Here are the Benchmark data for the UFW-12:

Evaluation Criteria	Rating (1-5)	Summary Comments
Part I: General Information/Features
Packaging Solution	4.75	Package is very protective of the subwoofer, and should withstand rough handling during shipment.
Owner's Manual	4.50	Well written and comprehensive, with good diagrams and instructions on using the PEQ.  More information regarding the amp standby/on/overload light would be appreciated.
Size/Weight	3.75	This is a fairly large and heavy subwoofer, but with a manageable footprint.
Floor Interface Solution	4.50	Spiked brass feet with discs, or optional soft rubber stick-on feet, or the option of no feet at all.  Installation of spikes and discs requires two people and can be tricky with a subwoofer this heavy.  Be careful not to drag the spiked feet over a carpeted surface or they might tear out and damage the enclosure.
Aesthetics	5.00	Typical of Rocket products, the UFW-12 is stunning from all angles.
Fit/Finish	5.00	The piano gloss end caps are deep and lustrous, the wood is excellent in grain and smoothness and there are no flaws anywhere in the finish.  The amp and woofer were well fitted and all screws were properly torqued and seated.
Available Finishes	5.00	Stunning and exotic real wood veneer finish options to fit anyone's tastes and décor: South American Rosewood, Piano Gloss Black, Piano Rosewood, African Macassar Ebony, Gloss Bird's Eye Maple.
Part I: Raw Score	4.64
Part II: Amplifier Controls/Features
Amplifier Class		Class G.
Amplifier Power		1000 watts continuous into 4 ohms.
Front Panel Controls		No.
Remote Control		No.
Main Power Switch		Yes: 2 way rocker.
User Replacable Fuse		Yes.
Detachable Power Cord		Yes: 3 prong.
Auto-On	0.25	Yes: 2-way toggle with green/yellow/red indicator light.
Low Level Inputs	0.25	Yes: Left/Right RCA jacks.
High Level Inputs	0.00	No.
High Level Outputs	0.00	No.
Low Pass Filter	0.25	Yes: 30-200 Hz continuously variable, 4th order slope.
Low Pass Filter Defeat/Bypass	0.25	Yes: Separate RCA input.
0/180 Phase Switch	0.25	Yes.
0-180 Variable Phase	0.00	No.
Overdrive Protection	0.25	Yes - attack/sustain limiter, clipping, thermal.
Single Band PEQ	0.75	Yes: boost/cut - frequency, Q, amplitude.
Multi-band PEQ (external or on-board)	1.25	Yes: R-DES 5 band external PC interface PEQ is included with the purchase.
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Chip	0.00	No.
Advanced Digital Bass Management (Auto EQ, GIU)	0.00	No.
Servo Feedback System	0.00	No.
Part II: Raw Score (this section is additive)	3.50
Part III: Objective Testing
Quasi-Anechoic Frequency Response	3.75	25-155 Hz +/- 3 dB.
Deep Bass Output Compression	3.00	Exhibits 5 dB of deep bass compression at "maximum sweep level" as defined in the formula section.
10% THD Output Limits 16-80 Hz	-
10% THD Output Limits 18-80 Hz	-
10% THD Output Limits 20-80 Hz	-
10% THD Output Limits 22-80 Hz	2.91
10% THD Output Limits 25-80 Hz	3.40
10% THD Output Limits 32-80 Hz	3.88
Bandwidth Linearity 16-80 Hz	-
Bandwidth Linearity 18-80 Hz	-
Bandwidth Linearity 20-80 Hz	-
Bandwidth Linearity 22-80 Hz	3.50
Bandwidth Linearity 25-80 Hz	4.50
Bandwidth Linearity 32-80 Hz	5.00
Group Delay	3.00	Holds GD below 1 cycle down to 31 Hz.
System Ringing and Stored Energy Release	2.30	Stored energy release centered at 27 Hz.
Part III: Raw Score	3.52
Part IV: In-Room Evaluations
In-Room Frequency Response	3.50	Digs to about 25 Hz in-room and then signs off abruptly.  PEQ helps to smooth peak at 27 Hz and improve relative levels in the 24-26 Hz region.
HT Performance	3.50	Respectable HT performance.
Music Performance	4.10	Very good music performance.
Part IV: Raw Score	3.70
Parts I-IV Weighted Total Score	3.65
Final Score: Total Score With Price Considered	3.83	The UFW-12 represents a good performance value at the $1,000 price point.

For details on how these numbers were calculated, see the Subwoofer Benchmark Formulae document located here.

Conclusions

The UFW-12 is a handsome and beautifully-finished subwoofer with excellent build quality and several unique finish options. I liked the flexible floor interface options, which include classy spiked brass feet and discs. And while the UFW-12 will never disappear into a room, its striking good looks give it a high spousal acceptance factor for its size.

The efficient Glass G amp is powerful and has useful features like an electronic limiter and steep high-pass filter to help protect the woofer from overload, a single band PEQ control for taming an in-room response peak, and slick three-color operating light showing standby, normal operation, and clipping/overload.

The R-DES external PEQ system with PC interface is an innovative and easy to use product which adds an extra dimension of equalization capability not found on any subwoofer in this price range. The five PEQ bands can tackle the worst of room modes, and the four onboard memory settings allow for custom movie and music EQ curves. In addition, the product is well supported with on-line help and tutorials, revision downloads, and the innovative Onix Graph Paper for plotting the in-room FR.

On HT applications in a mid-size room, the UFW-12 exhibits respectable mid-upper bass dynamics and good extension to about 25 Hz. At higher playback volumes, the UFW-12 limiter will occasionally compress deep bass passages, so hard-core HT enthusiasts might consider dual UFW-12 for an additional 6 dB of headroom.

With popular music, I found the UFW-12 to exhibit impressive balance, coherence and articulation. Pitch is well-preserved at/above 35 Hz, and the UFW-12 renders low E beautifully. With the help of R-DES, integration with the mains is smooth and seamless.

AV123 has hit the mark; the UFW-12 is a well-balanced and attractive subwoofer which offers solid value at the $1,000 price point.
 

- Ed Mullen -