A member of the Formula Series product line, BIC F-12 home subwoofers have a 12-inch, front-firing powered subwoofer that bombastically re-creates room-rattling sound effects and delivers crisp low-frequency notes with high-quality musical fidelity. The F-12 integrates seamlessly into surround sound home theater setups regardless of whether these setups are top-of-the-line or budget systems. In fact, you may find that this inexpensive subwoofer will be the best component of even a more economical home theater system.
The BIC F-12 home subwoofer is bulkier and heavier than some of the other powered subwoofers in our lineup, and it lacks a few small features like variable phase control and a front-set power-indicator light. However, it surpasses its competitors in performance, range and sound quality by handling both low-frequency sounds and musical tones with exceptional fidelity. This makes it an ideal choice for home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles alike. While it does have stiff competition from our number two product, the Emotiva Ultra Sub 10, and number three product, the Elemental Designs A3s-250, the F-12’s frequency response range, crossover range, peak power output and overall volume output combine to make it the clear TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award winner that no other powered subwoofer in its class can outperform.
With a frequency response of 25 - 200Hz, the F-12 home subwoofer reaches deep into the bass frequencies to bring out a rich and powerful lower shelf that holds down the bottom end of the sound spectrum with precision, clarity and dramatic impact. It has a wide-range crossover frequency that can easily be adjusted between 40 and 180Hz to fully customize its integration with the other speakers in your sound system. The crossover frequency determines the cutoff frequency of the signal sent to the powered subwoofer, meaning that if you set the crossover frequency to 40Hz your audio receiver will only send frequencies below 40Hz to the subwoofer. A higher setting will broaden the spectrum of sound that is sent to and played by the woofer.
The amplifier that powers the F-12 utilizes Indigo’s patented Bridged Amplifier Switching Hybrid (BASH) Technology that has been adopted by STMicroelectronics to provide 150 watts of continuous power with a peak output of 475 watts. Its maximum volume output is a deafening 116 decibels – the volume level of a live rock concert – which can certainly rattle your ribcage and thunder through your ears. Even at much lower volume settings it still feels like it can bring down the house, especially during intense film sequences filled with explosions, aircraft or earthquakes that seem to be happening right beneath your feet.
BIC F-12 home subwoofers are well designed. The cabinet, although large, cubic and heavy, is classic and attractive. It is solidly constructed from durable materials and finished in black laminate, with a removable black mesh grill if you prefer to display the subwoofer’s stylish, black-trimmed metallic cone. The woofer itself is 12 inches in diameter, magnetically shielded and powered by a long-throw driver that can move a lot of air to fill a medium-sized room with floor-shaking low-frequency sound.
The F-12 is capable of reproducing loud and powerful sound effects that bring movies’ stunning soundtracks to life in a big way. The BIC subwoofer is also capable of reproducing musical tones with tightness and precision to imbue deep, thumping bass notes with proper tonal musicality that you can feel, especially in the lowest frequencies. Overall, it is an excellent home subwoofer for either task.
Some owners have complained that the F-12 home subwoofer is too boomy to be ideal for playing music. However, the placement of a subwoofer speaker in a room and its location relative to the other speakers in the system can greatly affect its sound. The same is true of the phase and crossover frequency settings. Improperly integrated subwoofers, no matter how well made or expensive, can sound terrible. Finding the perfect placement and adjusting the settings on the subwoofer and audio receiver is a difficult process that requires hours of trial and error. We feel that owners who complain about inadequate musical fidelity most likely have not spent enough time integrating the F-12 into their system. We found this home subwoofer to be excellent for both movies and music, and most people who review their F-12 online think so as well.
The features on F-12 home subwoofer are impressive, and make it relatively easy to integrate into any home theater or home stereo setup.
It is equipped with three power settings: off, on and a signal-sensing automatic on/off setting. The automatic setting puts the speaker into standby mode after a period of inactivity so you don’t have to manually turn it on and off. The only time you’ll need to physically turn off the subwoofer speaker is if you are leaving town or won’t be using your home theater or stereo for a lengthy period of time. Otherwise, you can set it to auto and it will power up as soon as it senses a signal. There is an LED power indicator light on the rear of the speaker, which is not ideal placement since it is hard to see. This is one of the F-12’s few minor design flaws in our opinion. Most home subwoofers from other manufacturers have indicator lights on the front so you can clearly see whether the speaker is on or off.
You can control the volume level with a dial on the back of the home subwoofer unit. For most setups, you’ll never need to turn it up more than halfway. A volume setting between three and five out of 10 is ideal and loud enough to powerfully reproduce low-end sound effects and the bass register in music at levels that will rattle your pictures in their frames.
Use the crossover frequency adjustment dial to find the sweet spot for integrating your powered subwoofer with your other speakers. This way the subwoofer will not seem distanced from or out of synch with your other speakers. There is no “correct” crossover setting because individual speakers vary in their frequency response and every configuration will have different parameters depending on its components. Experiment with different settings until you find one that sounds good to you.
You can also set the phase control at either zero or 180 degrees to achieve ideal integration. When the phase is set properly the drivers in your speakers all move in the same direction at the same time. When a sub is out of phase with the rest of the system, it actually reduces rather than enhances the amount of audible bass because the out-of-synch signals cancel each other out. Although some of the powered subwoofers in our comparison have phase-control dials, many home subwoofers in this price range, including the F-12, do not. Instead, the phase is controlled by a toggle switch that sets the phase at either zero or 180 degrees, which offers less precision.
Different subs have different configurations for connecting to an audio/video receiver and the other speakers in your stereo system. If your AV receiver has a sub out or LFE line output, simply connect from the receiver's sub out to the subwoofer's sub in connector. The sub in connector on your F-12 can accommodate either Dolby Pro Logic receivers or Dolby Digital 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 or DTS surround sound receivers with a switch that toggles between the two. If your AV receiver lacks a sub out, you can use the F-12 as an intermediary between the speakers and receiver. To connect your BIC subwoofer in this configuration, you’ll need to connect the sub’s gold-plated left and right RCA inputs to the corresponding left and right speaker outputs on your receiver. The next step is to connect the home subwoofer to the other speakers, most likely the center speaker – which handles mid-range frequencies – using the left and right RCA outputs on the sub. From there, you can connect the center speaker to the bookshelf or tower speakers, and connect the satellite tweeters to those speakers.
BIC America backs up the F-12 home subwoofer with a five-year parts and labor warranty that is one of the most comprehensive warranties for powered subwoofers in this class. In addition to the warranty, BIC offers technical support by a toll-free telephone number and an email address that can be found on their website. There is also a FAQs page to answer common questions about their products and offer troubleshooting advice.
BIC F-12 home subwoofers are unbeatable in terms of performance and value. The F-12 is the best subwoofer available in this price range, and an unbeatable addition to any home theater or stereo system.
