HSU Research ULS-15 QuadDrive

Okay, so I wouldn't get the 4 subwoofers at the same time, but still, wouldn't it be fun to try out?

I think that my house has too much interference for the wireless audio signal to work right... I will say that my "dream" system has four EP600 subs in it. Of course, my "dream" system is an Epic 80 - 600 7.4 with an extra VP150 center so I would have a VP150 above and one below the screen... Sure, that would cost me about $12,700 for the VaSSallo series, but boy would it be nice.

Oh, and the four subs would be fun to be loud, with those subs you should be able to get great low frequency response even at lower volumes....

I don't have any experience with sealed subs. It would be nice to hear one with a 15" woofer that supposedly goes down to 10 Hz in most rooms.

My plan was always to add at least one more EP600, but depending on reviews of the ULS-15, I may try integrating one. But yeah, I would love to hear a system with four EP600s.

I wouldn't use the wireless of the ULS-15. I'm glad to see it has balanced connections.

Four 15" drivers should be quite impressive. The wireless part is quite intriguing.

Hsu has always been on the conservative side with their frequency responses so I wouldn't doubt for a minute that it would hit 10HZ. I bet it would be quite impressive to say the least.

The subwoofer market recently seems to be moving about as fast as the high def display market. Companies are coming out with much better products at very competitive prices. This is very good for potential buyers, but it is also hard to keep up with what are the top notch sub's in the different price classes.

- Nick

Nick:

An excellent point about the choice of subs constantly coming on stream. Some of these companies designs are also integrated into other companies products. For eg., Outlaw Audio's LFM-1 Plus and LFM-EX subs are slightly altered HSU subs but with basically the same amplification, inputs and outputs with even the manuals virtually identical to one another.

Surprisingly though, the Outlaw subs are significantly less money than the comparable HSU models and are surprisingly, more pleasing to the eye in external design and certainly no slouch in comparable performance.

It seems, nowadays, that unless the company in question is touting domestic manufacture, which, will probably make the price significantly higher as opposed to those companies who tout domestic design but with offshore manufacturing which then makes it considerably less costly, the performance capabilities, in either case, from what I have heard, are usually quite comparable.

The choices are certainly astounding and you don't have to break the bank to get top performance.

Really? I had been looking at various Subwoofers to finish off my system, and I hadn't factored in the Outlaw Subs, although I have been looking at HSU. Which sub from HSU is the LFM-1 Plus and/or the EX directly comparable to?

thefwam,

Looks like you never got a response to your question, so I'll give it a shot. I recently bought the Outlaw LFM-1 EX. It is very similar to the HSU VTF-3.3, although the HSU has 2 4" ports, whereas the Outlaw has 2 3" ports. The Outlaw LFM-1 Plus is essentially very close to the now-discontinued HSU VTF-3.2.

I love the Outlaw LFM-1 EX. It performs wonderfully for music and movies. It looks very nice, although it is pretty big (but the SVS it replaced was already big, so it didn't take my wife by surprise). The Outlaws have downfiring ports and woofers, so they are very kid-friendly. When my son was younger, he routinely used my SVS port for storing his cars, etc. So I like the practical aspect of the Outlaw as well.

The LFM-1 Plus is a steal right now at $499 plus shipping. The LFM-1 EX is $100 more, and still a very good deal for what you get. They both have variable tuning, so you can set them up for maximum output (extension down to 25hz or a bit lower), or maximum extension (extension below 20hz, but losing some volume on the output). I like having the option to pick the one I prefer (currently maximum output--I'll sacrifice a bit of extension on the low end, for better output at the more common bass frequencies).

Hope that helps.

thefwam:

gem41573 pretty much answered the question about the design similarities between the HSU and Outlaw subs.

The only real difference between the two, other than aesthetics,is that Outlaw chose the down-firing port design as opposed to the HSU rear-firing port(required for their optional "turbo boost" unit on their top models), which, in the case of Outlaw, gives you more placement options because you don't have to worry about minimum space near a wall.

Realistically speaking, when you look at the comparable similar units between the two companies(both sell excellent products), in my opinion, the Outlaw subs look better and are a little better value.

Thanks for the help! One final question. I noticed a B-Stock LFM EX on their site. Does anyone know much about their B-Stock options? Are they similar to Axiom in that they are perfect other than some blemishes? I'm thinking I'm about ready to pull the trigger on it if it's a good situation.

thefwam:

Grab it as fast as you can. I was contemplating this one but I need another sub like I need a hole in the head. I got an LFM-1 Plus back a while ago and if there was a blemish on it I certainly couldn't find it.(Just like Axiom).
You will also save on the shipping charges so you are better off all around as opposed to buying new.

I don't see the B-Stock listed on their site, so hopefully you have grabbed it already. I recall someone getting a B-Stock EX recently for $549 including shipping, which is a bargain. If that's what you got, consider yourself lucky. I would have jumped on that, but didn't see any B-Stock available when I ordered a couple of weeks ago. So I paid considerably more for A-Stock, but so be it.

As far as I was concerned, it was a great combo--a solid company like Outlaw, using a HSU design with their input, with many practical features I found useful, and stellar reports from anyone who had tried them out or bought one. A great product (just like my Axioms).

Sad to say it looks like B-Stock EX is history although all is not lost since they announced free shipping on any purchase over $500 until the end of July.

So that means paying an extra $50 bucks but it is a new one!

Actually I put it in my cart this morning to check the shipping, and I totally forgot about it. So after getting the appropriate WAF I went back to get it, and was sad to see that it was gone...

But then i was excited that it was still in the cart I created! I haven't received the actual payment confirmation yet, just the instant invoice. Hopefully it wasn't just left over in the cart. If not, I will gladly pay the extra $50

I am interested in the wireless option as well. I can't find in the manual what frequency this operates at, but I'm sure HSU did a lot of testing before releasing such a product.

It would be awesome if Axiom would come out with a wireless sender/receiver to allow for ease of setup of multiple subs. I'm so tired of trying to reroute cables out of sight in my huge room.

The ULS-15 seems to use 2.4 Ghz, according to the thread over at HSU Research's website:

The ULS-15 is here!!!

Yes Randy, I'm sure that Hsu did considerable research, but did this take place under the severe conditions that apparently exist in your room? I've heard that evil spirits are especially active between 2.3 and 2.5 GHz.