HSU STF-1

[rdwarn]

I'm looking to possibly buy an STF-1 or STF-2. It'll primarily be used for music and will be paired with Axiom M60's. I know the STF-2 goes down to 25Hz and the STF-1 only down to about 32Hz. However, the STF-1 is $100 cheaper. For music, is it worth the extra $100 for accurate detailed bass down to 25Hz? I guess for HT it's a no brainer. Does anyone else out there have experience or listened to the STF-1??

[bltoe]

Here is my mini-review...didn't seem to catch much interest but hopefully it will help!

http://www.hsuresearch.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=549

Last post.


Dustin

[Michael Bain]

The STF-1 should fit the bill. Dr. Hsu demoed this sub at CES this year. People were quite amazed at the quality and quantity of sound coming out of the unit, especially at the $299 price tag and given the relatively modest size. There is a lot of music and movies that do not really plumb the depths of frequency response anyway, and you can always take comfort in knowing that the Hsu response measurements are generally spot on the mark, if not a tad understated.

dustin k, you may get more responses/feedback if you started a new thread with that mini-review. Glad to hear that you are happy.

[BeFree]

You said the sub will be used "primarily" for music. If it's going to be used for movies at all, go with the STF-2.

[goombawa]

rdwarn - I have an STF-1 and bought it primarily for size and "musicality". So far I have no complaints as to the amount of bass it can produce. I just need to see if I can get it a bit "tighter" with different placement/crossover settings. However I really don't have any other places to put it.... :(

One other note - because of my room dynamics and sub placement (right corner of room), the bass is great on the couch facing the wall (primary listening area) but really drops out when I stand up and move like 3 or 4 feet to the left. Does anyone here know if the TN sub would disperse the bass more evenly in the room given its 51" height? Reason I ask is that the stf-1 is in between my A/V cabinet and a plant. Not sure if the bass is getting "squeezed" or not. The good news is that it really thumps when I sit in my couch...I would just like a little more thorought the room when I walk around, etc.

[DavidD]

I can't answwer your question very authoratatively, but I do know that most any room will have "suck-out" positions. These are positions where there is little or no bass due to wave cancellations.

[goombawa]

True....I just wonder if the TN (with its unobstructed path to throw bass) would have less of those nulls...

[DavidD]

Perhaps. Can you temporarily move the obstructions to see if it helps? (I don't think it will, but it doesn't hurt to try.) Also - I realize there is only one practical position right now, but you might experiment with moving it anyway - just to see what happens in other locations. What you learn might help in deciding if this is the sub for you.

If you do decide to go with the TN1220, remember that the woofer is on the top and the port is on the bottom. So, the lowest bass comes out the bottom of the sub. That takes us back to your concerns about disturbing your neighbors.

I'm very interested in your experiences with STF-1. I've had a TN1225 for several years, and am thinking about getting an STF-1 for the bedroom.

[Lwang]

The TN would make no difference. The wavelength of those low freq signal is so long that it doesn't matter if it directly radiating into open air or gets routed by the floor. The only difference would be that since the TN's driver is not at a boundry, it will change the room height's modes.

That is why Dr. Hsu recommends near-field placement. You get more of the direct sound from the sub instead of hearing the room resonances, which are alot more erratic.

Since you are getting a room width suckout, you could move the sub along the width of the room and find out where there is the least suckout for both positions.

Or you could place the sub at your listening position, play some low freq sound and walk/crawl around the room to see where the bass is most even. Do the same with the other position where you get a suckout, and find out which of the positions are optimal for both seating locations.

[goombawa]

Will do....

Question - do subs take time to break-in just like normal speakers? Per the manual my weberns needed 30 hours and it really did make a difference once I had those hours on them. Is it the same with subs?

[tdekany]

yes

[goombawa]

Another thing I noticed is that the volume knob is really "loose" in attenuating the volume. The first 75% of the turn radius doesn't raise the volume much at all. Only in the last 20% do I get any real noticeable difference. Maybe this will be different with my replacement sub but I don't think so. I remember reading another post on the same situation with another hsu sub and they decided to make smaller turns on the knob more impactful (even though net net in the end it was the same) in subsequent releases of that sub.

