# Another Stereo Integrity BM12 mkIII review



## 6262ms3 (Feb 27, 2008)

Phew, ok, last one. Why the hell am I typing all of these in one sitting?! blah blah, '07 Mazdaspeed 3, Alpine CDA9835, 500 watts from a JL Audio HD900/5, blending with some stout H-Audio Ebony mids. Box is...well I'll get to that later, first I just want to review it as a regular sub.

I'm really picky about sub x-over and what I like isn't what's best by sq standards. I like the sub to play high enough to be a bit snappy but not so high as to get droney on bass guitar and toms. With this sub I settled on around 85hz/24db on the JL x-over, plus 160hz/12db on the deck's x-over which seems weird but gives me exactly what I want. My mids let me get away with this while still blending well. Overlapping with the mids (63hz/24db) is supposed to be a bad idea but I haven't noticed any cancellation and it helps feed my desire for exaggerated bass on the highway. Flipping phase 180 moved the bass forward while improving impact so win/win there. Ok, my favorite thing about this sub is it's flexibility, it has no problem complementing whatever music I'm listening to (hip-hop, punk, electronic, indie rock, folk, classic rock, cheesy 90's dance music, etc.) and whatever bass mood I'm in. Drop the level down a couple of notches and it simply disappears, all the bass stays upfront, doesn't overpower the mids/tweets while keeping nice impact and great detail. If I'm feeling delinquent and crank the sub level up to hit hard it does without complaint while staying clean and detailed. It's not a mega-spl monster but it has more than enough thump in a small hatchback. It plays respectably low, but the very bottom rolls off (my box isn't ideal). I've been spoiled by an ED 12O v1 I used to have, that thing in a 1.5 cuft sealed box would play ridiculously low, but it wasn't as clean. I added a slight boost at 31hz which helped bring back the lowest of lows, present but not solid. The sub doesn't mind this. There's only a handful of electronic synth bass notes or hip hop electronic kicks where this is noticeable. Otherwise it's strong without being peaky, detailed and punchy. It reminds me alot of my old JL 12W6 v1 in sound,output, and low end extension, though the BM is more detailed, transparent and less peaky.

So all that, in a box that's ~0.36 cuft after sub, polyfilled with an aperiodic vent. The box is only 4.25 inches deep (pics at http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-build-logs/78541-07-mazdaspeed-3-finally.html ). 0.36 cubes, for a 12! This sub has no right to sound as good as it does, as loud as it does. I mean this is criminal! I have lost very little cargo space while keeping all of the output and detail I desire, with only a slight loss of low-lows (I'd really like to hear this sub in the recommended 0.5 cuft box). Well done Nick, the months of waiting for this to come out were worth it!


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## Electrodynamic (Nov 27, 2007)

Nice review.  I'll have to go over to the build link you supplied and check it out!


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

Sounds nearly identical in spec to the box I build for the IS300 guys! Glad someone else found a way to stuff one of these into a super small space saving build as well!


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## pat_smith1969 (Feb 17, 2010)

I have one of these coming tomorrow, purchased from a forum member. I will also be stuffing it into a Mazdaspeed3. I hope to wedge it into the jack area using fiberglass and MDF (kinda like one of those pre-built 8' jack kits you can buy). 

I will post a build log of course but it is nice to hear others liked the sub. I am coming from an IDMax which I LOVED so I hope it compares to that.


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## 937dytboi (Mar 1, 2010)

im actually going to be installing one in my is300 pretty soon


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## 08Raider (Jun 17, 2010)

I also just pre-ordered the MKIII. I am really hoping I can get more out of it that I am currently getting out of my 2 GTO804 8's. My 8's sound great but when I want to crank it way up they just do not keep up with my front stage......


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