Deep Bass
Precise Bass
Excellent Price

Scares the heck out of my dog

Wow!!! What a subwoofer. After reading all the positive reviews I thought I would take a chance and buy this sub online. And I'm glad I did. My home theatre is in the basement on top of a concrete floor with a subfloor finished with hardwood floor. I tried a couple of demo subs from klipsch and velodyne and found them too boomy. No matter where I placed them I couldn't get the bass right. Then I tried the HSU. I couildn't believe the deep and tight bass. I played the B52's cosmic thing CD and bass was powerful. Then I tried the beach landing scene from Saving Private Ryan and it felt like I was there. Even my wife commented on how good the bass sounded and felt. She usually doesn't care about or notice these things. Am I glad I bought this sub? At half the price of the Klipsch RT 10d and twice the sound quality. All I can say is YES YES YES.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch RT 10d
Velodyne FS1000
Klipsch RW 12d

LOTS OF POWER,CLEAN BASS.BIG BANG FOR THE BUCK

NONE WHATS SO EVER,UNLESS YOU HAVE A HART PROBLEM

WANTED TO GET 2ND SUB FOR BASEMENT 25 FEET BY 25 FEET 9FT HIGH.GOT A PARADIGM PW 2200 V2 WHICH IS A KILLER SUB DEEP BASS AND POWER,I HERD OF THE HSU VTF3MK2 SO I LISTEND TO IT AND GOT IT TO TEST OUT AS 2ND SUB IN REAR OF BASEMENT ,WELL WHAT A SHOCK PW2200 UP FRONT HSU VTF3 IN REAR THESE 2 TOGETHER ROCK MY HOUSE TO HELL, I MEAN SHACK EVERY THING. IN MOVIES ITS GREAT YOU THINK THE HOUSE IS GOING TO FALL APART ,IN MUSIC ITS LIKE YOUR THERE TIGHT BASS AND CLEAN.THE PW WAS MORE MONEY BUT THE HSU HOLDS ITS OWN GREAT SUB ,IM VERY HAPPY WITH BOTH OF THEM.

Customer Service

ELECTRONICS FOR LESS TORONTO CANADA GREAT GUYS ASK FOR MASON

Similar Products Used:

PW 2200 V2

Built like a tank
Powerful deep bass
Musicality
Excellent design
The ability to scare and intimidate
The pricing (due to selling direct) makes this a steal of a deal

The shaking of your house down to the foundation, if that is a weakness.

Absolutely the best sub I have ever heard. The first thing I did after receiving the sub was try the Hsu-supplied test CD which features an 18 hz pipe organ track. This monster sub nailed it. Every other test that I can come up with passes with flying colors. Using this SW in my Home Theater has dramatically improved every aspect of the sound. The high power amp in the sub greatly relieves the stress on my Denon receiver and Adcom amp to efficiently do their jobs. This product is not only proficient at LFE in movies but is extremely accurate in reproducing bass notes. Gone is the monotone 1 note rumble. This is a musical instrument that will improve or greatly transform a system. This is the best single piece of equipment that I have ever purchased.

You do not realize how much low frequency enrgy you are missing until you have a quality subwoofer that is truly capable of reproducing it. This piece can truly do it. So far, everything that I have played on it has been greatly improved - movies, HD bruadcasts, DVDs even commercials on ordinary TV.

Customer Service

Excellent - online ordered and delivered to Missouri in 3 days

Similar Products Used:

NHT MA1/SW2
Hafler
NEC

Superb packaging - double containers
Deep, accurate bass reproduction
Heavy Duty construction
Just the right amount of controls on the back panel

None

WAF might be a problem but that is not a weakness - just a concern

Ability to scare the hell out of you on some passges - once again not a weakness but a concern.

I read evry review I could lay my eyes on about this product and this company and I've never seen so many raves about a product of ANY kind. So, naturally, being in the market to replace my old NHT SW1/MA-2 sub/amp combo and always having been curios about Dr. Hsu, it made sense to explore further by actually taking a chance and buying one online. Normally, buying speakers of any kind sight unseen and sound unheard ,IMO, is nuts. But 3 days ago, my audio life was transformed. The first thing I saw , when the product arrived, was the FedEx guy lugging the enormous box over his shoulder. I felt sorry for him and I told him I had a dolly he could have used and he just shrugged, as i signed the manifest,and said,"What is your name?" If he didn't look like an NFL lineman, I would have called a chiropractor for him because the box is HUGE.

