REVIEW SHOP SHARE LEARN
DCM TB1212
DCM TB1212
MSRP: $
   
Featured Merchants
Buy It Here
Independent Audio Video
Top Ranked Products from DCM.
DCM 16
Rated: 5 of 5
DCM CINEMAGIC 106-6 Piece Surround
Rated: 5 of 5
DCM OW-2
Rated: 5 of 5
DCM TFM v8.0
Rated: 5 of 5
 |  Sorted by Latest Review |  Sort by Best Rating >> |  Sort by Worst Rating >> | 
Rating
Reviewed by:

Abraxxas1127

(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
December 24, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Rate this review?

Review 1 of 1

Price Paid:  $449.00 from Precision Cellular a

Summary:
I did a lot of research in the $500 sub range recently while looking for a good choice to round off my home theater system. The DCM subs came highly recommended to me by a couple of friends who own them. I hadnt really given DCM a thought due to their downfall years ago and being thought of as nothing more than an off-brand of speakers sold at cheap electronics outlet stores. As it turns out one of my friends caries the DCM line at his car/home audio store, so I headed over for a listen.
The store had the full line in stock but none were wired up in his sound room yet because they had just brought on the line. Fortunately Im friends with the owner and he was kind enough to offer that I take one home and give it a try. My first pick was the TB1212, DCM's best 12 inch offering. The black cabinet houses a paper cone 12 inch driver on the bottom and a paper 12 inch passive radiator on the front. The amp is on the back with adjustable gain and crossover, a power switch with "ON" "OFF" and "AUTO" as options, a 0 and 180 phase swtich and low level and high level inputs and outputs.
With all the sub settings flat in the middle on my receiver and the sub's amp set to 50% gain and an 80hz crossover point, I put in Star Wars and went right to the pod racing scene. I was instantly amazed by the tight, accurate sound and the sheer power of this thing! At my normal volume setting for action type movies this thing was shaking the whole house! I like my bass tight and full, and this filled the whole room beautifully.
I had tried a TB1010 first, which sounded really tight and accurate but didnt fill the lows quite as well as I wouldve liked but the TB1212 was amazing on the bottom end. The TB1010 would be a perfect addition to any casual audio enthusiast but if you love to "feel" the sub 50hz frequencies like I do, you'll want the TB1212 or the monsterous TB1515 which I personally havent heard yet but judging by the 12 inch Im sure the 15 inch is the "extreme" offering by DCM.
I went back to the store a few days later and immediately purchased my own. Ive been nothing but pleased with my 1212 since the day I took it home, in fact just recently I went back to get another and can honestly say that two of these things are pure overkill but due to the accoustics of the 20 by 30 foot basement room they reside in, the second does its intended job of filling in the "dead spots" beautifully. Now no matter what movie or music I throw at them with their gains set at less than 50% and the receiver still flat on all sub settings, they do a fine job of rattling even the second story windows whenever asked to.
I dont think you will find a better sub for $449 anywhere and am pleased to say that the newly revised line of DCM home audio shows hope of being a prime offering in their respective price ranges. With 2 year warranty on subs and 10 year warranties on the rest of their home line I would recommend them to anyone looking to expand their home audio without breaking the bank.


Buy

Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Popular Subwoofers

more...

Latest and Greatest

Marantz SA-7S1 and Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players

Review of the wonderful Marantz SA-7S1 and Mini-Review tease of the Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players

Emotiva ERC-1 CD Player Review

The ERC-1 CD player is in a class by itself for price/performance.

IMAX: How to Ruin a Great Product

Unfortunately, it seems that IMAX has embarked on an expansion strategy that risks watering down a premium brand that took 40 years to establish.

Axiom Millennia M60 Ti

Yes, Axiom speakers are as good as you have read about.

Magnepan Magneplanar MG 1.6 User Review

In my judgment the advantage of the MG 1.6 (and other Magneplars), stems from the following: = It is a full-range dipole, and = It has uses low-mass, planar drivers for the whole audio spectrum. These attributes account for its extraordinary clarity, coherence, “air”...

News & Reviews

Submit Content Here
Come join the community. Comment on the blogs.
Sony and NetFlix jump in the same tub
NETFLIX ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SONY ELECTRONIaq: NFLX) the world’s largest online movie rental service, today announced a partnership [...]   more...

Onkyo A-5VL and C-5VL SACD and amp combo
Onkyo has released a SACD/Amp Combo aimed at audind allows for bi-wiring. The cost for the A-5VL and C-5VL combo is around £350. read some more [...]   more...

Used Gear Wednesday - Don’t Pass It Up!
Did you know that audioREVIEW has a classifieds sals and gear from it. Every Wednesday we’ll select classifieds to highlight all over the [...]   more...

Hi-fi Home Theater Speakers Meets Abstarct Modern Art
This beauty, 42 inches long, is designed to fit “artistic” speakers and the normal design can be found here at bornrich.org.  Even [...]   more...

Marantz SA-7S1 and Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players Review
I had just about given up on CDs. There were somem like second class citizens. Sure they have a place in the audio landscape, but for enjoying [...]   more...