Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater What sub drives your HT?

Just noticing alot of people tend to go for a SVS or HSU sub for their HT. Just curious as to why some go with one over the other. Which one do you enjoy?

Hsu VTF-2

SVS 20-39PCi

Hsu VTF-3

As for why Hsu or SVS. Unless you have heard subs from both companies, it comes down to four factors IMO....shape, size, cost, and whose marketing you like better.

Don't underestimate marketing! Everytime I drink a Pepsi (particularly a diet pepsi) I think..."hey - this tastes better than coke", but guess which I always buy at the store and order at a resturant?

HSU VTF-2 here.

Went with it because of price, reviews, and tons of positive feedback. Couldn't be more happy with my decision.

I went with the HSU STF-2 mostly because of price, and HSU's glowing reviews. If I was interested in investing more money, I would have checked out SVS' line-up.

svs 25-31pci tuned to 22Hz

That's because generally speaking, Coke in a restaurant is more towards the sweet side (still not as horrifically sweet as Pepsi). Coke from a can (or a plastic bottle) has a highly acidic finish, whereas Coke from a bottle has a smoother finish. Pepsi from anything is just plain nasty. :-P Diet anything is worse.

OK, that, and Pepsi is far less widely available in restaurants.

SVS 16-46cs powered with a Samson S700 amp. I'm going to get a second 16-46cs once I get my M60's.

Don't have it yet, but there will be a SVS 20-39PCi or 20-39 PC+ in my future. I heard (actually, felt) a 25-31PCi once. I was hooked well before I bought ANY of my system.

Future Subhuman

svs 25-31pci sitting in my home theater...umph.

For some reason, I want to buy another too....something about symmety, i just need two!

I think two of them while im watching the matrix would cause my cat to start convulsing. I may order now!

AXIOM's top of the line EP350 in my selection of lovely Boston Cherry.
The horrible limitation of finishes available for most other subs on the market was a primary decision breaker. The fact that the EP350 rumbles the house makes it anything but a slouch for performance.
If it were priced $200 less, i think alot of speaker owners on this forum may not necessarily own as many Hsu and SVS as they do. After all, many here are looking for the best sound for the cheapest price.

Have you done blind taste tests with Coke? I think your assessment is biased.

hsu stf-2 on the way

Coke and HSU STF-2. The Coke because it doesn't taste as sweet as Pepsi, and the STF-2 because of the "bang for the buck." I am in no way disappointed with the STF-2. However, if I could've afforded the extra couple of hundred dollars, I would have looked seriously at the SVS 20-39PCi, or the HSU STF-3.

P.S. I became addicted to Coke in Viet Nam. I'd drink a 6 pack a day, and learned to even drink it warm. It was hot there, and sometimes there just wasn't any ice. I now drink caffeine-free Coca Cola Classic; nowhere near a 6 pack a day; and much prefer it cold (though I can drink it warm if I have to).

HSU STF-2. Never heard real bass before I got it, just boooooooooom, booooooooom, booooooooom. Can't go back now.

As for Coke or Pepsi, always coke, pepsi sucks.

SVS PB2-Plus...ordering it next Friday ...because I wanted to take the paint off my walls. And Pepsi...because the marketing got me I can't remember the last time I even had a Coke.

Stryke Audio, Mini Thunder.
Nicely put together, excellent choice of finishes.

Pete, I thought the SVS tasted better.

Hmm. heres where my movies really shine

KLH ASW-10-120 . you may have seen one before. theyre the 99 dollar ones costco was/is selling although mine is the older model which is known to overheat and die/nearly catch fire unlike the new ones which are really ugly and plasticy.

For movies it does work pretty well, i only plug it in when i watch a movie and thats just because i like some BOOM. which i hate in music. For what it cost its pretty decent, i mean it ruins music but when a movie comes on it'l boom you right out of the room! lol. One funny thing is, it is rear ported (needs a vortex port!!) and i have the blinds for the sliding door right behind it, well i usually watch movies with the blinds closed so when some bass hits the blinds are being blown all over from the air coming out of the port. its really funny. lol.

