This is a follow up to a previous post. I encountered a problem with my 250w amp and upgraded to the Model 500 along with a second 1225. It was everything and more that I expected. The factory 91Hz module in the crossover did not work well at all with my system. I ordered a few to have on hand and ended up with the 52Hz. The bass blends absolutely perfect. The subs are right behind my recliner and no one can ever tell where the heck they are. When I say turn around, they are shocked. I guess they don't see 3 foot cylinders and think subwoofer. I have a friend with a Velodyne 12in sub. It is very impressive and really shakes the house. But I can always tell where it is and the bass is just different. In ways, I think it seems to have more impact than mine, but the Hsu is just more smooth. I guess it is the box coloration that has been referred to. I just can't wait till I can afford to get out of my apartment, so I can really turn them loose. I wholeheartedly recommend the TN series. I believe that they only offer the 1220 now, so it is a little more money, and less subtle visually, but should sound even better.

Sound, volume, adjustiblity, placement, Truly awesome loud distortion free bass.

the construction of the cabnet is not bulitproof, and yes it is top heavy which might be a problem when moving it.

This review is for the TN1225 with the 250 watt amp.This is a truly great sub. The purchase of this sub is the completion of my two channel system which consists of Triangle Celius speakers, a Sunfire clasic tube pre-amp, a Belles 150A hotrod amp, and AH tjoeb CD player. I considerd the VTF 2 but am glad I got the TN1225. I already have a VTF in my home theater system and it is a great sub for the money so I was not sure it was worth the extra money for the TN. I think it was! The TN 1225 is so clean. I think it blends better with my main speakers.The bass just apears like moving air. I asked Dr Hsu what the differance was between the two subs was and he said that the TN was free of box coloration. I guess this is what he meant. The extra 100 watts helps too. This sub is clean, loud, low, and the best I have ever heard. If you have a large room or want a better quality musical sound then buy the TN 1225 otherwise get the VTF 2 either way you will be happy. I have one small quality control issue with the sub when I got it it did not work. I took it apart and realized that the leads had come unpluged from the speaker. Once connected and broken in for about 50 hours it sounds fantsastic. Takeing it apart made me realize that Hsu spent the money on the speaker not necessarily the cabnet. The construction of the cylinder that houses the woofer could have been stronger but lets face it's not like we are not going to be sitting on it or anything. I can not fault the sound it is truly awesome. The shape of the sub makes for more placement options and the power amp is compact and well laid out I think the look is a lot cooler then all the Black cubes out there.

Similar Products Used:

Hsu VTF 2

Blends well with music, holds its own in HT applications.

Amp is a bit clumsy to deal with, No grill on the Sub.

When I decided to buy a subwoofer I shopped around a bit and nearly bought a $1500 REL but it wasn't in stock and I'd have to wait. This gave me a chance to look around a bit. When I went to another high end retailer he told me he had nothing that was "musical" for less than $2000. Since the REL cost more than I wanted to spend this wasn't going to work either. So I looked on the web and found HSU reasearch. I'm very glad I did. It took me about 3 listening / viewing sessions to get the sub integrated with my soon to be replaced Def Tech BP10s. Contrary to my expectations the Electronic crossiver in my HT reciever didn't seem to sound as good as just using the variable Low Pass Filter on the 150 Watt Amp I purchased with the Sub. I believe this is due to phase problems causing a suckout at the crossover frequency on one or other of the channels. Having the sub just roll off a little sooner than this doesn't give you the best responce but avoids interference and therefore soundstage problems. Once I got this right the positioning of the sub mattered little and I could not locate the source of the low frequency sound. Music is more important to me than Home Theater effects and I am glad to say the HSU research TN1225HO did not dissapoint me in this respect. While not blending perfectly, the added weight in Orchestral, Blues and Rock music is certainly a significant improvement. When it comes to Home Theater, I would have to describe the performance of the HSU sub as outstanding. A whole new dimension is added with the addition of a subwoofer and I have yet to view a DVD that caused the HSU any trouble (although I have had to re-mount several wall ornaments that had an annoying tendancy to rattle). As the reviews have stated this Sub is a steal. Furthermore it's low price makes it conceivable to purchase two so that you can have a stereo pair and if your room allows, avoid the always troublesome blending problems that occur when listening to music.

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None

Definition, depth, impact, looks, wife acceptance factor

Top heavy, need to purchase grill cover for driver especially if you have cats or nosey kids.

