I love watching movies. It’s a good way to get away from the
daily stress. And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy watching movies. The
picture is only half of the experience. And when it comes to the sound, a big
part of it is from the subwoofer. One of the best companies out there for your
surround sound needs is RBH Sound. Up for review today is a subwoofer from
their best of the best Signature Reference line. It’s their RBH Signature Reference Series 1212P-SF/R powered
subwoofer.
Features and specs:
Model Name: 1212P-SF/R
Series: SF Series
System Type: Powered Subwoofer
Subwoofer: (2) 12" (305mm) Aluminum Reference Drivers
Amplifier Power: 2400 Watts with customizable DSP
Frequency Response: 18Hz-180Hz ±3dB
Cabinet/Color: High Density Fiberboard (HDF)/Phantom Black
Grille: Black Fabric
Dimensions: 15-3/4" W x 35-15/16" H x
18-1/16" D (Includes feet and grille) (400mm W x 913mm H x 459mm D)
Weight: 104 lbs. (47.17 kg)
Warranty: 5 Years/3 Year* (Extend Your Warranty)
The RBH Signature Reference 1212P-SF/R arrives securely
boxed and wrapped. At over 100 pounds, it is a beast and extra care was taken.
After unboxing and unwrapping, I could see that the same extra care was also
taken in its construction. This is a top-of-the-line product and it shows. This
model came with either black or silver aluminum drivers. We were sent the
silver driver version. The materials used in the construction was aluminum for
the drivers and high-density fiberboard (HDF) for the enclosure. Quality of the
materials used in the construction as well and the fit and finish, was
excellent! Also included was the power cord, XLR to RCA adapter, network to USB adapter, and manual.
When it comes to surround sound systems, most people don’t
realize how critical the subwoofer is to the sound. I’ll explain it with an
analogy. Years ago, I was making breakfast and one of my young kids wanted to
help. I gave him the task of making the orange juice. I told him to make sure
to add the water and read the can. I didn’t supervise. As I was at the stove, I
heard him adding the water and mixing. He used the can, but didn’t READ the
instructions on the can, for how much water to add. He added way too much
water. When I poured my glass and I saw the color, I knew. Tasting it, it was
really bland.
The same can be said for surround sound systems. When you
are watching a movie and there’s an explosion, without the subwoofer, the sound
will be just…bland. If you don’t have a subwoofer, you will be missing so much.
Having a surround sound system without a subwoofer, when those scenes in the
movie come up and there’s no life to the explosions, it’ll be obvious. It’ll
be…bland.
You can get any sub to fill the void that you heard without
one. But how well will it really do the job? After all, if you’re looking for
steak, you can find steak in the all you can eat buffet at Golden Corral. But
it’ll be more like rubbery chicken compared to the melt in your mouth Filet
Mignon found at a 5-star steakhouse. Subwoofers are also, not all created
equal.
RBH Sound has been providing high quality sound for almost
50 years. They have multiple speaker lines.
Their top of the line is their Signature Series. And this sub is from the top of the top,
their Signature Reference Series. They
have a ton of experience on their belt, and have clearly used this experience
in the design. I love the design of the RBH Signature Reference 1212P-SF/R.
It’s two front firing 12-inch drivers one on the top of the other, with dual
large ports on the bottom of the front face. The rear panel houses the amp and
controls, and the bottom four rubber feet which works for both hard flooring
and carpet. The finish is in satin black.
The enclosure itself is made with HDF. While many may feel
that HDF over MDF is overkill, RBH chose to use the best. HDF is still more
inert, less susceptible to vibrations, coloration, and thus distortion. The
panels are thick, with internal bracing. The ports go back into the enclosure,
and then turn up into the cabinet cavity to give the ports the needed length
for the desired tuning. It is rated down to 18 Hz at -3 db. I was able to see an enclosure without the drivers
installed. So I was able to see the build
quality first hand, and just how well it was internally braced. This will prove critical once you hear what
bass this enclosure will be forced to deal with. If you want a special finish reach out to
RBH, as that appears to be an option as you can see in the photos.
The drivers are also designed for the task. Being able to
get my hands on the driver and see it for myself, I was impressed! They feature an aluminum cone with large
rubber surrounds to allow for exorbitant amounts of excursion. Massive double
stacked rear vented magnets not only allow for extensive power handling, but
also precise motor control with the precision that would impress a surgeon. The
cast aluminum basket is quite beefy, and also helps against resonances of the
driver. The tinsel leads are sewn into
the spiders.
The back panel holds the built-in amplifier. At 2400 watts,
each driver gets 1200 watts. That’s plenty of power for the driver to perform
it’s best and provide the best resolution and output. And with that kind of
power the motor structure has excellent control of the cone, to provide
reference level dynamics, and output. The amp also has built-in DSP, with
preset settings for Max Output, Max Extension, and Custom. With the use of a
laptop, you can also make adjustments for its response.
