Bass quality, bass extension, price/performance

Sonically: none! Esthetically: pleasant. Only minus point: Top-heavy.

Purchased with the HSU Research 500W amp/crossover.

I have used this subwoofer/amp for over a year now, and have no complaints (although my neighbors might!). Bass is still clean, extended, effortless, and seamless with my main speakers.

After moving the subwoofer a few inches here or there to get the best room response, my real room (untreated) 1/3 octave warble-tone bass response is:

1000 Hz: 0.0 dB
200 Hz: +3.0 dB
160 Hz: +2.5 dB
125 Hz: 0.0 dB
100 Hz: -0.5 dB
80 Hz: 0.0 dB
63 Hz: +1.5 dB
50 Hz: +2.0 dB
40 Hz: 0.0 dB
31.5 Hz: -1.5 dB
25 Hz: -1.0 dB
20 Hz: -14.0 dB

Measured with Stereophile Test CD, tracks 20 - 31, using a Radio Shack SPL meter, "C" weighting, "Slow" response.

The -14.0 dB reading at 20 Hz is due to an acoustical node at the listening position (about 18 feet from the subwoofer). The subwoofer is moving a LOT of air at 20 Hz - (my pants leg is moving) and items are shaking on my back shelves. The subwoofer hasn't cut off yet at 20 Hz, just my room has! I would like to have test material that went lower than 20 Hz to see how far these speakers really go!

All my friends are impressed by the bass output of the subwoofer system - both quality and quantity.

Note - the output dial on the sub amp are at the 9 o'clock position (2 clicks). I wonder what this baby could do if I cranked it up to full (another 8 clicks away) ...

After spending a year with this sub, I have no plans on ever replacing it and still love it. What else could I get that could really significantly out-perform this sub, especially at the price?

Similar Products Used:

Nothing similar!

Phenomenal power and extension. Miniscule distortion. Good looks and a small footprint.

I spent $1800 on the subs: I'd have paid $1900 to get it with a remote! Are you listening, Dr. Hsu?

I'm just posting to update my review of the TN 1220s. After living with them for a few more months I am even more impressed than before. Once the new wears off, and one stops digging out every deep-bass-demo disc he owns and just listens, the sound is even more beguiling.

I've been expanding my classical library exponentially since buying the Hsu's and associated 500w amp: about 75 new discs in the months since my last posting. The reason? These subs cast acoustic music in a new light. A previous poster who said that the "no bass below 50hz" is a myth couldn't be speaking more truthfully. Listen to a Telarc recording of Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition" or the Seraphim recording of the Toronto Symphony playing Holst's "The Planets"; the latter, especially will cause collateral damage to your domicile.

But don't make the mistake that the Hsu's "add" bass or heaviness artificially to a recording, or that they are only useful at high level or for large scale works. Nothing could be further from the truth. These subs add a layer of sound that you would never know exists, adding a degree of realism and "presence" that is at times uncanny. Throw in a disc of Christopher Parkening or Julian Bream- while an acoustic quitar won't stress the limits of a good sub, a good sub can add the ambient room conditions you weren't even aware of. The effect is better than "bringing the performance to you." It "takes you to the performance."

The effect is remarkable with good piano recordings. I highly recommend the recent Naxos boxed set of Idel Biret performing the complete solo piano works of Chopin; this cycle is outstanding both for it's enchanting musical value and its terrific price. A good sub adds a layer of detail and presence that, I'm afraid, words cannot adequately convey.

To bring this update to a close, I've still not heard this subs equal, much less its better, at any price. If you are in the market for a sub, can afford a system in the $1800 range and place performance first, you owe it to your music to audition this sub! Enthusiastically recommended!

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I've used or heard about everything you can readily find under $2000.

