Ray,
This is a real long reply...
I'm not sure I want to start another thread on such a volatile subject, since my own home auditions weren't exactly scientific...however, here is the rather long recap, with my editorial comment...
The Hsu STF-2 was originally aflicted with the leaking driver seal issue that presented itself on the infamous Darla aquarium tapping scene in Finding Nemo. Since I purchased an Epic 50 system minus the sub, I returned the Hsu sub to CompUSA and just ordered a EP175. I continued to follow the travails of Hsu and this problem on various forums, however, and received several emails from Dr. Hsu who acknowledged the problem, and eventually advised that I wait until the March shipments of the revised units from China when their fix went into production. The EP175 did fine with Darla, but there was still some signs that it was straining ("port chuff", etc) on that scene, however, so far, so good, as it sounded tight on most every other dvd and all music...BTW, my room is 15x22x8...
While I was in the middle of my 30 day Axiom trial period, I was bitten by upgradeitis and decided to go with the Epic 60 system intact, so everything went back to Axiom and I now had an EP350. That sub exhibited what I could only describe as an "oily, squeaking sound" on the Darla scene. A few calls and emails to Axiom resulted in their sending me a replacement driver, but that still had the same odd sound. I figured I would just return it, and then emailed Dr. Hsu who recommended the STF-3 if I wanted to be absolutely sure about the Darla scene...seems that he was well aware of that issue. So, I ordered it that evening, intending to then return the EP350. However, the very next morning I get an email from Ian at Axiom saying he was aware of my comments, and had tested another EP350 in their lab, and were sending it to me at no charge, and I should return my original EP350 for them to look at. So, at that point I had 2 subwoofers in route...
In a direct, unofficial comparison of the STF-3 and EP350, the Hsu definately sounded somewhat better on my reference Darla test. It also has a much more powerful amp and a considerably deeper footprint. However, when they were both calibrated equally, they sounded pretty much the same on most material. On demanding scenes like Darla, the Hsu had less "distortion" (or port chuff, for lack of a better description), and none of the squeaking sound that even the replacement EP350 had, albeit a slightly different version of that odd sound. However, even the STF-3 seemed to have a slight creaking sound from the enclosure with Darla. Keep in mind that this was a very unscientific comparison, and I admit that it is quite possible that something in my room was causing the odd sound I heard on the EP350. I did the listening comparisons at about -12db from reference on a Yamaha 5660 receiver.
So, there you have it...I'm done lugging subwoofers around town, and will stay with the Hsu. Dr. Hsu was quite gracious in returning my multiple emails personally, and I just took his recommendations once his product's production issues were resolved. (Even the STF-3 had tuning issues initially and my sample was the max output version as originally designed)
On last note since this is Axiom's forum. The customer service from Axiom was astounding. The fact that they would test and then send me another unit without my even asking was quite frankly amazing. I realize that they did have my credit card on file, but when I asked Amie why they would just trust me on a $600 item, she said that most of their customers they consider friends and family, and that they saw no risk in sending me another sub. I happen to work for a large consumer products manufacturer, and if I were to even suggest that we impliment that type of customer service, the manager of that department's head would most likely explode. Once again, kudos to Axiom's staff...BTW, the Epic 60 system with the Hsu is fabulous...
Sorry for the length of this reply, but it is a long story.
b.
