Funny (and also very informative) speaker review

[Brad Johnson]

Review of the BIC America RTR-EV15 speakers, massive old-school floorstanders with a solid rep for their combination of brutal sound level and very good sound quality at a surprisingly modest price.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgetAudiophile/comments/8eqsod/your_annual_reminder_the_bic_america_rtrev15s_are/

Even though I'm rocking a pair of thumping-good Optimus Mach II's, they are going on thirty years old and speaker cones don't last forever. I could update them with new drivers and a more capable crossover but the cost would be at least the price of the big EV's. Probably more. Plus, I really don't feel the urge to spend a day in the shop trimming & shimming cabinets, especially when the BIC cabinets appear to be more substantially constructed. Space for the huge cabinets isn't an issue as the current speaks are on stands flanking the home theater setup. It would be a simple swap.

If the big BIC's ever go on serious sale, which they occasionally do, I'm going to snag a pair. The only con to upgrading is the Optimi have nice burled walnut veneer cabinets while the BICs are industrial black. Not a big deal though as the HT is setup is focused on function, not form, and the room is mostly dark when in use anyway.

On a related note, if you've been looking for good mid-sized bookshelf speakers but don't want to spend a fortune, take a hard look at the BIC DV62si. I picked up two pair earlier this year, one pair for home theater surrounds, the other pair set into alcoves flanking the living room fireplace for general music/ambiance duty. They aren't ELACs or KEFs by any long stretch... but they aren't $500 a pair, either. For the price they are very very good, especially when properly driven. They'd also be an excellent choice for places like shops or garages, anywhere dirt and dings are likely. The modest price means you won't cry if they get roughed up a bit.

https://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-DV62si-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00006JPDI/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=BIC+62+speaker&qid=1606749123&sr=8-7

Brad

[Fly320s]

I have almost zero interest in a kick-ass home theater set-up, but that review makes me want to buy those speakers.

[RocketMan]

Optimus Mach II speakers.  I remember those from my days working for Radio Shack in college.

[Brad Johnson]

I have almost zero interest in a kick-ass home theater set-up, but that review makes me want to buy those speakers.

SWMBO said that, too. Then I got the system set up and dialed in. Now the only time we don't watch TV in the basement is when we have company over. It's amazing how much decent audio adds to even simple programming. It doesn't take a fortune to have a nice setup, either. Decent, albeit somewhat limited, "HT In A Box" systems are available for $500-600 if you're willing to exercise a little patience or shop the Open Box section. A very good sounding system can be piecemealed together for under a grand. A "make your eardrums meet in the middle" setup can easily be built for under $2k. Heck, even a good $300-400 sound bar will up enjoyment levels considerably. Though they aren't as immersive and usually lack the visceral impact of more powerful dedicated systems, the increase in sound quality alone is worth the price of admission.

*Edit to add*
For a little added sound quality on a budget there's the option of wireless headphones. We got Dad a pair of Sonys (link below) because he's deaf as a stump and we were tired of shouting over the TV. For everyone else they make a handy way to get much better audio quality without spending a ton of money.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-wh-l600-rf-digital-surround-wireless-headphones-black/6211542.p?skuId=6211542&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzZL-BRDnARIsAPCJs70AnBXl6c-jpSOVcHG1tTUKE5xd0iQauCu_Cy3mAtxxKw32ChQDIZUaAsY4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Brad

[230RN]

Heh.  "Make your eardrums meet in the middle."

Sounds good.  No pun intended.  Back in the mono-hi-fi days I built a Bass Ultraflex speaker cabinet which was the bee's knees, the cat's meow in "hi-fi."  Sixteen inch woofer with some enormously heavy Alnico magnet, 6" midrange, horn tweeter, crossover to match.

It must've been pretty good, because even lo ! these many years later, the plans are still available:



When stereo came along, I built a duplicate, and I was the envy of many an audiophile.