Ah, the Hsu TN1220. I reviewed this subwoofer in issue 67 of The Sensible Sound, and was impressed enough with its performance to purchase the test unit. At first, I thought I would use my own amp, but the Hsu requires a bit of automatic bass boost down low, and so I ended up purchasing the 250-watt amp, anyway. (Without the equalization, the sub rolls off similarly to subs that follow the THX specifications, and I have learned that I need flatter response down really low than those units provide.)
The new 500-watt unit has a bit more headroom and it is easier to change out the crossover modules, but most of the time the difference between it and the 250 should be nil. Hsu has also recently made some improvements in the woofer driver itself, but the differences, again, should be audibly slight, at least with musical or video program material.

In my review of the TN1220, I compared it favorably to a Velodyne F1800 (I also have one of those and have reviewed it in this compendium), with the latter only having a significant edge in maximum output at 30 Hz. With the new amp that difference should be even less. I know it seems hard to believe that a 12-inch woofer should be able to match the output maximum of an 18 incher, but the tuned enclosure of the Hsu allows this to happen.

Note that the slightly more expensive HRSW12Va model (shorter than the TN1220, but also broader of beam) has 1 or 2 dB more maximum capability than the TN, so it should be a close match for the big Velodyne. However, note that the latter has also been upgraded (FSR-18), so the Hsu has a harder target to hit than before.

Overall, these models are all excellent, and the determining factor would be cost, decor considerations, and hookup requirements. The Velodyne is cosmetically better looking and might be just a tad more potent, but those on a budget need not feel ashamed of owning the HSU1220.

Incidentally, there is a whole section on subwoofer performance in my book, The Home Theater Companion (Schirmer, 1997). Yes, it lists for $40, but Amazon and B&N sell it for $32, and it is a big 437 pages long and also has tons of info on surround sound, basic speaker design and use, acoustics, video, and audio accessories. Mike Riggs gave it a good review in the October, 1998 issue of Audio magazine, and a Net review can be found at:

HTTP://www.ambiophonics.org/ferstler.htm

Howard Ferstler
ferstle@ibm.net

Low distortion, high impact bass. Great mix of attributes for both Home Theater and music.

Top heavy.

First off, it is sad that there are bozo "spammers" on this site. I took the time to write this review because I wanted the real story to be told about this great product.

I bought these subs directly from the factory in Anaheim, CA. Hsu Research is a very low overhead facility ... a garage shop of sorts in an industrial park. I actually found it a bit comical. But the folks are very enthusiastic about their product. I bought these subs after hearing them when travelling back east, and from several recommendations from high end audiophile friends who raved about their value. I was generally pretty happy with my Genesis Servo 12, but I had heard such great things about the HSU, I thought I would give them a shot.

I bought 2 HSU TN1220HO with the 400 w amp. The construction of the subs is pretty basic, but clean. I took the woofers out and they are VERY massive. The magnets are double stacked and must be a total of 6 lbs+ (96 oz.). Stamped frame, but the metal is very high gauge. Woofers are screwed into an MDF ring that appears to be glued into the inside of the industrial grade fiber tube. A minus is that these babies are very top heavy. If they sit on a carpet with pad, and you nudge them, they will tip over. I solved this somewhat by drilling some phillips head screws into the subfloor spaced to match the leg points of the sub, and sit the points of the woofer on these screws. Helps significantly, but I am going to build a heavy weighted MDF base soon. Simple yet effective design. When playing, the cabinets are non-resonant.

The amp has a solid feel and projects high quality on the exterior. The volume control is detented and feels nice, but the detents ended up to be a slight minus (read below). The interior sports a very massive toroidal transformer, but is otherwise average in terms of build quality. Note, that the HSU Amp / Sub combination looks to be a 6th order system. This means that there is equalization / boost at very low frequencies by the amp. IF you use your own amp, you will need an outboard EQ that I believe HSU sells. I measured the peak boost at about 19 hz where the port generates virtually all the energy (resonance). Since resonance is so low, the woofer operates in the the bass / lower mid bass well away from resonance. While this puts more excursion demands on the woofer (the HSU can handle it) in the 30-60 hz range, the transient response is improved significantly. Similar or better than a closed box.

