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The HSU replaced a $1300 Paradigm Atom/Titan 5 ch system, and was purchased with the VTF 2 Mk. II sub which is $499: total price delivered was $750 including a subwoofer RCA cable. I was not shopping for a main audio speaker system: I really wanted a budget home theater system that was smaller than the Paradigms and handled dialog and sound effects well, and had tight controlled bass. I already have a 2 ch. tube hifi (see my system) that costs 20x what my video setup costs, so music was not a primary concern.

HSU gets raves on the Asylum for their subs, so I decided to try them out (you have 30 days to return if bought online). I noticed they had a home theater package: buy any HSU sub and get the sats/center for $199. How could I miss?

Right off the bat, I got good vibes from HSU: I ordered on Tuesday, the speakers showed up on my doorstep that Friday. Packing quality was impressive: the sub was double boxed quite well. The instructions are the best I have seen for speakers costing below $1000.

My initial good vibe changed when I first opened the box containing the sats and picked up one to examine it. The feeling of quality was not high; the sat enclosure was lightweight plastic and felt like a pair of cheaper computer speakers. Turning it over, I was surprised to see great 5 way gold plated binding posts. Taking off the grill revealed only one small cone of treated paper (nothing wrong with that, my $2800 merlins are also treated paper) that looked like silver knockoffs of B&W kevlar. No tweeter. Hmmm...overal quality is mixed compared to name brands like Energy, Infinity, Polk etc that I auditioned locally.

I felt better inspecting the center channel. It was quite beefier than the sats, much heavier and had 5! pairs of binding posts. It had two 4x6 oval cones, and the same small cone as the sats. But I couldn't get too hung up on the quality thing: it was after all only $199.

Good vibes returned when I opened the large box containing the sub. The build quality of the sub was very high for its price, way better than what I found with the cheaper systems I auditioned. The sub weighs 55 lbs and comes with heavy brass cone "feet". It also has good binding posts (though I am using the RCA mono) and looks to be improved over the earlier MK I.

I installed the mains and center according to the instructions. All the speaker cables from front left/right/center of the receiver go to the HSU center channel. Then, you run cables from the center channel to the front two sats. The rear surrounds are wired directly from the amp, and if you choose to use it, HSU includes a third rear "center" surround (a 6.1 system has a dedicated rear center output; for 5.1 surround, you run one lead from each of the rear R&L sats to the center rear, and it matrix's the two rear effects). I did not hook up the rear center as I ran out of cable.

I dialed the sub in pretty quickly. If you are using the HSU sub in a Dolby Digital system, the receiver effectively acts as the crossover, sending the LFE info to the sub. Used this way, the crossover settings on the HSU are bypassed, meaning that all you really have to do is place the sub and set the sub volume accordingly.

I fired up a few movies and sat back. Dialog had a nice weight and depth, and the front soundstage is very wide. Sound effects were nice, though high-frequency sound effects lacked ultimate extension and some air. No surprise: the sats have a single driver (not a tweeter). It was not unpleasant, however. Most movies have real bright extended frequencies, especially on sound effects. The HSU took the edge off the top end.

The much touted "ventriliquist" effect of the HSU's really works with video: it made vocals and soundstage appear to be coming out of much larger speakers. Essentially, you flick a toggle switch on the back of the center channel to engage the effect. When engaged, the center handles some of the mids that would otherwise be steered to the smaller front sats. The effect works best when you are seated; if you stand close to try to hear what is happening, it sounds weird. I tried with and without, and ended up preferring it very much. It thickens up dialog and music, and is not at all unpleasant.

I think the Paradigm mains and center were probably better than the HSU, but they were also larger and I did not have the space. The HSU sats were a compromise, but the center channel was not.

Bass was a huge improvement over the Paradigm: deep, well controlled, and not boomy at all. The VTF 2 really is the killer budget HT sub, though I doubt it had the finesse of my REL Strata III. It did have much more output than the REL

I had listened to a number of other speakers in the HSU's price range, such as the Velodyne and Energy, as well as the Infinity sat/sub system (about $500 online, it's the one with the aluminum enclosures). All but the HSU and Infinity sounded overly bright on video effects and overly thin on spoken dialog. If you have heard a typical sales demo, you leave with your ears bleeding from all the bright treble. Lots of consumers who are not familiar with good audio systems would probably respond well, but not me.

The Infinity system came closest to the HSU on dialog and overall sound quality. The HSU had much fuller sound than the Infinity, but the Infinity had much cleaner and extended highs than the HSU. The HSU sub trounced the Infinity sub, and all of the other competitors.

I was let down a bit by listening to music through the HSU system. Keep in mind, the power cord in my other 2 channel system costs as much as the entire HSU subs/sat system, so I am a little jaded. Music was not unpleasant, but rather like listening to a decent bookshelf mini system (with much better low end). No decay, no detail on the top end, no air, but just pleasant and non-offensive. Again, the HSU makes do without any separate tweeter.

If you are used to typical entry level consumer gear (or BOSE systems), the HSU system will not disappoint. Its strength is video: if you are buying for music, buy the HSU sub and consider looking elswhere for the mains/center/surround. I will say that if you take the $199 price into account, the HSU VT-12 system is a killer bargain. Even decent but cheap 5 channels would probably run you $600.

Buying a speaker system online without listening to it is always a mixed bag. Comp USA sells the HSU with a cheaper sub (SFT1 and STF2), which people seem to like, so you can hedge your bets and buy locally. But I recommend you buy the system online with a better sub (they heavily market the STF, but the VTF's go deeper and are only $100 more), and roll the dice that you will like the HSU better than its competition, with the caveat that your main purpose is a good sounding system primarily for video.

All in all, a great bargain when paired with the HSU sub. I couldn't find anything that sounded better that wasn't twice as much.

Product Weakness:	Look elswhere if you are buying primarily for audio.
Product Strengths:	Great bass, very good balance for home theater

• Hsu VT 12 Speakers - KKM 10:53:58 03/09/05 (0)
  In Reply to: REVIEW: Hsu VT 12 Speakers posted by davehg on February 27, 2005 at 21:16:55:

  Thanks for the great review. I am also in the market for a small sub/sat system. In my research, I also have found that AV123 sells a 5.1 system for $399. The sats on these are extruded brush aluminum and are 2-ways. I doubt that their sub is better than the Hsu's though. There's also Orb speakers 5.1 system for $699 which have gotten good chat at Ecoustic's forum. All these are web base sale, so we're relying on reviews like yours to make a decision.
  
  

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• Hsu VT 12 Speakers - johnvb 12:44:01 02/28/05 (0)
  In Reply to: REVIEW: Hsu VT 12 Speakers posted by davehg on February 27, 2005 at 21:16:55:

  Excellent review, a couple things I can add.

  If you are going to use the rear back speaker, they have miniature binding posts, different from the other speakers. Radio Shack sells a special banana plug that expands as one tightens it, which works on the rear post (recommended by HSU). Also, HSU will sell an extra sat for $40, to use in a 7.1 system (We didn't get that great of improvement by adding the rear backs).

  Also, as a testament to the solid build of the center channel speaker. When I was setting up my son's VTs, I had built a couple of makeshift 7' high speaker stands out of 2x4s, to play around with surround placement. To my horror, one of the stands slide off the wall and came crashing down on the top edge of the center!...Not a scratch or dent could be seen (or heard).

  I think one of the differences between your VTF and our STF sub is you have a port tuning option for either music or movies?
  
  
  

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