Those were the days when Terry was Terry, and his ears were ears.

Nowadays I content myself with a pair of tiny Optimus LX-5 speakers sitting on my Harmon-Kardon all-in-one tuner and amp.  Time was, discrete components were the way to go, nowadays the way to go is to not bug my apartment neighbors.

Terry

[Ron]

Old speakers!

My Klipsch Forte's I purchased in '88 are down in the family room as I type. Picked them up at a decent price as they were being replaced by the Forte II's.

Since I've got rid of the TV I've also retired the matching center channel (Klipsch Academy) along with the two bookshelf rear speakers.

The subwoofer is still hooked up though. I mostly listen to classical music these days and at a much lower volume. The subwoofer allows a little bottom end oomf when listening at lower volumes.

[230RN]

double posting

[Ron]

The Forte is a pretty traditional style speaker with a 12" woofer and 12" passive radiator in the back. The mid and tweeter are horns.

It isn't one of the corner horn speakers with the folded woofer enclosure.

[Brad Johnson]

Optimus Mach II speakers.  I remember those from my days working for Radio Shack in college.

How do you think I could afford them? Here's to you, employee discounts! Got my first surround receiver when it "accidently" got put in the back room until old enough to be disco'd. IIRC it was the STAV 3200. it was also the last thing I purchased before I resigned (fled, actually). That was way back when "surround sound" was simple stereo with front channels duplicated to the rear speakers. Nothing compared to today's systems but orders of magnitude better than its mono predecessor. Then Dolby Surround came along and flipped everything on its ear. Pro Logic blew minds.

At one point I had four Machs, stacked two each as flanking towers for the HT system in the old house. Minimus 7s as surrounds. A thousand watts driving four 15" subs is brutally effective, though I freely admit my concern then was more quantity than quality.

Ex wife took two of the Machs, along with Minimus 11s we had for an office system. Don't miss her a bit. The Machs and Mins, on the other hand...

Brad

[Kingcreek]

Don’t have tv or home entertainment center but still have a decent Rotel sound system and paradigm speakers I bought 23 years ago. If my hearing was better I might need better but it’s ok for me.

[HeroHog]

My speakers, hidden by my cat, Phredd (Fred), were cheap old towers that I replaced all the speakers with Radio Shack speakers and crossovers. Ferrofluid Tweeters, Ferrofluid 5.25" Midrange, and 8" Dual Voice-coil Subwoofers. Sounded surprisingly good! They had a bass port as well.
You can see my EQ, Cassette deck, and amplifier/receiver to the left. I forget what the black box to the left of the EQ was for, I/O switching perhaps? Looking at the EQ, can you tell the speakers were a tad bass heavy?



These days we are running a Panasonic SA-BTT350 Full HD 3D Blu-ray Discâ„¢ Home Theater System
Tiny speakers but great sound, more than enough when living in an apartment!

