Which is a better buy? Are there any audiable difference?

couldn't say. i've never used the ep175.

IMHO - the stf-2 performs better than a paradigm pdr-12 that i had. hsu makes a nice sub.

Having followed threads here for a while it seems the general concensus would be if you reside in the US then likely the HSU or SVS subs (ie: those in the same price range of the Axiom subs ) are likely the better deal. If you're ordering from Canaka then the price difference is negligible ( factoring in duties, taxes ...ect. )and there's not the same insentive to order other than Axiom.

There seems to be no actual comparision from anyone to go on and there are no complaints about Axiom subs. All reviews suggest they are very musical subs as apposed to just boom boxes. I think in general as stated HSU/SVS tend to be better deals for those in the US and that's why they are often endoursed here, but make no mistake those that have the Axiom subs seem happy with them and recommend them.

One nice feature of the Axiom sub is it'll match the other Axiom speakers you purchase...

If you are in Canada, recently on post here indicated there is someone in Ontario selling HSU subs. Unfortunately they seems to be selling only in Ontario. It does appear in the future there will be other dealer through out but who knows when.

Cheers, jag

Michael,

Hsu will have a dealer system set up within Canada "in the next little while"... it'll just be places that stock them, no service or anything I'm sure.

The main differences between the Axiom and Hsus are the driver location... Hsus are downward firing whereas Axioms are forward firing. Hsu also has a defeatable auto-on (so you can turn it on and it stays on). Unfortunately the Hsus also come in your choice of black and matte black, the mind reels at such choice!

That's about all the advice I can give, professionally I have near to no experience with subs (don't use them in live performance loudspeaker rigs).

Bren R.

I believe the HSU and SVS subs are both downfiring. The SVS has a plate, so it does not 'fire into the carpet", like the HSU sub does with spikes. It seems there would not be a lot of clearance under the HSU, with the spikes embedded into the carpet and padding.

Does that make a difference? I know I just should buy one of these and get it over with, but I keep getting hung up in these details. Must be the engineer in me!

John

I haven't bought either but I would think that a Canadian buying a SVS wouldn't pay any duty because they are made in the USA. HSU's are not so I would assume duty would apply.
We would pay taxes on everything so that's a wash.
If you go to the SVS site and go through the checkout I think shipping would be around $100 CDN. So the difference between SVS and Axiom would be shipping and a small brokerage fee. Well that and the difference in price.

I could be way out to lunch on this one but if I am I'm sure I will be corrected.

Hey revlimit! Welcome to the wonderful world of Axiom! The two questions that need to be asked to perhaps narrow down which would be better would be to ask what your current speakers are and what your listening preferences are (HT/music ratio). For example, my preferences would probably be 75% Home Theater/ 25% Music.

And to second the additional posts, don't rule out SVS.

Thanks to all the reply. I'm looking into getting 4 M3ti for front and rear and a VP100 for center. My preferrence is 75% movie/ 25% music. I will be driving this with a Pioneer 850s. If there are other recommendation please feel free to do so.

How big is your room?

If it's really small...

M2i mains
VP100 center
QS4 surrounds
Hsu STF-2 sub

If it's average...

M22ti mains
VP100 center
QS4 surrounds
Hsu STF-2 sub

The QS series surrounds are AMAZING for home theatre (and darn good with multi-channel music as well). The M3ti is the speaker of choice for smallish rooms in a 2 channel setup. For HT apps, the M22ti is generally preferred for it's extra detail.

my room size 16 x 15.

Thanks Bren. Important point about the difference with down firing.

Just found this...

For you fellow Canadians here's the HSU alternative to border crossing

http://www.hi-fidelity.com/DVDCases.htm

contact them and they'll give ya a local dealer contact.

Peace

One thing just occurred to me, how about Port Noise from the different subs. Perhaps there's a difference here. Axiom does have the vortex ports which may be better at eliminating port noise over the others. Any HSU, SVS, Axiom sub owners care to comment? Is this a significant factor for any owners?

Thanks, Mike

Greetings,
I'm not sure if I would consider it port noise or not, but on the infamous Darla scene in Finding Nemo, both the EP175 and EP350 that I had in my 15x22x8 room had a hard time keeping up. My current Hsu STF-3 does a much better job on this demanding scene, although it too isn't perfect. I'm not sure, however, how much my room contributed to what I thought I was hearing. I'm happy with the STF-3 at this time, so no more subwoofer auditions for me. Even a train has to come to a stop at some point.
b.

I'm thrilled with my STF-2; I'd heartily recommend it, but with this caveat: It's the only sub I've ever heard and owned. Crazy, I know.

I chose it largely on the basis of design (downward firing--which seems to offer more placement flexibility), reputation, and the insights of people who own and enjoy them. It also strikes me as the best value for ~$400.

I notice you're comparing it to the $500 EP175. If I were spending that kind of money, I'd probably consider the Hsu STF-3 or the SVS PB1. (Again, on the basis of so many credible recommendations.) Although, given the size of your room, I'd think the STF-2 or VTF-2 would be A-OK.

All this, of course, presupposes that you're in the US.

HTH,
Roger

bob4,
The port chuff issue was discussed some time ago in this thread.
The noise is dependant on receiver settings (partly) as John Henderson had reported no such issue with both of his EP350 subs until he turned off an internal bass limiter (common on many receivers). The noise was nearly eliminated with the addition of a small piece of internal baffling over the port inside the sub.

Greetings Chess,
I did a recap of my sub travails a while back and if I can find it I'll post a link to it, assuming I can figure out how to do so. What I was hearing might not have been technically "chuff", but it certainly was not just bass. Like I said, it might have been room dependent, but I did not hear the same odd sounds on the Hsu. Go figure.
b.

bob4,
The first week i had my M60s, i had to get 2 drivers replaced b/c they were buzzing with certain songs/notes. After the replacement, things were great.
Then i started hearing some kind of rattle from the right side which bothered me for quite some time. It took some hard listening to discover that it was part of my drop ceiling rattling. Since i moved my subwoofer 2 feet to the left (for other reasons) it has not happened again, however other parts of the drop ceiling now reverberate. It could be the sub or rather the subwoofer's interaction with something else in the room.
The port chuff does sound somewhat like rumbly air. I think Bigwill once called it sub farting which is pretty much it.

So I should get the QS4 for the surround instead of the M3ti?

In a word...

Yep.

Well I ordered the M3ti, VP1000, Q4, and I pick up the HSU STF-2 from CompUSA for $350. Now I just need the cables.

the vp1000! man I need one of those!

In reply to:

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the vp1000! man I need one of those!

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Should see the thing... 20 5.25" woofers and 10 tweeters, rated for up to 2000watts, and doubles as a TV stand!

Bren R.