Ok...Ok...Here's half the review :-)
Yamaha RX-V557 vs. HK AVR 247
So, it's been said that Yamaha's are a more "neutral" sound and the HK's are a more "warm" sound. Let's test that assumption.
How I tested this is I literally unplugged the banana clips from the back of the yamaha then plugged them into the HK. I thought about connecting both the yamaha and the HK to both of the binding posts on the M60, but I didn't want to blow anything up, so I didn't.
To test the claim of the Yamaha's being more "bright" and forward and the HK being more "warm" and laid back...I picked some source material that I noted to sound pretty bright on my axioms. I switched back and forth and back and forth and back and forth between the HK and the Yamaha. The chips, voices, and high end sounds sounded just as "bright" on both of the receivers. I sat and listened for specific low and high sounds, tried to memorize them, then went back and listened to them again on the other receiver. I could hear no difference. I really was trying hard to listen for differences in "brightness" or "warmness" or what have you, but I found none.
On a non-sound basis, since the HK had an OSD function for it's menu system, they decided to completely neglect the ability to adjust any setting via the display on the front of the receiver. With my yamaha, I can change anything through the little screen on the front with relative ease. With the HK, not so. In comparison to the Yamaha, I found the general use of the HK to be much more confusing, especially when it came to sound field programs.
One thing I found on the HK that really set it off for me was that the "tone" controls are turned ON by default. There were some subwoofer settings and sound field settings that I couldn't change, and in frustration I went to the manual only to find I needed to turn the tone controls off. When I switched the tone controls on and off, I noticed that there was a huge improvement in sound quality when the tone control was turned off, even when the tone controls were set to 0db for treble in bass when the tone control was on. Yamaha will automatically bypass the tone circuitry when you set the bass and treble to 0db (you can actually hear it make an internal "click" when this happens). In addition, there isn't a huge difference in the sound quality when the tone control is on for the Yamaha. So Harmon Kardon, for that, you get a big slap on the wrist. Bad.
In general, Yamaha, in my opinion, had more superior sound field programs, and it was much more "clear" what you were doing (even from the tiny screen on front) than with the HK. My opinion. So, I'm glad I got my Yamaha. The only thing HK has a one-up on the Yamaha is the ability to set individual crossover settings for speakers. That's really it. Oh, yea, Yamaha has an included A/B switcher for main speakers too. Without that, I couldn't have done this review.
Ok, enough with the receivers. The sound was really the same.
HSU STF-2 vs. SVS 16-46 PCi
Music Sub Performance
Let me point out a big difference between the HSU STF-2 and the SVS 16-46 PCi (besides the fact that one is a box with a 10” woofer and the other is a towering cylinder with a 12” woofer) – the HSU has a woofer that directly throws sound waves into the floor while the SVS has a wood base that the woofer encounters first before hitting the ground. With my room, at least, that means the wooden floor vibrates a whole lot more with the HSU than the SVS. Because lots of homes have wooden floors on the first level, I decided to disregard this facet since I’m reviewing the sound of the sub, with all of its characteristics. To follow up, I’ll do a review in my basement about a month from now.
To start off, I’d like to say that neither the SVS nor the HSU was a slouch with music. Both sounded great. So, when I’m saying one has “more” than the other, it’s by a small margin. Either would definitely not disappoint in a setup. However…one had a definite edge when it came to music.
First, I tested out some bass-heavy rap/R&B/rock music. To boot, this was a remix version of a rap/R&B/rock album. That means lots of funky deep bass electronic keyboard sounds that sound...to me..."yummy" when they are reproduced just right. In addition, there is plenty of tap-your-foot “kick” factor that the beats have, so perfect testing material for a sub.
The STF-2 gave me the room-shaking bass I have been accustomed to for two years on these tracks. I knew all the deep bass grooves inside and out, and the yummy, funky electronic sounds sounded yummy indeed.
The 16-46 PCi lacked the kick and yummy texture that the STF-2 provided by a hair. There was just a little something that was missing. Since the whole floor shakes with the STF-2, I sat on my bed Indian style to take the “thump” factor out of the equation. The SVS still just didn’t sound as fun and punchy as the HSU did. In the beginning I calibrated the subs so they were the exact same SPL, and even then I found that I was turning the receiver subwoofer volume way up with the SVS to try to achieve the same “punchiness” as the HSU. However, once I got to a volume that I liked that almost achieved the same “punch”, I noticed that there was waaay too much bass going through the air. My ears felt that the SVS was turned up way too high.
