BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer..
Buy BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer By BIC America
Most helpful customer reviews
189 of 195 people found the following review helpful.
By jchussey
As an audiophile who has had numerous very high end (Meridian, Cello, McIntosh, B&W, Proceed...) components in and out of my systems over the years, I can say wholeheartedly that the F-12 is an outstanding value for the $170-$200 retail price. I bought it for my 13x20x9 budget media room which is currently under construction but have been using it in my 2 channel system for kicks over the last two weeks. The low frequency extension is excellent(down 4db at 25Hz in my room) and I would consider it pleasantly musical with speakers capable of flat response at or below 80Hz (which isn't asking much). It is when this sub is paired with very small speakers that it begins to tarnish; typical of many ported subwoofers, it just doesn't play well above the 80Hz range. For example, Paired with NHT Superzeros, which fall off a cliff at about 85-90Hz, some of the "punchiness" is lost. This frequency response trough is most likely the reason why some reviewers claim that the F-12 sounds "muddy".
With the right speakers and set up correctly (with a decibel meter), the F-12 is an outstanding sub for the asking price. Truly a great bargain and one heck of a warranty.
113 of 120 people found the following review helpful.
By Dave295
Let me make myself clear before I begin. I love Polk, I originally was going to make my system all Polk however, as any half decent audiophile knows, one company simply does not make the best of everything. I have Polk Audio Monitor70 Series II Floorstanding Loudspeaker (Black) Each as fronts Polk Audio CS10 Center Channel Speaker (Single, Black) and BIC America Venturi DV84 2-Way Tower Speaker, Black (Single) rears. I own the Polk PSW505 and have been using it on my main surround system for the past 7 months
I wasn't content at all with my Polk PSW505 as you can see in my over 1000 word review of the PSW505 on Amazon, so I saved up money to try the F12 and planned to send it back after testing it out. Honestly, I didn't want the f12 to sound better than my Polk. I tried to tell myself the no name Bic f12 could not compete with the Polk PSW505, that sub is practically God of home subwoofers on Amazon. As the current owner of both, I would advise you to buy this f12 and never look back.
My main issue with the PSW505 was port noise. When my Polk sub hit below 30 hertz it sounded just awful and unless you just watch Teletubbies, Dora the explorer, and Sesame Street your sub will be forced to hit below 30 hertz. This becomes very important if you are watching blu rays with Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master Audio. This sub can punch, roll, and roar much beyond its $200 price tag. With my Polk PSW505 it struggled to hit some lows in Dark Knight among other Blu rays as well as music with heavy bass. That is not the case with the F12 not only will it hit these low notes, but it will shake the room while maintaining clarity.
I have seen quite a few negative reviews on the build quality of this Bic F12 I would agree and disagree. I have disassembled the Polk 505 multiple times so I am more than aware of its build quality, but have not yet taken apart the Bic. I believe the PSW505 has a better exterior finish than the F12, bic clearly did not spend as much on the cabinet. Bic spent its money on the driver and amplifier, which far surpass the Polks driver in quality. I would know this because Polk has sent me two PSW505 drivers(the actual 12 inch speaker) and they somehow even sound muddy and distort when not inside the cabinet. The F12 has a very nice metallic looking driver and it does outperform the PSW505
I know its difficult to believe that this f12 sub will outperform the tried and true 505 but it really does. Don't stray away from the Bic just because it isn't a big brand. Polks subs have a premium to them because of the brand. With this Bic all your paying for the sub. For example Klipsch, Energy, and def techs are great well-known subs but they have a markup because of the name. In contrast HSU, Outlaw, Epik, and SVS are not household names but they will destroy the big names in performance without the markup.
Don't let the brand scare you! Bic customers are some of the happiest in home audio. If you have any questions about the differences between these 2 sub-woofers please leave a comment and I will be happy to respond.
60 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
By Sim
From my own experience two most important components in a home theater system (for movies) is your center speaker and your sub-woofer. What ever you do make sure you get the best one you can afford and if like me your budget is less than $400/-, you have Bic F12 as a very serious contender for top spot.
I spent almost a month searching for a sub (for 50:50 music/movies), researching in lots of online forums and auditioned in couple of different local stores. High on my list were:
- Emotiva Sub 10: No longer being sold :(
- Emotiva Sub 12: Slightly out of my budget
- Elemental Design A3S-250: Past quality issues and too long a wait to get one
- Def Tech. ProSub 800: Checked this out in local store but I was not impressed by it
- Velodyne Impact 10: Checked this out in local store, did not like it as it could not go low.
- Polk subs: Don't bother (I tried couple and nothing impressed me) although I own Polk speakers which I love.
Although I did not audition this Bic but based on online forums and reviews I ordered this Bic and I have no qualms in saying that dollar for dollar this sub is perhaps the best value out there.
Pros:
- Not boomy and can go low effectively.
Tried out couple of bluray's - Dark Knight sounded fabulous, it has this low rumbling sound track through out the movie and the sub did an excellent job with the same. Lord of Rings (return of king) was again excellent, especially the elephant war scene. I could literally feel the room shaking and the intensity building up.
- Easy connectivity with LFE
- Phase switch (although I never used it)
- Good with music (for the kind of music (pop/rock) I listen to this is a very good sub)
- Solid construction
- Strong grill that I know will withstand my toddlers continuous barrages
Cons:
- Size (but then its 12 inch sub) and I knew what I was getting into.
Other things to look out for:
- Use a decent cable. I used a cheapo RCA cable which was sitting around to connect this sub to my receiver and everything sounded horrible (My cable a belkin sub woofer cable was delayed in transit). Belkin cable made a huge huge difference and for a 25ft cable it was only ~$6/-
- Room placement is critical, I tried many different places in the room before I was able to find the sweet spot. Since the sub is heavy and hard to move, I mounted the sub on a plant moving caddy, ($3/- from a local store), moving the sub was very easy until I found the sweet spot.
- Know your sub's limit, I am crossing this sub at 90hz and it compliments my Polk's very very well. My Polk's are doing a better job in handling frequencies above that.
Gist:
- There are better subs out there (Hsu or Svs) but I don't think there is anything that offers better value. This sub is great, it rocks my house with tight bass and does the trick for music, I cannot be more pleased. I will likely get another one to compliment the one I already have.
My set up:
- Polk Monitor 60's as front, Polk CS2 as center
- Yamaha RX-V867 receiver
- Living room dimension: 15' x 25' x 10'
Optimistic power claims