Time for a decent sub

[bikeman]

Hey guys,
I have two finalists. I know this has been discussed to the ends of the earth and back but I'm getting close and a little fresh imput might help.

http://www.hsustore.com/vtf3.html

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-pb12nsd.cfm

The Hsu is time tested and I'm sure I'd be happy with it.
The SVS has a larger cabinet and that's a good thing with a sub.
I'd expect the new NSD driver to be similar to the 12.2 Plus driver and that can be a point for discussion.
The SVS is $100. less and that's attractive. Also, the pre-order comes with a RS meter and Avia which I can sell to recoup a bit of the cost. I already own both.
The SVS is made in Ohio which is a minor point but needs to be taken into account nonetheless. The amp is made in Canada which is another minor plus for me.
Any thoughts?

David

[BradJudy]

These are similar considerations to what I'll be looking at for my next sub, although I might go a bit larger and look toward a 20-39 PC+. I've enjoyed my VTF-2 MkI, but it's a tough call for me for which direction to take next. I almost wish I would have jumped on the last of the rosewood VTF-3's when they were selling them for the price of a regular VTF-3.

I don't think that I would go all of the way to the PB12-Plus vs VTF-3HO at $900 (I wouldn't pre-order the VTF-3HO for the discount).

I'm sure Curtis will chime in to point out Ikka's measurements - he has mentioned before that he feels they indicate the Hsu is a better sub.

On a nit-picky point, I do like that the SVS subs have a variable phase knob instead of the 0/180 on the Hsu subs.

BTW: The pre-order deal says Avia or SPL meter, not both.

[curtis]

Any chance you would be able to listen to both in your home? If so, there is no reason to get into Illka's measurements.

It is no secret that I have bias towards Hsu, but I think I have good reason. :)

[bikeman]

Any chance you would be able to listen to both in your home?
Not for me. Shipping would be a deal killer. One more just thrown into the mix.

http://av123forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15725

David

[curtis]

Without comparing, I am sure you would be happy with either.

That MFW-15 looks to be pretty formidable!

[Eddie Horton]

Tough call, David. If it were just between the Hsu and SVS, I'd go with the Hsu. Throwing the MFW-15 in the mix makes things a little more interesting. I guess we'll have to wait until some folks get their hands on one before we know what is real performance and what is "could be expected" performance. Like Curtis said, though, you'd more than likely be thrilled with any of the above.

[BradJudy]

The MFW-15 does look interesting, but it also has an unknown ship date at this point. If it's available when I'm looking, I'll definitely consider it, but I think we've all learned that waiting for a new product to be released can go on for much longer than planned. Plus, like with the VTF-3HO, there isn't any customer feedback on the final version yet.

I have the pro/con that I don't have to pay shipping for AV123 stuff, but I have to pay sales tax. For a big, heavy subwoofer, it probably works out better for me, but for smaller items it probably works out better for people out of state.

The new SB-12 from SVS looks a lot like a 12" version of the AV123 ULW-10. Having a pair of those with Ascends stacked on top would be a pretty sweet stereo setup. It would be easier to hook up since the SB-12 has speaker level in/out. :)

[bikeman]

The subwoofer purchase has been put on hold. I ordered new 340SE's last night. The MFW-15 intrigues me so I think I'll wait a bit on that. I'll just havta "console" myself with the SE's. ;)

David

[Eddie]

The subwoofer purchase has been put on hold. I ordered new 340SE's last night. The MFW-15 intrigues me so I think I'll wait a bit on that. I'll just havta "console" myself with the SE's. ;)

I'm very curious to hear how you like the SEs with the Panny. Will you do some AB listening with your 340 Classics too? The Panny's A/B switch makes that very easy.

[bikeman]

I'm very curious to hear how you like the SEs with the Panny. Will you do some AB listening with your 340 Classics too? The Panny's A/B switch makes that very easy.
I'll definitely be comparing the two but mainly through extended listening. I do very little movie watching or sitting down and listening to music from April through October so I'm not as used to the sound of the 340's right now so that should make comparing a tad more ....objective? I don't know when they'll ship but I guess within a month.

David

[federicobart]

I have just sold an SVS PB-10 sub to buy an ACI Titan XL sub.... the difference is amazing, specially if you like musical subwoofers.....

[bikeman]

I have just sold an SVS PB-10 sub to buy an ACI Titan XL sub.... the difference is amazing, specially if you like musical subwoofers.....
Amazing what triple the cost will get ya. The Titan is outta my price range but I'd love to hear it. It would be interesting to hear it compared to the new SVS sealed sub.

David

[bikeman]

I spoke to the folks at Hsu today. The waiting list for a B-stock sub is long (over 30 names). He said that Hsu will be offering a holiday special. Nothing finalized but possibly 10% off on their VTF's and STF's. I needed a reason to procrastinate a bit longer and now I have it. Thanks, Hsu.

David

[Peter Marcks]

That's the least we should be doing for kind and gracious consumers such as yourself, David! We don't have the holiday special prices fixed yet (and I can't promise a very big discount, maybe free shipping or a small discount), but hopefully we'll come up with something over the next month, and we can reflect this on our refreshed website.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

[eRob]

I'm in the same boat as you David. I talked to HSU awhile back and they suggested the VTF-3 MK 2. I was hoping they would have suggested a cheaper priced sub, but with my room size I guess I need a bigger sub than I thought. Maybe I'll consider them again with that holiday special pricing around the corner.

[greggle31]

Not really sure what the differences are but for what its worth i have an Hsu stf-3 and i love it. So far its been the high point of my system that ive been attempting to upgrade and match the rest of my equipment to. It really sounds like its overpowered and i have it nearly as low as possible.