I double checked the SPL readings between the two subs, and found they were still the same, so this confirms the “punchiness” wasn’t related to a volume difference.
To make sure this wasn’t a placement issue, I switched the sub positions. The 16-46 PCi sounded a hair better in its new spot, but the HSU sounded even better in its new location! So, it was obvious to me that the HSU had an edge.
Throughout my testing of other types of music, acoustical, rock, and alternative, the two subs were much closer in performance, but to my ears the HSU was still better. In the many breaks I took over the 3 days of testing, when I came back into the room for a listening session I completely forgot what sub was hooked up. There were times when I thought to myself “something is wrong with the bass, it doesn’t sound as good” then I’d look over, notice the 16-46 PCi was hooked up, then switch to the STF-2. The STF-2 just sounded more textured and blended better with either the M22’s or M60’s.
The one thing that the 16-46 PCi did do very well was the kick drum. On one song there was a kick drum beat that really shook the room with the SVS. While the 16-46i had more “impact” to the kick drum because of its low bass response, the STF-2 wasn’t far behind.
While on the note of low bass response, if you listen to pipe organ music, the 16-46 PCi would probably pull the STF-2’s pants down, but I don’t know anyone who listens to pipe organ music on a regular basis, so if you listen to normal music(sorry pipe organ music fans) I’d say the STF-2 is much more enjoyable.
You could say that I am biased because I have had the STF-2 for two years, and I’m used to that sound. However, I feel that if the 16-46 PCi sounded better I would have thought it did. In fact…the movie section shows my lack of bias, I guess.
So, in conclusion, I found the HSU STF-2 to be more textured, punchy, and fun to listen to than the SVS 16-46 PCi. I felt that the 16-46 PCi took more of a “back seat” approach to the bass. While it didn’t feel like anything was lacking when listened to alone, the STF-2 had much better punch than the 16-46 PCi did, even though the 16-46 PCi had a deeper bass response. In non bass-heavy music this difference is not as noticeable, but when bass heavy music comes out, the STF-2 really shines and calls attention to the bass line of a song without being overpowering. I was impressed with this little sub compared to a much bigger competitor.
Movie Sub Performance
Again, you all know I’ve had the STF-2 for a long time, yada yada, whatever.
This comparison was over quick. To say it eloquently, the 16-46 PCi pretty much pulled the pants down of the STF-2 and really made it feel “small.” The deep bass response really made a difference.
I only watched one movie – Star Wars: Episode I (Horrible screenplay, great bass sounds) – and that was plenty to make my comparison.
In a word, the 16-46 PCi was awesome. Explosions felt loud and were loud. While the same was true for the STF-2, it just couldn’t keep up with the deep bass response that the 16-46 PCi had. Even in quiet scenes, I was surprised with the amount of bass material I was missing out on.
For example, when the two Jedi first go looking for the underwater city that looks like spheres (I don’t know what it’s called) there is a ton of low, rumbly, swimming underwater sounds that really get cut out when I was listening to the STF-2. The room wasn’t really shaking with the STF-2 on, but when the 16-46 PCi I was surprised with all the subtle deep bass sounds I heard and felt – even in the “quiet” underwater scene.
I was surprised how the lightsabers sounded better with the 16-46 PCi too. Listening to the low sounds they made really showed a difference between the STF-2 and the 16-46 PCi. They just sounded cooler with the 16-46 PCi.
The Podrace scene was another defining moment for the 16-46 PCi. Everything just sounded throatier with the deep engine sounds shaking the entire room.
At this point in the movie I got tired of unplugging the subs and switching back and forth, so I just plugged in both and enjoyed the rest of the movie in awesome subwoofer bliss.
So, in conclusion…it was very clear. While the HSU STF-2 didn’t suck by any means for a movie, the SVS 16-46 PCi just blew it away with the low bass response. There’s a ton of sounds that I was hearing that I didn’t know existed when the 16-46 PCi was roaring. Enough said.
This is probably a lopsided review because the SVS 16-46 PCi ($649) is almost TWICE as expensive as the HSU STF-2 ($349). But it goes to show how HSU subs are just awesome for music. I’d be interested in pitting a comparable model from HSU (Like a VTF-3 MK 3) up against the SVS.
Edit: I did forget to mention that I did listen to the subs with all the speakers off. For normal music, the STF-2 was shaking and vibrating many more things around it in the room. The 16-46 PCi bass sounded a tad "cleaner". But...what really matters is what happens when the speakers are on.
Last edited by danmagicman7; 01/01/08 11:47 PM.
