First Impression of New HB/HC Speakers

[kmitchell]

I received the new speakers yesterday and while I didn't plan on setting them up until this weekend I couldn't resist and had to take them for a test drive last night.

My first exposure to the new speakers was about six weeks ago when I listened to them at the HSU facility in Anaheim. I was very impressed with what I heard so I was expecting the same in my home.

I was not disappointed. These speakers perform exactly as you would expect any HSU product to perform. Outstanding!

I've read many posts that say "Wow, these are amazing". I didn't get that feeling but instead I said to myself "Of course these speakers sound great. After all, they're from HSU!"

I spent most of last evening listening to music and the clarity and definition is without a doubt the best I've ever heard, even at a relatively low volume (it was almost 10PM before I got them hooked up).

Once I get everything finalized and tuned this weekend I'll post more details.

While there's a lot of great music out there one of the best CDs to audition these speakers can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/What-Love-Erin.../dp/B000E6EIVW

It truly shows off the capabilities of these beautiful speakers.

Ken

[cacihome]

What AVR/PrePro/Amp you are using ?

[kmitchell]

I'm using a Denon AVR-4308CI.

My previous unit was a Denon AVR-4806CI but it was recently damaged beyond repair while being transported back from service. The 4308CI will most likely be upgraded to a 5308CI sometime in the future.

[cacihome]

Originally Posted by kmitchell

I'm using a Denon AVR-4308CI.

My previous unit was a Denon AVR-4806CI but it was recently damaged beyond repair while being transported back from service. The 4308CI will most likely be upgraded to a 5308CI sometime in the future.

Can you make comparisons with other speakers you have had so far..?
Thanks,

[Pete_Hsu]

Beautiful, beautiful, thanks for the amazing first impressions Ken, wow!

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures too

[kmitchell]

Hi Cacimar,

I've personally owned Bose 901, Ohm Walsh 2, Klipsch Heresy II, Marantz SP-1000 (still own), and Bose Acoustimass 5 Series II (still own). For the most part I've owned floor standing speakers that are rather large but more recently I've gone smaller. I've listened to many, many speakers and with the exception of my friend's Thiel Audio CSx.x (don't remember the model number) the HB-1s sound as good or better than anything I've heard. OK, I think there was this $11K Martin-Logan ES (I think it was the Summit) that sounded great as well but that was in an acoustically perfect listening room.

For this purchase I narrowed the choices down to the HB-1/HC-1 combination and a very nice speaker from Vienna Acoustics called the Waltz Grand. Besides the $695 each price tag and the fact that they have to be wall-mounted, they just didn't sound as clean as the HSU speakers.

As I write this I'm sure there are speakers out there that may sound "better" but I'm very happy with my decision.

Ken

[kmitchell]

Hi Pete,

I'll try to snap some shots this weekend.

Ken

[kmitchell]

OK, I finally got a few minutes to snap a couple of pics.

The equipment cabinet to the left is only temporary until I build a new equipment rack into the wall. The outlets on either side of the TV will be moved at that time as well. The second pic is of one of the surrounds. The front stands were cut down to 27" putting the horns at 35" ear height while the rear stands are set to 47" putting them at 20" above ear height. In the second pic you can just see the corner of the VTF-2 MK3 nearfield which doubles as an end table. The new system has no problem flexing the walls of this 14'x18' room.

Ken

PS. Sorry for the flash in the middle of the screen.

[rallen]

Very nice!

[kenji123]

i live in the same area as ken, san jose. i am wondering which other center channels did you compare with (in listening rooms in the local area) before deciding on the Hsu's?

i listened to some klipsch and definitive, but there aren;'t too many listening rooms around here.

thanks, kang

[kmitchell]

Hi Kang,

For a good selection, although biased to what they carry, go to the Magnolia AV store on Winchester Blvd in Santa Clara. This is not a Best Buy add-on but a standalone MAV store. They have three listening rooms plus a theater. Start with the room on the right and work your way across. The rooms are "affordable", "less-affordable", and "If you have to ask...". The room on the left is McIntosh, Martin Logan, and Sonus Faber. I think the theater is entirely SpeakerCraft but I'm not certain.

Personally I listened to Definitive, Monitor Audio, Vienna Acoustics, Martin Logan, and Sonus Faber. It is hard to listen to center channel only in listening rooms because of the way the speaker switching is set up. Typically you are listening to an entire system including the mains, center, and surrounds all from the same manufacturer.

Since I was shopping for a complete system this wasn't too much of a problem for me. They may be able to switch around center speakers for you so you can have a listen to each with a couple of different mains.

I also happen to have a couple of friends with rather high-end audio systems so I was able to listen to Thiel Audio and Revel.

Towards the end of my search I visited HSU while on a trip to SoCal and the decision was easy.

Every time I drop in a Blu-Ray I just smile because I know I made the right choice.

Ken

[kmitchell]

Kang,

There's also Century Stereo in El Paseo de Saratoga and San Jose Honda Electronics on Monterey Hwy.

Ken

[Zivman]

I recently bought an Ultra2 setup. I have it setup in a 5.2 and used the other 2 speakers in my bedroom setup. Overall, I am not blown away by these speakers, but they are decent. I have HTD level 3 speakers in my family room and I find the HTD speakers to have a much fuller sound. The HSU setup is very clear as the OP states, but I am feeling they should have a fuller sound to them. Please don't think I am dissapointed, more so, they have a lot to live up to with the name and rep of the subs.

ALL THAT SAID, ChadB is coming on Weds to fully calibrate my setup, TV and audio. I am hoping he can get them to sound up to their full potential.

My setup:
Pioneer Elite Pro-151fd
Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH
HSU Ultra2 speaker setup
PS3

[Pete_Hsu]

Zivman, how are you positioning the speakers and the subwoofers? Note that the speakers should be on speaker stands so that the tweeter is close to ear level when sitting down. Also try angling in the speakers a fair amount so that you can see the sides of the speakers from your main listening position, and pull them a bit away from the back/side walls.

Also, if you could let me know what settings you are using on your receiver, and on the subwoofer amps, that would be helpful too.

On a side note, the room/associated equipment/etc can have a very big influence on the sound, so it is not really feasible to compare one speaker in one room vs another speaker in another.

Thanks

[Zivman]

Originally Posted by Pete_Hsu

Zivman, how are you positioning the speakers and the subwoofers? Note that the speakers should be on speaker stands so that the tweeter is close to ear level when sitting down. Also try angling in the speakers a fair amount so that you can see the sides of the speakers from your main listening position, and pull them a bit away from the back/side walls.

Also, if you could let me know what settings you are using on your receiver, and on the subwoofer amps, that would be helpful too.

On a side note, the room/associated equipment/etc can have a very big influence on the sound, so it is not really feasible to compare one speaker in one room vs another speaker in another.

Thanks

pete,
i'll start a new thread so I don't take this one over.

[kmitchell]

Zivman,

I'll make a few suggestions in your new thread.

Ken