HSU VTF-2 or Sony SA-wm40

[Kevman5002]

Ok I've heard hands down that the HSU is by far a better sub, i'll believe that, for $500 it better be. My question is: how does the much cheaper sony sound in the long term. I'm looking for a sub that will last and if i can would like to avoid the cost of the HSU but if the sony is gonna get worse over time and the HSU although expense will continue to sound great. I'll pay the extra money. any own the sony that has had it for a while and still thinks the sound hasn't changed much? Thanks in advance.
Kevin

[chess]

i guess i'm the resident SA-WM40 guy here, and i must say that i'm still quite pleased with mine. been about 4 months now of pretty regular (and often extreme) use. i test the limits of this sub pretty much every chance i get. i even put together a bass heavy CD-R for just that purpose.

i know of several folks who've had theirs much longer than i have and they're all very pleased as well. i also haven't heard any complaints about fried amps (usually the first thing to go in a cheap sub).

all in all, i think she's still the bang/buck winner.

is the Hsu better? sure. is it 3 times as good? hmmmmm...

remains to be seen.

p.s. good luck finding the sony.

[knit-witt]

Between the Sony and HSU, I would go with the HSU. But, here is another sub you should have on your list which falls between the Sony and HSU in price, but could possibly outperform either:

http://www.adireaudio.com/rpd/rava.htm

[DVD_O_Rama]

Originally posted by chess
... i even put together a bass heavy CD-R for just that purpose.



Just out of curiosity, chess, what kind of 'bass heavy' stuff are you running through the Sony, and at what volume? I'm not out to bash the Sony, as there is plenty of that to be found elsewhere, I'm just curious what volume you are running it at, and when it starts to distort.

[Kevman5002]

Originally posted by knit-witt
Between the Sony and HSU, I would go with the HSU. But, here is another sub you should have on your list which falls between the Sony and HSU in price, but could possibly outperform either:

http://www.adireaudio.com/rpd/rava.htm

sounds like a pretty good sub, is this the only place you can get it or is there a chance i could find it somewhere for less. I've checked a lot of places.

[chess]

Originally posted by DVD_O_Rama
Originally posted by chess
... i even put together a bass heavy CD-R for just that purpose.



Just out of curiosity, chess, what kind of 'bass heavy' stuff are you running through the Sony, and at what volume? I'm not out to bash the Sony, as there is plenty of that to be found elsewhere, I'm just curious what volume you are running it at, and when it starts to distort.

well, i haven't found any music that is more bassy than say U-571, but i have found a couple of cool tracks. mostly reggae, hip hop, and techno on my mix CD. one chemical brothers song in particular incorporates a frequency sweep. i think it's called "under the influence." as far as distorting, my room and my ears usually give long before my sub (if you know what i mean). and i'm talking about a fairly large room here. roughly 18' x 30'.

YMMV

[RaptorsFan]

I agree with chess. I have to turn it down before it even has a chance to "fart".

Its been just over 2 months and I have yet to think that I need a bigger sub.

[knit-witt]

>>>sounds like a pretty good sub, is this the only place you can get it or is there a chance i could find it somewhere for less. I've checked a lot of places.<<<

The RAVA is a sub that you are buying direct from the mfg., just like the HSU. You could call them and see about their demo and return policy. It is a sub that I am sure would satisfy. Also, since it is a sealed sub, it should be more accurate than the HSU or Sony since they are ported subs. It also has a more powerful amp and an excellent driver. All in all, a very good value in subwoofers.

[Alfer]

Count me in as a true Sony SA-WM40 fan...going on 7 months now and nothing bad to say.

I play it good and loud with the DVD's and CD's using my Outlaw 1050(55+ on Outlaws volume scale)and have yet to find the Sony lagging or coughing. It will rattle your bones if you tweak everything in your system just right (crossovers, volumes etc)

For $129, you can't beat the Sony.

Alfer

[Wolfchild]

I've owned the HSU VTF-2 for about seven or eight months now and it's been great. It really is a great sub in that it just makes itself really transparent....all I did was place it in a corner but you really can't hear where the sub is. Very tight and clean......and for the really low stuff you'll know where the money went.

I was in the same position as you (although I didn't know about this Sony at the time) and I finally decided to spend the extra money on a HSU. I determined that I would probably not need to upgrade it again anytime in the foreseeable future. And that turned out to be true - I'm very happy with my system now, and won't be upgrading it again anytime soon unless something dies on me.

Not trying to talk you out of the Sony as I really don't know much about it, just saying that you can't go wrong with the HSU. And by the way, there is a site http://www.jeffssoundvalues.com He is an authorized HSU dealer and sells brand new VTF-2s less than the HSU site. It was a few months ago but mine was $425 and a reasonable $40 shipping (considering the weight of a sub). It shipped immediately and the guy on the phone (don't know if it was Jeff or not) was very helpful in answering my questions. You'll have to call them for a quote if interested.

[Edited by Wolfchild on 04-01-01 at 11:01 AM]

[jumbojp]

Originally posted by knit-witt


Also, since it is a sealed sub, it should be more accurate than the HSU or Sony since they are ported subs.

I disagree. Just because it is sealed doesn't mean it is more accurate. If the port or vent is tuned properly on a particular sub it can be just as accurate as a sealed sub.

On the other hand I am a sealed sub fan also I have 2 12" sealed subs, that resemble the Rava sub almost exactly. The design of the Rava box has been used for decades. My boxes are old Cerwin Vega end table sub boxes from the '80's and they have basically the same dimensions as the Rava box, even the 2" bottom base. They were originally rear ported. I sealed them and replaced the old woofers and they sound great.

Just wanted to add my opinion:)

[knit-witt]

>>>I disagree. Just because it is sealed doesn't mean it is more accurate. If the port or vent is tuned properly on a particular sub it can be just as accurate as a sealed sub.<<<

jumbojp,

Funny that you quoted me but failed to notice that I used the phrase "should be more accurate", emphasis on the word "should". It is pretty common knowledge that sealed subs are "generally considered" more accurate than ported subs. I can't definately say in this situation since I've never A/B'd these 3 subs.

BTW, thanks for adding your opinion. :)

[jumbojp]

Originally posted by knit-witt
>>>I disagree. Just because it is sealed doesn't mean it is more accurate. If the port or vent is tuned properly on a particular sub it can be just as accurate as a sealed sub.<<<

jumbojp,

Funny that you quoted me but failed to notice that I used the phrase "should be more accurate", emphasis on the word "should". It is pretty common knowledge that sealed subs are "generally considered" more accurate than ported subs. I can't definately say in this situation since I've never A/B'd these 3 subs.

BTW, thanks for adding your opinion. :)




I did notice that when I quoted you;) And yes in most cases sealed subs do sound better than ported subs because getting the port tuned properly is a very tricky thing to do and I don't have the patience for it, thus I sealed mine up:)

[Kevman5002]

Thank you all for your help and opinions, i eventually decided to go with the sony, i listened to it, and at $168 shipped it was too good to pass up. Maybe some day when i have more money to spend i'll upgrade but for now i think the sony will do.