HSU HB-1 Build Quality and Setup
When a company like HSU Research with a reputation for making quality products (in this case subs) at extremely affordable prices announces a new product, we all sit up at attention. When they announce something other than a new model of a tried and true product in their current line, we raise an eyebrow. When the product is something new and different from anything they’ve ever offered before, well, we couldn’t help but get excited. The HB-1 is a horn loaded bookshelf specifically made to fill large rooms (large enough to contain one or more of HSU Research’s top end subs I’d imagine). It is designed to be crossed over at 80 Hz (the THX recommended crossover point) which mean that it has the ability to seamlessly blend with a quality subwoofer or two (perhaps even an HSU model). So far, it sounds like HSU Research is trying to make themselves a “one stop shop” for high-end audio.
Build Quality
Each HB-1 arrived in its own box, perfect if you are putting together a 6.1 system (no silly “they only come in pairs” rules). The speakers are quite a bit larger than I expected, almost as tall as my old Axiom m22’s but a bit wider. The horn loaded tweeter takes up nearly half the real estate on the front baffle and looks even bigger than the 6.5” woofer. The corners are rounded and the entire speaker is wrapped in black vinyl. There are no feet or provisions for feet on the bottom of the speaker. HSU Research didn’t even provide any sticky rubber or felt pads assuming that you’d already have them on your stands. The back of each speaker has a pair of binding posts and three threaded inserts for wall mounts. In the middle of the back of the speaker there is a flared port.
The HSU logo is prominently displayed on the grill. The grill also matches the color of the vinyl wrapping that, in the right light, is hard to distinguish between the two. Honestly, there were times that I had to look for the logo to know where the front of the speaker was. However, when there was a lot of direct front light, the shiny finish on the horn would reflect and show through. The grills are very sturdy and well connected. The posts on the grill are plastic and have enough resistance so that you have to work a bit to get them off. The plastic posts make me a little nervous that they will someday bend or break with frequent removal of the grill. I’d feel better if the post was metal but that worry is probably unfounded.
Aesthetically, with the grills on, the HB-1 resembles the SVS SBS-01 offerings except for the size. Because the speakers are so much larger, I find them to be a bit less attractive (note – I didn’t find the SBS’s all that attractive to begin with). On top of that, their appearance earns less points in the WAF department with the grill off (something I rarely say) so there is little you can do to improve the aesthetics less building them into an entertainment center which may compromise performance. With the grills on, as flat black speakers are wont to do, they blend into a darkened room very well.
Cracking open the speakers, it was (for once) easy to see all the component parts. The crossover was mounted on the back wall just below the port and above the binding posts. The 6.5” woofer was secured by a plastic vanity ring over the metal surround which helps reduce the transfer of driver to cabinet resonance. The woofer basket is stamped which is to be expected at this price point. I was particularly impressed with the rigidity of the woofer material – it was much harder than other treated paper woofers I’ve experienced in the past. I confirmed that the unit was constructed out of ¾” MDF and it was lined with a thin layer of polyfill. There was no additional internal cross bracing. The port was flared on the outside but not inside which helps to reduce port turbulence noise. The drivers are NOT shielded so you best keep these speakers away from a CRT display or magnetic media storage device.
Setup
Because of the size of the speaker, you need to be careful what size stands you buy. For my seated position, a 30” stand was about 10” too high. I wouldn’t go with anything taller than a 24” stand (and perhaps something shorter in my case). Remember, the tweeters should be about ear height. The center of the tweeter is about 11” from the bottom of the speaker which should help you when stand shopping. Positioning these speakers was either extremely easy or extremely hard depending on the level of precision you were looking for. A directivity horn is like a laser. If it is pointed right at you, it sounds one way, if it isn’t… well, it sounds different. In this case, different isn’t necessarily bad. For precise imaging, you’re going to want to follow the “golden triangle” (same distance between you and each of the speakers as the distance between the speakers) with the speakers pointed directly at you. This will give you the best possible imaging. If you can’t (or don’t want to) do that, then go ahead and point them straight forward. They still imagine OK but the soundstage is much more diffuse. There are a single set of 5-way binding posts on the back ensuring that the bi-wire debate is moot. I can imagine no sane reason to need a separate amp for a horn loaded tweeter anyhow.
Author’s Note: I actually ended up testing two sets of these speakers. The first set I never could get to image correctly. HSU Research believed that there was a problem with the first set and sent me another. Unfortunately (for the purposes of this review) the new set also had upgraded tweeters. The new speakers imaged much better but now I can’t be sure that this is because the first pair were defective or because of the upgraded tweeters. As HSU Research has indicated that the new tweeters simply extend the frequency response above 20 kHz and eliminate a small peak at 12 kHz, I’m inclined to believe that the first pair was defective.
HSU Research has a lot of suggestions for placement of these speakers in their owner’s manual:
The distances to the three nearest solid surface should be in the ratio 1:1.26:1.60. When you have the distance to the floor the greatest, for a typical ear height of 40" (i.e., woofer 34" off the floor), this translates into 21 and 27" from the two nearest walls. If the HB-1 is used as a center channel, it’s best to use it in the normal upright position just like the left and right speakers. You can also lay it on its side at the expense of horizontal polar response.
After busting out my slide rule… I went ahead and just placed them where I normally place speakers. In my world, speaker placement doesn’t take a degree in mathematics. The manual goes on to dissuade someone from wall mounting these speakers because of the port - basically, it suggests that you should use a “swivel” type mount to increase the distance between the rear of the speaker and the wall. This is generally a good idea in that it gives the port some room to “breathe” and it reduces boundary reinforcement which could bloat the bass response. These creates some confusion for me in that they have obviously included threaded inserts on the back of the speaker for wall mounting but then designed the unit with a rear port and imply that wall mounting isn’t the best idea. Better, I think, that they relocate/remove the port or remove the mounting hardware. This won’t stop people from wall mounting them but it will show the user that wall mounting isn’t the optimal placement. Sure, removing the port may decrease the bass output but then you wouldn’t have as many placement concerns.