I wish i had the money for something decent which i could use to compliment the M80's for music to add a little more slam but i dont have the money for it so the klh will have to stay for a few more years. or till i blow it up.

SVS 16-46PCi

velodyne CHT12 which is actually a pretty darn good sub.

oh, and Pepsi too! I can't believe people say Pepsi is sweeter, I always thought it was the other way around! Now if it comes down to mixing a drink (rye&coke, rum&coke, paralyzer) I'll take Coke any day.

Pepsi IS sweeter, thats why some people like it better.

I am a coke person though, no its not as sweet but it has more bite and more cola flavor which i like. Its best in bottles. glass ones. probbly worst out of a can or fountain. yeck.

SVS PB2-Plus

Jason

Well heck...while we're at it...I like Mountain Dew better than both Pepsi or Coke

In reply to:

---

Well heck...while we're at it...I like Mountain Dew better than both Pepsi or Coke

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Yeah but it kills all your... oh nevermind

HSU VTF-2 MKII

Mostly picked based on advice gathered and wanted a sub that could go along with spaces larger than the current one it's in. The reviews don't hurt it either. I was this close(.0001) to owning an STF-1 but aborted the mission hehehe

Sunfire True Sub mkIV
And waiting for my epic 80 setup (minus sub). Btw, what is the usual shipping time (mn or close), hard to get an eta on international pakages. It's amazing how much a basically 1 foot cube can bring a room shaking to it's knees. 2700 watts bwhahah

Cambridge Soundworks Subwoofer 1. Pretty damn good for not knowing what I was doing when I bought it.

I have no Sub now. Will be ordering SVS 25-31PCi or PC+. Ray3 has given me some more to think about so I’m not quite sure yet. The way I read all the comments is that you absolutely can’t go wrong with SVS or Hsu. I think Curtis in his reply said it best. As for why Hsu or SVS. “Unless you have heard subs from both companies, it comes down to four factors IMO....shape, size, cost, and whose marketing you like better.” I didn’t realize it but my final choice was based on this. I liked the shape and height of the SVS PC. I liked the fact that for a given output the columns weigh less than boxes. I liked the way their web site talked about their products. SVS is more money but the other factors won out. I have not heard either and the reviews of both are awesome. The way I figure…I can’t loose either way.

I've never owned a sub, but there is a deal pending on a used EP350, if that falls through I'll go the diy route with an SVS driver.

EP350
dan

After auditioning the following over the past several months...EP175, EP350, Hsu STF-2 & STF-3, the winner is the STF-3.

Bob, if you are inclined, a detailed impression of the Axiom vs. HSU subs would be appreciated by everyone. It might even be worthwhile to start a separate thread.

I have a crappy built-in sub that came with my crappy HTIB. But's that's really beside the point. I just wanted to jump in an tell you an interesting factoid abotu Coke...

The reason that very many bars and restaurants offer Coke and not Pepsi is because "Coke" is a trade-marked name. And like Kleenex or Chap-stick, when people ask for a "Rum and Coke", guess what - they're asking for a rum and a "Coca-Cola," not a Rum and Pepsi. Coke is lucky enough to have their cola brand name tagged onto a number of mixed drinks. Now to my point. Coke actually has representatives who travel the country and ask for Coke products by name ("gimme a Sprite" - "gimme a Bourbon and Coke"). They then make sure that the restaurant either (1) says, "is Pepsi Ok?" or (2) actually gives them a Coke -and not some other cheap brand. It is a means of protecting their name and the quality of their product. As a result of a few law suits and maybe even to avodi confusion at a busy bar, many bars/restaurants simply avoid the issue entirely and sell Coke products. As a result, guess what you get more of at restaurants and bars?

Sorry to be completely off/on topic.

Fascinating...