Skipping to 1st listening impressions - WOW! I played the pipe organ track from the demo CD, which says an 18 hz tone has been reproduced live.I can definitely tell you that this beast of a sub nailed it. I mean I could SEE the wave that rolled over me. This was just placing the sub in the corner and firing itup, without any tweaking. Of course after careful placement and proper tweaking, the overall impression is that this was the best addition to my HT that I could have aver made.
Movies and music have been utterly transformed. Every movie and sound track has benefitted greatly.The Omaha Beach scene from Saving Private Ryan was even more terrifying than ever before. The artillery explosions were not just louder and deeper but they were fatter. Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live, already one of my fave concert DVD's, was just mind blowing.

On a scale of 1 to 10 on the volume level, it has never been set over 3 and that is probably a bit hot. This amp is pwerful! Be careful - my first casualty was a picture crashing to the floor. My wifes first impression upon entering the house while I was expermenting was that she heard the windows shaking UPSTAIRS. The HT is in our walk-out basement on a carpeted slab of cement. This piece of equipment has the potential of underming the structural integrity of your home. Check with your insurance agent to see if your policy covers earthquakes.

Customer Service

Excellent customer service. The sub was shipped in 3 days, as promised and arrived in perfect condition. The Hsu research Forum is excellent. Moderators and customers are pleasant, helpful and knowledgable. If you have ANY questions, they will be answered. Support is just outstanding.

Similar Products Used:

Hafler, NEC, NHT,Velodyne, Boston Acoustics, Paradigm

Does exactly what it says, the web-site explains what you're options are and it's a quality product worth the money.

Well, it's nit-picking, but I have trouble reading the fine print around the switches.

Whhheeee Doggies! This is some subwoofer! I bought it after doing research on-line and it's everything the company says and more. It doesn't bottom out till it reaches 10 Hz, and that can only be rcognized by the number of thing vibrating in the room. I e-mailed Hsu Research with my room dimensions and they said stick it in the right-hand front corner, and that's what I did and that's where she stays. They got back to me in a timely fashion, and it took a week for the sub to arrive, packed nicely with simple instructions and the ability to hook it up with line level, high level or LFE output.

I haven't had much occasion to turn it up past the 10:00 position (it starts at 7:00) because that's where it matches my Legacy Signature III's, which go down to 20 Hz. I just like a little more bass and Hsu delivers.

I also like how they don't push "audiophile" cables. They can only make a fraction of 1%'s difference and they know it. Their site is full of information and nearly all the forums speak highly of their products. The fact that they don't keep "updating" the same product every year shows they don't see aany need to tinker with what is a sound design to begin with.

It has helped me establish a sound-stage that I never heard before, it has zero hum, it just does everything it's supposed to, without calling attention to itself.

I'd recommend it to anyone interested in getting a real subwoofer without paying for middlemen and expensive stereo shops. So the stock finish is black -- it fits in fine with my listening room and I've saved a lot in not paying for a fine finish veneer.

Customer Service

Excellent -- answered e-mail within a few hours.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch

Sound, power, and price.

It is a little spartan in looks but one look at it and you know it's built for sound, rather than glamour.

GREAT subwoofer! Don't waste your time reading reviews, just buy one! You more than likely won't regret it. This is the first subwoofer I've ever bought, so I don't have too many points of reference to draw off of; but my friend has a 12" JBL Northridge sub, and Hsu goes into territory that I never heard from the JBL. Even at low volumes this thing really shines with authority. Really, I don't think there's any question that the JBL doesn't even fit in the same category. When I've gone into stores I've heard all the brands...velodyne, Infiniti, Polk, JBL, Klipsch..you name it, and nothing I heard came close to this. I have the sub hooked up to the LFE output on my Pioneer VSX-49TXi. Prior to buying this sub my Pioneer Receiver was lacking in serious low character on both movies and sound, even with some very serious custom crafted fronts (12" Eminence monster woofers, 6" mids, and 1" soft dome tweeters in rugged MDF veneered ported cabinets). And yes, I did have the fronts set to large in speaker setup. I knew I would have to eventually buy a subwoofer because of the built in crossover cut-off on the blasted home theater receiver (new receivers should let you pump the whole spectrum to your fronts, if you ask me). Anyway, I started researching subs and found only good things about Hsu. Adding the Hsu has cured all of the disappointment I had experienced as a result of weak low end. The sound is robust enough now to make the loss of my classic Sansui 9090db [it's in need of some repairs:(] much easier. In case you don't know, a Sansui 9090db can drive two front speakers very, very well. Prior to acquiring the Hsu, I was beginning to think nothing modern could come close to the 9090db in punch and power, pure bass nirvana. I dare say my new setup with the VSX-49TXi and the Hsu actually exceed the power and impact in music, and certainly movies. That is saying a lot. What a difference buying a quality sub made! If you get this thing placed and set right it is lovely in its handling of both music and movies. THX Ultra 2 EX with this thing is ubelievable. Hsu got my subwoofer to me in a matter of a few days after purchase. It arrived without a flaw. Very impressed. Very pleased. Discriminating listener that I am, I cannot say anything bad about this subwoofer. Worth every dime.

