. IMO no one is going to give you $900 for a $879 sub that you've taken delivery of. You'd have to come down to about $800 for someone to be interested.

Maybe it's in Rosenut? but yah, I can buy one from HSU for that price.

lradden
January 16th, 2011, 1:19 PM
Wonder why he doesn't send it back if he doesn't want it?

Sputter
January 16th, 2011, 1:58 PM
Wonder why he doesn't send it back if he doesn't want it?

Beats me. I think mentioned he didn't want to pay the shipping.
I think he's trying to get 100 percent of his money back.

newyork
January 16th, 2011, 4:47 PM
ok if i get 800 n pick up i do it

lradden
January 16th, 2011, 4:52 PM
Where in NY are you? I just need to know how far you are from me.

newyork
January 16th, 2011, 5:05 PM
in the bronx zipcode 10458

luisev
January 17th, 2011, 2:16 AM
I didn't say you :eek:
The idiot that posted 5 of the same bs messages above you.
Geez. make that 2 idiots Dremifessmal and Aldaheringtono.

Report them as such to the moderators...

Sputter
January 17th, 2011, 6:32 AM
Report them as such to the moderators...

I did and Pete took care of it, as we all know Pete is busy as a one armed paper hanger.:D

newyork
January 17th, 2011, 3:25 PM
so i guess nobody want it it is 800 pickup vtf15h new

newyork
January 17th, 2011, 6:59 PM
someone asked me earlier y am i selling the vtf15h my answer is that the wife is not a fan of the large sub in the new apartment we r getting so i had to give it up as she found a new apt so we will be moving soon as sub goes i have owned in the last 4 month are: svs sb13 plus, svs pb12 plus, svs sb12 nsd all 2010 model, klipsch sub12 and now vtf15h which kill all honestly. the sb13 plus was tight as also the vtf15h but keep tripping out on me i mean the amp sledge stuff so when i got the vtf15h i push it to all what the av receiver have and it did not show any sign of pressure/problem whatsoever i give a detail feed back later

k-hud
January 17th, 2011, 10:38 PM
Hey Fellas,
Thought I'd throw up a quick review of my 15H that arrived on Thursday. Spent Thursday evening getting it dialed in and experimenting with different EQ options. And it's now ready to go. So rather than bury the lead I'll just say that my initial reaction after throwing in War of the Worlds and Transformers was the same as Bridget Jones when she realizes that she's the only one dressed for the Tarts and Vicars party: "Oh...Holy...Jesus!" !!!
For full disclosure, I migrated from an Elemental Designs A5-350 that I had had for about 2 ½ years. It was the first A5 with the downward firing driver (they are now forward firing). I really liked the A5 and initially the only reason I thought of upgrading was to get a different finish from the one I had the A5 which was that same stuff that people put in the bed of their trucks to protect them. And my wife said can we get something nicer? Oh yeah! But what sold me on the Hsu was the driver. To get an equivalent driver from ED I would have had to spend about $300 more and the finish wouldn’t have been as nice.
My initial impressions were as follows:
I have to agree with “45_ACP_AUTO” who said that he was a little bit disappointed in the cabinet; as was I compared with the A5. When you knocked on any part of the A5 it was as dead as a concrete block. Absolutely inert. The 15H is still a good cabinet but when you knock on the top middle of the cabinet you get a slight bit of hollow that wasn’t there with the A5. Having said that, when you play the 15H – I heard no resonance whatsoever that said this was a less than stellar cabinet.
The finish is excellent and looks brilliant in my living room. I have to say as well, that Elemental Designs could learn a lesson or two from Hsu on how to package their subs. The ED came in a box with corner pads and that was it. I remember I was shocked that nothing had happened to it. The Hsu was double boxed and the sub itself was double padded and had foam padding in all corners and along the edges.
The sound is something to behold – My A5 was a tight, deep sub that could really rock the house but there were many times that I felt that it had one or two frequency points were it was outstanding and other areas where it fell a little short. The 15H’s had the ability to be more overall deep, smooth, and loud and focused. It has a presence that is significantly more noticeable and really completes the package of the rest of my system. I am really impressed with the amplifier – and here’s why – both my A5 and the 15H had 350 watt amps – so in theory should have performed somewhat similarly. However, when I calibrated my A5 with my new Pioneer 1120K receiver, I had the volume knob on the A5 at about the 12:30 position and the Pioneer backed off the volume to about -6 db to match the other speakers. When I calibrated the 15H – I originally had the volume on it set to about the 11:30 position and the Pioneer backed off the volume by -12 db and I discovered that that was because it couldn’t go any lower. I turned the volume on the 15H down to the 10:00 position and the Pioneer backed it off to -6 db. So clearly the 15H’s amp had significantly more oomph.
I just played the (lengthy) final battle scene from Transformers 2 at a significant volume level and all I can say is WOW! It was like hearing it for the first time. Room filling, smooth deep bass that just keeps on giving. I can say that if you are considering this sub – you will not be disappointed. For reference purposes my room is 3200 cubic feet. I have the new Pioneer receiver as mentioned, I have Aperion Audio speakers all around, Sony BDP-S570 Blu Ray player and Panasonic 58” Plasma TV. Also, I have both ports unplugged.
-Karl

