Is the Hifonics HFi1500 any good?

[GammaRadiation 10+ year member]

If you're going to run stereo subwoofers, that is fine. As has been said, rarely is the low end mixed stereo anyway. Especially for electronically created music such as rap and EDM. The dimensions and lay out of the average vehicle do not lend themselves to stereo differentiation anyway. In fact, at a certain point our ear are too closely spaced to tell unless you are listening on axis (door subwoofers, anyone?). However, if you do run stereo subs, do not run the woofers with a shared volume. If there is a stereo difference it can cause some loss of sound quality in many instances.

 

[zako 10+ year member]

Find someone running a 2 channel for their subs utilizing both left and right channels and see if the subs hit different from one another. You may find a few songs (very few) that do but most will hit identical from one to another.

And this is the half of my argument. I care about those few songs, whatever they are. The second part of my argument is the question, why should I spend $10 on a Y-splitter so that maxxsonics can save a few pennies on its pre-amp section?

 

[accuab 10+ year member]

And this is the half of my argument. I care about those few songs, whatever they are. The second part of my argument is the question, why should I spend $10 on a Y-splitter so that maxxsonics can save a few pennies on its pre-amp section?

I have mine hooked up like stereo with no problems. I didn't spend the 10 as you say on a splitter. If you don't like how they do their amps, don't buy one and be done with it. But don't knock it just cause you don't like it.

 

[zako 10+ year member]

I have mine hooked up like stereo with no problems. I didn't spend the 10 as you say on a splitter. If you don't like how they do their amps, don't buy one and be done with it. But don't knock it just cause you don't like it.

What is this, some kind of forum censorship, where no one is supposed to say anything bad about gear they're not using? I don't think I am doing a _bad_ thing by informing people of this issue, considering most won't find out until they read their manual. I understand the many people could care less but this issue. Like I said, if it works for you then great. I am not doing experiments with my gear. Check what I said about the stereos. Some have mono signal on both outs others don't.

 

[accuab 10+ year member]

What is this, some kind of forum censorship, where no one is supposed to say anything bad about gear they're not using? I don't think I am doing a _bad_ thing by informing people of this issue, considering most won't find out until they read their manual. I understand the many people could care less but this issue. Like I said, if it works for you then great. I am not doing experiments with my gear.

Not censorship but your opinion is not based on facts beside the manual. But you are talking bad about something that you obviously don't have any experience with. Don't knock it till you try it. Most of the bass that would be different between channels is mid bass. Whereas sub bass is going to be summed mono like 99% of the time.

 

[zako 10+ year member]

Not censorship but your opinion is not based on facts beside the manual. But you are talking bad about something that you obviously don't have any experience with. Don't knock it till you try it. Most of the bass that would be different between channels is mid bass. Whereas sub bass is going to be summed mono like 99% of the time.

You keep repeating the same things as if I have not addressed them already. I do not want my subwoofer to stop playing abruptly at 50-60Hz. There is thing thing called blending. Even with the crossover frequency at 60Hz with 18dB slope, there will still be quite a bit of midbass information coming out of the subwoofer. I also told you that I still care for the recordings where the bass information is not summed into mono. Even if there is only 1% of them, I still want the subwoofer to play all bass information that there is at the frequencies it is audibly playing.

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

You keep repeating the same things as if I have not addressed them already. I do not want my subwoofer to stop playing abruptly at 50-60Hz. There is thing thing called blending. Even with the crossover frequency at 60Hz with 18dB slope, there will still be quite a bit of midbass information coming out of the subwoofer. I also told you that I still care for the recordings where the bass information is not summed into mono. Even if there is only 1% of them, I still want the subwoofer to play all bass information that there is at the frequencies it is audibly playing.

While you're correct in that a subwoofer will not abruptly stop playing information above 60hz and will roll off, what you're forgetting to take into account are the front speakers. This "zone" is where you start to tell where the bass is coming from and most people looking for SQ prefer to have their systems sound like the bass is coming from the front of the car. The midbass speakers 'trick' the bits between your ears thinking that everything is coming from the front when it isn't b/c they're handling most of the directional bass while the subs are handling sub-bass.

If anything, I hate higher frequencies bleeding thru the crossover and being reproduced by the subwoofer. Just b/c a crossover has a certain advertised slope does not mean it's a good crossover. I've heard 12dB crossovers with less 'bleeding' than so-called 24dB slope crossovers in cheap amps. And if you're wondering if the crossovers are good in a Hifonics product...it isn't.

 

[zako 10+ year member]

While you're correct in that a subwoofer will not abruptly stop playing information above 60hz and will roll off, what you're forgetting to take into account are the front speakers. This "zone" is where you start to tell where the bass is coming from and most people looking for SQ prefer to have their systems sound like the bass is coming from the front of the car. The midbass speakers 'trick' the bits between your ears thinking that everything is coming from the front when it isn't b/c they're handling most of the directional bass while the subs are handling sub-bass.

Sorry for off topic.. but I know what you mean. Move subwoofer frequency a little crossover down say to 50Hz with a sharp slope and this results in a very unoffending bass sound and well behaved subwoofer, but most 6 inch fronts won't fill the lower mid-bass that well. Move it higher than say 70Hz and the subwoofer may become localizable and some notes will be a little muddy (not always, but typically). It's a fine line. I usually end at 60-70Hz@18dB.