[DavidD]

goombawa -

How are things going with the STF-1? Have you received your replacement? If so, what are your thoughts?

[goombawa]

I received the replacement last week and it arrived in perfect condition. Thanks to Hsu for the quick turnaround.

Alas, however, I'm still not happy with it.

As such I just purchased a Velo SPL-1000 today online. I will do a side by side comparison to determine which one stays and which one goes. I know this is not apples-to-apples (or even close to it )but it is what it is at this point. I want to see how a frontfiring sealed design of the Velo compares with the downfiring STF. I'm sure if my room acoustics were different the stf might have worked better but I just am not happy with it as it stands now. And I need to find one that works where it is now since I can't move it anywhere else in the room.

I will keep you posted. :)

[Lwang]

Can you just turn the VTF-1 onto its side and see how the sub sound when all its sound is not going to the downstairs neighbor?

[goombawa]

I can't put it on it's side because it would be too wide then. I only have about 15" W to play with. Laying it on its side is 19" (or 16").

[Lwang]

Upside down on a rug? Maybe your upstairs neighbors would complain? Or punch a hole in your ceiling?

[Dudley]

Let us know how the HSU compares to the Velodyne. I compared the Velo SPL to a Mirage sub (less than $500) and liked the Mirage better as it went lower (brought my test tones and spl meter)- and still seemed pretty tight. I have not heard the STF-1, so I don't know how it will compare to that. FWIW the Mirage was front firing, but it was bigger than the velo - nearly STF-2 sized.

[goombawa]

Lwang - I'm not sure what your point is. My problem is not the neighbors complaining. My problems are:

1. The bass is only appearing in a 2'x2' area in my room
2. In that 2x2' space it sounds "okay" but not great, i.e., volume is there but the tone is a bit boomy.

However the second point is somewhat moot since I need to hear the bass from more than a 2x2' space. Yes, I know...placement effects this. But as I have mentioned I cannot move it. I hope that the velo, given its different design (sealed/front) may have better luck.

Dudley - yeah, the W is a problem for me with the mirage:

Depth (Inches) 14.25
Width (Inches) 19.75 (I can only do 15")
Height (Inches) 12.5

[Lwang]

I thought you were afraid that all the bass is shaking the floor instead of coming toward you.

[goombawa]

I was/still am concerned about that, but that is not the main issue at this point. If the neighbors were also complaining then that would be another reason to try a different design. But as it stands now, the reasons I am trying the velo are listed above.

[DavidD]

I'll be interested to hear your conclusions. Am I correct that your main difficulty is that you have dead spots in the room? Besides that, what is your take on the performance (in the "good" areas)?

[goombawa]

It's "okay"... as I mentioned above, the volume in that 2x2 space is more than adequate at 85% of the volume knob (fyi: 0 to 75% of the knob does very little in raising the volume....it starts increasing exponentially at about 75%) but the tone is a bit soft/muddy.

However, right now I don't have a good frame of reference since I have never had a sub with this setup, nor ever in this apartment. Once I hear the velo side by side I will then have a basis for comparison.

[goombawa]

Got the SPL 1000 II today...I ordered the I, but was pleasantly surprised it was a II. I guess they ran out of the I. :)

I noticed an immediate difference in that I could hear it in more places within my room. Not everywhere, but in enough places that I'm satisfied with the overall increase in listening radius.

Also, I'm hearing some nice subtle lower tones that I missed with the stf-1, maybe due to the lower bottom (24Hz vs. 32Hz). I realize that the stf-2 would've been a more apples-to-apples comparison in this respect, but I don't think it would have made a difference with respect to the listening radius. That, IMO, is due to the design, e.g., downfiring vs. front/sealed.

Anyway, thanks to Hsu for their quick response in replacing the first damaged unit and for their helpful customer support. Unfortunately, due to my limited range of sub placement, I'm going to stick with the velo and return the stf-1. However I'm sure in another apt the stf-1 would have been great.