HTD (Home Theater Direct)

[Pogre]

Is anyone here familiar with this company? I stumbled across a pair of "Level 4" towers on Craigslist the other day and they grabbed my attention. They sell TL speakers.

Cabinet Speakers | HTD

Traditional wooden audio speakers sold direct from the manufacturer.

www.htd.com

 

[ryanosaur]

Just on first inspection, I'm not impressed. The subwoofer design I saw is not a transmission line, but more properly an acoustic labyrinth I believe. They also discus a 1/12 wave Transmission Line and a Port Tube. None of my research has shown a port tube in use with transmission lines. That said, a Mass Loaded TL has what is most similar to a "port" in that the terminus of the line is restricted by a smaller opening... otherwise, the end of the line should terminate in a ratio based on the Sd of the driver.
Beyond that, I did not pursue any testing results, if any are even available.
*shrugs

 

[Pogre]

Just curious. I've hit pause on buying random speakers for now, til I figure out my next move. The ones I saw for sale look kinda nice and I saw "Transmission Line". That always gets me going, lol.

HTD Level Four Audiophile Tower Speakers - electronics - by owner -...

HTD (Home Theater Direct) Level Four Audiophile Tower Speakers. Home Theater Direct is a direct...

phoenix.craigslist.org

 

[Kvn_Walker]

I came awful close to buying a pair of Level 3 towers during my 2018 speaker midlife crisis. I backed off when I saw the free return shipping applied to everything except towers.

Never knew they had a level four, but my searching put those at circa 2000-2005. The company doesn't advertise much since it's budget ID, but they might be a hidden gem. You should give them a listen!

 

[zieglj01]

They make pretty good stuff ... the Level Four was a higher-end model ... and their towers have some nice bass .... those felt pads around the tweeter was not done by HTD, it looks like the seller put them there -- I would pass on their subs

 

[Verdinut]

Just on first inspection, I'm not impressed. The subwoofer design I saw is not a transmission line, but more properly an acoustic labyrinth I believe. They also discus a 1/12 wave Transmission Line and a Port Tube. None of my research has shown a port tube in use with transmission lines. That said, a Mass Loaded TL has what is most similar to a "port" in that the terminus of the line is restricted by a smaller opening... otherwise, the end of the line should terminate in a ratio based on the Sd of the driver.
Beyond that, I did not pursue any testing results, if any are even available.
*shrugs

A transmission line is the same as a tuned labyrinth:

HiFi Loudspeaker Design

www.mh-audio.nl

 

[lovinthehd]

They seem to have a niche, they've been around for a while now. Their home distribution stuff has been recommended several times on AH. Basic/decent quality at a decent price seemingly....few user reports I can think of.

 

[ryanosaur]

A transmission line is the same as a tuned labyrinth:

HiFi Loudspeaker Design

www.mh-audio.nl

I've seen the definition of transmission lines specifically describe the driver being placed along the line rather than at the end. With that the differing descriptors...

Thanks for that link, I haven't stumbled on that site before!

 

[slipperybidness]

I've always read good things about HTD. There has been some talk on AH about them here and there over the years. The have a lot of whole house audio products too. They also have a B-stock section on the web.

They are located in Plano (DFW) Texas, which could be an advantage for people that live nearby.

They look like a no nonsense, value oriented company to me, and I have been tempted to buy but never have.

 

[zieglj01]

They look like a no nonsense, value oriented company to me, and I have been tempted to buy but never have.

And they have first rate customer service

 

[panteragstk]

I've always read good things about HTD. There has been some talk on AH about them here and there over the years. The have a lot of whole house audio products too. They also have a B-stock section on the web.

They are located in Plano (DFW) Texas, which could be an advantage for people that live nearby.

They look like a no nonsense, value oriented company to me, and I have been tempted to buy but never have.

This. I actually worked in the same business park where they are located so I got to go demo their speakers in their shop. Super nice group of people and love helping customers.

They also used to frequent this forum. When I talked to them AH had done a review of their Level 2 speakers, but didn't do one of the REALLY in depth speaker reviews.

From what I remember, the level 2 speakers sounded very nice. The Level 3 was a big step up and was mighty impressive.

The owner told me they have a high level speaker designer that designs for all the big companies, but wouldn't tell me who.

I'd buy from them in a heartbeat, but this was at least 6-7 years ago and level 4 that @Pogre posted wasn't a current product. No idea how old those are.

 

[Pogre]

And they have first rate customer service

Very interesting. The form factor reminds me a bit of the Emo Airmotiv series and I'm sensing some parallels with SVS with the business model.

 

[ryanosaur]

Glad to say that perhaps my instincts were off.
For me, user experience is a big part of the game. Even after finding some reviews I am still left with many questions about their product. *shrugs

 

[zieglj01]

Do you remember?