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Hsu hb1 mk 2- will it work for me?

post #1 of 16
1/27/13 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 
Hello,
I am looking to upgrade my current system and really like what I have read about these speakers. I just wanted to get advice and input on a few things.

I have a media room/man cave that is 16x10.5x7 ft high ceiling. It has 1 door and the only small window is blocked off by insulation/plywood and covered by a 92" elite screen. There is carpeting on the floor, 2 walls are wood, and 2 are concrete with drywall over that. for furniture, there is a fabric sofa and an ottoman. As for sound, I currently have a Yamaha 6.1satellite speaker system with a matching sub (nsp 436 is the system number). This is hooked up to a Yamaha RX-V571 av receiver. The sound is good and I have been pleased with the speakers for the last 8 yrs, but it is lacking sonically when I listen to music. The imaging is ok, but the sub breaks up above 60db setting (my other speakers are set at 75db matching).

Anyways...
Here is what I am interested in from Hsu:
Hb-1MK 2x2
HC-1 MK2 Horn Center Channel
And a Subwoofer

Not sure which sub will work best for my room. I do not want too much bass for my room, but I don't want too little either. I am far from a bass-head, but I love my music and movies to be full sound-wise. Any advice? I would obviously like to spend the least possible to accomplish this.

I usually listen to my system at 80-90dbs, and want to make sure that the receiver will power the speakers appropriately? I also want to make sure they still sound good at lower volumes for TV viewing.

Lastly, positioning. I have read that these sound better away from the wall, than closer to it. I have only about 8" to the left of my screen before there is a corner and another wall. My current satellite speaker is 6" from the back and side wall. I fear this may be a problem with your larger speakers and affect the sound. What are your thoughts? I plan on using speaker stands, if that helps. (The right speaker will be close to the screen and about the same distance from the back wall, but about 30" from the side.) see below


And the right side, the curtain covers an electrical panel. It will remain as seen.


Do you think this will provide enough room to get the most sound out of the configuration I am considering? Will the speakers fit in? Should/can the center be wall mounted?

Anyways, thank you in advance for your help.
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post #2 of 16
1/27/13 at 8:22am
The HSU speakers will be fine only 6" out from the wall. Placing at the corners is not optimum, but you have a small room and a big screen, so you do what you can smile.gif

What is your budget for the sub? The HSU Hybrid 1 package with the VTF-1 MK2 would probably be more than enough sub for your room, but the VTF-2 MK4 in the Hybrid 2 package will dig deeper in frequency response. That's a plus for movies.

And don't worry about having too much bass. You'll simply calibrate your sub with your system so that it puts out the appropriate volume to go along with the speakers.
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post #3 of 16
1/27/13 at 8:36am
fwiw, the hsu speakers would be a very good option. looking at your setup, i wouldplace the speakers about a foot inwards and about 6" forward on stands or wall mount under the screen and have the top of speakers level to where the top part of black screen bezel is.this will give you better sound then puting them in the corners
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post #4 of 16
1/27/13 at 8:38am
These are great speakers and would work fine in your spot. I agrees with Cel, make it a pkg with a sub and don't look back. I have the HB-1s for my LR and a vtf3.3 in a 27x15x7' room open via doorways to the rest of the house and have no problems. The speakers are really good with movies and music. I originally had them in the corners of my front wall and they sounded great. I recently moved them in closer to the tv, but may either move them back or get another set for wides when i upgrade my receiver. They were only 4-5" away from the wall too. If you can swing it, I really like the rosenut finish on my HB-1s over the satin black on my sub (but I love a nice wood grain), but it's really nice too. The Hau stuff has completely transformed my HT for the better. Highly recommended.
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post #5 of 16
1/27/13 at 8:51am
The Hsu speakers are good ones, and I think you might want something with the controlled directivity of its horn-loaded tweeters anyway, given the proximity of the left wall to the left front speaker- a typical tweeter on a flat baffle might be a bit acoustically reflective for that side wall.

The Hsu subs are some of the best in their price range, of course. If I were you I would go for the VTF2 subwoofer at the least, I think that is a big step in output and extension from the VTF1. If you really want to plumb the depths of deep bass, go for the VTF3. You don't have to worry about getting too much subwoofer, you can always turn it down if it is too much for you, but you can only turn it up so much if it is too little, so its always best to risk overkill rather than the opposite. There are other advantages to having lots of extra output on tap from a sub, like having much less distortion, disproportionately less as much as the woofer is under taxed under a certain limit. Also, since you wouldn't be driving the subwoofer hard, you lengthen its lifespan, as the driver mechanics are not stressed and the amplifier experiences less heat. Another advantage is you will hear less compressed peaks in the soundtrack because you will have a nice healthy reserve of headroom available- you would be surprised at what you are not hearing from an ordinary subwoofer. That is why I recommend always get the best subwoofer you can afford.

