HSU Research VTF-2 MK5 Q Control setting

[bradymartin]

Wondering what q control setting owners of this sub like best for movies only. not music

I cant decide where to set it. 11x11 room.

i understand .7 gives the lowest extension and i had it set at that since ownership.

but recently i tried the lowest setting, .3 and im not sure if its in my head. but felt more powerful in some movie scenes. especially terminator salvation huge robot ambush scene.

still cant decide

i admit im too lazy to try different q control setiings with different movie scenes.

 

[Audiosaur]

It's room dependent. My space is a little bigger than yours but not huge. Mine are both set at .3, one port plugged. I get more headroom with both open but from measurements, my F3 extends about 8hz lower with one port. Seems .3 provides good extension in smaller spaces like ours.

Are you happy with your Hsu?

 

[bradymartin]

im using eq1, one port plugged also. just cant decide on q control.

im happy with the hsu. like it a lot better than the bic f12 it replaced.

im just trying to fine tune it for my room. i want the lowest possible bass, which is why i set it at .7 when i first got it.

then tried .3 and liked that more. just hoping im not missing out on the 18hz its capable of by setting it at .3 instead of .7

 

[shadyJ]

im using eq1, one port plugged also. just cant decide on q control.

im happy with the hsu. like it a lot better than the bic f12 it replaced.

im just trying to fine tune it for my room. i want the lowest possible bass, which is why i set it at .7 when i first got it.

then tried .3 and liked that more. just hoping im not missing out on the 18hz its capable of by setting it at .3 instead of .7

You are still getting 18 hz, just not quite as much of it as you would were the Q set to 0.7. It is about 3 to 4 dB down compared to 0.7 Q. That is about a 50% reduction. This graph illustrates the changes:

 

[bradymartin]

You are still getting 18 hz, just not quite as much of it as you would were the Q set to 0.7. It is about 3 to 4 dB down compared to 0.7 Q. That is about a 50% reduction. This graph illustrates the changes:

have no idea how to read graphs.

many, many thanks for that info though. maybe i should set it to somewhere in between .3 and .5 and id possibly gain a db or 2 of 18hz and still get that .3 punch i hear/feel that i didnt when set to .7

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

What content are you using to determine what’s happening during adjustments? A lot of movies have a filter at 30hz. Some at 20. Some have none. Data-bass.com has a good thread in their forums with graphs to show which movies actually have what content. http://data-bass.ipbhost.com/topic/12-the-low-frequency-content-thread-films-games-music-etc/
Avs has at least one also.
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/113-subwoofers-bass-transducers/2763785-ultimate-list-bass-movies-w-frequency-charts.html#/topics/2763785

It’s good to browse there. You can learn a lot.

 

[bradymartin]

What content are you using to determine what’s happening during adjustments? A lot of movies have a filter at 30hz. Some at 20. Some have none. Data-bass.com has a good thread in their forums with graphs to show which movies actually have what content. http://data-bass.ipbhost.com/topic/12-the-low-frequency-content-thread-films-games-music-etc/
Avs has at least one also.
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/113-subwoofers-bass-transducers/2763785-ultimate-list-bass-movies-w-frequency-charts.html#/topics/2763785

It’s good to browse there. You can learn a lot.

i watch a lot of action and sci fi with lots of bass. i guess im too lazy to be fiddling with the control depending on which movie i watch. checking out those two threads you linked.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I don’t blame ya. I’m kind of a set it n forget it guy too.
The point I was getting at was, there are a lot of action movies that have good bass. But the problem with some of them is they don’t go deep. Too many of them are neutered at 25 or even 30hz with very little going on below that. So no matter how low your subs CAN go, it won’t matter if they’re not getting any super low content. That’s why I like the bass threads, because you can actually see where movies start rolling off. Not all titles are created equal either. One of my favorite demos is from master and commander. Ch4. The Dvd is awesome. The cannon blasts are some of the best ever. But when they mastered if for blu Ray, they chopped off the bottom end(at30hz iirc). Unacceptable.