I purchased this sub to replace an M&K 125MkII. I was looking for a sub that was tighter with less bloom but could still go deep. I read about 100 reviews and decided that the HSU sub was what I was looking for. I spoke to Dr. Hsu and he told me that I did not need to buy the Hsu Sub Amp if I already had a good A class amp all I would need was the bass optimizer. I got this sub last week and hooked it up and stuck it in the corner of my dedicated home theater. The first track I played was Pink Floyd''s "Welcome to the Machine" OH MY GOD! I thought my house was going to crumble down around me. The bass was so tight and deeper than I expected and I was only at half volume on the bass optimizer! On movie tracks it gives you so much slam that you may need to cross over your mains higher in order to send more to this sub because it can definitely handle it, and it will improve the sound of your mains as well. This sub is subtle when it needs to be but it can grab you and shake you when the time comes. I would recommend anyone looking for a great sub that has $1500 to spend save your money and spend $350 on this sub + $350 for the amp if you don''t already have one laying around or $100 for the bass optimizer if you do. I believe it would be hard to beat the performance of this sub for under $2000. System (Combination Dedicated Home Theater and Audiophile System): Def Tech BP2002TL Def Tech BP2004TL Def Tech BP2x Def Tech C/L/R/ 2500 Magnepan MMG''s (for stereo audiophile listening)(also unbelievable bang for your buck!) M&K 125 MKII Outlaw Audio 1050 Receiver(as pre-amp) Acurus A250 (3) Acurus A150 (2) Acurus A200x3 Toshiba SD 5700 DVD Marantz Laser Disc Player Mitsubishi WS65908 65" HDTV RPTV Lexicon DC-1 (for stereo audiophile listening) HSU TN1225HO HSU Bass Optimizer Playstation 2 X Box Dreamcast

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne VA1215x, M&K 125MKII, McIntosh HT-2, Def Tech, Paradigm, Velodyne Servo 18

Small footprint Good buy for the money Musical bass notes are clean No bloom

No speaker grill Top heavy New 250 watt amp seems to cut some notes and sounds off "too quickly" as compared to the older 250 watt amp.

The TN1225HO subwoofer is an excellent buy for the money. I''ve had the subwoofer for about two years and it has added many hours of listening pleasure. I purchased this subwoofer based upon the many reviews I had read. If you''re looking for a good subwoofer at a decent price, it''s hard to beat an HSU subwoofer. You''ll definitely raise alot of eyebrows when your friends first hear this subwoofer. It plays low musical notes very well - no bloom or thumps. Low sound effects from movies play really well on the this subwoofer. And yes, this sub can definitely rattle a few walls. For wall rattling bass, try the opening sequence to Independence Day. The "new" THX sound demo on the Star Wars - Phantom Menace DVD is most impressive - lots of booms and blasts, then a smooth blending of bass with the ever increasing THX sound demo. The POD race sequence sounds really good with the HSU subwoofer. My son usually says,"Cool!!" when he hears the "new" THX sound demo blasting away with all of that bass!! Though the sound track for the movie Unbreakable is "minimal", the HSU subwoofer really brings out those smooth bass sounds at various places. Even TV soundtracks sound much better - especially "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Overall, this subwoofer is a good buy for the money. One word of warning - if you purchase the new 250 watt amp for the TN1225HO, it is susceptible to line noise. A little over two years ago I purchased this sub with the 250 watt amp. I had some problems with the "older" 250 watt amp - it started hissing really bad, then an AC hum showed up and the fuse burned out. I sent it in for repair but was told that it could not be repaired, so it was replaced with the new version of the 250 watt amp. The new 250 watt amp has a lot of improvements over the "old" 250 watt amp. The new 250 watt amp has a nice heat sink and a more durable case. The 250 watt amp uses a better design than the "old" 250 watt amp. It even has a switch that allows you to switch between the TN1225HO and the TN1220HO amp. There is a difference in the sound that the amp produces as compared to the older 250 watt amp - the notes and sounds aren''t as distinct. I personally like the sound of the "old" 250 watt amp better that the new 250 watt amp. The new amp sounds a little more "muffled" than the older amp - as if the amp "cuts off too fast."

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None

I have had many home theater subwoofers in my house including a ULD15-2 , an M&K MX 200, Audio Concepts SUB 1's but nothing did low frequency bass justice until I purchased the HSU 1225. I currently have it in a horizontal position behind the couch which is against the rear wall. (It is for the rear channels of an AC3 setup). After hearing it perform, I noticed I couldn't hear the larger LFE sub.
This sub rattled portions of the house I didn't think would rattle- the couch felt like an earthquake was in progress. The quality of the sound was excellent and my previoulsy viewed laser discs are more exciting. I will be purchasing one of HSU's larger subs for the LFE channel and moving the M&K to the bedroom. Needless to say, I would recommend this product to anyone who appreciates deep bass .

The TN1225 is an extremely impressive subwoofer. As others have posted, the low frequency extension and output of the subwoofer is outstanding. But to me, the most remarkable part of the sub’s performance is how realistic and tuneful the mid-& upper bass is. The sub is also very quick and tight. I originally purchased the sub because of Hsu’s reputation and the small foot print (0.8 sq. ft.). Because of it’s small size, I was also interested in the Sunfire sub, but wasn’t entirely happy with it’s performance and it cost more than I wanted to spend. Both the price and the performance of the TN1225 is extraordinary.
If you, like me, are hesitant to buy a piece of audio gear without listening to it first, I can only say that the Hsu is worth the risk to audition in your home (where it matters anyway). Yes, you would have to pay shipping to send it back if you decided you didn’t want - but I would surprised if anyone would send it back.

performance of course, and the look

a bit top heavy

OH YEAH! Out of the box, the thing starts shaking my windows immediately. Total work horse this thing! When the base kicks in, this thing kicks in. Besides which, it looks cool. How many people have a big cylinder as part of their home theater system.