I have a Sub that Axiom OEM'd for Audio Authority (I think). It has 2 aluminum 10" drivers - One firing forward, the other down. The amp is out of the EP350.

Currently it is in a 2ch system only. For music, I only want it for the really low stuff, so the crossover is usually set between 30Hz & 50Hz. I let the M80's fill in the rest. For movies, I turn the crossover up to around the 70 or 80Hz mark.

The most impressive part is how "tight" the bass is. Blends beautifully with the "accurate" bass of the M80's.

HSU STF-2. Sometmes knocks framed pictures off the wall, scares the c@ap out of my 4 yr old.

Another Subhuman chiming in...

SVS 20-39 PC Plus.

Currently in a rent house with a kind of large room with an opening into a kitchen with doors in the three other walls...Hopefully will move to a different house and figured the extra OOMPH would come in handy in an even larger room...currently have the gain on the sub set to a quarter to a third of the way up...plenty more Thunder available.

Needless to say, the Thunder reigns supreme.

WhatFurrer

I used to think Diet Pepsi didn't taste very good until I drank it throung a special high-end silver plated shielded straw. The straw prevents the Pepsi molecules from being degraded by stray cosmic rays, and gravitational fields. With the straw, it was like drinking a whole new beverege. Subtle nuances of taste were revealed to me for the first time. For only $499, I think that the straw was a bargain.

Mark

P. S. Hsu VTF-2

Hilarious.

Mark,

I believe that is the "Monster Straw". Did it have the shielded wrapper. If so, at $499 you got a bargain. How long did it take to break in?

LMFAO

I have the 10" partsexpress (that is "parts express" not "part sex press") Dayton subwoofer. I don't recall the price I paid, but it was less than is currently advertised on their site.
It works very well for my needs, but the only thing I have to compare it too was a crappy passive from an old HTIB. I am going to NOT audition any other subs as I get upgraditis waaaaaaay to easily.

jr

Is it soda or is it pop??? hehe

BTW I much prefer Coke, but also Diet Pepsi. I don't really like Diet Coke or regular Pepsi. Weird or what???

No, it's just Coke.

It don't matter if you want a root beer, sprite, orange soda, or Pepsi. It's still "coke" ...

Just order a coke and the jerk behind the counter will ask what flavor.

Oh and on the soda/pop coke/pepsi thing... Coke and soda.

When I lived in Iowa it was Coke and Pop. The move to MA forced a change to soda to avoid the amazing amount of ridicule and sarcasm from my new england friends.

ps i prefer coke in/from a can.

Hey,

I had that one. However, I think LOTR's killed it. So, I ordered the JBL PB12 to replace it. It was much better and the price wasn't bad either. I would probably ended up with a complete JBl setup if not for you righteous dudes.

i use 2 velodyne va 1215s -better for home theater than music,but still handle music pretty well-very potent deep bass-imo 2 subs is the way to go,they shake my walls and floors in my bedroom which is appx 70 feet away...ron

K, now don't be leavin' any of y'all's nasty Coke cans on my Hsu STF-2.

Howzat for two birds with one stone?

It's my first sub, so I have no real comparison, but it's the coolest thing ever for movies. And I'm inclined to like it with music, too, although I tend to turn it down. I really depends on the CD.

I was also considering the SVS PB1, but it was ~$200 more and, given how impressive the STF-2 is, it would have been overkill. If SVS made a 10"/200-watt sub, though, I'd probably still be wringing my hands.

I'm not sure why I narrowed it down to those two brands. Lots of good word-of-mouth for both from a lot of different sources, I suppose. I went with the Hsu because it seemed like the absolute best value. So far it's more than lived up to the hype.

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.

No apologies for length necessary. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Excellent sub blog Bob.. There just hasn't been much in the way of comparisons with the Axiom subs and this is helpful.

Thanks for spending the time to share your story. As I've been preaching for quite some time now. An Axiom and Hsu pairing is a match made in heaven. (Both in terms of audio and customer service!)

