Introduction
AV123 was founded by Mark L. Schifter in January of 2000. Mark is a
well known player in the consumer electronics industry, and quickly
established AV123 as one of the top Internet-Direct consumer electronics and
loudspeaker sites in the industry. Known for treating his customers like
family and making customer service a top priority, Mark and the entire AV123
crew have gained a fiercely loyal customer base.
The UFW-12 is the latest addition to AV123's wildly successful line of Onix
Rocket loudspeakers and subwoofers. As part of this review, I spoke with
Mark about his design goals for the UFW-12:
Mark told me, "The UFW-12 was developed to deliver substantially higher output and a bit
more extension than its popular smaller brother the UFW-10, thus making it
more suitable for home theater applications".
"With that said, the UFW-12 is still first and foremost a subwoofer designed
for music applications. We focused on a strong and linear response above
30-35 Hz, where nearly all popular music lives. There is no music without
the proper support of the bass and mid-bass transition to the speakers –
this is sacrosanct - and we feel the UFW-12 delivers in spades in this
respect".
"Anvil tough reliability and durability were also a key design goals for this
release. This is the primary reason the final design cut of the UFW-12 does
not have quite the deep extension exhibited by the earlier test mules. We
discovered that anechoic extension to 20 Hz simply required too much cone
excursion for a single 12" woofer in a sealed alignment, and was therefore
incompatible with our mid-bass output and reliability goals".
"So the UFW-12 is not intended to be the last word in extension or output
below 30 Hz. For this, we will be releasing a killer reflex subwoofer which
will assault the deep output and extension parameters, and that model will
be the most suitable for ultra hard-core theater applications".
General Product Description
Enthusiasts have come to expect well engineered and protective packaging
from AV123, and the UFW-12 box is no exception; it should withstand the
worst the shippers can dish out. The subwoofer also came wrapped in a white
sheet to protect the finish, and a set of white gloves were included to
prevent smudging the finish – thoughtful touches.
Additional items in the shipping container included a set of screw-in brass
spike feet, matching brass discs (for using the spikes on hard surfaces),
optional rubber adhesive feet, a detachable power cord, a Rocket plastic
adhesive label, and the Owner's Manual. I glanced over the manual
and found it to be well written and comprehensive, with good diagrams and
instructions on using the PEQ.
As shown above, the UFW-12 is available in a variety of premium finishes.
The UFW-12 cabinets are made by Sound Art China (SAC), which is also owned by Mark Schifter.
SAC has quickly become famous for providing ultra-high quality enclosures
not only for the AV123 Rocket loudspeaker line, but for many other OEMs as
well.
The review model came finished in South American Rosewood. Even the high
resolution photos on the AV123 website don't give this finish (or the others)
full justice; they are all strikingly beautiful. Cabinet finish on the
review model is excellent, with no surface flaws and a well fitted plate
amp. The gloss black end caps are an attractive design cue, and they overhang
the front of the enclosure so the grille is a flush fit. The thick MDF
grille is painted black and covered in a tightly stretched acoustic fabric.
Grille finish is very good, with no loose threads and neat adhesive work.
The grille is attached to the cabinet with a standard pin and socket
arrangement.
The
UFW-12 is a fairly large subwoofer, measuring about 20-21" in all dimensions
and tipping the scales at nearly 140 pounds. This is a large cabinet for a
single 12" sealed subwoofer, and this helps provide high efficiency and
strong output across the mid-bass frequencies.
The interior of the cabinet
is partially stuffed with polyfill, and features a one piece brace that
extends partially up the side walls and has a cut-out for the woofer magnet.
When you move the UFW-12 around the room, it would be prudent to leave off the
spiked feet or the optional adhesive rubber feet until you find the final
resting position for the subwoofer. Dragging the heavy subwoofer across
carpeting (for example) with the spiked feet installed might cause them to
actually tear out of the cabinet, which would be disastrous, not to mention
ruining your rug. Also, two
people are recommended to install the spiked feet and safely position the
support discs.
Click Here to Go to Part II.