Spiff, I usually enjoy reading your posts, and generally agree with you. Here, however, I do not.
I have heard Hsu subs, and for the same price, prefer the SVS. The Hsu subs are great, but as I said, at the same price point, my feeling is that the SVS outperforms it. We all have our own opinions, and although mine may be right for me, it may not be for you. You may indeed find the Hsu to be better, and that is fine. When you say that Tom or Ron take pot shots at other subs, cutting them down, I disagree. They will tell you that there are other great subs out there, but at a price point they feel they have a better product. Then they cite extension, output, and distortion figures to support their claims. The funny thing is, many others agree. John Johnson says there is NO better sub other than DIY subs for the price of an SVS 25-31PCi.
As for SVS taking the Hsu design...I remember when Hsu first introduced the cylinder sub. It was considered a huge development. It is a naturally strong, yet inexpensive enclosure. That is why many, many DIY subs are created using this design. The guys at SVS are DIY guys who decided that they could make money with their "home builts" and did so. The problem is, if you create a product at a certain price point, and it is inferior to a well-known brand, who is going to buy it? They have to be bigger, louder, deeper than Hsu at the same price, or they wouldn't be competitive.
This isn't a flame war, and as I said, I almost always like your posts. I only want to voice my opinion that SVS is not the corrupt blaspheming company who spreads lies and untruths about your beloved Hsu. While you may disagree with their assessment of competing products, I am quite sure they are honest about what theirs will do. The reason I believe this? Impartial reviews from Nousaine and Johnson, along with my own measurements between my buddies Hsu and my 16-46PCi. We both like both subs, and we both agree that the SVS is slightly deeper. As for being strained or unmusical, they both sound very good at our listening levels. He is very happy with his, as I am with mine.
