Further to all of this: I appreciate the tip for ONIX speakers. I ordered a pair of the Reference-1's and have to say that they are outstanding speakers, beautifully finished and very musical! They are a great match for the Onix SP3 Tube amp... But amazingly enough, the Hsu HB-1's (6.5" Woofer) stand their ground in many respects against the Reference 1's and surpass them in a few areas.
The reason for this is that the Reference 1's sound a bit too heavy in the bass and just seem to by trying to reach too low and do too much. The 5.25" woofer/ported design of the Reference-1 isn't up to the challenge and sounds strained to me when played past mid level with 'heavy' music. (My opinion)
For the price, either the HB-1 or Reference 1's are a great value, with the Reference 1's winning for overall detail and musicality for low to mid-volume listening and for being beautiful to look at.
The HB-1's are better able to handle more power (up to 250W RMS) and play quite loud without sounding too bass heavy, strained or harsh, but the Reference-1's can easily be over driven by amps other than the SP3. Both HB-1 and Reference-1 would need a sub-woofer for serious bass extension, but the Reference-1 might be harder to integrate with a sub, given its' more pronounced bass extension.
I heard from AV123 that they may introduce a new monitor speaker later in 2007, with a 6.5" woofer. Based on the outstanding initial performance of the Reference 1's, this new XPRO(?) model might be worth the wait and should be a step up from the Reference-1.
In any case, the Reference-1's are an excellent product and would make outstanding 'near field' monitors, with more than enough bass for a smaller room. But given the price of $250/pair for the vinyl-coated HB-1's, the HB's should not even be able to have a chance against the visually stunning, musical/articulate sounding Reference-1's. Although the Reference-1's are slightly better than the HB-1's at subtle details, the HB-1 is more versatile and efficient as a general purpose 'kick-around' 2-way satellite/monitor, bookshelf speaker.
There is no intention here to inflate the HB-1 or to de-value the Reference-1. It's perhaps not fair to compare these two different designs from different price points. If I had a specialized need for what the Reference-1's do best, I'd keep them. But for 'generic' satellite speakers, the HB-1's are still 'keepers'...too bad they aren't available in a nice Rosewood cabinet like the Reference-1's. No doubt they would sound even better in a more stylish enclosure(?)
Nevertheless, the Reference-1's have created a desire for a more capable reference mini-monitor...perhaps Von Schweikert VR-1's are next? The quest continues.
The reason for this is that the Reference 1's sound a bit too heavy in the bass and just seem to by trying to reach too low and do too much. The 5.25" woofer/ported design of the Reference-1 isn't up to the challenge and sounds strained to me when played past mid level with 'heavy' music. (My opinion)
For the price, either the HB-1 or Reference 1's are a great value, with the Reference 1's winning for overall detail and musicality for low to mid-volume listening and for being beautiful to look at.
The HB-1's are better able to handle more power (up to 250W RMS) and play quite loud without sounding too bass heavy, strained or harsh, but the Reference-1's can easily be over driven by amps other than the SP3. Both HB-1 and Reference-1 would need a sub-woofer for serious bass extension, but the Reference-1 might be harder to integrate with a sub, given its' more pronounced bass extension.
I heard from AV123 that they may introduce a new monitor speaker later in 2007, with a 6.5" woofer. Based on the outstanding initial performance of the Reference 1's, this new XPRO(?) model might be worth the wait and should be a step up from the Reference-1.
In any case, the Reference-1's are an excellent product and would make outstanding 'near field' monitors, with more than enough bass for a smaller room. But given the price of $250/pair for the vinyl-coated HB-1's, the HB's should not even be able to have a chance against the visually stunning, musical/articulate sounding Reference-1's. Although the Reference-1's are slightly better than the HB-1's at subtle details, the HB-1 is more versatile and efficient as a general purpose 'kick-around' 2-way satellite/monitor, bookshelf speaker.
There is no intention here to inflate the HB-1 or to de-value the Reference-1. It's perhaps not fair to compare these two different designs from different price points. If I had a specialized need for what the Reference-1's do best, I'd keep them. But for 'generic' satellite speakers, the HB-1's are still 'keepers'...too bad they aren't available in a nice Rosewood cabinet like the Reference-1's. No doubt they would sound even better in a more stylish enclosure(?)
Nevertheless, the Reference-1's have created a desire for a more capable reference mini-monitor...perhaps Von Schweikert VR-1's are next? The quest continues.