| | |  | Subwoofers | Home » » » » » 12" 500W FRONT FIRE SU | | | | | | | Description: | | The state-of-the-art BIC America VK-12 subwoofer offers a rugged 12-inch premium grade Kevlar woofer (Kevlar is the material bullet proof vests are made from) to deliver unsurpassed, ultra-low bass performance. Kevlar cones offer strength and dispersion advantages compared to traditional woofers. Kevlar also enables superior acoustic quality, improved mid-bass, and is less susceptible to blowout- even when being driven at the highest levels. The VK-12 incorporates a heavy-duty 1000-watt peak BASH amp, large magnet, and high power voice-coil to deliver dramatic low-frequency effects down to 24 Hz (+/- 3dB). | | | Features: | |
• Front-firing powered subwoofer
• 12-inch kevlar woofer for strength and improved dispersion
• 1000W peak output BASH-designed amplifier
• Adjustable crossover, volume control and auto on/off
• Black lacquer finish
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 22.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 21.2 inches | | Product Height:
| 19.2 inches | | Product Weight:
| 41.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 20.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 19.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 15.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 42.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 20 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 20 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 55 found the following review helpful:
 An amazing sub for the price!Mar 25, 2009
By E. Altman
Just to add a little balance to the other review, I don't think it's fair to give this sub a 3-star review when you consider the price it is available for. At the $699 fake "msrp" price of course it can't compete, but there isn't a better sub out there for under $300.
While it is similar to the BIC H-100, it is an upgrade as the amp is twice as powerful and the kevlar cone is more durable and provides better, tighter response. It is also a great-looking sub, the gloss black top/bottom caps provide a touch of class that puts it a step above the standard black-vinyl-wood-veneer look of other budget subs.
As the comments about "boominess" -- subwoofer placement is crucial and a lot of the "boom" of a given sub will come from its physical position in the room and how it relates to the room's acoustics. I found this sub to provide smooth, rich, and deep bass. Coming from budget subs and HTIB subs, you will be shocked at how much bass you were missing. This thing vibrates my entire house!
While I agree it is a little "soft" for music if you are the type who likes tight, punchy bass, I found the rich smooth sound filled in wonderfully for music and added a real sense of weight and presence. If you want "tight and punchy" don't get a sub with a massive 12" woofer. This thing is designed to put out huge output on a budget. But don't think that it can't work great with music. Coming from some budget 8-inch subs, the difference on music was astounding, it really fills the room and is so smooth that it will blend easily with your speakers (unlike the little flabby booming you get from an entry-level 8-incher).
So while this may be a "three star" sub in an absolute sense (obviously if you are willing to pay for it there are better subs out there!), there is no way it's not "five stars" for the price. It is an absolutely massive step up from the bargain-basement $100-200 subs out there, and there is nothing better for under $300. And it will dominate any garbage Polk or even an entry-level Velodyne you find at overinflated prices in Best Buy.
Even the other reviewer acknowledges that you you have to step up to the $500+ class to see any real, substantial improvement.
When you are the top in your price class, that's five stars!
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Punchy and tight, a real bargain!Nov 10, 2009
By dparm
You don't need a big nameplate on the sub to get great quality. BIC is somewhat of an underground/unknown brand in the mainstream, but that's because they spend money on developing good products and not on marketing.
The VK12 is going to need some adjustment, but if you're serious about sound then I don't think you're going to just plug it in and crank it immediately. Take the time to adjust it, tweak it, and "test it". Unless you live in a cathedral, anything above 1/3 power is going to just overpower the rest of the system. So anyone who complains about the sub being boomy is just not setting things correctly.
The bass is very controlled and tight. Yes, it can be boomy if you just turn the knob all the way up. But when adjusted properly, the bass is very accurate and doesn't really overpower. It should integrate nicely with almost any existing setup, but if you're running some micro-sized tweeters or tiny satellites you might find some midrange gaps. Again, adjust the crossover and levels and you can minimize it.
This thing is still going to rumble and shake when you want it to, don't get me wrong. I think for the $400 or so you pay, you're getting performance of something costing much more. A $400 Velodyne or Klipsch sounds awful compared to this -- the $1000 models in those brands are about on-par here.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
This thing owns!Nov 13, 2009
By allstar900
After 2 months I have to say that this sub is quality, puts out deep low bass, and looks awesome. I've become a giant BIC fan over the last year and for me this is an upgrade from a BIC V1020. I'll add more to this review later but for now if you're thinking about picking this up don't hesitate because it's totally awesome!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great beer-budget subFeb 04, 2012
By paschwartz
For starters, my original purchase included an Onkyo HT-RC370 7.2 A/V receiver (7 x 100w) running a Polk Audio CS1 Series II center channel speaker, 2 Polk Monitor60 floor speakers, 4 Monitor30 bookshelf speakers (surrounds and rear) and 2 Polk PSW10 subs. I had been living for a number of years with no music (long story) and I finally decided to get some tunes. I remembered how much of an audiophile I was, but when I made my initial purchase, I had to remind myself that while I had the imported champagne ear, I had a beer budget. The 2 Polk Monitor60 speakers sound very nice, although I should have sprung a few more bucks and gotten the Monitor70s. The CS1 center channel is good, but I should have sprung a few more bucks and gotten the CS2. The Polk Monitor30s are good as my surrounds, and they also fit the room. All in all, for the real cheap prices I paid for all those 7 speakers, I am quite happy.
As I started to listen to my new system, it became apparent that the PSW10 subs were a major disappointment. I got them real cheap through Newegg, and they packed a good punch for movies, but they just didn't give the depth to music, and more volume just didn't do it. Back to Newegg they went.
I was determined to get some subs that could really do the job at low volume. I knew I would have to spend more than the PSW10s, but I was still on a beer budget. I wanted 2 subs for less than $300 each. I went online, read a lot, shopped in a couple of stores, and listened. I decided on the BIC America Kevlar VK-12s. I probably didn't need 2, but I got 2 well below my price point. Out of the box, just standing on the floor, they looked real nice. I didn't bother to run Audyssey 2EQ on the Onkyo receiver. I just plugged in the subs, turned the volume to about one third, the crossover knob to full, then sat back and marveled at what a really good choice I made. The beautiful part of this is I know I can tweak them and make them sound even better.
Make no mistake about it, these are beer budget subs, and if you spend more, you will get better sound. But some beer is much better than others, and for beer budget subs, these are off the hook. It's a good thing my house is on a good size property, or the neighbors might have called the cops on me. I can crank that system up and come real close to blowing the roof off the place with no distortion. My daughter was in the driveway and could hear the depth of the base out there. We both noticed that at really high volume, they tend to be a bit boomy, but so what. Oh, Stevie Ray Vaughan's Crossfire never sounded so good.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Good valueAug 10, 2011
By Justme01
I put this subwoofer in my system to supplement a two channel stereo. My listening is about 80/20 music/movies. My main speakers are rated down to 38 Hz so I am using this sub only to fill in the last octave. I've had it in service for about two months now and have experimented with placement, volume, and crossover settings. These three are critical for satisfactory performance in any subwoofer regardless of price. This sub needs some break in time as it started to sound better after I put several hours on it. I can say now that with the right settings, it blends in very well with my main speakers. I can also say that compared to the Velodyne I owned several years ago and paid considerably more for, this sub is superior at putting out clean and loud bass in the lowest octave and possibly lower. However, I can hear that there is a potential for some "tubby" sound if it used in a system that requires a higher crossover point. I think the cabinet could be heavier and more rigid, but for the money I doubt this subwoofer can be beat.
See all 20 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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