Round 3: AV123 x-ls vs. Hsu HB-1

Round 3 Price Category: $200 - $250

Clint DeBoer: Coming full circle, we brought back the Hsu HB-1s and set them up against the AV123 x-ls speakers. During "Cousin Dupree" the HB-1s had plenty of highs, but they lacked detail, in fact we could hear compression during the cymbal crashes, which wasn't flattering at all. There did seem to be a more even frequency response overall with the Hsu speakers. The x-ls bookshelf speakers pushed quite a bit of bass, which we found to be overdone, as were the upper mids - pronounced and a tad too overzealous. This was a tough comparison and it was nearly impossible to select a winner.

Gene DellaSala: This was a tough call for me as well. Both speakers shared similar sonic attributes in terms of spectral balance. Too much bass, recessed mids and warm, almost dull highs. The x-ls’ to me had a more natural, less nasily sound to them. I suspect properly bass managed in an acoustically live room, the x-ls would be the clear winner. Again, I couldn’t get over the commanding appearance of the x-ls. They won based on sheer beauty alone. You won’t find a nicer looking speaker for under $2,000 / pair in my opinion.

Tom Andry: I found this pairing to be the most interesting as it was the two speakers that I felt had muted highs and were a bit boomy. I honestly didn't know what to expect. The HSU's sounded a bit better on the top end with a little more extension but with very disappointing imaging (something I found to be true during my review of these speakers). The midrange of the AV123's was nicer than the HSU's but only marginally. The AV123's speakers sounded too boomy even in comparison to the HB-1's. Imaging was definitely a step up from the HSU's. Overall, I'd probably go with the x-ls's as I know that a sub crossed over at 80hz would take care of some of that boominess I was hearing.

J. Walker Clarke: Both pairs exhibited a muted or muffled sound during this test. Heavy on the bottom, with more to be desired up top. I have auditioned a pair of x-ls in my room at home and had better results. This pair did not sound near as good as I expected, having heard the model before. Overall, the x-ls was a bit boomy. In this test, I found the HSU's to have a little bit better balance, especially up top. A difficult test, but for my money and ears (as well as earlier experience with another pair of the same model), I chose the x-ls as the winner.