When I first hooked them up using the HSU Amp with 90 Hz crossover connected to the sub output from my Yamaha RX-V2092 (90 hz crossover as well), I was disappointed. The bass seemed bloaty with a significant amount on lower mid bass bloom. I level matched with the mains and this helped somewhat, but something did not sound right. One complaint is that the amp input sensistivty appears to be too high. I found that the right sub level was about at 2 detents on the volume control, and fine tuning involved very small changes in the volume control. Input gain should be lowered or have an optional sensitivity strap / switch. It is easy to set the subs to high in volume, and this can lead to a "boomy" sound.

I started out with the woofers in the corners (large 16 x 28 x 15 room) and then experimented. Originally there was an 80 hz emphasis, yet the subs had very strong output to about 16 hz. Cranking it up at 20 hz, I actually worried about damaging things in the house. Pictures danced on the wall, nic nacs fell off of shelves. Wow. I was able to cut the 80 hz peak down a bit by moving the woofers out of the corners and locating them asymmetrially along the walls. I uses a software program called Visual Ears to help. This program was pretty accurate. Still, the sound was good, but not what I had expected. The Genesis sounded tighter, more musical, but did not have as high output at the bottom.

Going from experience, I moved the input to the HSU amp from the sub out to the high level speaker outputs of the RX-V2092 (bypassing the internal crossover in the reciever). Significant improvement, in particular, transient response. I had noted this in the past with the Genesis, other subs. Then I lowered the HSU crossover frequency to 50 Hz that aligned better with the low end of my Focal Aria 5's and suddenly, the subs started to disappear and things started to lock. Then, over a period of about 2 months of breakin, the HSU amp/sub combination continued to improve. The 80 hz peak dissappeared completely along with the subs. I moved the subs back into the corners. WOW. Thus, after about 3 months of listening, I can comment on the real Hsu sound ...

First off, the low distortion impact of these subs is absolutely amazing. They are fast and musically very good. I never have a sense that I am listening to subs, just music / movie. In particular, the Steely Dan Two Against Nature DVD is phenominal to show off these subs in a music mode. The bass and bass drum impact on "Jack Of Speed" is natural yet kicks you with a "you are there" in the gut. On the music side, also try John Fogarty Premonition "Down on the Corner", Sheryl Crow Rockin' the World Live, and in particular, for very low bass power, VHS Diva's live Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On". OH MY!!! There are countless movies as well where I just shake my head. Clean, tight, foundation shaking bass that is innate. You forget that there are subs, and get than chilling up the spin emotional lock with music / movies.

In the end I am VERY happy with these subs and do not feel the need to look further. They are superior to most sealed / servo designs as they are tight yet can go VERY deep and VERY loud with very low distortion due to the design. I think HSU should solve the top heavyness of the woofers and perhaps come up with an integrated grill. They could probably have a "high end" version with granite base, re-enforced tube with stylish grill and sell these for more. I can see how some might be put off by the apparent lightweight feel. Makes very little diff in sound.

VERY highly recommended, but like any sub, you have to experiment and make sure you let them break in for several weeks of listening. Be patient and you will be rewarded !

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Genesis Servo 12

superb extension...

top heavy

other than being top heavy, this sub is definitely the best in the market now...

sadly, some spammers have decided to sabotage the ratings by "multiple low ratings"..

i find the sub sounds a lot better when placed standing rather than lying on the floor.

watch saving pte ryan (tank invasion scene towards the end) and you'll know exactly what i mean...

last but not least... buy! buy! buy!.....