Went out and bought the Monster subwoofer cable (200 Interlink think?) and I could actually tell a noticeable difference. The bass tones extended for bit longer, and the bass seemed to go deeper.

Powering the sub with Hsu's older 250W amp. Cheap looking amp, but I expected as much. From what I had read about Dr Hsu, he is all about functionality; looks comes later.

Excellent help by the way at Hsu Research.

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none

Killer sub for the money, or not! Blows away all the subs I've tried overall, including some from M&K, Velodyne, KEF, and Paradigm. Easier to place in my rooms, and has higher WAF, than any other sub I know of. I'm using with the 500w amp, and Vandersteen 2Cis with updated crossovers, and the Hsu has improved the Vandys more than I imagined possible - imaging, inner detail, and apparent speed have all improved tremendously with the Hsu crossed over at 80hz. The Hsu has it all - speed, low distortion, unbelievable output capability. I haven't had time to dicker with interconnects or speaker cable - currently using Wireworld Atlantis II and some old Litz speaker cable - but am planning to move to Gold Eclipse for both, using a long interconnect and very short speaker cable. I expect somewhat faster and tighter bass with this combo - improving what's already very very good. Next I'm going to upgrade the amp re signal path caps and resistors (trying Musicaps and Angela copper foil in oil, and Holco resistors, as well as Elna Cerafine graphite particle electrolytics with Relcap or Solen bypasses. I think the detail, control and speed of the amp will be improved considerably but we'll see... Also on the horizon may be a pair of Maggie MMGs or MGMC1s - looking forward to that! Other compnents include: Sherwood Newcastle AVP9080R processor/preamp, Fisher SA1000 amp (a rare vintage gem updated with current caps, resistors, wire & connectors), and a JVC XLZ-1050 transport feeding the Sherwood's D-A.

As far as sound, none worth mentioning. Would like to have option of different outside fabrics (perhaps a replaceable sock-type?); also some bottom-weighting to improve stability.

Outstanding - highly recommended. Can't wait to get a second for my HT, and another for my family room system.

Value 5 stars, overall 4 stars, as I think some improvements can be had by upgrading the amp re detail, control & speed, and the cosmetics, as noted. (I'll pass along my results)

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Have tried many different subs as noted above.

VERY DEEP, MUSICAL, POWERFUL BASS WITH VIRTUALLY NO DISTORTION.

No weakneses in producing low BASS easilly can be turned up too loud.

(NOTE: price includes $359 for the subwoofer and $200 for the amplifer)

I did several weeks of research before selecting the HSU line of subwoofers.

I checked out the following reviews;
http://members.iinet.net.au/~colinf/tn1225horev.htm

These URLs have much information about HSU products.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~colinf/hsuset.html
http://www.hsuresearch.com/

Dr Hsu answered all of my emails personally. An interview with him can be found here;
http://www.1388.com/articles/hsu-english/index.html

The HSU subwoofer line is designed to be INEXPENSIVE yet MUSICAL. (not boomy or thumpy unless the music CALLS for it)

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I ordered the 150Watt amplifer for this subwoofer because I did not have any spare amps sitting around. Do not let the apparent low wattage fool you.... the TN1225HO is EXTREAMLY efficent and DOES NOT NEED a lot of input power to get VERY loud. You cannot compare this thing to the standard "box" subwoofers that need 500 Watts just to hear them.

When I first connected it up, I set the amplifer volume to 1/2 according to the instructions as a good starting point and started playing the CD that comes with the TN1225HO. (A selecton of organ music on a REAL pipe organ.)

When the first low note was played, (perhaps 30 HZ) the entire HOUSE vibrated. I ended up having to turn the amp down to about 1/8 volume so the low notes were not too loud. THIS THING IS POWERFUL AND CLEAN!! I even stood near the thing to see if the cuffs my pants REALLY did "flap" in the breeze. (YES THEY DID)

I also tried a favorate DVD with lots of low BASS (Star Wars Epasode1) and started at track20 (POD race) I was not disapointed the room came alive with the low rumbles of the pod racers.

The TN1225HO is exactly what I was looking for. A musical subwoofer that can fathfully reproduce very low bass that can also serve as a HomeTheator LFE driver.

SYSTEM;
Reveiver: Yamaha R-V1105
main speakers: Monitor Bronze1
rear speakers: Inexpensive
Center speaker: Cambridge Soundworks "cernter channel Plus"
Subwoofer: HSU Research TN1225HO

Similar Products Used:

KLH... only similar because it called itself a subwoofer.
Also auditioned VELODYNE, PINNACLE, BOSTON before choosing the HSU TN1225HO