Will BIC America F12 match well with my system?

Going to say it before someone else does. Might be better to just to sell the Bose and use those funds on a better HTIB out there. But if you really want to use the F12 you could use a RCA cable from the SR606 to the sub. Regarding the Bass module...not sure how that works so someone with Bose experience will have to comment on that!

Quite often, if something requires a "special" hook up in order to make it function the end result isn't worth the hassle. Since you've had the system for 13 years it might be wiser to just upgrade the entire thing, in one shot. That would get you something far more current, while also enabling you to integrate it without any additional steps.

A subwoofer cable - such as this one - connecting the AVR's subwoofer output to the sub's LFE input.


Good speakers, yes. Small cubes with 2.5", full-range Twiddler (TM) drivers, not so much. (IMO, and my comment is not intended as a flame.)

The cubes appear to have L+R terminals and, according to the manual, the system (and presumably each cube) is 4-8Ω compatible, so there's nothing stopping you from using them with your new AVR + sub. But you will likely have to set the crossover in your AVR quite high (140Hz? 160Hz? 180Hz?) and that may result in excessive "localization" of the sub.

There is definitely a benefit to be had from replacing those cubes with larger (bookshelf or tower), better-designed (two-way or three-way) speakers.

^^^ Very well stated. You told the OP the truth while being nice and not harsh........ I agree 100%.

No, sorry, by "you" I meant Audyssey, which should correctly determine the crossover setting. But if, for some reason, Audyssey were to set it at what seems like an unlikely low number (say, 100Hz), you would most likely want to raise it.


Too low a crossover for those speakers and you should notice a large chunk of audio spectrum missing, and perhaps also an imbalance between the speakers and sub (favouring the sub). Using the above example of an incorrectly set 100Hz crossover, I would employ a bit of trial-and-error and:
- raise the crossover several increments (say, up to 200Hz), listening to the results after each change;
- lower the crossover a few increments, listening to the results after each change; and
- settle on the crossover setting that provides the best overall sound + the best balance of audio between the speakers and sub.


Higher frequencies are directional - you can tell where they're emanating from. Lower frequencies are less directional. Below a certain point - usually 80Hz - it becomes difficult if not impossible to tell where frequencies are coming from.

The higher the crossover frequency, the more likely you'll be able to pinpoint where your sub is because the frequencies coming out of it will be directional. The lower the frequency, the more the sub "disappears" and all you end up hearing is the individual speakers supplemented by the lower frequencies "everywhere". With small cube speakers, you will have to set the crossover at a level significantly above 80Hz (my guess is somewhere between 140-180Hz), which means the sub is more likely to become "localizeable".


Yup, that should work just fine.

I thought owners of the BIC F12 complained that it was a poorer performer when crossed over above 100hz or so?

In these Bose systems, the bass module is simply the system's woofers, combined into one speaker and placed in a separate box. It is not a subwoofer. Because it covers so much of the audible frequency range, it should be placed as close to front-and-center as is feasible, since it reproduces part of the range that in a normal system would be considered upper bass or even lower midrange.

The BIC is a subwoofer. How it sounds will be a product, in large part, of where it is placed in the room, and this is something that requires experimentation. Google the phrase "subwoofer crawl" for an example of the type of experimentation, and the reasons for it, that I'm referring to.

The sub could end up in one corner or another, or along a side or end wall, or somewhere else, if you're actually committed to achieving its best performance. So for best results don't worry about placement ahead of time, and don't assume there will be any relationship between its placement and that of the Bose box.

For the purposes of Audyssey, the entire Bose system, includng the bass module, is 5 channels of "small" speakers with no subwoofer. The BIC adds a sub to that.

Whatever volume BIC says is unity gain. If they don't say, try 7.

It's possible to rattle your glass with a sub, or even make it break if it's loose enough, but the location of the sub would be only one possible cause (it could happen with the sub across the room if all the factors exist for it to happen at all). If the window rattles when operating the sub at normal levels, get it fixed.

Most people with the BIC F-12 find they have to lower the gain setting on the sub to 3 or even a bit below to get it within an acceptable range for Audyssey set-up.

^^^

Yes

If other owners are getting good results with the sub set to 3, go with that.

If the window rattles, fix the window.