BIC America V-1520 / Polkaudio PSW-505 Review and comparison

    It is my intention to compare these two very good subwoofers in a manner that will allow the average user to make an intelligent decision concerning a purchase of either of these subs. I will include plenty of technical information, however frequency response measurements will have to wait until I find the time to install the proper software on our office laptop.

I should state at the outset that we are an authorized Polkaudio dealer, and sell them out of our Coos Bay store. We sell the BIC America brand on our smartbuyspeakers.com website.

The BIC America sub has a 15 inch driver and sells on our website for $274.27

The Polk has a 12 inch driver and sells out of our store for $499.00.

    Both prices are significantly below retail. In addition, it should be considered that the Polk has had shipping costs added to the price, and the BIC, since it is on a website, has not. The purchaser will have to pay the extra for shipping on the BIC. Even though these two subs seem like a mismatch initially, it turns out to be a valid comparison. Let's look at the published specs on the two subs, and some pictures of them.

BIC America 15 inch driver subwoofer:
 

• Power : 600 watts peak, 275 rms

• High power PDC amplifier

• 21Hz bass extension

• Frequency response: 22 to 180 Hz, Variable

• 100dB max output

• High and low level inputs

• Auto on/off signal sensing circuitry

• 16 1/2" W x 22" H x 19" D

• Two year warranty on amp, seven year warranty on the rest

• MSRP $599.95

• Shipping weight: 53.76 Lb

Polkaudio PSW 505 12 inch driver subwoofer

• Power: 460 watt peak, 300 watt rms.

• Overall frequency response: 23 Hz to 160 Hz

• -3 db frequency response: 28 - 125 Hz

• Shipping weight: 48 Lbs

• Dimensions (H x W x D) 16-1/4 x 15-1/4 x 17-1/2

• High and low level inputs

• Auto on/off signal sensing circuitry

• Magnetically Shielded

• Three year warranty on amp, 5 year on all else

• MSRP $ 589.95

    We see some items of interest in the published specifications. Notice that the RMS power of the Polkaudio is higher than the BIC, but the Dynamic (or peak power) is less. This is not very meaningful in this instance. If we were comparing apples to apples, the implication would be that the Polk could play a little louder continuously, but the BIC would provide better output for instantaneous peaks. There are several issues that make power comparisons between various subwoofer brands mostly invalid. Manufacturers do not all measure power specs the same way. The actual output from a subwoofer also depends on the relative sensitivity of the driver (the cone) and the case construction, in addition to the power delivered to the driver. One sub with a 300 watt amp may play significantly less loud than another with a 150 watt amp.

    We also notice the BIC frequency response specs look good, but are not very precise. The Polk lists the -3db down point, which is where the output is down by half. Notice how this compares to the overall response. We had better assume (possibly incorrectly) that this is also the case with the response of the BIC, and that it's response is also down by more than 50% at the rated frequency response limits.

    The  BIC is heavier than the Polk, though both are substantial. This is a good rule of thumb quality indicator. Cheaply built speakers generally weigh less. Let's look at some pictures. (Click on the thumbs to see the pictures)

Here is a shot of the rear panel of both subs. Both are typical of high quality subwoofer designs.

Note the various controls and inputs, denoting flexibility in how these subs are used. Here is a comparison of the driver sizes.

    The larger driver is the BIC America driver. Both drivers have large magnets, another sign of quality. The BIC's looks larger in this photo. The extra magnet glued to the Polk is for video shielding. This is only relevant if you wish to place your subwoofer within a couple of feet of a Television or Monitor. Don't, with the BIC. This isn't really much of an issue with a subwoofer, which is usually placed on the floor. If you absolutely must place your subwoofer directly beside or behind the viewing screen of your television, the BIC would cause a discoloration of the picture. In addition, the BIC is a downward firing side ported model, and will perform better on the floor. The Polk is a forward firing, rear ported model. You can also see the rough appearance of the BIC's pulp cone. Keep in mind that although these pictures make the Polk driver seem small in comparison, it is a 12 inch woofer. The BIC is a huge 15 inch driver. Let's see what we have inside the box.

    The enclosure on the left is the Polk. There is not a lot to see, but it gives us some good information. The Polk is well built with extra internal bracing hiding the electronics. Some damping material is visible. This will help to move cabinet resonances to a frequency outside the range the sub deals with, making them of no consequence. The other side of the coin is there is less internal airspace for the driver to work. This has a tendency to make the driver less capable of reaching the lowest frequencies. I would expect this subwoofer to sound very clean and clear in the bass, but perhaps not reach as deep as the BIC.

    The enclosure on the right is the BIC, and there is a little more to see here. First, notice it has plenty of sound dampening material, and when we knock on the case it is substantially built. It has a much larger internal airspace than the Polk, and it would be reasonable to expect the larger driver, working into a much larger airspace, to go deeper into the bass region than the Polk. The long black tube is the port tube. It is long which means it is tuned to a low frequency, again implying good deep bass response. Notice the care taken to paint the yellow acoustic insulation at the bottom of the port tube. Painting it black ensures you will not see yellow if you look into the quite large side port tube.  You can also see the flare on the inside of the tube, which is BIC's Venturi vent. This addition helps prevent port noise, and is also used (without the Venturi moniker) on some other brands of subwoofers. The lack of extra bracing of this large enclosure implies we might hear some cabinet resonances, which would tend to muddy the bass somewhat. The electronics on the right side are exposed directly to the vibrations of the driver, whereas the Polk's are behind an extra chunk of wood. This is not really a big deal, but I instinctively feel the extra protection might help the Polks electronics last longer. The Polk is, in my opinion, built a little better internally, but the BIC is no slouch. Notice the large amount of yellow sound absorbing material. This should help the BIC to have a smooth sound with no trace of hollow, in-a-barrel sound that cheap subs have.

    It turns out these observations directly mirror the sound of the subs, as the laws of physics would predict. Both of these subs are powerhouses, and the BIC caused an audio cable to fall off the wall across the room from it while we were cranking it up. And we have a cement floor!

    Both of these subs sound excellent, and pump out the bass. The BIC does audibly go significantly deeper into the bass region than the Polk. It sounds very good and clean, as predicted, and the Polk sounds cleaner yet, also as predicted. The Polk has better definition and control, and the bass is more precise. I don't want to overemphasize this, as it only outperforms the BIC in these areas by a small amount, but you can definitely hear the difference.

    To sum up, both go very loud, clean and deep. The BIC goes deeper, and the Polk is cleaner. If the price was the same, it would be a toss up. Some people would prefer the sound of the BIC, some would prefer the sound of the Polk. In the end, I preferred the sound of the Polk by a slight margin. However, there is a substantial price difference. The BIC is much less expensive, and for the monetary difference I would probably buy the BIC, even though I like the sound of the Polk a little better.

    It should be pointed out that the Polk is a 12 inch subwoofer, performing as well as a 15 inch sub in a much larger box. Polkaudio has gone to some trouble to keep the box size small, for example using a long throw driver instead of a standard driver. You can see the difference in the size of the surround that is on the outside edge of the cone. In all fairness, the extra cost of the Polk has gone to keeping the box size smaller without damaging the performance. If you need top performance and a smaller size, then the Polk will be just the thing. 

    Happy shopping!