With its design and build quality, the RBH Signature
Reference Series 1212P-SF/R is already impressive
leaving other subs in the dust. But RBH
takes it to a whole other level with their built-in amp with DSP featuring 24bit/96kHz
resolution. There is a connection at the
back of the amp for a networking cable to connect to a laptop, to make
adjustments to the software settings.
This is where things get really special.
When doing the installation, measurements can be taken for the response
of your room. Knowing the bass response
of your room, the peaks and valleys can be seen to make the needed adjustments
in the software, for a more linear response curve. There are 31 bands of equalization on tap that
can be completely adjustable at 1hz steps.
So in other words, you could program all 31 bands down to 1hz steps and
control from 18hz-49hz, if you so choose.
If you put 2 and 2 together, you may realize that all of
this precise control and customization can really get the sub dialed in for
your room. And with this realization,
you could be smiling from ear to ear. But
this realization could have another effect.
If you do NOT know what you’re doing, you could REALLY mess things up! So, accessing the software with a laptop and
making custom changes should only been done by a trained professional who knows
what their doing. Otherwise, this
amazing sub could end up sounding bad and get damaged. Yet, if you want to just keep things simple,
it does have the preset settings for Max Output, and Max Extension. In which case….no customization of the
settings is needed.
RBH Sound appears to have a special product on their hands.
Not only does it look amazing, it has the design, power, and build quality to
get every ounce of detail from that soundtrack to you. Being able to play down
to 18 Hz, that’s bass you won’t hear, but will feel. And when T-Rex comes, not
only will you be able to hear him coming, with that much power on tap you
should definitely feel him coming as well. Let’s see how it sounds.
For the listening test, I wanted to turn to scenes that
would be a challenge and really test the reaches of the sub. Based on the
design of the sub, it appeared to be up to any task. Having dual twelve-inch
drivers with stiff aluminum cones, a large rubber surround, and 2400 watts on
tap, the subwoofer seemed to be able to provide gargantuan amounts of bass.
Let’s see if that is the case.
First, I turned to one of my new favorite movies. Ready
Player One: the race scene. Next, I turned to a classic, Lord of the Rings- Fellowship
of the Ring: The Balrog scene. And lastly, I turned to another classic, Lord of
the Rings- Return of the King: the final battle scene. All of these scenes
provide not just deep bass, but copious amounts of it. I will talk about the
performance and output. Then I will talk about the sound quality the sub is
capable of.
Ready Player One is such a fun movie. And it’s 80’s music
soundtrack is Epic! The race scene is a favorite. Right off the bat from when
the road appears and drops down, I knew this was going to be fun. With all of
the mayhem from the cars crashing into each other and other objects, bass was
plentiful. Then came the wrecking balls, swinging into cars and buildings. Not
only was it deep with tons of authority, it was so life-like! And then comes
Kong, who takes it to another level, as he jumps down from the Empire State
Building, takes out the road, and then chases after Parzival. It had such great
dynamics with punch in the chest level of impact. And low-end foundation shaking depth that I
could feel it vibrating the couch around me where I was sitting.
Next is the Balrog scene from The Lord of the Rings-
Fellowship of the Ring. Although many may also refer to it as the famous “None
shall pass!” scene. There’s a lot of intense bass leading up to the fellowship
crossing the bridge. First with them running out of the great hall and away from
the Balrog demon, followed by them climbing down the steps to get to the
bridge. As the section of the rock falls apart around them, the rumbling is
deep and loud! And it was the same with the Balrog. With the Balrog chasing
after them as the fellowship is crossing the bridge, each step the Balrog takes
is an assault. It is a dynamic shake the foundation impact that you feel not
only in your chest, but also in the chair you are sitting in. And rattles the walls of your room!
Last but not least is the final battle scene form The Lord
of the Ring- Return on the King. Towards the beginning of the battle, it shows
the dynamics. As the city is catapulting huge rocks at the enemy, one of them
falls just feet from the enemy leader’s feet. It’s impact as it hits the ground
is powerful yet a tight punch that you feel in your chest. And then when the
elephants come, each step was thunderous in its impact! Again, my walls rattled, paying the price for
what was dished out by the RBH Signature Reference
Series 1212P-SF/R.
When it came to movies, the RBH Signature Reference Series
1212P-SF/R gave a truly epic performance! It proved worthy to be the reference
subwoofer for any great home surround sound system. Just how epic you may ask?
For starters, it plays thunderously loud! I measured it at 1 meter up to 124db!