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Have not owned any subwoofer prior to this one. I think I made a very wise first choice.

All around great sub. Versitle with the port options. Loud and proud.

WAF not so great due to its size. In hindsight I gladly should have paid the extra (which you don't have to pay extra anymore) for a blond finish that may have had a better WAF.

I purchased the VTF-3 MK2 direct from the factory from their B-stock. I was able to deal directly with Dr. Hsu and his staff and I must say it was a pleasant experience. This sub is incredible. I had read many reviews on it before going down to their warehouse and listening to it. I had intended on buying the VTF-2 MK2 but the good Dr. advised me to go with the 12 incher due to my room size of 20X18 with vaulted ceiling. Let me tell you that this sub plays deep and loud. I have the volume on the 350 watt amp turned down so low as you would think that it wouldn't work and yet my WHOLE house shakes with such authority that I can't believe I haven't had the police at the door. The sub plays equally well with both home theater and music. I typically will play home theater when I want to show it off due to the level of LFE that is played in dvd's compared with most of my music cd's. Don't buy the junk that is sold at BB, CC and such. The velodyne's, Infinity's and JBL's sold at these locations are just no good when compared with HSU's subs. Don't be afraid, be very afraid of the bass! It makes my eyeballs flutter causing slight disturbances in vision when you open it up.

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none that compare!

Awesome sound and feel. Havent heard anything better

Huge, this sucker is big.

OMG!!!! I am Deaf! I went from a Klipsch to this Hsu, I cant even explain the difference. This thing goes deeeeep. Neighbors are complaining. I have this paired with the B&W 805's , great combination. You will not regret this sub.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, b&w

Read above. Just buy it. GIANT KILLER.

Not enough stars for the rating (joke.)Bigger than you think. Not a bad thing though.

Young guy here. I researched for about 1 month before deciding on this one. Read all the reviews, had it narrowed down to 3 subs (VTF-3 MkII, Aperion S12, SVS PCplus.) After finding reviews all over the internet (including here, magazines etc.) I finally decided. For all those who want to know...THIS IS ONE BAD MOTHER. You want loud? It's got it. You want Q? It's got it. YOU WANT TO SHAKE THE CRAP OUT OF YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT HEARING ANYTHING BUT THE HOUSE FALLING APART? (as low as ~13-16 Hz in mine) It'll do it... ATHORITIVELY. This is the best sub I've heard...EVER. I put a 16 Hz sine wave through and you'll hear ABSOULUTELY NOTHING but the woofer workin' and your house breakin' down. REALY COOL! The guys at HSU don't play.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, Velo, Klipsch...all that crap you can buy at Circuit city, best buy etc.

Anything that could be conceived as a subwoofer strength HAS to apply to this sub! Five stars aren't enough!

It is slightly large(relatively speaking) so make your decision to purchase accordingly. The WAF is quite good in spite of the size because of quality appearance...

First let me start by stating what a pleasurable experience it was dealing directly with Dr. Hsu. From the moment he came to the phone he was extremely patient,immensely knowledgeable,and notably warm and kind. On to the VTF-3 MkII. This sub added an entire new dimension to my listening experience. I'm in the process of re-listening,probably, to my entire cd and sacd collection (over 500) with a renewed excitement I thought I'd lost. The flexibility and ease of use of this sub will attract many "non audiophile" as well as home theatre enthusiasts. I use this sub entirely for high end 2 channel stereo. The bass emitted from this sub is not only extremely accurate and tight,but if called upon, far below most recorded music uses,( home theatre). It will literally rattle the dishes and windows a floor above my listening area. The new BASH amp runs extremely cool and clean. In any format,(I listen to a wide variety of music)from rock, to jazz, to large orchestral pieces, this sub will happily (and easily) reproduce anything I threw at it with aplomb. I've measured it's response in my listening room (approx. 18'X36') flat and without loss of spl down to 18hz.The build quality is as good as any sub I've seen for under<$2.5K. In a world of diminishing returns for $$$ invested, the Hsu Research VTF-3 MkII is truly a bargain worth auditioning regardless of your "budget". In all my years of this great and addictive hobby(30+yrs) this is definitely one of my most satisfying investments! Keep up the great work Dr Hsu!

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Too many too list....