These speakers are obviously meant to be used with a sub (obvious because HSU said so) so that is how I conducted the listening tests. Crossing the unit over at 80 Hz (also recommended by HSU), it mated well with my Axiom EP500. I was surprised at how well these speakers mated with my other Axiom speakers as well. Often when I integrate new speakers into my room for reviews, I’m forced to try and pair them with my current rig. This can cause… problems. Especially when you are trying to match the fronts. Add to the fact that these are horn loaded and the Axioms have a titanium domed tweeter and the HSU’s are quite a bit more sensitive and … well, you can see why I was worried. Overall, I have to say, that these speakers mated better with the Axiom VP100 center channel than I ever thought possible. The timbre matching was fairly close. I didn’t experience nearly the problems I have in the past with other speakers. Do I suggest you assume that the HB-1’s will match any speakers? No. If you are looking at purchasing a system you should probably just get the entire HSU system rather than hope they’ll match well with your current gear.

CD: Rives Test CD 2
As has become the norm for me lately, I started off taking a listen to the Rives Test CD 2 to get an idea of the frequency response of these speakers. Understand, these are just impressions of “useable” bass in my room. Your results may vary considerably. At first, I was surprised at how low a tone I was hearing from these speakers. As low as 31.5 Hz was audible… until I realized it was 99% port noise (surprisingly it wasn’t the annoying chuffing I’ve come to associate with port noise). At 50 Hz I was hearing about 50% port and 50% tone. 63 Hz was mostly tone (chuffing was barely audible at my seated position), and 80 Hz was all tone. For an experiment I stuffed the ports to see how this would affect the bass. Sure enough it tightened it up… all the way to non-existence in some cases. I wouldn’t suggest this unless placing the speakers directly against a wall surface is unavoidable.

CD: Soundtrack to Miss Saigon [Original London Cast]
OK, time to come clean. Back in the day I was a drama major. One of the side effects is having a small collection of Musical Theater CDs and a lot of “you’re a waste of a perfectly good gay man” comments. I wanted to hear how well these speakers reproduced female voices. Miss Saigon is a good choice in that it has two main female characters – one is an extremely rare contralto part while the other is the more common mezzo-soprano. This gives me a good sampling of a large range of female vocals. Songs like “I Still Believe,” “The Movie in my Mind,” and “Now that I’ve Seen Her” offer some of the most compelling and engaging female songs in any musical I’ve seen in years.

I’ve seen this musical in person a number of times so I know how it should sound. The HB-1’s really did a great job at presenting not only the force behind some of these incredible performances, but the nuances. Horns are known for being dynamic and for being able to be driven to insane levels with the most modest of sources. And the HB-1’s are no different. I drove these speakers louder than every other speaker that has been in my system without any audible distortion. And I never felt like I was pushing the limits. All I got from these speakers was the feeling Ivan Drago must have gotten when he said, “He's not human. He's like a piece of iron.” These speakers just didn’t want to give up. For the most part, at moderate to high volumes, I found them to be much more forgiving than I was expecting. These are highly efficient, 6 ohm rated speakers which means any decent amp section can drive them without incident.  My Denon AVR-3805 had no problems driving these speakers but it did get quite hot after an hour of so of loud listening.

CD: Rusted Root – When I Woke
To give the men equal time (well, not really, I’m not that magnanimous) I stuck in Rusted Root, an album that I am intimately familiar with. While I was focusing mostly on the male vocals, I couldn’t help but notice again the contralto and soprano backup singers. In particular Beautiful People stuck out as a test not only of the HB-1’s ability to handle male and female vocals but their ability to contend with quickly changing volumes and tones. Dynamics were very good and the male vocals were handled well. There is a plethora of information in this album; of course the vocals and main instruments but also a number of reeds, brass, cowbells, and just about everything else you can think of. At no time did I think the HSU Research HB-1’s were tainting any of these instruments. Each rang true to my ear.

CD: Yello – the eye
When testing imaging, I had to go back to my old standard. The eye has some of the most annoying songs that are some of the best tests for imaging, soundstage, and bass response. So, fun listening – no, good testing – yes. I played a lot with the toe-in and positioning of these speakers and confirmed that proper positioning really made a big difference in the imaging. I was first introduced to this album on a set of electrostats (which are known for tiny sweet spots and crazy imaging). The HSU Research HB-1’s gave me a feeling similar to that first experience… when properly placed and toed in. Otherwise the imaging was just OK. For those of you that have never really experienced great imaging, you’re going to be in for a treat. At times, the music almost seems like it is coming from your head. The HB-1’s do a good job of doing that with the proper placement. The problem – it is a hard thing to share. The sweet spot isn’t tiny, but you’re probably going to have to be pretty close friends to share it if you know what I mean.

