I purchased their subwoofer VTF3 MK3 in 2011. The subwoofer is pretty good for the price. This year, I moved to a different state, and after my move, my receiver cannot detect my sub. So I wrote the following email to their tech support:
Dear Tech Support,
I have purchased an HSU VTF3 MK3 subwoofer in May 2011. Please see attached a pdf file of my order receipt. The SN for my subwoofer is V3SB110XXXXXXX.
Recently, I have moved from XXX to XXX. After I moved, I found out that when I connect my subwoofer to my receiver, I am getting no output from my subwoofer while the LED light is red, while all other speakers are working fine.
I followed the troubleshooting procedure mentioned in the manual (a pdf file of manual is also attached for convenience). According to page 8 of the attached manual, there are two possible causes for this:
1. The subwoofer is not receiving a signal
2. Subwoofer amplifier is faulty
For 2, I have tried connecting the subwoofer to a computer 2.1 speaker set's RCA output (I no longer have a CD player as suggested by the manual, the speaker set's RCA output is intended for connection from its subwoofer to its satellite speakers), I found out when the volume on the sub is set to low, I still get no output. However, when the volume on the sub is set to near max, I can get output. (I figure this rules out possibility 1)
I have also tried setting the volume to midlevel and touching the unplugged end of the cable, I hear no noise. When I set the volume to max, I still hear no noise. I was getting the same result regardless whether I set the crossover on the sub to in or out.
Based on the above facts, do you think my subwoofer amplifier is bad? If yes, please kindly advise what should I do to get this fixed. Also, could you please give me a cost estimate for this repair? If no, what are the possible causes for this?
I really appreciate your help.
Best Regards,
XXX
This was their reply:
Sorry to hear that. Sounds like the amplifier has died. Your best option is to purchase a VTF-3 MK4 amplifier. That upgrades you to the MK4 with Q control. That runs $235 plus $25 S/H. Call (714)666-9260 to order.
Replacing the amp is easy. Simply take out the 12 screws along the perimeter of the amp. Pull out the amp. Disconnect the wires from the woofer. Connect the new amp tot he woofer. Screw in the new amp. That is it!
So far so good, so I went ahead and ordered the VTF-3 MK4 amp from them. Guess what, after I received the new amp and installed it, my receiver still cannot detect my subwoofer. Gee, I think, it must be the receiver. So I got a new receiver, and still no go. So my last hope was to try a different subwoofer cable (BTW, I purchased the previous sub cable also from them) and finally it worked. So I called them and told them I want to return the amp I just bought.
One lady answered the phone, and I quote, "So now we need to pay for your mistake?"
I asked, "how is this my mistake? I described my problem to your tech support team and I made the purchase according to your suggestion. However, it did not fix the problem. It turned out that my old amp was fine and the sub cable was bad "
She replied, "Do we have access to your cable?"
I said, "No."
She said, "That settled IT."
I get it she was probably not happy about me returning stuff, but here are the facts: I, as a customer, purchased the sub with the cable and encountered a problem, being not a expert in subwoofer myself, I trusted their tech support team enough to adopt their suggestion to solve the problem. It did not solve the problem and I figured out painfully that the cable they sold to me was the problem instead. When I called to return the amp I purchased, all of sudden it's my mistake, and they are paying for it (By the way, according to their return policy, all customers pay the return shipping cost)! By hindsight, my only mistake in the process is I trusted their tech support team!
To be fair, eventually, she did give me a RMA number. I will see how the return goes and update my review. But the experience was very unpleasant, to say the least. I feel the customer service can be improved GREATLY! read more