+R/+R(DL)/+RW Video
DVD-ROM DVD Video
CD CD-DA
CD-R/-RW CD-DA, MP3, JPEG
BD-ROM FULL HD 3D BD, BD-Live
BD-RE / BD-RE DL Version3, JPEG
BD-R/ BD-R DL Version2
DVD-RAM DVD-VR/ JPEG/ AVCHD
DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD-R DLD VD Video, DVD-VR, AVCHD
JPEG/MP3 (DVD-R/ -R DL only)
SD Memory Card (SDHC/SDXC)AVCHD/ JPEG / MPEG2
Television Signal System NTSC
Output Channel 5.1ch
Output Power - Home Theater Mode (RMS) Total Power: 1000W
Front: 125W x 2 (1kHz, 3 ohms, 10% THD)
Center: 250W (1kHz, 6 ohms, 10% THD)
Surround: 125W x 2 (100Hz, 3 ohms, 10% THD)
Subwoofer: 250W (100Hz, 6 ohms, 10% THD)
Output Power - Home Theater Mode (FTC)Total Power: 446W
Front: 60W x 2 (120Hz-20kHz, 3ohms, 1% THD)
Center: 106W (120Hz-20kHz, 6ohms, 1% THD)
Surround: 60W x 2 (120Hz-20kHz, 3ohms, 1% THD)
Subwoofer: 100W (45Hz-120Hz, 6ohms, 1% THD)
Selectable Speaker Layout Yes
EQ (Flat/Heavy/Clear/Soft) Yes (4 preset)
Subwoofer Level Yes
Center Focus Yes
Whisper-mode Surround Yes
Dolby® Digital Decoder / Dolby® Pro Logic® II Yes
Digital Synthesizer Tuner Yes
Dolby® Digital Decoder Yes (Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® Digital)
DTSâ„¢ Decoder Yes (DTSâ„¢-HD Master Audio Essential, DTSâ„¢-HD High Resolution Audio, DTSâ„¢)
Easy Setup Yes
Digital Amplifier Yes
High Clarity Sound Yes
96kHz Surround Re-Master Yes
Station Presets 30-FM
Cinema Surround Yes
7.1ch Virtual Sound Effect with 5.1ch Yes
Deep Color Yes
Video D/A Converter 148.5 MHz/12-bit
PHL Reference Chorma Processor Plus Yes
High Precision 4:4:4 Yes (Adaptive High Precision 4:4:4)
1080/24p Playback Yes
Digital Noise Reduction Yes
Picture ModeYes
Picture Adjustment Yes
Zoom Function (JPEG) Yes
x.v.colorâ„¢ Yes
Enhanced Full HD Up Sampling (New P4HD) Yes
P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD) Yes
Universal Dock for iPod®/ iPhone® Integrated
iPod / iPhone Playback ( Music/Video/Photo) Yes
iPod/ iPhone Full Title List on Screen Display for Music & Video Contents Yes
VIERA Linkâ„¢ Yes (HDAVI Control 5)
Remote Control AV Remote Control
VIERA CASTâ„¢ Yes
HDMI Out 1 (Support Features: 3D, ARC Content type)
SD Memory Card Slot 1
Video Out 1
Ethernet Terminal Yes (for BD-Live, VIERA CASTâ„¢ and Firmware Update)
Wireless Terminal (for Wireless Rear Speakers) 1
USB Slot (for Wi-Fi) 1
Digital Input 1 (Optical)
Front Configuration 1-way 1-speaker, Bass-reflex
Front Speaker Unit 2-1/2" Full Range, Cone Type
Front Weight (lb.) [Approx.] 0.88
Front Dimensions (H x W x D) [Approx.] 4-11/16" x 3-5/32" x 2-11/16"
Center Configuration 1-way 1-speaker, Bass-reflex
Center Speaker Unit 2-1/2" Full Range, Cone Type
Center Weight (lb.) [Approx.] 1.32
Center Dimensions (H x W x D) [Approx.] 3-11/32" x 5-23/32" x 2-13/16"
Surround Configuration 1-way 1-speaker, Bass-reflex
Surround Speaker Unit 2-1/2" Full Range, Cone Type
Surround Weight (lb.) [Approx.] 0.88
Surround Dimensions (H x W x D) [Approx.] 4-11/16" x 3-5/32" x 2-11/16"
Subwoofer Configuration 1 way 1 speaker, Bass-reflex
Subwoofer Speaker Unit 6-1/2" Woofer (Cone Type)
Subwoofer Weight (lb.) [Approx.] 6.17
Subwoofer Dimensions (H x W x D) [Approx.] 11-13/32" x 5-23/32" x 10-5/32"
Weight (lb.) [Approx.] 7.71
Dimensions (WxHxD) [Approx.] 2-7/16 x 16-15/16 x 11-5/16
Audio Inputs 1 (AUX)
Standby Power Consumption [Approx.] (Main Unit) 0.05W

[Brad Johnson]

Well, I took the plunge after one of the Machs developed a nasty buzz at around 150 Hz, likely a loose interior brace. They've come loose and been reglued a couple times already. A proper fix would require significant surgery so I used that as justification for replacement.

