The BIC F12, where do I even start. The first sub I ever had, which a lot of people started out with, was the Polk PSW10. I got it for $70 amazon used a few months ago and it honestly was pretty shitty. I immideietly needed to modify it (remove the port cover) and all it did was provide low end ‘rumble’ not low end music. It was just a muffled blah of sound. It got me through for a bit in my 2.1 setup and was a bit fun to crank up for friends but at the end of the day it was a piece of junk.
I returned it and tried many more subs, notably two I want to talk about are the Monoprice 12 inch subwoofer and the Acoustic Audio PSW10. Both get great reviews online and I was very impressed by the heft and build of the Monoprice, let’s go over that one first. My initial impression was great, loved the weight, etc. I take it out of the box, spend 5 mins hooking it up… no sound. No big deal, probably made a mistake; no everything was wired fine. Tried another outlet, tried the rca in, tried adjusting the knob, tried givin it a good smack – nothing. Arrived dead. Shitty speaker terminals which proved to me that yes, this is just super old stock, a capacitor probably went due to it being in storage for so long. Reviews of this unit are close to decades old. This thing had to go. Monoprice was amazing about the return and everything was fine. Annoying that I had to lug this thing to FEDEX but, no other option. It’s frustrating to have to return something this simple and so large but that’s how it went. $100 unit by the way free shipping.
The acoustic audio psw-10 is a 10 inch down firing sub and this thing is TINY! Especially compared to the monoprice. Decent knobs, decent input connector quality, but overall a down firing sub in this price range was no good for music. WAY too finicky for me to sit in a sweet spot. If i moved my head about one foot in any direction the bass was almost completely gone. Probably fine for a smaller room or for movies but not for accurate representation of music. Good build, good fast amazon shipping. $120.
Now, the part I really want to discuss, the BIC F12. Bic is a cool brand to me, they have some unique products and red drivers! I always wanted this sub since day one of my hifi setup but never was able to pull the trigger. I was fed up with other subs at this point however and decided to purchase a unit for $180. Banana plugs, huge silver colored driver, thick knobs, removable power cable, great build. I actually can’t believe how good this thing sounds. Rattles my entire floor (if i want it to) and it’s just so clean. I never experienced a good sub until i heard this. Bass was detailed and merges so well into the highs of my speakers. For under $200 I don’t think there is anything else that competes. Listening to some songs I am familiar with sounds like I am hearing them for the first time. Unbelievable clarity in the low end is something I never experienced before. Highly recommended. Settings were so easy to adjust and I found the sweat spot in less than 20 minutes. Placement was also a breeze, it’s huge. Love this thing.
TLDR: Stop looking for a sub and just buy the F12, you will not regret it.(Under $200)