Subwoofer rec for 950/770

Hi,

I'm on the wait list for a 950 (and 770), and I just purchased a Hsu VTF-2 in anticipation. I got it home and started auditioning it with my current setup, and was a little disappointed. Now, mind you I have an old digital-ready JVC receiver that does a decent job, but I'm wondering if it might be the culprit.

The Hsu sounds a little boomy. My main goal with a sub is not to shake the room (although occasionally that's certainly necessary ), since my wife also likes to listen to music. I'm really looking for something that is very tight and accurate, that punches the staccato sounds, as opposed to just being muddy and booming.

Now I'm starting to see lots of mentions of the SVS subs. Are they appreciably better?

I also auditioned the Paradigm PW2200, and was impressed with how fast and accurate and tight it was. However, this was at a dealer, and the equipment was far better than what I have at home. At least, for now.

Any advice? I would like to stay in the area of $500-800.

Thanks,

Derek

The Energy XL-12 is a good looking sub for the money. And it sounds even better for the price. It lists for 799, I think. I checked a few weeks ago and the total price out the door was 500. Worth looking into.

I've generally heard good things about the Hsu subs. While SVS has a very energetic following, some user feedback I've seen has suggested that the Hsu is probably fairly competitive as far as performance (there are a bunch of threads at HTF, of course, but this one may interest you a little more than some of the others). For what it's worth, I've been very pleased at how well the SVS 25-31PCi blended in with the rest of my speakers. You might try to audition the PW-2200 at home and see how it compares (or perhaps "audition" a good Dolby Digital receiver along with your VTF-2 to see if the JVC is causing you grief). Some tinkering with the location of the VTF-2 might be informative, too.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks for the info. That was the perfect thread for my question, and gave me more reason to suspect my receiver.

Good advice on auditioning; I do in fact have access to a Sony STRDE985 that should at least give me a better picture than the JVC 668. I've thought of also 'auditioning' the Paradigm at home. In the dealer comparison, it blew away the NHT sub I also listened to. The multiple explosions and musical bass at the beginning of T2 were all individually rendered, while the NHT very obviously blended them all practically into one continuous boom.

[This message has been edited by derekj4 (edited September 19, 2002).]

Keep in mind placement is critical with subs.
I have a SVS 20-39 and had to move it several times to get it sounding good. Corner loading is way too much for a SVS. I also had to turn it down several notches to keep my house from shaking apart. The other issue with subs is of course cross-over.

The Hsu is a very good sub and should do well for you if you set it up right. You can go to the Hsu Research website and Dr. Hsu will give you great advice on setting up your sub. You can also call him.

dsmith901

I currently own a HSU VTF-2 sub and I absolutely love it. It took me a while to get the right settings to blend in with my speakers but once I got it right it was bliss. At first, it got really boomy and rumbled too much. Then I tweaked and tweaked and tweaked. I would pick a setting then stay with it for a week. I would at watch one specific movie at least once every week. Now it only kicks in when needed and shakes my room when the scene demands it. The settings would depend on the rest of your speaker system and you tastes.