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Review 1 of 2
Price Paid:
$199.00
from hsuresearch.com Summary:
The HSU replaced a $1300 Paradigm Atom/Titan 5 ch system, and was purchased with the VTF Mk. II sub which is $499: total price delivered was $750.
I wanted smaller sats and better sub. HSU gets raves for their subs, so I decided to try them out (you have 30 days to return if bought online).
Preliminary thoughts: I was not shopping for a main audio speaker system: I really wanted a budget home theatre set up that handled dialog and sound effects well, and had tight controlled bass. I already have a 2 ch. hifi that costs 20x what my video setup costs, so music was not a primary concern.
Right off the bat, I got good vibes: I ordered on Tuesday, they showed up on my doorstep on Friday. Packing quality is impressive: the sub is double boxed. Instructions are the best I have seen for speakers costing below $1000.
I opened the sats first and was initially let down: the feeling of quality is mixed compared to name brands like Energy, Infinity, Polk etc that I auditioned locally. While the center ch. is well constructed and beefy and all speakers have great 5 way gold plated binding posts, the satellites are light and feel like computer speakers; the cones are treated paper (nothing wrong with that, my $2800 merlins are also treated paper, but HSU cones do look cheaper). But don't get hung up on looks: for $199 complete the quality was way better than the price would indicate.
The build quality of the sub was very high, it weighs 55 lbs and comes with heavy brass cone "feet". For $500, the sub is clearly a winner.
I bought this system purely for video and was not disappointed. Dialog has a nice weight and depth, and the front soundstage is very wide. Sound effects were nice, though high-frequency sound effects lacked extension. No surprise: the sats have a single driver (not a tweeter). Bass was simply amazing: deep, well controlled, and not boomy at all.
I was let down a bit by listening to music through the system. Keep in mind, the power cord in my other 2 channel system costs as much as the entire HSU subs/sat system, so I am a little jaded. If you are used to typical entry level consumer gear (or god forbid, BOSE systems), the HSU will not disappoint. But its strength is video: if you are buying for audio and have an extra $300-400 to spend, buy the HSU sub and consider upgrading to better satellites as your budget improves.
The much touted "ventriliquist" effect of the HSU's really works with video: it made vocals and the soundstage appear to be coming out of much larger speakers. I compared it to a number of other speakers in its price range, such as the Velodyne and Energy, and the Infinity sat/sub system (about $500 online, it's the one with the aluminum enclosures). All but the HSU and Infinity sounded overly bright on the effects and overly thin on spoken dialog. The HSU had much fuller sound than the Infinity, but the Infinity had much cleaner and extended highs than the HSU. The HSU sub kicked butt over all the competition.
Buying a speaker system online without listening to it is always a mixed bag. Comp USA sells the HSU with a cheaper sub (SFT1 and STF2), which people seem to like, so you can hedge your bets and buy locally. But I recommend you buy the system online with a better sub (the VTF's go deeper), and roll the dice that you will like the HSU better than its competition, with the caveat that your main purpose is a good sounding system primarily for video.
If it is audio fidelity you seek to maximize, buy the HSU sub and look elsewhere for the sats/centers. Strengths:
Fantastic sub, well built center channel, gold plated posts. Video sound quality is phenomenal for the price, dialog and effects are great. hard to see how anyone can go wrong. Weaknesses:
The special HSU ventriliquist effect, plus lack of tweeters in the satellites, is not as effective for music listening. Highs are not as extended as competitors (but they are also not as bright and thin as competitors: you can have it both ways)
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