BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer

by BIC

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 22 x 19 x 21 inches ; 42.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 44 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0015A8Y5M
• Item model number: F12
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (154 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #4 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Stereo Components > Speakers > Subwoofers

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The 12-inch, front-firing F12 powered subwoofer from BIC America incorporates a high current 475-watt peak amplifier designed by BASH Technology in combination with a 12-inch injection molded long-throw woofer. A patented BIC "Venturi" vent eliminates port noise, which is often heard from other subwoofers especially when playing demanding music and videos. The F12 also features an adjustable crossover, adjustable volume control, automatic signal sensing, high level inputs, and both Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital/DTS inputs.

Front of the F12 (see larger image).

Rear of the F12 (see larger image).

Specifications

• Design: Front-firing 12-inch, 475-watt peak powered subwoofer
• Frequency Response: 25Hz - 200Hz
• Sensitivity: 90dB
• Drivers: 12-inch injection molded woofer with heavy duty surround
• Magnetic Shielding: Yes
• Gold-Plated Terminals:Yes
• Recommended Power: Built-in Amplifier Power: 475 watts Dynamic Peak, 150 watts RMS continuous
• Impedance: 8 ohms
• Dimensions: 21 x 19 x 22 inches (HxWxD)
• Weight: 42.70 pounds each
• Warranty: 5 years parts and labor

Product Description

For more than 50 years, midrange and high frequency horns have been the hands-down choice for movie theater sound engineers. From the softest whispers... To the highest impact sound... Hrn drivers have no equal when it comes to clarity and dynamic range. The BIC Formula Theater Series carries on the legacy of the first Formula Series introduced in 1973. They offer an output capability of up to 116dB (live rock band levels), while offering refinements that surpass all of its predecessors. Injection molded long throw woofer; BASH designed amp. Adjustable crossover, volume and auto on/off. Speaker level and RCA inputs. Frequency response: 25Hz-200Hz. 15" W x 17" H x 18 1/4" D. Sold individually.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly a Great Bargain but...., October 11, 2010

By 

jchussey - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

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.

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Superb value for the price, but still a mediocre subwoofer., August 3, 2011

By 

C. Wang "C" (Manhattan, New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

I actually have a pair of 10" SVS subs, and then purchased this 12" sub for a friend. I did some testing with not only music but since wave test tones. Running 1/3 octave sine wave test tones through both brands, this 12" sub is very peaky at around 60hz, and output starts to fall rather steeply beyond 40hz-35hz... It does produce 25hz sine wave tones, but at very low levels that is basically not audible relative to the higher frequencies this sub can make. And at about 20hz, you can obviously hear doubling effects from this sub, where there is quite a lot of 2nd harmonics at 40hz present... So, this sub is not very loud at low end bass below 30 hz, has a rather poor bass response linearity (very peaky), and produces too much of 2nd order harmonics at its low end response (will make some music such as pipe organs sound like one note bass). It is great for making explosion sounds or pop music that is heavily equalized from 50hz to 80hz, but very poor at producing loud and clean low frequency notes of a large pipe organ below 35hz... SVS, granted only 10", but a lot bigger motor structure and more than twice the price (check out the many technical reviews, epsecially with measurements from Audioholics and such), with room boundary effects, went all the way down to 16hz with relatively strong output at 20hz (you cannot hear much of sound, but everything rattles in the room). Output level is basically flat from 50hz to 20hz without much of peaks or dips. This 12" is a much better buy than any other common brand name sub such as JBL at twice the price, and it is a really, really good sub for the price, but there is no reason to exaggerate it's performance as it is still only a mediocre product when compared to real subs such as SVS, Rythmik, or Hsu and the likes... For those who keep on attacking and criticizing some reviewers who gave less than stellar comments about this sub because they do not like to hear the truth about this product (that is it only mediocre in producing real low bass), you can verify this by getting some free test tones (such as the Bink Audio CD, free from online) and a spectrum testing freeware and a test mic (cheap from Beringers) and test different subs by yourself... I actually do own the 10" SVS (now out of production at $499) and tested this 12" sub, and the 10" SVS beats this 12" in ALL aspects: accuracy, distortion, low frequency output, low frequency response linearity... It is unheard of for a sub to cost less tan $200, and in this aspect, this sub is a steal, especially if the buyer is only aware of B&M brands such as Polk, Boston Acoustics, Kilpsch, JBL, etc... But it is not comparable to some of the online sub merchants such as Hsu, SVS, Rythmik, Epic, etc...

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best subs you can get for $200, November 14, 2009

By 

Cameron Eure (Tacoma. WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: BIC America F12 12-Inch 475-Watt Front Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

This is probably one of the top 3 subs that you can regularly find for $250 or less. If it's on sale, buy it. It has more than enough power for small rooms, and enough power for medium rooms. Works great for movies, and works well for music if your front speakers can go 80hz or lower.

The downside is finding good room placement. You have to experiment a little to get rid of any "boomy-ness" from your listening area.