[Gmash]

Nice review! I have to say, I don't think these speakers are bad looking at all. I agree they could maybe use a logo on the grill to break things up, but I actually prefer the matte black to the typical fake wood wrap. They sound like a slightly laid back speaker, which isn't a bad thing to me. I have Energy RC-10s, which are too laid back for some people, but I love the smoothness of them. I hope this review helps put these speakers on more people's radar, as they seem like a great value.

 

[alphaiii]

Curtis,


Any plans for an MTM? The HVL-1 did perform pretty well laid on it's side, but that's not ideal for off-axis dispersion, and it places the tweeter fairly far off center.


An MTM design with an elevated tweeter, similar to the HTM-200SE, should be possible given the tiny mounting plate for the tweeter... and would allow for close woofer spacing that would help lessen off-axis irregularities. Thoughts?

 

[cschang]

We are looking into the viability of bringing a few different things to market.

 

[JoeBloggz]

Just read through this entire thread! Some nice info here("shill" comment notwithstanding

). These have peeked my interest. Seriously giving these a look. I'm also looking for an AVR, any suggestions to complement the HVL-1's? $500 or less.

 

[cel4145]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeBloggz  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24227213


Just read through this entire thread! Some nice info here("shill" comment notwithstanding

). These have peeked my interest. Seriously giving these a look. I'm also looking for an AVR, any suggestions to complement the HVL-1's? $500 or less.

Any name brand AVR will pair well with those speakers. Look at Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer. Pick the one that has the features you like

 

[cschang]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24227759


Any name brand AVR will pair well with those speakers. Look at Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer. Pick the one that has the features you like

I absolutely concur. The HVL-1's are not a difficult load to drive, and any brand name receiver would work fine with them.

 

[aquido]


I've received these bookshelves this week and have been using these for several days and I am very glad with my purchase.

Detailed review is on its way, may be in a couple of weeks time.

 

As for the AVR recommendation, it would be quite to difficult to recommend you with a specific model or brand as every individual has different requirements. 

5.1? 7.2? network support availability? necessity for bluetooth? A/B speaker availability, number of sources you are planning to link to AVR etc..

There are so many to consider.

Each brand carries variety of models and it will really depend on your preference.

 

I've used Denon AVR 15 years ago, Onkyo 10 years ago, Yamaha 3 years ago, and now on Pioneer.

Among these 4, my personal favourite was Yamaha, mine was RX-V473 (there is newer version now).

I really loved Yamaha's GUI (graphic user interface for setting) and its sound reproduction capability, it seemed to have more warmth in the sound compared to my current Pioneer.

Moreover, Yamaha's surround sound modes (I cannot remember exact names but it was something like concert hall mode, cathedral mode etc..) were actually quite useful unlike my current Pioneer which is just a joke.

 

I am just hoping that my AVR will fail soon, so I can make an excuse of getting a new one, I'd love to get Yamaha again, but I am also very curious about Cambridge Audio AVRs as well. 

 

Anyway, good luck with your search.

 

[JoeBloggz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by aquido  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24233479


I've received these bookshelves this week and have been using these for several days and I am very glad with my purchase.

Detailed review is on its way, may be in a couple of weeks time.


As for the AVR recommendation, it would be quite to difficult to recommend you with a specific model or brand as every individual has different requirements. 

5.1? 7.2? network support availability? necessity for bluetooth? A/B speaker availability, number of sources you are planning to link to AVR etc..

There are so many to consider.

Each brand carries variety of models and it will really depend on your preference.


I've used Denon AVR 15 years ago, Onkyo 10 years ago, Yamaha 3 years ago, and now on Pioneer.

Among these 4, my personal favourite was Yamaha, mine was RX-V473 (there is newer version now).

I really loved Yamaha's GUI (graphic user interface for setting) and its sound reproduction capability, it seemed to have more warmth in the sound compared to my current Pioneer.

Moreover, Yamaha's surround sound modes (I cannot remember exact names but it was something like concert hall mode, cathedral mode etc..) were actually quite useful unlike my current Pioneer which is just a joke.


I am just hoping that my AVR will fail soon, so I can make an excuse of getting a new one, I'd love to get Yamaha again, but I am also very curious about Cambridge Audio AVRs as well. 


Anyway, good luck with your search.

Thanks. Appreciate your input. I most likely will not need anything more than 5.1 setup. Network support is a must. Bluetooth functionality is important but that can be added with an adapter on most models regardless of brand. It'll be a 3.1 setup from the start. I will only be using a PS3(games, movies, Netflix) and a Direct TV HD DVR to the AVR. Going forward I can only see myself adding maybe one more device, CD player possibly to the mix.

 

[John Schlarb]

I bought a pair of HLV-1s for my teenage son for Christmas, and also gave him an old Onkyo receiver I bought when I was in college. Mounted on spiked steel stands, these speakers sound just phenomenal. The low end was very well represented on a gorgeous song by Cat Power, and I pulled up Yes's 90210 for some rock nostalgia. Everything sounded really good.


