Audioholics Ultimate Subwoofer Shootout Planned

[Rickster71]

If I read this post completely well, HSU ULS-15 was left out and when asked about why, the question was consistently eluded. Something wrong with ULS-15?

It is just funny after 2 years those very few ULS-15 reviews and that the only decent one seems to have some test flaws... "the reviewers didn't use AP technique to remove the reflections " -Gordon McGregor

How good is the ULS-15? no snake-oil explanations please!

Your questions should be directed to HSU.
Give them a call or email them.
Ask them about their review policy; and while you're at it, ask them to send Gene a sub that meets the shoot out criteria. Direct your questions to the source, HSU

 

[GranteedEV]

sorry if I missed it/didn't feel like wading through the pages, but what was the status of the aperion bravus 12d, and seaton submserive?

 

[Warpdrv]

Seems Gene stated that he wanted subs that were readily available and he determined that the Submersive was not, I'm not sure if he came to this conclusion on his own or after contacting Mark or not...

Gene also stated

Perhaps the next round will include all DIY products and then we can include the Seaton ones.

I don't recognize the Seaton Sound products as DIY subs as he has a full list of products on his page and they ship on a regular basis just like any other manufacturer, which also deal with issues with product delays reliant on parts availability and small delays...

Mark was waiting on new amps to ship on the upgrade to the new HP or high power amps, which I mentioned to Gene. I believe that time has passed and they are shipping. I'm pretty confident that he could have supplied a submersive with or without the new amps, but apparently they were ruled out long before that anyway.


I'll be picking up my Submersive HP on tues, so I know for a fact that Mark could supply a Submersive if he wanted to be included....

 

[autoboy]

Where is the shootout in California? I'll have access to a SVS PB13 Ultra and a Axiom EP800 in Sacramento.

My brother ordered the PB13 Ultra and then realized that it wasn't a good fit in his system since it was too tall to rest a VP180 speaker on top and still clear the screen, so he decided to order a Axiom EP800 and lay it on it's side. Not all sub purchases are made by sheer performance, and I'm sure both of these subs will sound fantastic but the realities of form factor forced a change.

I've agreed to take his PB13 Ultra off his hands (replacing a perfectly capable SVS PB12-NSD) but in the meantime I'd love to get these two subs up against each other by someone who knows what to listen for.

 

[gene]

Where is the shootout in California? I'll have access to a SVS PB13 Ultra and a Axiom EP800 in Sacramento.

My brother ordered the PB13 Ultra and then realized that it wasn't a good fit in his system since it was too tall to rest a VP180 speaker on top and still clear the screen, so he decided to order a Axiom EP800 and lay it on it's side. Not all sub purchases are made by sheer performance, and I'm sure both of these subs will sound fantastic but the realities of form factor forced a change.

I've agreed to take his PB13 Ultra off his hands (replacing a perfectly capable SVS PB12-NSD) but in the meantime I'd love to get these two subs up against each other by someone who knows what to listen for.

Paul resides in Downey which is very close to LA. I believe that's about 400 miles or so from Sacramento so unless you're willing to do the drive, I don't think its possible.

 

[sholling]

Paul resides in Downey which is very close to LA. I believe that's about 400 miles or so from Sacramento so unless you're willing to do the drive, I don't think its possible.

The drive from the LA county line to Downey would probably take nearly as long as the drive from Sacramento to LA. It used to take me 2-2.5 hours to drive the 33 miles from Chino to Downey when I lived and worked up that way.

 

[sholling]

I don't think Hsu is interested in making a single "killer" sub, they have been headed in a more modular approach to subs for awhile, what with the turbo, mid-bass module, and their promotion of the ULS as a multiple sub system ie the dual drive and quad drive. That philosophy may continue if they re-release their TN1220 like they have been talking about for a little while now, as that definitely had a modular aspect to it. It's too bad that they get overlooked for some of the monster subs out there, like the PB13, Submersive, etc. Multiple sub systems have some real and major advantages over single subs, even at an equal price, it's just a more sensible solution for so many more situations.

