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HSU STF-1 vs BIC F12?

6236 Views 16 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  basshead81

Hello, I'm in the market for my first subwoofer. I currently have a 5.0 setup consisting of the Primus 363 towers, P163 Rears, and the PC351 center. I'm located in an apartment with my living room measuring approximately 14" x 16" x 8". I've done a ton of research and have read the "budget subwoofer" sticky already. I'm just confused as to which sub will really give me the most bang for my buck (no pun intended).


Basically my options are as follows with the best prices I have found so far: BIC F12 ($190), HSU STF-1 ($260), BIC PL200 ($280), or the Klipsch Sub-12 ($199). I'm not a huge fan of loud bass, I much prefer clean deep bass, but as most of these sub's volumes can be individually adjusted, I didn't think the 12" vs 10" would be a huge issue. So basically, my question is should I get the HSU or PL200 for the additional $80? Is it truly worth it? I'd much rather spend less if the increase in quality is minimal. Thanks for your help.   
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The HSU will be the most accurate and clean sub out of those on your list although it may not be the loudest.
I would forget about the Klipsch sub. The Hsu is $269 + $38 shipping so its $307.... If you can swing $400 I would look at Reaction Audio and the BPS212 its $400 shipped.


And even tho you don't listen loud yes it is worth it to spend the extra on a better sub. Cheap subs play alot of distortion and have a huge hump in freq resp making you think they are loud and powerful. Better subs play clean bass that you can actually hear different bass notes and have a flatter frequency response.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by basshead81  /t/1517789/hsu-stf-1-vs-bic-f12#post_24356728


The HSU will be the most accurate and clean sub out of those on your list although it may not be the loudest.

Agreed.


The STF-1 has a much more linear native response than the other subs, but with an 8" driver, won't have the same output. Ignoring that consideration, the BIC PL-200 would be my choice out of your original list.


The NXG NX-BAS-500 has been out of stock everywhere for awhile, but supposedly is supposed to be available soon. Might be worth waiting a few weeks to see what happens with it. Here is a review: http://www.soundandvision.com/content/review-nxg-nx-bas-500-subwoofer


Otherwise, in the
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flickhtguru  /t/1517789/hsu-stf-1-vs-bic-f12#post_24356741


I would forget about the Klipsch sub. The Hsu is $269 + $38 shipping so its $307.... If you can swing $400 I would look at Reaction Audio and the BPS212 its $400 shipped.


And even tho you don't listen loud yes it is worth it to spend the extra on a better sub. Cheap subs play alot of distortion and have a huge hump in freq resp making you think they are loud and powerful. Better subs play clean bass that you can actually hear different bass notes and have a flatter frequency response.

+1


If you can jump up a little more, you should be able to get good native linear response into the 20hz range, which you aren't getting with the the larger 12" budget subs.

Thanks for those great responses! So basically my options now are the Lava LSP12 ($170), the BIC F12 ($190) and the NXG-NX-BAS-500(assuming it goes on sale, $260). So between the Lava LSP12 and the BIC which would you pick? and I don't mind expanding my budget for quality, my only issue is that it always seems like something better is always another $50 away haha. So I'd really like to set my final upper limit at $300 firm. With that being the case, which do you recommend of the three? I really appreciate the help.  
If $300 is your absolute max I would go with either the PL-200 or the BAS-500. I know what you mean with the money thing and if you just spend a lil more then you can have this. But just so you know there is a HUGE difference between $300 and $500 subs.


Just a lil FYI in general decent subs can be had between $200 - $400 and "good" subs usually start $500. Reaction Audio may have some really good subs but they are a new company so not too many reviews yet and obviously no one knows how the reliability is. But the BPS212 may be considered a good sub at $400.

Quote:
Originally Posted by flickhtguru  /t/1517789/hsu-stf-1-vs-bic-f12#post_24356986


If $300 is your absolute max I would go with either the PL-200 or the BAS-500. I know what you mean with the money thing and if you just spend a lil more then you can have this. But just so you know there is a HUGE difference between $300 and $500 subs.


Just a lil FYI in general decent subs can be had between $200 - $400 and "good" subs usually start $500. Reaction Audio may have some really good subs but they are a new company so not too many reviews yet and obviously no one knows how the reliability is. But the BPS212 may be considered a good sub at $400.

+1


Having owned several
So you consider the BPS212 a "good" sub thrown in with the other $500+ subs?

Quote:
Originally Posted by cbehr1  /t/1517789/hsu-stf-1-vs-bic-f12#post_24357268


So you consider the BPS212 a "good" sub thrown in with the other $500+ subs?

Reaction Audio is a new company, and as far as I know, no one on the subwoofer forum has vetted their subs yet. However, the owner/designer of the company has been participating in discussions here: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1512281/reaction-audio-subs


If the sub performs as people expect, it will be an excellent value at $400.
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Yes no one really knows a whole lot about these subs yet. But if they are deemed to be a good sub then no I don't think they will hang with the $500-$600 subs BUT I think it will be a great $400 sub as that price doesn't really have any other options. It looks to be solid built but has a modest amp and has a -3.5db of 24hz. Most of the $500 - $700 ID subs have a -3db of 20hz or lower and a more powerful amp. So bottom line if this sub performs well it will be a nice in between (decent and good) sub.

Wow, who would have thought there was so much to know about subwoofers? So I've decided that I'm mostly likely going to purchase the Lava LSP12 for now and then hopefully save up and purchase a $500+ subwoofer from HSU or SVU in the future. Does this seem like a reasonable solution? Also is LSP12 currently on sale? Or is it normally about $170 now?

Also I see the Outlaw M8 for $250 right now as well. Is that a deal worth taking advantage of?

Quote:
Originally Posted by gators901  /t/1517789/hsu-stf-1-vs-bic-f12#post_24358370


Also I see the Outlaw M8 for $250 right now as well. Is that a deal worth taking advantage of?

It's an 8" sub like the STF-1--maybe a little less max output. Same problem.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gators901  /t/1517789/hsu-stf-1-vs-bic-f12#post_24358318


Also is LSP12 currently on sale? Or is it normally about $170 now?

It's normally about $100 more, and it had a fairly good following at that price.


I say get two
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Unless you have other plans for the Lava sub, I would save up for a better sub. I was in your shoe and decided to just get a better sub. This is not a cost saving forum
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gators901  /t/1517789/hsu-stf-1-vs-bic-f12#post_24358318


Wow, who would have thought there was so much to know about subwoofers? So I've decided that I'm mostly likely going to purchase the Lava LSP12 for now and then hopefully save up and purchase a $500+ subwoofer from HSU or SVU in the future. Does this seem like a reasonable solution? Also is LSP12 currently on sale? Or is it normally about $170 now?

I would just save up and buy the 5-600.00 sub(Rythmik LV12 or SVS PB12-NSD)...it will be well worth it.
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