Well I searched and searched for information on the web about this product after I had heard this sub at a Best Buy here in Canada just before Christmas. At the time, this sub was selling at an unbelievably low price of $299.00 CND. This is a 12" 200 watt powered subwoofer from Precision Acoustics, however, I could not find any information on this company. As my current sub, an Axiom 12", had quit some time ago, my curiosity took over. I started to look at other 12" subs but the pricing was just not anywhere close to the PA. I know most times you get what you pay for but there really is quite a jump in prices. I even searched e-bay to compare and still nothing. Well I took my Axiom in for repair and low and behold, it is going to cost about $150.00 to repair. I kept my eye on this PA12 over the holidays and for Best Buy's boxing day/week sale, they had dropped the price to $199.00 CND. WOW !! Well obviously I went and picked it up at 6 AM Boxing Day morning and I had to let others know, THIS SUB ROCKS!!!! I am totally impressed with the power and sound quality of this sub. I am running a Yamaha receiver with Polk R40's for my main fronts and my rear surrounds with a Polk CS245i on my center channel. I am hoping to add an R10 for my back surround which I am not currently utilizing.
All in all, I would have to say, this sub definitely out performs my previous Axiom sub and at $199.00 CND, I would have to say you would be hard pressed to find a better deal on a powered 12" Home Theater Subwoofer. The sticker on the back of the sub does say "Made in China" however the box was apparently "Designed in Canada" for whatever that's worth. The longevity of this product is still in question for me however with the 9 year speaker replacement warranty that I purchased for an additional $29.00, I am not too overly concerned.
Because i bought mine in the summer at best buy. I had a problem with the first one where it would be going off in the middle of the day for no reason and my tv was off. I took it back and got a new one and have not had a problem yet.
Yes this is the down firing one. I have been running the sub at least 10 hours a day since I brought it home with absolutely no problems, aside from the complaints the wife has been lodging due to various items vibrating throughout the house....LOL I am quite happy with the bass depth. I have mine set in a corner on a 45 degree angle at the opposite end of the room from where I sit. I have found that the further away you are from the sub, the better.