The center speaker can be wall-mounted, of course, but there aren't a lot of decent mounts for larger horizontal center speakers. You might just think about placing it on some shelving or a stand. Also, in this instance I think you could just as easily use a HB-1 for the center, if you can find a way to tilt it upward. There really isn't any big performance advantage of using a horizontal center, it is just more convenient for most setups. However, the HC-1 does have its own tilting mechanism.
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post #6 of 16
1/27/13 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadyJ View Post

The Hsu subs are some of the best in their price range, of course. If I were you I would go for the VTF2 subwoofer at the least, I think that is a big step in output and extension from the VTF1. If you really want to plumb the depths of deep bass, go for the VTF3. You don't have to worry about getting too much subwoofer, you can always turn it down if it is too much for you, but you can only turn it up so much if it is too little, so its always best to risk overkill rather than the opposite. There are other advantages to having lots of extra output on tap from a sub, like having much less distortion, disproportionately less as much as the woofer is under taxed under a certain limit. Also, since you wouldn't be driving the subwoofer hard, you lengthen its lifespan, as the driver mechanics are not stressed and the amplifier experiences less heat. Another advantage is you will hear less compressed peaks in the soundtrack because you will have a nice healthy reserve of headroom available- you would be surprised at what you are not hearing from an ordinary subwoofer. That is why I recommend always get the best subwoofer you can afford.

He has a 1200 cubic foot room. By all measures, the VTF-1 would have plenty of max output in that size room for most people. People run speakers 12, 18 hours a day in commercial use, and the drivers last for many, many years. Seems unlikely there is any need to worry about wearing out the VTF-1 driver for use in a home HT setup in a room that size. Is there some new data that suggests that HSU drivers are that susceptible to deterioration from use? They give a seven year warranty on their sub drivers.
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post #7 of 16
1/27/13 at 11:06am
The amplifier is always the weak link in any sub in terms of reliability, and simply stressing the amplifier less will help it last longer. The driver will be fine, but the less wear on it, the better. I agree in that room the VTF1 will suffice, but the VTF2 will do better. I have a ULS-15 dual drive in a room only slightly larger than that and sometimes I think, what if I had a quad drive? But I have to remember I do get over 115 dB at my listening position, but then I think THX Reference, pfff, that is for girls, why stop there, so quad drive here I come!
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post #8 of 16
1/27/13 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadyJ View Post

The amplifier is always the weak link in any sub in terms of reliability, and simply stressing the amplifier less will help it last longer. The driver will be fine, but the less wear on it, the better. I agree in that room the VTF1 will suffice, but the VTF2 will do better. I have a ULS-15 dual drive in a room only slightly larger than that and sometimes I think, what if I had a quad drive? But I have to remember I do get over 115 dB at my listening position, but then I think THX Reference, pfff, that is for girls, why stop there, so quad drive here I come!

Sounds like you are projecting your own needs/concerns on to the situation. The OP is coming from an HTIB speaker solution in that room. He's also looking to only buy the front three and and a sub, so probably not looking to break the bank. I've heard of HSU recommending the VTF-1 for that size room more than once, and they used to have a room size designation on their website which indicated that the VTF-1 would be fine in that room. Unless the OP wants to pay for the extra bit of low frequency extension in a bigger sub, there's no reason why it would not suit him well. It will be a nice upgrade over his existing sub.
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post #9 of 16
1/27/13 at 11:55am
Thread Starter 
Wow! What a fantastic response! Thanks to all for your input. My budget is about a grand. I am now thinking the VTF 1 will be more than enough for me. I had originally thought STF 2, but I am now conviced that would be a mistake. I like the idea of using the HB 1 as a center. Never thought of that! Money saved could got towards the VTF 1. My placement concerns are put to rest now. I will try some of these as options before settling on one. Really, some great ideas!

Finally, I am so glad to hear that everyone is pleased with these and that they will work for me. I plan on keeping the surrounds that I have for now, but will replace them by the end of the year. How is the HB 1 as a surround? Overkill? If so, any suggestions? As to purchasing, i was thinking the fronts first, then the center, then the sub. Do you think thatnis best, or should I go fronts, sub, ctr?

Thx!
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post #10 of 16
1/27/13 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
Just checked HSU site, and the VTF 1 is rec'd up to 3000 sft. I think the amp should not get fatigued at all with the size rm and the amt of bass I usually like.
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post #11 of 16
1/27/13 at 12:34pm
You just won't get the pkg price if you buy them separately.
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post #12 of 16
1/27/13 at 12:43pm
You can call Hsu or send them an email and ask them if they will give you a discount on non-standard packages. I am sure they would be willing.
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post #13 of 16
1/27/13 at 1:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pagan97 View Post

As to purchasing, i was thinking the fronts first, then the center, then the sub. Do you think thatnis best, or should I go fronts, sub, ctr?

Fronts first, and try running it without your current center in 4.0 only. The HSU may be enough of an upgrade that it will sound better without the weaker center.

If you find that dialogue sounds good without running a center, then upgrade the sub next because the sub upgrade should be a significant improvement over the one that you have now.
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post #14 of 16
1/27/13 at 1:08pm
Thread Starter 
Great idea! I think Iwill try that.
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post #15 of 16
1/27/13 at 1:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadyJ View Post

You can call Hsu or send them an email and ask them if they will give you a discount on non-standard packages. I am sure they would be willing.

Fantastic thought! I will give it a go...
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post #16 of 16
1/27/13 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 
What is everyones thoughts on Ascend? Found it mentioned as better than Aperion, but I know nada about them. The cbm series is intriguing...
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