Oh. My. Gawd.

The BICs are just as magnificent as the review linked in the OP claims. Bass feels endless, deep and full without being boomy or muddy. Mids are clear and balanced. Highs are crisp without being harsh. They give, as the review claims, an effortless listening experience. Are they perfect? Nope. However, they are astonishingly good performers, well beyond what their modest price would suggest. I can fully confirm the review's claim that a subwoofer is unnecessary. Unless you're dead set on lighting up seismographs two counties over, there's simply no need for a dedicated sub.

Sensitivity is nothing short of amazing. On first play they overpowered everything else in the room. Restoring overall balance required dialing 4 dB out of the front channels. Impromptu testing with the little 45w Sony receiver from my workshop easily produced uncomfortably loud volume levels. Does that mean they can't handle more power? Not even remotely. During testing and break in with my 110w/channel main amp I pushed volume levels to the point dishes were rattling in the upstairs cupboard. The speakers never broke stride. Feed them sufficient power and they're fully capable of reducing everything in the immediate vicinity to dust.

Are they big? No. They are friggin' HUGE. A full foot and then some taller than the old Machs. Fortunately they have the exact same footprint so I could use the existing stands.

Oh, Spousal Approval Factor. Yeah that. You'll be happy to know they are officially SWMBO Approved. The height and black color mean they actually fit the HT setup more symmetrically than the Machs. Next addition is a black drape hung behind the entire setup. With that and the low ambient light levels, the all-black equipment will blend into the background.

Though not exactly cheap, they are still reasonably affordable. In terms of performance for the price they are the screaming bargain of the century. I've heard speakers costing substantially higher which these monsters will easily outperform, both in quality and quantity. All in all, very much approved and recommended.

Brad

[Bogie]

Back Before Jen... I had a home theater and a living room...
 
The basement had a 92" projection screen. The speakers for the 7.2 surround system were all midrange Infinity speaks, and were pretty decent for movies. They rocked for stuff like Floyd's 5.1 mix of Dark Side of the Moon... The subwoofers were a pair of 15" sub drivers I got from Parts Express, originally in a pair of Sonotube enclosures tuned to about 17hz, but then moved to a "gorilla coffin" size box, tuned to 21hz.
 
Signal came via a Sony SACD/DVD player, into a Denon AVR, then out to a stack of Crown gig amps, except for the 2500 watt Behringer amp that ran the subs (and the speaker stands as mono).
 
There was active EQ for all channels, and a parametric EQ for the subs. The EQ for the mains also split off a crossover for a pair of the 15" subs in 0.9q sealed boxes that acted as stands.
 
The couches, which were fairly lightweight, had transducer pucks bolted on, so that when that damn dinosaur stomped, you would feel it. Some people completely freaked.
 
That room was GREAT for rock and roll... Floyd's "One of these Days" from Pulse and the Cream Reunion "Toad" would make the system clip if you twisted hard enough.
 
The living room? Stereo - a pair of Magneplanar intro speakers on top of a pair of "speaker stands" which were the Parts Express subs in 0.7q sealed boxes (still have them - unused), run by an identical Sony SACD/DVD player or a Denon AVR into a stereo tube preamp (google Aric Audio), and then into a Hafler DH-200 (still have) that could push 135wpc CLEAN all day long. No EQ. Sub amps were a pair of Parts Express plate amps.
 
Today? Some Pioneer AVR that I impulse purchased, a Samsung 43" TV (not all that smart), a smart Samsung blu-ray player, and a pair of Yamaha 15" horn gig speakers. The 0.7 boxes are under the stuff, but I haven't hooked them up, since I figure I could get the cops called without them.
 
It's good enough.