# SI BM MKIII 12" Review



## sundownz (Apr 13, 2007)

So I had a single BM MKIII in my CRX for a couple of weeks on loan from Nick. I had an SAX-1200D for power -- of course adjusted for the capacity of the driver.

Typically I have an SPL setup in my cars these days and on music you are always well aware that you have a woofer or woofers -- and also well aware of what it plays well and what it doesn't... at all times. Even with a "daily tuned" setup of this nature huge peaks and valleys are pretty much a given if the setup is capable over over 150 dB.

In the past I have also had SQ sub-bass setups ranging from Mag v.1, v.2, v.3, and v.4 to a Brahma 15 to the original Dayton Titanic 1200, a few various customized under-hung TC Sounds drivers, and so forth -- so I am not without reference to what good sound should be.

In any event... the thing really striking about the BM is that it is a woofer that I never thought, "Gee... I wish my woofer wasn't doing that." or "Man... my woofer should be doing this."

I could drive my car, listen to any music I wanted, and never even consider the woofer. It just did the job as it should without drawing attention to itself by doing something not enough or too much.

I also found it's output to be more than adequate for level output with my front stage -- obviously one super shallow driver is not earth shattering but it was quite suited to daily listening with no issues whatsoever. It is my opinion that if the BM is found to be lacking in output then the individual must want an exaggerated bottom end -- which is fine and dandy but may be a bit much to expect from 0.5 cubes and a depth of ~3.5 inches. 

For those folks that want their bass to be played much louder than the fronts I'd try to fit two BMs -- which isn't hard, IMO, with an enclosure the size of a shoe-box (it looked really funny in my car where there is typically a 3-4 cubic foot box).

I don't typically write many reviews... but I thought I would share this one. The BM was the most non intrusive woofer I've had by far. For Sound Quality this is what you want -- the sub should not be screaming, "Hey listen to ME!!!" The BM never did this... it simply did it's thing by playing the low frequency elements exactly as it should allowing me to enjoy the music.

Too bad Nick pulled a repo man on me and took it back


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Nice review Jake! And I agree with you completely. Running a pair of these subs in my car lets me have my SQ setup for 99% of the time with the ability to get PLENTY loud with just the sub level adjustment on my head unit. I've shocked lots of people with what a pair of these subs can do when you really pour it on them.


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## JediMentality (May 7, 2008)

Nice review. Seems to fit in line with the rest of the reviews. Transparent SQ sub.

But thanks for reminding me that I have yet to install the pair that I have


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## Ray21 (Oct 19, 2009)

Nice review... exactly what I expected to hear about the BMs.


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## dkh (Apr 2, 2008)

the BM Site is down, hope all is ok.


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## sundownz (Apr 13, 2007)

dkh said:


> the BM Site is down, hope all is ok.


I'll let Nick know -- he has been sick this week so probably hasn't noticed it yet. I'm sure he'll get it back up ASAP.


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

Everything is back up now.


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

I couldn't agree more. Great Subs.


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## dapert (Feb 22, 2006)

Got my two sitting here as well but haven't installed them yet. Need to get of my hind end.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

whats the price on this sub?


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## dapert (Feb 22, 2006)

I believe the pre order was $220 not sure what the regular price is now as ordering is down.


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

Regular price was $240 before we sold out of them.


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## Thaid and Bound (May 15, 2010)

As good as it may be, it feels next to impossible to buy


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## Accordman (Jan 15, 2008)

about to hear a couple today


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## Lstruck (Sep 14, 2010)

Thaid and Bound said:


> As good as it may be, it feels next to impossible to buy


Completely agree.. When I read that the next production run is over 4-5 months away, my heart kind of sank.

I guess I need to find another product to fulfill my needs.


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

Lstruck said:


> Completely agree.. When I read that the next production run is over 4-5 months away, my heart kind of sank.
> 
> I guess I need to find another product to fulfill my needs.


Ample notification was given on DIYMA, our newsletter, our Facebook page, etc, as to the status of regular ordering and the narrow availability weeks before they were sold out. We're doing everything we can but parts are scarce. The good news is the next time they are available they will be mkIV versions with upgraded hard parts and soft parts.


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## lamsv (Nov 18, 2010)

Great review! Answers a few questions I had about this speaker.