That's a good review Bob.
Don't concern yourself with the 'unscientific' method behind the listening. It is extremely difficult to control all the variables even in your own home theatre in your own house.
The fact that you calibrated both to the same SPL before 'testing' was excellent. This is by far the leading problem with most reviews by ppl reporting on their findings after returning from the box stores or even after trying to A/B speakers in their home (be it with speakers OR with other components).

I'm not suprised that the differences between the two subs were rather minimal. The very quality of low bass notes is more difficult to the human ear to distinguish and isolate. I had the chance to audition a Klipsch sub not too long ago and i compared it directly against my EP350. It took quite some time in listening to a set of low bass notes in a music passage over and over to figure out one small difference, the EP350 did not sound quite as muddy (the bass did not linger as long...hence the word 'tighter' in its description). But that was about it. In turning up the crossover on each of the subs such that i could listen to music playback up to the 200Hz range (something i despise allowing the sub to do b/c of the generally fudgy sound), about the only conclusion i could make was the same thing, the EP350 was a bit tighter in bass.

I have watched (and own) Finding Nemo and i have played that Darla scene that so many ppl have talked about. I can gleefully report that my EP350 produces no strange squeaky oily noise. Given the fact you mentioned it occurred (although somewhat differently) with your Hsu sub, then perhaps it is something in your listening room (took me a week to figure out which if my drop ceiling panels was rattling). It may also be the sound of Darla's finger squeaking against the glass of the tank as she taps, perhaps something you never noticed before until you purchased those fine set of Axiom speakers.
Someone else who has the movie can doublecheck this. I am off to a hockey right now otherwise you know i would do it myself.

Now your talking, Mountain Dew in a glass bottle around 1979. Now that's a drink!

Bose Bass Moduale




J/K I have nothing, I still use TV speakers. For my stereo set up I will soon be purchasing a SVS PC sub or an HSU

-BigK35-

Well I have no real basis for comparison, since I went from never having a sub to my DIY project:

http://bhavesh.0catch.com/DIY%20sub.htm

Even powered with a mediocre mini stereo amp, it still performs very well on listening tests and using LFE sweeps. The 12'' driver is equivalent to the original SVS driver, so I'd put it on at least the level of a 10'' STF-2.

Anyone done any comparison between the Dayton DIY sub from partsexpress and the HSU or SVS?

I'm looking for a sub to complete my NAD C 320BEE and M22s setup

i have the svs 25-31PC+... woohoo!!

A pair of SVS 16-46PC+ subs.

I got a DIY setup that I'm actually planning to redo, mainly because it will only cost me like 40 bux... down the road I'd like to get a SVS if I can find the cash.

- It's called POP BTW
- Coke > Pepsi
- Diet Coke is ok, while Diet Pepsi IS the worse softdrink on earth
- My Dew/Diet Dew > all

=)

Axiom EP350

Sean

I just picked up an Hsu STF-2. Axioms are on the way. But in the meantime, I can't decide whether I should plug the STF in or wait till all the goodies arrive....

SVS PC Ultra (I would give you one of my kids before parting with it!)

Just kidding. I love my kid's. Does anyone find it odd that I think of my sub as one of my Kid's?

I need help!

Oh yeah, COKE all the way! I have never been wrong in a taste test!

HSU VTF-3 Mk2. Awesome with M60's, VP150, QS8's

Add another SVS PC-Ultra to the list.

It's my first sub ever, I have no idea how it sounds compared to other subs. Darla bounced 2 of my friends clean off of the couch. It was hysterical. They had NO idea what was coming up, and it caught them totally by suprise.

It was at least 5 minutes before they stopped taking the Lord's name in vain. They are 2 nice, hard working, respectable, catholic boys. (At least they were before the SVS got to them.)

Now, they owe some priest about 200 Hail Marys...

Outlaw LFM-1 with M22's, VP150, and QS8's.