Reggae
Ziggy Marley "Gone Away"
The heavy recording of the bass guitar on Ziggy Marley's "Gone Away" lends itself to be a good test in determining purity of a subwoofer. Overlapping bass lines can be downright difficult to distinguish if not faithfully reproduced. The kick drum playing through the thick bass guitar, as presented on this track, can sound one-notish and muddy on lesser subs. Not the case with the UL12. Each note shift of the bass guitar was notable as was each beat of the overlapping drum that was taut and robust. With volume, the Critical Mass 12" appeared to sound better, which is not particularly uncommon with a larger format sub such as this. Like the previous track, the UL12 delivered the same seamless blend between itself and the midbass driver with no attention-drawing details pulling the sound to the rear of the vehicle. Nice. Very nice.Score: 9.5/10
Electronic/House
Daft Punk "Da Funk"
"Da Funk" has a sharp snap-beat that plays throughout most of the song; it's a simple, electronically derived beat that has a strong kick-to-the-head snap before the fundamental. This track intros with a 25-second segue before the beat checks in. Playback of the snap-beat was powerful with a full-bodied fundamental; no overhang or cone breakup was noticeable even at the highest tolerable listening level. At 2:26 into the track, the snap-beat stops and a synthesized low frequency shortly replaces the monotony. This ultra-low frequency requires a subwoofer that has good extension to capture its essence, like the UL12. And the UL12 doesn't just play it back with care--it provided me with a therapeutic massage. After the interlude, the snap-beat picked up again only to temporarily render its "snap" at 4:26, continuing with only the fundamental element. This was well defined by the UL12.If asked to come up with one negative remark in the playback of this track, it would have to pertain to the clarity at low volume. The UL12 lost some of its fundamental nature; a loss only the most critical listeners will pick up on. Nitpicks aside, it never skipped a beat. Score: 9/10
R&B
Usher "Caught Up"
When I listen to "Caught Up" by Usher, I play close attention to a couple of items. The first is the assortment of both tight and strong bass notes. The former was produced with good attack and timbre, close to (but not) the best I have experienced. On the other hand, the strong notes were well rounded with a nice fat tone and ideal decay--the perfect amount of that "boom" I enjoy from time to time, without an exaggerated or muddy overtone. The second thing I fixate on is the scaling bass note, each note with a distinct tone of its own. Presented by the UL12, every tone was easily distinguished from the next. The intensity, or level of each, was recreated as I could only imagine the producer intended. For me, listening to this track was quite enjoyable and I compliment the UL12 as it served up one of the best reproductions of this song's bass I've experienced.Score: 9/10
Jazz
Michael Allen Harrison & Friends "Turn Back the Pages"Last but not least, I auditioned the UL12 using "Turn Back the Pages" by Michael Allen Harrison and Friends. This track uses a bass guitar and percussions that bleed down in the subwoofer range. While complementing each other, these instruments overlap one another throughout the composition. As I've stated before, overlapping instruments can be difficult to reproduce authentically since the woofer is already in motion when the second instrument is sequenced. Often is the case that a drum attack playing through a bass guitar can sound muddy and blend into the latter. The UL12 was precise and again shone brightly with the upper bass attack of the drums tight, fully complementing the midbass in a solid fixed image; the kick drum was executed with reverence and great clarity, playing through the bass guitar without disorder; and the bass guitar rendition had a nice tonal body just to complement this full-course meal. Exceptional!Score: 9.5/10