Tight clean bass, verry verry rich bass , strong sound

will tip over if tapped

when i heard this at my freinds i was happy with the sound and when he said he was selling it i was relly happy.
As soon as i bought it from him i hooked it up and the sound that came from this tube was amazing.
This sub will give you clean output at any level of volume or frequency that i like.
Think of this it is hard to find a mid priced sub that can go down to 20 Hz with no distortion when you hear this baby you will have found your pride and joy.
I have to say this sub will rattle every thing so you must clear every thing in your theater room so it won't rattle or fall down.
don't spend $3000 on a sub if you buy this sub you will get the same sound from subs costing up to $3000 so buy it you will be happy

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M&K, B&W, Sunfire, Hsu

lowest hz,i have heard to date.And i have the velodye1800.To compare with.

top heavy.. i have wood flooring, so rubber pads are a must.

I have four of these babies in my living room.unbelievable sound. people are in AWE when they here the low powerfull output. i do have all high end equipment too match , so this is not over kill, as you might first think. i didn't get the power amp or crossover from hsu. i had a friend build me a passive 60 hz. 36 octive slope design. with my own power amp. which i paralleled and seried. to get too four ohm. the amp puts out 2000 watts. into four ohms. the dr. himself called me to let me know he wasn't happy with me doing it this way.. he was afraid i might blow the speakers up. i told him not too worry. i won't..... so go ahead and buy two, or four. you won't be disappointed.....

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m&k infinity velodyne

Low distortion,Big SPL,Deep base

are you kidding ? None

Good to see a few aussies with Hsu.I new nothing of Hsu in this country till I saw an advert in the Herald Sun.
I jumped on the net and did a search and found Weststate A/V.
What Fantastic deep bass.This sub is amazing for its low cost and unreal performance.It is so smooth and non-boomy.

I actually sold my FSR-15 and brought two 1220's direct from our local distributor. I already had a NAD 218 amp which I used to drive them with.
Originally I only intended to get one but Colin at Weststate expressed a keen interest in looking at my room layout. He found that the open plan living where my system was, may give me a few problems it required a difficult positioning problem for a sub in relationship to the opening to the other rooms.
Also the openings which can not be closed off, this made the requirements for good bass a little bit tricky.He requested that I try one sub behind my coutch first then one up close to the right hand front main and see how I go.
The bass was awesome but because of the hard floors and sheer size- "I sort of asked if two would be a good thing ? " they are cheap enough .
Well I could not believe how good bass can be, having two just blew me away.
Everyday my system sounds so much better now, problem is I just do not want to go to work !
Thanks Hsu for a great sub and Colin for putting up with me and my questions.

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Velodyne,M&K,Klipsch,Paradigm

Deep Bass, Clean Bass, Musical, Size, Price

Built material.

This sub is great for Home Theater and Audio music. Had a Sunfire for a year and I compared the two. The Hsu will play cleaner, louder, and goes deeper. The best about HSU is its ability to blend into the music with your main speakers, something the Sunfire failed to do in my opinion. Its very musical. Movies couldnt sound better without this SUB. I dont like the way the woofer sticks out the top and I think the built quality could improve on the Sub and Amp ! Although I had no problem with the Amp, it does look and feel poor. The HSU is not so heavy and that will let you move it around the room in order to find the right spot for it. It clearly kills anything under $2000 that I have heard.

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Sunfire MK II

There personal service is the best part of this company. They had my first name written on the instruction packet and I love how they send a CD along with some recommended listening material.
When I first got it set up and was listening to it a little bit of the filler came out of the port, no big whoop though.

My one sort of gripe is that I played another 10-20 dbSPL louder. But, I just have to remind my self that this thing is accurate +/-1 dbSPL to 20 Hz and I forget about not having it hurt my ears. It as a true reference subwoofer for audiophiles and not slam dance parties. (But it ain't too bad for that either. But buy yourself a loudspeaker then.)

Last comment, I have this at college and it fits in my room just fine. And I live on the fourth floor so carrying it up the stairs was no problem because it was light as a feather. At moderate listening lives I have been down to the first floor and I can still hear it slightly and holding the wall there is still a slight vibration through the concrete four floors below. They've even had a RA (Resident Assistant) meeting concerning the sub, but what are they going to do. HA

If you have $720 to spend, buy it and thank HSU Research later.