From: dmoran@world.std.com (david r moran)
Subject: Re: HSU Research Sub woofers
Keywords: woofers
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 03:48:13 GMT

In article <183377@pyramid.pyramid.com> lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell) writes:
>
[flame stuff omitted]
>>
>>  I'm thinking about getting a good sub for home theatre.  I was thinking
>>  about the Hsu SW10 because I think I can start off with just one to
>>  see if it has enough bass; I could drive it with one side of the amp
>>  I'm using for the center channel.  What concerns me most about the Hsu
>>  is that the literature says it overloads below 15Hz and to not play cannon
>>  shots; special effects from movies may have frequencies this low.
>    
>    If you are a real bass freak and like loud levels, I would sede
>    if you can audition the HSU's somewhere.  
>
>    They will bottom out (mechanically) quite easily with bass from
>    a 90 wpc HK amp.  If your tastes are chamber music, etc. and you
>    like the limited range of the typical electrostatic, they would
>    be satisfactory (they DO sound good....I just prefer "more
>    power"  and power handling capability...)   
>
>
>>  I haven't looked at traditional good subs (Muse and Velodyne, e.g.)
>>  because clean 20Hz ones cost at least $1000, though powered.  Are there
>>  any that do this for less than $1000 (preferably much less)?
>   
>   Sadly not MUCH less.  I don't think you would be very happy with
>   the lower end M&K or Velodyne's.  They only go down to about
>   30 Hz and only have about 50 watt amps.  IMHO their midrange
>   units with about 100 watts that go to 20-25 are about as low as
>   you'd be able to go and be happy.  
>   In other words, you'd likely prefer the HSU in that price
>   range...   
>
>   But the 200 watt units aren't much over a grand...and being a
>   cheapskate I tend to watch for the sales that often happen after
>   the Summer and Winter CES....or just bargain the dealer down
>   until my wallet, my ears, and his profits reach a compromise.  
>
>>  Can we get a bit more constructive with this thread topic?
>>
>   Not a bad idea....are there any OTHER good moderately priced subs
>   out there?  And it would be nice to exclude the "bass modules"
>   masquerading as subwoofers...     
>
>   The bigger VMPS sub ain't bad....but again you need a good low
>   impedance amp to drive it  the larger VMPS can take enough
>   power to crack plaster.   
>
>

	I reviewed a $1200 VMPS (vintage 89-90) for CD Review and recently the 
Hsu unit (SW10) for Speaker Builder. Both are flat (I mean flat, within 1.5 - 2
dB, that is, +/-1dB or less) from 100Hz down to below 20Hz in a single-boundary
environment (outdoors, in other words a room without walls or ceiling). Both go
plenty loud for any but insane or PA-level tastes, i.e., for any domestic
application I could devise, including thunderous rock. Both had extremely low
distortion with large input and high output, much cleaner than anything I
could compare them with. The VMPS would gracefully shut down when overdriven
with tones or unfair rock, the Hsu did clip a 1200W amp briefly and lightly
(or perhaps it was the driver bottoming; I do not have enough power to find
out, either house ac or amp wattage)  The VMPS line is mostly powered, no?

I am coming in late to this discussion but wanted to go on the record.
If you needed to, you could always buy two or four of the PSH units,
as they are inexpensive....

It would not be too much work to stick two or more 10" Eminence woofers
in a well-braced sealed cabinet of any size to hold them and then EQ
the result with a $100 equalizer (60Hz all the way down, 30Hz all the way 
up), and see what you thought of the results.

I would not worry about excessive levels below 20Hz from movies. The
loudest stuff is usually filtered noise in the 40-50Hz range (space 
ships etc.). Very loud 40Hz sounds much lower; cf a bass drum. Its
spectrum peaks at 35-40Hz but it sounds like dc, or at least the end
of time.

David Moran
Contrib Ed
Spkr Bldr magazine

From: davea@hpscit.sc.hp.com (Dave Angelini)
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 14:08:06 GMT
Subject: AUDIO GEAR FOR SALE
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Clara, CA