Subwoofers: Inexpensive Hsu vs REL


Does anyone feel the incremental dollars for a REL subwoofer versus an Hsu TN1220HO are well spent? I know the Hsu TN1220HO goes to 20Hz and is down only a little at 16, so it is not the depth. I would 'crossover' Merlin VSM-Milleniums at 40 or 50 Hz, so it is not a wide bandwidth involved. You don't need incredible detail below 50 Hz, so I imagine you have to work real hard to hear differences between subwoofers presuming they both roll off steep. The Hsu rolls off at -24db per octave, so you are not going to hear much above 50Hz, therefore it should not give its position away (e.g. 'directionality'). The Hsu fires toward the ceiling, not the floor, so you are not exciting the floor too much. You can get two (2) Hsu's for $1,500 - you can't come close to that with REL. Am I missing something? Has anyone heard both?
gererick

Showing 1 response by sugarbrie

They are both nice subs and good brands. The TN1220 is also a very different animal from a REL. (The VTF models are more similar.) I own two REL's. I also met Dr. Hsu at CES in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago. He put on a very impressive demo. He is also a nice guy and smart.

Have you contacted anyone at Hsu?? Maybe you should express some of your concerns with them. I am confident Dr. Hsu will give you his honest opinion.