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

Electrodynamic said:


> The good news is the next time they are available they will be mkIV versions with upgraded hard parts and soft parts.


What exactly will the upgrades be and why were they changed?


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

ItalynStylion said:


> What exactly will the upgrades be and why were they changed?


The shorting ring is being upgraded along with the carrier. Both are being changed/modified for better performance.


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

Electrodynamic said:


> The shorting ring is being upgraded along with the carrier. Both are being changed/modified for better performance.


Good to hear that things are being constantly improved. How will these updates directly affect performance? What gains will we see?


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## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

ItalynStylion said:


> Good to hear that things are being constantly improved. How will these updates directly affect performance? What gains will we see?


I would assume lower inductance with a better shorting sleeve which should make the subwoofer even more transparent.


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

mSaLL150 said:


> I would assume lower inductance with a better shorting sleeve which should make the subwoofer even more transparent.


Yessir. :thumbsup:


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## sundownz (Apr 13, 2007)

Thaid and Bound said:


> As good as it may be, it feels next to impossible to buy


It is quite amazing how fast they sell when Nick gets them in stock.


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## CulinaryGod (Jun 5, 2008)

sundownz said:


> It is quite amazing how fast they sell when Nick gets them in stock.


So why not ALWAYS have them in stock? I don't understand why only a few are available. Is it to keep the demand high? It really doesn't make sense to me other than to keep people wanting a product that is never in stock and capitalize on it's elusiveness and reputation. Maybe I'm wrong.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

CulinaryGod said:


> So why not ALWAYS have them in stock? I don't understand why only a few are available. Is it to keep the demand high? It really doesn't make sense to me other than to keep people wanting a product that is never in stock and capitalize on it's elusiveness and reputation. Maybe I'm wrong.


That's not it at all. The parts for this driver are fairly difficult to get a hold of. Plus Nick has taken it on himself to hand build each driver since the original production facility couldn't do it without suffering an almost 30% QC failure rate. So the scarce parts plus 1 man (and when Jacob is able to lend a hand, 2 man) production team, they sell out before more can be built. But I can attest that they are BEYOND worth waiting for.

All I can say is that I'm glad to know where the very last 2 drivers from the 2nd batch are headed.


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## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

Are there still extra parts laying around? I still need to send one of mine in for a possible recone, just haven't had a chance to ship it yet.


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

Yep, we have plenty of re-cone parts available.  Email me for a return authorization number before you send it in and to also verify our shipping address.


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

CulinaryGod said:


> So why not ALWAYS have them in stock? I don't understand why only a few are available. Is it to keep the demand high? It really doesn't make sense to me other than to keep people wanting a product that is never in stock and capitalize on it's elusiveness and reputation. Maybe I'm wrong.


 As Zach said, parts are difficult to come by and I'm a one man show since I can build what one of the largest speaker assembly plants can't build reliably. The neo is the hardest material to get, period. And unless you are a major car manufacturer (Toyota, etc) you take a back seat to the availability of neo. 

Its not like we have thousands and thousands of parts laying around and we are just too lazy to build them. Believe me, if we had the parts they would still be available for purchase!  I'm not holding anything back for an eliteist desire. We simply don't have the parts.

And on top of the latter, I am working on a mkIV version to release next. The mkIV version will have an upgraded carrier and an upgraded shorting ring - both will benefit the driver sonically while the carrier will mostly improve thermal performance.


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## finebar4 (Aug 26, 2005)

Electrodynamic said:


> As Zach said, parts are difficult to come by and I'm a one man show since I can build what one of the largest speaker assembly plants can't build reliably.


And that's the reason we luv ya Nick, you do build a damn great product...albeit at a snails pace


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

finebar4 said:


> And that's the reason we luv ya Nick, you do build a damn great product...albeit at a snails pace


Hey now!! You should see how many bald eagles and baby sea lions I have track down just to have the material to build these mkIII's!


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## CulinaryGod (Jun 5, 2008)

I didn't mean to offend but I'm glad I understand now. I'm sorry to hear that it's so hard for you to get the parts you need. Maybe one day when I've got some extra money and good timing to catch the preorder I can pick up one of these puppies. Hopefully since you and Jacob are teaming up to create a new company together we (the consumer) can get the best of both worlds and have the product readily available in the near future.