lradden
January 18th, 2011, 8:24 AM
someone asked me earlier y am i selling the vtf15h my answer is that the wife is not a fan of the large sub in the new apartment we r getting so i had to give it up as she found a new apt so we will be moving soon as sub goes i have owned in the last 4 month are: svs sb13 plus, svs pb12 plus, svs sb12 nsd all 2010 model, klipsch sub12 and now vtf15h which kill all honestly. the sb13 plus was tight as also the vtf15h but keep tripping out on me i mean the amp sledge stuff so when i got the vtf15h i push it to all what the av receiver have and it did not show any sign of pressure/problem whatsoever i give a detail feed back laterActually I was interested in your VTF-15H for $800, but I thought it was new in the box. From your post it sounds like you've opened the box and have been using it.

newyork
January 18th, 2011, 7:57 PM
i think i am going to keep it

lradden
January 19th, 2011, 8:09 AM
You won't be disappointed. It's a great sub.

jbug
January 19th, 2011, 8:36 AM
Yeah, I work in a hi-fi store, been doing this for 15 years. In my theater I have some Velodyne DD 15'S. I will tell you the VTF-15H is no joke. I was on the fence a long time, so glad I bought it. What a great crowd here at the HSU forums, love this place, especially PETE.!!!!!!!!:D


Hi, what store do you work for? I'm in Chicago also. I haven't been on this forum much lately but my interest in this sub has been peaked. Do you have your sub at work or home?

jshar85
January 19th, 2011, 6:58 PM
I received My 15H (Glad I went with the Rosenut) today at 2:15pm and had to help the FedEx guy bring the sub in...luckily the sub wasn't damaged considering how beat up the packaging was. Sub is huge and was very difficult to get down into my basement especially since I had to do it alone...I haven't had much time to play around with the settings yet but so far I like it 1 or 2 ports, Vol at abt 9 oclock, phase 0, EQ switch Down, Q a lil under 0.5, Crossover Frequency controlled through receiver set at 80 and 0 on the sub dial, Crossover set to OUT.....I would appreciate any suggestions for some settings to try out, more suggestions the better...:D

Also is there any1 that is using a y adapter on the sub input jacks and how is it working out for them???

45_ACP_AUTO
January 20th, 2011, 7:43 AM
Hi, what store do you work for? I'm in Chicago also. I haven't been on this forum much lately but my interest in this sub has been peaked. Do you have your sub at work or home?

WWW.THELITTLEGUYS.COM (http://www.THELITTLEGUYS.COM)

I use the sub in my bedroom system.

jshar85
January 20th, 2011, 6:04 PM
I have been tweeking around with the 15H but I still think I can do better with sum time... Please post sum settings tht have worked for U.... Thx. :)

Sputter
January 20th, 2011, 8:42 PM
I have been tweeking around with the 15H but I still think I can do better with sum time... Please post sum settings tht have worked for U.... Thx. :)

Try them all, it's a personal preference. Get out your spl meter and make some graphs.
Get a good placement.

rwjr
January 21st, 2011, 10:08 AM
so.....Why didn't anyone mention this thing is HUGE??? LOL

Just got mine. OMG is it massive!

The more I think about it, it's not really THAT big. I think it just takes getting used to after being accustomed to the wimpy-sized JBL ES sub.

Sputter
January 21st, 2011, 11:20 AM
so.....Why didn't anyone mention this thing is HUGE??? LOL

Just got mine. OMG is it massive!