DTS CD: Diana Krall – Love Scenes (read the review)
It isn’t really fair to test these speakers on a surround CD but I made an exception because most of the information on this DTS CD is conveyed from the left and right channels. Plus this is just a darn good album to listen too. It really helped the soundstage to have a little of the vocals coming from the center channel – which served to anchor them regardless of placement. The  upper bass notes and piano all sounded very lifelike and clean. This album is known for having some of the best sound quality on any format, except for the occasions where they drove the mic preamps into clipping which is only revealed by the very best systems and astute pair of ears. I felt like the HB-1’s did a good job of conveying this without coloring the music in any way.

Recommendations

It is so hard to say anything critical about a speaker at this price point. Still, they aren’t the only game on the block in the ~$250 range. My only real complaint was the small sweet spot. Also, and less importantly, I wouldn’t mind seeing some threaded inserts included on the bottom of the speaker incase someone wanted to install feet for placement on a shelf or display stand. At the very least, HSU Research should consider throwing in a few sticky rubber or felt tabs to attach to the bottom of the speaker. I know that there is a maple version of this speaker but I’ve seen no pictures of it. I suspect they would be more aesthetically pleasing than the black versions I tested. Regardless, after the HB-1’s were set up in the room for a while they didn’t draw attention to themselves, but they were definitely not a conversation piece.

Conclusion

While I didn’t write up any of my experiences with these speakers and movies (movies are too reliant on the other speakers to fairly test a pair of bookshelves), I believe that this set (along with the HSU Research matching center channel the HC-1) would be a fine choice for movies. The price is very competitive especially considering that they are going for $125 a pop right now. You can get a 5.1 setup with one of HSU Research’s award winning subs for under a grand. That is something movie buffs should think hard about. I would highly recommend people looking for rear surround speakers on a budget to consider the HB-1’s. I suspect that they would perform surround (and especially surround back) duties very well. For serious critical music listening, you’ll need to pay particular attention to placement. But I would think that surround music (something recorded in DTS or a multichannel SACD or DVD-A) would sound great. What we have here is a very good speaker for an entry level system. And by entry level I mean would trounce nearly any other system that people would consider to be “entry”. Easy to setup, easy to power, and easy on the wallet. Paired with one of HSU Research’s subs and you’ve got a winning combination. This should make the short list of all fledgling Audioholics looking for an affordable but impressive solution.

Hsu Research Inc.

3160 E. La Palma Ave, Unit D
Anaheim, CA 92806
www.hsuresearch.com

About HSU Research

HSU Research, Inc. began as a specialized deep bass research company in 1991.  Dr. Hsu started the business shortly after receiving a PhD in engineering from MIT. He moved to Orange County, California with the dream of making the world’s best subwoofers.

Dr. Hsu started with a subwoofer made of recycled cardboard tube called a sono-tube. It was seven feet tall. The experiment was powerful, and played pristine bass notes deeper than humans can hear, down to 16 Hz. Dr. Hsu called the design a "true subwoofer."

In 2003, Dr. Hsu aimed for the mass market with the STF subwoofer series and Ventriloquist surround system. Dr. Hsu felt that high performance audio was gaining recognition and popular acceptance. Instead of throwing money into flashy parts, as is typical in the mass market, money went into high performance components. The new products reflected Dr. Hsu's beliefs that superior audio performance and reliability should be available to many people, not just a privileged few.

In 2006, Dr Hsu applied for patents on several new technologies, including the turbocharger, mid-bass module (positional optimization of low frequency reproduction), and a way of bending a port tube so it will perform as well as a straight port. The year 2006 also marked the acceptance of the Ventriloquist patent. These advances further widen the gap between the performance of a HSU product and the competition.

Today, Dr. Hsu spends his time behind the scenes, developing products for Fortune 500 companies and consulting privately with his customers. His goal is to design best-of-breed audio technology for the smart masses. Honesty, a mastery of engineering, and sound innovations define HSU Research.