Cheers


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## Hamburger Pimp (Apr 24, 2010)

Electrodynamic said:


> Ample notification was given on DIYMA, our newsletter, our Facebook page, etc, as to the status of regular ordering and the narrow availability weeks before they were sold out. We're doing everything we can but parts are scarce. The good news is the next time they are available they will be mkIV versions with upgraded hard parts and soft parts.


Any idea on when the preorder will open for the MKIV?


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

Hamburger Pimp said:


> Any idea on when the preorder will open for the MKIV?


Don't wait for it too much and just buy the current MkIII... I have 2 of the current version and they are absolutely smooth troughout the spectrum - transparent is a good way to describe them. However they can scare you if needed, they are big subs in a shallow costume 
If I'm not mistaken, Nick is coming out with a 9" next so the MkIV might come out next year - could be wrong though. 

Kelvin


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## Lstruck (Sep 14, 2010)

subwoofery said:


> Don't wait for it too much and just buy the current MkIII... I have 2 of the current version and they are absolutely smooth troughout the spectrum - transparent is a good way to describe them. However they can scare you if needed, they are big subs in a shallow costume
> If I'm not mistaken, Nick is coming out with a 9" next so the MkIV might come out next year - could be wrong though.
> 
> Kelvin


Kinda hard to buy them when they're never going to be made again.. And most people don't give theirs up..


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## Lars Ulriched (Oct 31, 2009)

Lucky I got mine....now waiting for the 9" midbass....


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

Lstruck said:


> Kinda hard to buy them when they're never going to be made again.. And most people don't give theirs up..


There's a couple for sale in the classifieds... 

Kelvin


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## 6262ms3 (Feb 27, 2008)

Electrodynamic said:


> As Zach said, parts are difficult to come by and I'm a one man show since I can build what one of the largest speaker assembly plants can't build reliably. The neo is the hardest material to get, period. And unless you are a major car manufacturer (Toyota, etc) you take a back seat to the availability of neo.
> 
> Its not like we have thousands and thousands of parts laying around and we are just too lazy to build them. Believe me, if we had the parts they would still be available for purchase!  I'm not holding anything back for an eliteist desire. We simply don't have the parts.
> 
> And on top of the latter, I am working on a mkIV version to release next. The mkIV version will have an upgraded carrier and an upgraded shorting ring - both will benefit the driver sonically while the carrier will mostly improve thermal performance.


Nick, your transparency and honesty is totally appreciated! Maybe we should all send you our crappy dust-collecting blose oem drivers (mine appear to have neo magnets) so you can slag 'em and keep the good times rolling?  I'm continuously amazing people with my BM, in fact even after running it for months it still puts a big grin on my face. Keep up the good work!


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## VWTIm (Apr 10, 2010)

Lars Ulriched said:


> Lucky I got mine....now waiting for the 9" midbass....


9" ehh? Maybe I'll hold off on putting 8's in my door....


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## nirschl (Apr 30, 2009)

Nice review. I completely agree with everything mentioned. These woofers have the great ability of just playing the "music" and getting out of the way of my HAT front stage. Wouldn't change to anything else at this point........except maybe for the updated mkIV. 

And the only thing better than "1" BM mkIII, Jake is..........












Great product, Nick!


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

nirschl, nice finished install!


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

.....


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## nirschl (Apr 30, 2009)

Electrodynamic said:


> nirschl, can you clear your PM box or send me a quick email? I tried PM'ing you but your inbox is full.
> 
> (don't worry, I'll delete this post after I get in touch with nirschl)


Ok, I believe I cleared out the inbox.


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## Lars Ulriched (Oct 31, 2009)

Electrodynamic said:


> nirschl, can you clear your PM box or send me a quick email? I tried PM'ing you but your inbox is full.
> 
> (don't worry, I'll delete this post after I get in touch with nirschl)



I dont think the msg here is editable or deleteable...


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

Lars Ulriched said:


> I dont think the msg here is editable or deleteable...


They can be edited.


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## beyondredline9k (Nov 28, 2010)

These subs are awesome but hard to find.


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## Lars Ulriched (Oct 31, 2009)

beyondredline9k said:


> These subs are awesome but hard to find.


I want another one but the shipping fee and the taxes...is just too hard for me....anyone letting go their used one?


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