 

[bradymartin]

I don’t blame ya. I’m kind of a set it n forget it guy too.
The point I was getting at was, there are a lot of action movies that have good bass. But the problem with some of them is they don’t go deep. Too many of them are neutered at 25 or even 30hz with very little going on below that. So no matter how low your subs CAN go, it won’t matter if they’re not getting any super low content. That’s why I like the bass threads, because you can actually see where movies start rolling off. Not all titles are created equal either. One of my favorite demos is from master and commander. Ch4. The Dvd is awesome. The cannon blasts are some of the best ever. But when they mastered if for blu Ray, they chopped off the bottom end(at30hz iirc). Unacceptable.

yeah i remember renting master and commander blu ray from redbox. with my bic f12 a couple years ago. i was like what is all the hype about the bass in this movie. it was nothing special. my saving private ryan bluray ive owned for years, the bass sounds the same with the bic f12 i had as it does with my mk5.

 

[bradymartin]

im going to redbox hacksaw ridge again. i had it at .7 when i first got the mk5. but now that i noticed a difference in .3 im going to check it out again.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

yeah i remember renting master and commander blu ray from redbox. with my bic f12 a few years ago. i was like what is all the hype about the bass in this movie. it was nothing special. my saving private ryan bluray ive owned for years, the bass sounds the same with the bic f12 i had as it does with my mk5.

You should find M&C on dvd. Is is WAY better. The hype is well deserved but they ruined the bd.

SPR doesn’t go very low so I’m not surprised it didn’t sound much different. Still a great film.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

im going to redbox hacksaw ridge again. i had it at .7 when i first got the mk5. but now that i noticed a difference in .3 im going to check it out again.

That’s a great one too. Soundtrack is well done. Iirc, it goes down to 4hz.

 

[Chief2001]

I have the VTF-MK2 and use it for only music. I find around .5 gives me the deepest bass, but I'm still messing around with things. EQ1, one port open, volume at about 12 o'clock.

 

[TLS Guy]

Wondering what q control setting owners of this sub like best for movies only. not music

I cant decide where to set it. 11x11 room.

i understand .7 gives the lowest extension and i had it set at that since ownership.

but recently i tried the lowest setting, .3 and im not sure if its in my head. but felt more powerful in some movie scenes. especially terminator salvation huge robot ambush scene.

still cant decide

i admit im too lazy to try different q control setiings with different movie scenes.

Trading extension for higher Q is never a good trade off. I bet you are right that the Q 0.3 will be your optimal setting for music and movies. This is especially true given that your room is square.

 

[bradymartin]

ive been messing with ports and eq setting for music listening

both ports plugged the bass is tighter and punchier and sounds good for music
but i think i preffer eq1 and one port closed still. more bass and stronger.

still need to experiment more

 

[snakeeyes]

I’m still playing with the q control on my dual vtf2 mk5s. I like 0.5 a little better than 0.7 but I’ve only listened to some music and watched a couple movies and a bit of tv so far. I like having the adjustment.

 

[snakeeyes]

I’m liking 0.3 Best now. Gotta have it right for music is why I took it back down a notch. Loving these a lot.

 

[KEW]

I’m liking 0.3 Best now. Gotta have it right for music is why I took it back down a notch. Loving these a lot.

Need the full picture!
Are you using EQ1 or EQ2?
Are any of the ports plugged?

Many think there is no difference in the sound between sealed and ported subs.
IME, there is a difference - however, I have not had the benefit of the type of tuning options Hsu offers or a miniDSP when I listened to ported models (only Audyssey which was not enough).

 

[snakeeyes]

Need the full picture!
Are you using EQ1 or EQ2?
Are any of the ports plugged?

Many think there is no difference in the sound between sealed and ported subs.
IME, there is a difference - however, I have not had the benefit of the type of tuning options Hsu offers or a miniDSP when I listened to ported models (only Audyssey which was not enough).

Sorry I am trying all the options. Sealed EQ1 was ok but liking 1 port EQ1 now. Unfortunately I have a delay on testing as my GF is home sick.

 

[Audiosaur]

I experimented for a year with my pair of 2-5s. As I wrote in post #2, I settled on one port, .3.

I love the HSUs but stepped it up this summer with DIY 18s in ported cabinets. It's been fabulous. Now the HSUs are crated in the closet - still trying to decide whether to sell them. They really are great subs.