It's almost like the market is diversifying. SVS is moving up scale with their new $700+ DSP products and big gaps between price points, while Hsu is staying under $700 with the exception of the ULS-15 and multiples of the ULS-15. I have a ULS-15 in my bedroom and also have a PC12-NSD/DSP on order and I'm curious about how much different they'll sound in my 3000cuft.

 

[shadyJ]

I don't think the market is actually diversifying. SVS is charging more for the subs because of the great demand for them, they are enormously successful. And while their move into sealed subs is diversifying for them as a company, it's definitely not a overall market diversifying move, as they are trying to get in on a piece of JL audio's action with small, powerful, feature packed, expensive subs. They may find success there because of the name they have made for themselves, but it's still a crowded market segment.

 

[gene]

I applaud manufacturers that are engineering small potent subwoofer solutions. It takes a lot of good engineering to make them perform well. But, when they do, they blend into a room decor well and yield excellent performance, especially when using 2 or 4 strategically placed.

 

[sholling]

I agree - it's a wonderful thing. And most are also keeping their big house shakers as well. There's a place for both. As you say the key is quality.

 

[rollinrocker]

looking forward to this, should be great reading

i saw a couple of requests for the trinity

moot point at this juncture, but would loved to have seen how it stacked up against this line-up

 

[autoboy]

Paul resides in Downey which is very close to LA. I believe that's about 400 miles or so from Sacramento so unless you're willing to do the drive, I don't think its possible.

That's a bit too much driving for me. I live in the Bay Area. I would have to drive the 2.5 hours to Sacramento, pick up the subs, and then drive them down to LA. And then pick them up when you are done. Oh well...

 

[MinusTheBear]

Any updates you can share? Have the products been shipped by the manufacturers?

 

[KEW]

Any updates you can share? Have the products been shipped by the manufacturers?

So far we have:

• RBH Sound 1010-SEN
• Rythmik FV15HP
• Earthquake MKVI-15BLK
• Funkywaves FW12.X_SA1000_Brindle
• SV Sound PB12-Plus

I requested samples from:

• Salk
• Elemental Designs
• Paradigm

So if they want to be included, products must be in hand by mid October.

Has the "drop-dead" ship date been met? Have the candidates been finalized?

 

[clouso]

I applaud manufacturers that are engineering small potent subwoofer solutions. It takes a lot of good engineering to make them perform well. But, when they do, they blend into a room decor well and yield excellent performance, especially when using 2 or 4 strategically placed.

Thx for this thread very interesting and its appreciated that you took the time to post it and put work and time on it!....

 

[pbmpharmacist]

Any updates you can share? Have the products been shipped by the manufacturers?

+1 I'm very interested hearing about the shootout

 

[gene]

HSU In the House!

HSU is submitting this Goliath to our shootout:

http://hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-15h.html

 

[gene]

Update

Has the "drop-dead" ship date been met? Have the candidates been finalized?

All products have been delivered except for RBH. Their new cabinets wont be ready for the 1010 model so they are submitting a smaller single 12" prototype. They are the smallest sub in the bunch so I hope everyone realizes size does matter in the comparison.

There has been some interesting drama among a couple of manufacturers when trying to organize this event. I am writing an editorial about it now. Should be good reading

 

[shadyJ]

Wow, this is turning into a massive shootout. This article is sure to get lots of attention when it's posted, and I think there will probably be some drama after it's done too. But kudos to Audioholics for taking on such a large project! When do you think the article will be finished? Also, did the sub RBH wanted to send, the 1010, have a 15" driver as opposed to the 12" they are sending?

 

[GranteedEV]

Wow, this is turning into a massive shootout. This article is sure to get lots of attention when it's posted, and I think there will probably be some drama after it's done too. But kudos to Audioholics for taking on such a large project! When do you think the article will be finished? Also, did the sub RBH wanted to send, the 1010, have a 15" driver as opposed to the 12" they are sending?

The 1010 has dual 10" drivers, as its name suggests.