BIC America V1220 12" 430 watt sub

How does this sub compare to BIC's own F12 head to head? The price of F12 just keeps climbing up on amazon.

I have one with my system. I love it plus got it used locally for 75 bux and basically brand new. I think I'll get a 2nd when i find another used as well. I think that would be enough bass for me and I also used my surround set for ht and not much music. I also would like to know if the f12 is way better than the v1220. how much better can it be? they seem almost similar. anyone have both who can chime in? later

The reason I like the downfiring subs is that I have a 4yr old boy, 2yr old boy, and in another month, another boy. Not to mention we also have a cat who doesn't destroy things anyways but still wouldn't want to take a chance. I have medium size living room which opens up to the kitchen. I am content with the 1 sub but I think adding a 2nd v1220 would just be perfect for me. Just gonna wait til i find a used one locally for cheap. So what do you think. Also do you think stacking them would sound better than 1 up front and 1 rear/side of sitting area. I've heard good things about stacking them if that would be ok with these downfiring subs. Do you have 2 subs? and how did you place them? Later

Lot's of curious little hands. You might want to find a way to attach some plastic mesh (1/2" grid) to the inside end of the port to keep the toys inside the port tube and from falling onto the driver!

How is this sub with music?

Our main theater area gets 50/50 music/movies use, so I need something nice and tight.

I just bought one of these on Amazon this past weekend. Can't wait for it to arrive. I have another sub. A Yamaha 8" with a port. In the Yamaha, I stuffed a rolled up cloth into the port, real tight. And stuffed the cabinet with insulation. Then I set it at around 80 hz in anticipation of the BIC 12 inch. I'll set that at 40 and turn it up loud. The 12 inch will go into a corner (no doors on that end of the room) and the 8" is under a table with legs under the TV. I have super awesome 5" front speaks. That's why I have these settings. What do you think of this set-up?

Yep eaaman. I don't have it as loud as I thought I would.
Never had a sub set as low as that. And I can say that I've never had a system of my own sound this good!

I was wondering how many BIC v1220 owners have tried this awesome configuration. I have 2 and find the performance of 2 jaw dropping. Actually scary at times. Your opinions please.
Biggz

I am new to subs and am hoping someone with more knowledge can help me answer a placement question based on my room setup as I will be getting by Bic V1220 on Thursday.

I set up an area in my basement to be my modest man cave. It isn't a very wide area and measures about 115" from wall to wall. I have a projector setup and my screen is a 96" diag so it extends out about 103". This leaves just enough room for my front L & R speakers to sit on each side of the projector screen when pulled down.

As a result I can't put the sub outside of either front speaker, and since I have a short basement ceiling (old house, only 7' high), having the sub sit on the inside won't work as it would block the screen when pulled down, especially since I am going to prop it up a tiny bit off of the floor.

Knowing all of this, any advice on placement?

Should I set it up in front of one of the front speakers, close to the wall on either the left or right side facing the seating area?

Should I set it up against the wall in the middle of the area between screen and seating area,with it facing out towards the other wall?

Should I set it up next to my seating area as a sort of an end table? I have seen others on the forum describing that setup, not sure if that means having it face the front viewing area or face behind the seating area?


Hopefully this explanation makes sense, appreciate any help I could get. I have read some placement diagrams, but none of them relate to the space I have so not sure how to compare it to my setup.

Give your front speakers some free space, so... I would say no to your first option.

It could go against your side wall, downfiring sub will face the ground. The amp will face the wall I suppose so the port(the round black opening you can see in the photo) will face to the front or back of the room depending on which side.

Your third option sounds like near field placement, you could try that one. The port here would also face back or front, just don't face it to a wall or anything.

Maybe a corner in the back could also be a possibility? In any case, try your options 2 and 3 while sitting on your main listening position and choose whichever you like the most.

Have fun!

Thank you guys very much for the detailed replies! I will test these options out and see what works best after giving it a couple of weeks. :-)

The middle of the room is one of the worst places to put a sub.

I have the V1220 and think it is a great sub. I just upgraded to the BIC PL-200. There is a noticable difference between the two. I'm not saying anything bad about the V1220 but the PL-200 just sounds better.

I got a V1220 about 3 weeks ago (from Amazon before the price increase!). In the price range, I was really only choosing between the V1220 and the F12. I ended up choosing the V1220 simply from personal preferences. The reviews for both are mostly positive, they seem to have similar abilities, and they are both under $200. The V1220 looks a little nicer to me and that does make a difference in the environment where I have installed it. The front firing F12 was not appealing asthetically. I use it for movies and some music. The popular opinion seemed to be that the V1220 was better musically, but I cannot compare the two since I have no F12.

That said, I have done some testing to show the family that we really did need a subwoofer! I've played some movie scenes without the sub and then with it and everyone agrees the sub makes a huge difference. A bigger sub would no doubt sound better, but the price would also be much higher. For the money I think the V1220 is at a great price/performance level.

So I bought this sub and set up my home theater this weekend.

I havent done all the final tweaks because I am still waiting for a few pieces to come in. But, just listening to the TV, audio passing through my Onkyo SR508 on factory settings, I have the V1220 gain set at 7/10 right now.

Based off your post, am I turning up the gain too much? When I 1st turned on the system, I had the gain at 3 and could barely tell if the sub was on or not.

In my opinion you have the gain too high. You should have it set at about half and make the rest of the adjustments on the sub trim through your Onkyo receiver.