F12SE has received Secret of HT and HF 2020
Best Subwoofer Award. Click the award for the article.
F12SE is F12 with gloss finish. All other
components and amplifier options are same as regular F12. The standard amplifier is A370XLR3. (370WRMS
with both RCA and XLR inputs).
The quickguide of the A370XLR3 amplifier
for sealed subs can be found
here . A370XLR3 amps do not have high pass filter RCA outputs.
But it does have dedicated LFE inputs allowing for easy integration
of a 2-ch-plus-HT system setup.
A370PEQ3 has both speaker level inputs and LFE/LINE RCA inputs for
those with AV receivers. A370PEQ amplifiers are available for those
who still need high pass filter (or HPF) RCA outputs. The response
curves with various extension frequency/damping combinations of
both amplifiers can be found in our EQ page.
Manual for each amplifier choice is available below in documentation
section.
Black cones are made of anodized aluminum.
Silver cone driver is available for $50 extra. Price includes
shipping to 48 US continental states only. Shipping to other region
or country should inquire us for actual cost.
The F12SE sub comes with screw-in rubber
feet. Spike feet are available as add-on for $25 with no exta shipping
cost. The standard amplifier is A370XLR3.
Our speaker level inputs are only compatible
with power amplifiers having single ended outputs with black lead
output labelled as "COM", "GND", or "Ground".
Wyre4sound power amplifiers and others with differential outputs
are not compatible. These amps need an XLR type 3-wire (one positive,
one negative, and one ground) for safe operation.
Using Y-splitter on input connection increases
the subwoofer gain by 6db. High efficiency horn speakers (105db/Wm
and above) may require custom modification for "gain matching"
of the volume control knob (not to be mistaken as sub not keeping
up with horn speakers) when this connection method is not option
(eg, single sub acception both L and R inputs).To summarize,
customers who need to consider higher gain are those with all these
conditions: 1) has high efficiency horn speakers, 2) has no AVR
or pre-processor, and 3) cannot use Y-splitter to connect to multiple
inputs on a sub to increase gain by 6db. Please select "High
gain" option in the order.
Efficiency of newer Klipsch horn speakers
are over-rated by 6db and not an issue for gain matching. Please
inquiry us when using our subs with horn speakers if you are not
sure what to do.
Description:
Standard A370XLR3 amp (with RCA and XLR inputs, but no speaker
level inputs)
Price
F12SE-XLR3 piano
black with black cone A370XLR3 amp (with both XLR and RCA inputs)
$1259
Description:
Other Options
Price
High gain option
to match horn speakers
$20
Upgrade to A370PEQ amp with
HPF outputs and speaker level inputs
$50
Upgrade to A370XLR2 (with
one XLR in and one XLR out)
$50
A set of black coated metal
spike feet (add-on only at time of sub purchase)
$40
A set of black coated metal
spike feet (purchase without sub)
$50
Description:
Standard A370XLR3 amp (with RCA and XLR inputs, but no speaker
level inputs)
Price
F12white-XLR3 gloss white
with black cone A370XLR3 amp (with both XLR and RCA inputs)
and white grille
$1259
Direct Servo Technology
You may have heard about other servo subwoofers which are generally well regarded for their accuracy. It is a well established technology, most often based around an accelerometer which measures cone movement. Our Direct Servo technology has significant advantages over other servo technologies. We use a sensing servo coil which acts like a microphone which compares the original signal to what the subwoofer is actually reproducing. The signal is then corrected instantly to compensate for any differences. Once you understand the concept, you may wonder like we do why anyone would make a subwoofer any other way.
All our subwoofers use our
patented Direct Servo technology. The most significant benefit is
that it provides high end performance at an affordable price. Conventional
subwoofers require heavy drivers in order to achieve deep bass extension.
Direct Servo allows the use of a lighter driver which is more efficient
so that a very high powered amplifier is not necessary. At the same
time, Direct Servo reduces detrimental memory effects which detracts
from the realism of reproduction. Unlike many other non-servo subs
which exhibit two-mode bass: either with too much bass when volume
is up or with too little or no bass when the volume is down, our
higher resolution subwoofers allow customers to listen at lower
level and yet able to hear details in the bass in a wide range of
volume level. In other words, the bass is simply more natural
instead of constantly drawing our attention that we have a subwoofer
in the system.
Some of the benefits of Direct Servo include:
Reduction of the effects of thermal
compression are eliminated under normal operation
Higher efficiency
allowing output which would normally require a more powerful amplifier
Deep bass extension can be achieved using
a low mass driver with superior transient response
Mechanical and thermal memory
effects are reduced, further improving transient response
The effective in-box Q value is 0.3 with
enclosure (0.13 for driver itself), resulting in much tighter
and accurate bass than conventional designs with typical in-box
Q value of 0.8-0.9
Many audiophiles aren't aware of all of these issues, but we believe they are critical to the design of an accurate subwoofer. While it's not necessary to understand them to enjoy accurate bass, for those who wish to understand how we do it, we have articles to describe our unique approach.
Many of our customers marvel that we are able to produce such exceptional subwoofers at such a low price. One Direct Servo technology makes it possible, allowing us to get the most out of a 12" driver without the need for kilowatts of power. Don't be fooled into thinking that other more expensive subwoofers with much more powerful amplifiers will offer more output. The output of a subwoofer is determined by how much air the driver can displace, not the power rating of the amplifier. We could supply a more powerful amplifier, but there would be no increase in output, only extra cost.
To understand further how this works, you may
wish to read our article on smart Q.