The more I think about it, it's not really THAT big. I think it just takes getting used to after being accustomed to the wimpy-sized JBL ES sub.

It's a pretty good size. :D

jshar85
January 21st, 2011, 5:43 PM
Hey guys I hav a Klipsch SW-450 in My loft area which I need to replace... It's not a big room so Im thinking the STF2 shuld b more thn enough for it... The SW is more thn enuff for this room also so the only reason Im evn considering getting te STF2 is bcuz I wuld like a more musical sub, much tighter and deeper bass. I would jus like some thoughts on which sub will have more output and any other thoughts on it compared to the SW..?

Sorry but I jus realized I posted this under the VTF-15H threads...

lradden
January 23rd, 2011, 3:48 PM
I have been tweeking around with the 15H but I still think I can do better with sum time... Please post sum settings tht have worked for U.... Thx. :)I've tried a bunch of setting and EQ-ed all the ones I tried. Too me and in my room my favorite combinations are :

1) 2 ports open, Q=05, EQ2
2) 1 port open, Q=0.5, EQ1

EQ-ed they both have the same mid bass which is really strong and option #2 is EQ-ed flat to just below 12Hz in my room.

Since option 1 and 2 have the same mid bass when EQ-ed and option 2 has the really low extension and a lot more of a tactile feeling compared to option 1, so I leave the 15H set to option 2(1 port open, Q=0.5, EQ1).

jshar85
January 23rd, 2011, 10:41 PM
I've tried a bunch of setting and EQ-ed all the ones I tried. Too me and in my room my favorite combinations are :

1) 2 ports open, Q=05, EQ2
2) 1 port open, Q=0.5, EQ1

EQ-ed they both have the same mid bass which is really strong and option #2 is EQ-ed flat to just below 12Hz in my room.

Since option 1 and 2 have the same mid bass when EQ-ed and option 2 has the really low extension and a lot more of a tactile feeling compared to option 1, so I leave the 15H set to option 2(1 port open, Q=0.5, EQ1).

Thanx for the settings... I actually hav tried both of these combinations and for Me the best option seems to b two ports open Q @ 0.3, EQ 2, Xover at 80, and vol. Dial at abt 10:30 position... How far Do U hav Ur gain upto?... I can't believe Ur using the 15H in for Ur bedroom HTS setup... My whole basement is shaking two all three levels of My house and U hav it in Ur bedroom. Damn!

Sputter
January 24th, 2011, 6:33 AM
I've tried a bunch of setting and EQ-ed all the ones I tried. Too me and in my room my favorite combinations are :

1) 2 ports open, Q=05, EQ2
2) 1 port open, Q=0.5, EQ1

EQ-ed they both have the same mid bass which is really strong and option #2 is EQ-ed flat to just below 12Hz in my room.

Since option 1 and 2 have the same mid bass when EQ-ed and option 2 has the really low extension and a lot more of a tactile feeling compared to option 1, so I leave the 15H set to option 2(1 port open, Q=0.5, EQ1).

I bounce between Sealed and one port open EQ1/Q.05. One port open will give the deepest response. There is something about sealed that I really like. (i can't put my finger on why). It does make me wonder just how the Sealed 15 sounds.

With some work with my SMS-1 i've gotten excellant results and I have a fairly large space for the 15H to fill. (another is a good possibilty)

lradden
January 24th, 2011, 7:40 AM
Thanx for the settings... I actually hav tried both of these combinations and for Me the best option seems to b two ports open Q @ 0.3, EQ 2, Xover at 80, and vol. Dial at abt 10:30 position... How far Do U hav Ur gain upto?... I can't believe Ur using the 15H in for Ur bedroom HTS setup... My whole basement is shaking two all three levels of My house and U hav it in Ur bedroom. Damn!Actually it's not in my bedroom it's in our 13x24 sealed theater. I have it about 12' from the listening position right next to the projection screen. I have the dial at 10:00 and the receivers subwoofer level has a range of -12 to +12 with the sub set at -3.

I really have a hard time choosing between 2 ports open EQ2 (can't use EQ1 with two ports open) and 1 port closed EQ1. With movies that really dig deep I really like the 1port open EQ1 setting. I get more rumbling even when there isn't a lot of audible bass. With 2 ports open its still there but not as much.