The FV12 is a definite step up from both the eD A2-300 and the HSU VTF-1. I have heard both, personally. And, as I said, I quite like the A2 and the HSU (just to note, I'd strongly recommend going with the less expensive STF-2 over the VTF-1, since the STF-1 is essentially identical to the VTF-1 set in "max extension mode", which is what almost everyone would use with that sub anyway). But there are clear compromises with either the A2 or the STF-2.
The STF-2 is pretty great, but you more or less give up the lowest octave. The STF-2 starts to roll off around 40Hz and it's a pretty steep roll off.
The eD A2 subs manage to play a bit lower (not the 18Hz that they claim, since they measure their gear in a padded closet!). It's more like 27 or 28 Hz with the eD A2 models. But regardless, lower than the STF-2 or VTF-2. But the eD A2 subs give up the tight transient response in favor of more "slam" that comes along with some overhang and an overall less accurate sound.
The FV12, on the other hand, genuinely reaches right down to about 25Hz and has useable output at 20Hz, which is, quite frankly, rather amazing at its $500 + shipping price. On top of that, it is nice and clean. Very good transient response, accurate, linear and just all-around good sounding.
It really is a very clear and obvious step up from the $350-range subs. I realize and can fully appreciate that $565 is over your $500 cap budget, but this is one of those cases where stretching a little over your budget really is worth while. We're not talking about hundreds extra - just $65 - so this is one of those times where going a little over budget really is worth it.
Believe me, I know how easy it is to go over budget and how easy it is to always look at the next price bracket up and say, "well maybe I should just wait and spend more!" It's not always the case that spending more gets you your money's worth. But there are also the cases where you spend less and wind up regretting it in the long run. When I first started out, I bought an RCA brand HTiB. I don't regret that purchase. I didn't know much about home theater at the time. The RCA HTiB was cheap, sounded ok, and gave me a start. My next upgrade was a full Polk Audio setup with a Kenwood receiver. And, man, do I ever regret that purchase! Sure, it was right at my budget price point. Sure, it was still an obvious upgrade over my RCA HTiB. But, man, could I ever have done so much better for around the same price or just a little more! When I went to my next upgrade of 5 Axiom speakers, a Yamaha receiver and an HSU VTF-3 MK2 subwoofer, all I could think about was how I could have had that level of quality so much sooner if I had avoided the Polk + Kenwood setup.
So am I trying to encourage you to spend over your budget? Yes. Is that always the right thing to do? No!
But in this particular case, I really, strongly believe that it IS the right thing to do. If you've got a $500 budget, stretching it to $565 in order to get the FV12 is absolutely the right move, IMO. It's like skipping the crappy Polk setup that I had and jumping straight to the HSU VTF-3 MK2 that served me very well for many years, outperformed my next mistaken "upgrade" (which were a pair of very disappointing Epik Sentinel subs), and still provides the bass in my living room to this day!
Like I said earlier, there are, what I like to call, "checkpoint" products, and products that "move the goal posts". You get one of those "checkpoint" products and you can feel extremely satisfied that spending less would have meant a significant downgrade. And you can also feel extremely satisfied that you would have to spend significantly more - like, hundreds over budget - to get anything better. It's a "checkpoint" because you can enjoy that product for years and years before ever feeling the desire or having the budget to upgrade to something that is genuinely, significantly better.
There ARE better subs than the FV12. Let's not be mistaken about that. And there are better subs than the FV12 for prices that are not insanely more expensive, like the $700 HSU VTF-3 MK4 or the $770 SVS PB12-NSD DSP. But those subs are hundreds of dollars over your $500 budget and the FV12 is closer to them in performance than the $350 subs are to the FV12. In other words, it's a lot harder to justify spending some $200-$300 more over the FV12 for what amounts to a somewhat small upgrade than it is to justify spending $150-$200 more in order to get the FV12 over anything that costs less than the FV12. It's a BIG step when you go from the STF-2 or eD A2 models up to the FV12. You get almost a full octave more extension with the FV12 over the STF-2, and you get obviously more accurate sound with the FV12 over the eD A2 models.
Again, don't get me wrong: if you're someone who has a $350 budget limit, I can fully get behind an STF-2 or A2 purchase. You just have to decide whether you want cleaner bass with less extension or more extension at the price of accuracy. But with a $500 budget, it's a different matter. I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice to go below the FV12. Believe me, I COMPLETELY understand wanting to spend less. But if you can, think of the long term. You get the STF-2 or A2 now, worst case scenario, it doesn't really give you the sort of upgrade you were hoping for over your Velodyne. Now you're faced with return shipping costs, or you're stuck with a sub that doesn't really make you happy and now you have to save up again for something better! Best case scenario, you're happy with the upgrade, but you're still well aware that you've made somewhat of a compromise. This being a "best case", you'll still be happy with the purchase for a number of years. But trust me, if you're the sort of person who's on a message board, looking to upgrade your Velodyne sub? You're also the sort of person who won't be able to help but think of your next subwoofer upgrade before too long
With the FV12, I don't foresee a "worst case" scenario where you're not happy with the upgrade over you Velodyne. The FV12 will be an absolutely obvious upgrade. There's pretty much zero chance that you'll question the improvement in any area. Furthermore, being into the home theater hobby, I can't imagine that you'll NEVER think of wanting even more bass performance
But having the FV12 will mean that you'll look at what else is out there, and realize that you've already got very, very good bass performance and that you'd have to spend A LOT more for your next upgrade. In my own case, instead of going through 5 systems, I could have gone through 3 if I had followed similar advice. That would have saved me a lot of money in the long run.
So that's the sort of advice that I'm trying to pass along here. Spend your money wisely and you might spend a bit more up front, but you'll save a lot more in the long run