I was planning to spend more money on speakers to use with my Yamaha RX-797 stereo amp in the family room, but I think I may just pick up another pair of these. BTW I also have Ascend's CBM170s in my home theater. If I can find the time I'll write up a comparison. The HLV-1s are definitely more wife-friendly.

 

[Gmash]



Quote:
Originally Posted by John Schlarb  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24280586


I bought a pair of HLV-1s for my teenage son for Christmas, and also gave him an old Onkyo receiver I bought when I was in college. Mounted on spiked steel stands, these speakers sound just phenomenal. The low end was very well represented on a gorgeous song by Cat Power, and I pulled up Yes's 90210 for some rock nostalgia. Everything sounded really good.


I was planning to spend more money on speakers to use with my Yamaha RX-797 stereo amp in the family room, but I think I may just pick up another pair of these. BTW I also have Ascend's CBM170s in my home theater. If I can find the time I'll write up a comparison. The HLV-1s are definitely more wife-friendly.

Cool, I would like to hear that comparison.

 

[cschang]



Quote:
Originally Posted by John Schlarb  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24280586


I bought a pair of HLV-1s for my teenage son for Christmas, and also gave him an old Onkyo receiver I bought when I was in college. Mounted on spiked steel stands, these speakers sound just phenomenal. The low end was very well represented on a gorgeous song by Cat Power, and I pulled up Yes's 90210 for some rock nostalgia. Everything sounded really good.

Very happy you are enjoying them.


Hope you let your son have a turn.

 

[John Schlarb]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cschang  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24284753


Very happy you are enjoying them.


Hope you let your son have a turn.

He politely kicked me out of his room as soon as I finished putting the stands together.

 

[cschang]



Quote:
Originally Posted by John Schlarb  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24285421


He politely kicked me out of his room as soon as I finished putting the stands together.

Well..at least he was polite.

Would love to get his feedback as well.

 

[John Schlarb]

Everyone is familiar with "trickle down" of electronics. Dad buys nicer stuff, and the old stuff goes to the kids or the family room. Well, here's a story of trickle-up.

I used to have a pair of Tivolis mounted in the room where my pinball collection lives. I had to use these for a project I did for my wife, "restoring" an old console stereo (actually I gutted it and put more modern parts in the cabinet, but she's happy so that's all that matters). So I've been without speakers for a few months. This really sucks, because when I'm restoring a game I need music. After kicking back with my son in his room and listening to his HLV-1s this past month, I decided they were perfect for the pinball room too. Front-ported means I can mount them right on the wall, next to the tiki masks.


BTW I highly recommend these speaker stands with the HLV-1's. We're using them in my son's room.


Oh, and the kid loves these speakers with dubstep and what I'd call "classical metal", which are his favorite genres. He listens to Hendrix and Clapton too.

 

[cel4145]



Quote:
Originally Posted by John Schlarb  /t/1473975/wave-crest-audio-hlv-1-ascend-designed-budget-bookshelf/60#post_24430317


Everyone is familiar with "trickle down" of electronics. Dad buys nicer stuff, and the old stuff goes to the kids or the family room. Well, here's a story of trickle-up.

I used to have a pair of Tivolis mounted in the room where my pinball collection lives. I had to use these for a project I did for my wife, "restoring" an old console stereo (actually I gutted it and put more modern parts in the cabinet, but she's happy so that's all that matters). So I've been without speakers for a few months. This really sucks, because when I'm restoring a game I need music. After kicking back with my son in his room and listening to his HLV-1s this past month, I decided they were perfect for the pinball room too. Front-ported means I can mount them right on the wall, next to the tiki masks.


BTW I highly recommend these speaker stands with the HLV-1's. We're using them in my son's room.

That's a great story, and a good testament for the HLV-1. As an aside, I have a set of AKG budget headphones because my middle school aged son got a pair first and modded them. They sounded so good I had to get a pair for myself and mod them

 

[zieglj01]

It is nice to know, that some speakers work well for PinBall.

 

[TheLaw612]

I got these in the mail yesterday evening and set them up this morning. I'm using three for the lcr and they sound phenomenal. I only had time to play a few songs from the Les Miserables anniversary blu-ray from the O2 and it was amazing. Everything was crystal clear and this is before I was even really able to get the setup right. I can't wait until I have more free time to really crank them.

 

[kevin.kimm]

Great Speakers

I'm running a 2.1 system with the HLV-1's and an SVS PB-1000 sub - couldn't be happier with the sound. I've left the front grills off the speakers and get compliments all the time about how cool they look and how good they sound.

 

[cschang]

I'm running a 2.1 system with the HLV-1's and an SVS PB-1000 sub - couldn't be happier with the sound. I've left the front grills off the speakers and get compliments all the time about how cool they look and how good they sound.

Thanks Kevin! We are very happy you are enjoying them.

 

[jellyrajah]

So after looking around for different speakers, I've decided to go with the HLV-1 for my first-ever pair.

I'm much more familiar with headphone set-ups, so I was wondering - if I wanted to play music off my MacBook Pro with the HLV-1s, what else would I need besides the speakers themselves and an amplifier? Any cables or little odds and ends that I need to take into account (which are not included otherwise)? Suggestions on amplifiers are also appreciated (I'm looking at the Topping TP30).