And if you don’t have a frame of reference for how loud that is…I’ll explain it
this way. My reference room is my theater room in my basement. And my kids are
used to a good amount of bass. Afterall…I am a bit of a bass-head, and I have a
subwoofer system in my truck as well. Well, as I was testing the subs limits,
my 19-year-old daughter comes into my theater room and complains that it’s vibrating
her room, and her room is on the 2nd story!
So yes, the RBH Sound Signature Reference Series 1212P-SF/R
can play loud, reference level loud. Most won’t need it that loud, but it’s
nice to have the headroom. And it was also really clean playing that loud. Due
to its high output and really low extension, there was a bit of port noise/turbulence,
but that’s only expected. Distortion however, was non-discernable. This was in
part thanks to its beefy cast basket and HDF enclosure. And with as much stress
that I put this sub under, I did not hear the driver bottom out, even when I
managed to get my receiver signal to clipping.
That was one of the things that surprised me about the driver’s
design: no bumped pole piece. That is when the very back of the magnet of the
driver is bumped out, or sticks out more. This gives more room internally in
the magnet, which allows the voice call to go deeper so it doesn’t bottom out
during high excursion. I met with Shane, who is RBH’s Technical Director, and Head
Engineer. We went over the enclosure design, with all the internal backing, and
amp, and driver. In looking at the
driver, I saw all the things I like to see in a driver…stiff cone, beefy
surround, cast backet, but wait…no bumped pole piece. Shane advised me that
with the double stacked magnet, there was sufficient depth for the voice coil
to keep it from bottoming out. After torture testing the sub, Shane appears to
be right. And the sub is rated at over
120db in output, and I managed to get 124db output in Max Extension mode. I
must admit though that my reference room being in the basement with concrete
walls on 2 sides, room gain could have helped some in the output. But the performance in cone movement and
control, and sound quality are top notch regardless.
And with movies, the sub sounded the way I expected it.
There are scenes where it was nice and tight with great pinch. And then there
were scenes where a long-sustained bass note played as it should and was
smooth, powerful, yet clean. The strong double stacked motor structure mated to
a powerful amp, provided the power needed to not only give huge amounts of
output, but to also provide excellent control of the motor structure. This
provided an excellent level of precision for clean bass true to the source
material, free of noticeable coloration.
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Next it was time to test it for music. I started with an old
school classic: Techmaster PB: Time to Jam. It was clean, it played deep, and
again…124 db. So yeah, it was loud! But to test real sound quality, I turned to
different tracks. Also Sprach Zarathustra, performed by Berliner Philharmonic:
the beginning starts with an ultra-deep sustained note from the pipe organ that
is sustained through most of the song. It is extremely deep, yet smooth and
well controlled. The pounding of the tympani was extremely dynamic, with
excellent resolution of the mallet striking the pad. Then there was also the
bass drum and contrabass, that also added to the deep bass smorgasbord. UBC
Symphony Orchestra performing Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries: the contrabass had
great resolution revealing the texture of the bow sliding across the strings. I
wasn’t expecting the sub to be this musical, or provide this level of
resolution!
I then put the sub in Max Output mode. In the speaker level settings of my receiver,
the sub level is usually set at -9db.
But for these tests, to test the output capability of this sub, I
increased it from -9db to 0db in the settings.
You typically get more output, when switching from Max Extension to Max
Output. I then went back to the Balrog
scene in The Lord of The Rings, which provided the max output levels. But the
124db max output did not change. Which
makes me think I managed to get the sub to its limits. You’ll get higher output in the Max Output
setting, when the sub isn’t pushed to its limit. And I was impressed by how
good the sub sounded even at its limit. Yet
even at this limit, I watched the sub work, and it was still really well
controlled by the massive amp power and motor structure, and still did not
bottom out, not even once!
I must admit, that I knew of the quality of their speakers.
Yet I was pleasantly surprised with the epic performance of the RBH Sound
Signature Reference Series 1212P-SF/R. Having reviewed several of RBH’s
products in the past, including their in-wall reference series speakers in
recent past, I had a feeling of the kind of performance I was about to partake
in. Being a part of their Signature Reference Series, the RBH 1212P-SF/R had a
reputation to uphold in name sake. The juggernaut of a subwoofer provided a
colossal performance that delivered for its Reference Series name sake in
spades.
In the end after all of the listening, I feel like Ferris
Bueller after driving the Ferrari GT California. The RBH Signature Reference
Series 1212P-SF/R performed so well with movies. Yet it is also so musical, it
has the resolution and finesse to do excellent for music as well. So in the
words of Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, I highly suggest it. Based on its
design, features, quality and performance, the RBH Signature Reference Series
1212P-SF/R has earned our Editor’s Choice Award. For more info and complete
specs, check out their website at www.rbhsound.com.
