Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)2/21/11 Edit of my original 2/17 review. My edit from 2/19 (testing against Klipsch RC-62) is on the bottom: I've added pics I took today of my FH6-LCR, Martin Logan Encore TF, and BIC PL-28 all stacked on top of each other in the pics section. This is for size and looks comparison. I have already given away the Polk CS1 and the Klipsch Synergy C1 so I was not able to add them to the pics. I kept the 3 best sounding centers. I only need two of the three so my brother is going to be getting one nice center soon.
I had to give my friend his Klipsch RC-62 II back after a couple hours of use a couple days ago. It just occurred to me that I should have taken pics. The Klipsch is almost 3 times as deep as the BIC PL-28 but that provides plenty of room for the sound to resonate. By the way, he was very disappointed that his center cost him $500 +, 3 times as much as mine (BIC cost $177). He has his Klipsch listed for sale on Craigslist now and said he is buying a BIC PL-28 once the Klipsch is sold.
Nothing against Klipsch, if the RC-62 was the same price as the PL-28, I may have actually bought the Klipsch. I don't think one sounded better than the other but forgive me for being ridiculous, Klipsch is Klipsch (as long as it's not Klipsch Synergy). I may have bought the PL-28, due to the depth it is much easier to place than the Klipsch. I should have tested these with music. I hear Klipsch sounds better playing music.
I'm surprised BIC even compares to Klipsch. I wonder who is designing at BIC that they are able to produce this level of performance. Don't forget, sound is subjective. What sounds good to my friend and I may not sound good to you.
Oh, and make sure you have a way to tune this, even if your receiver cannot. Find a way (external source) because this speaker sounded fantastic when it wasn't tuned, then kicked the s*!t out of my other speakers when tuned. I tuned the others for a fair comparison and it was BIC all the way. It's versatile and can sound however you want it to.
2/17/11 Original Review Below:
I've had this plugged in for 1 hour and all I can say is wow. This is the first time I have ever been impressed with a speaker on day 1. Usually I hate a speaker, think it sounds terrible, am disappointed, and then start to like it as it breaks in.
I literally unplugged a BIC FH6-LCR center, plugged this speaker in, unpaused the show I was watching and this speaker was around 50% louder at the same volume. "Loud" isn't necessarily a positive way to describe a speaker but I'm trying to explain how efficient this speaker is.
It is driven by a Yamaha V-365 ($129 Discontinued Model) 100 Watts/channel. This speaker is so efficient it could probably be driven to incredible levels with a 75 watt/channel receiver.
I'm only using this for movies.
Dialogue is loud and crystal clear, even at very low volumes. It sounds like the people are in your living room. I can periodically hear people breathe between sentences in movies due to the clarity. The horn tweeter has fantastic dynamic range. It's extremely powerful. I'm liking the horn tweeters much more than the dome tweeters now. This depends on your personal preference though.
It's bright, but not overly bright. The highs are not sharp or harsh at all. I can't get over the clarity. BIC really makes good products (at least from the two speakers I've experienced so far). Why does BIC hide in the shadows.
This is already BY FAR THE BEST center I've ever owned. I'm comparing to the below speakers. I'm not listing in any particular order of preference.
1. Polk CS1
2. Martin Logan Encore TF - Was my previous favorite but this one slowly came to tie my FH6-LCR.
3. BIC FH6-LCR
4. Klipsch Synergy C1
I was going to buy the Klipsch RC-62 out of curiosity but my curiosity is gone after listening to this center. I'm not sure how another speaker could sound better. I've auditioned many centers at the store and the BIC sounds better than all. It's overpowering so I'm going to need to adjust the center separately.
This speaker isn't even broken in yet. This will be an amazing edition to my theater room once I put it together. It sounds lovely in the living room now.
It's HUGE, but surprisingly not very deep. The height and width exceeds that of all the speakers I mentioned above. It's not deep at all and has brackets on the back to wall mount.
I will comment on the bass once the woofers break in.
I've always liked name brand speakers so I know I'm getting quality. I thought BIC was an off brand so I always ignored them. I gave the BIC FH6-LCR center a chance (it was cheap enough). It sounded so good I had to see what their high end line sounded like. I was not disappointed at all.
BIC should hire me to do Sales and Marketing because I'm surprised at how unknown BIC is in my circles. This is a very high quality impressive speaker. It looks and sounds like it would cost $500 - $700 and have the generic $1,000 MSRP. The MSRP's are always ridiculously high. Having heard this speaker, I would happily pay $350 for it. I probably wouldn't go higher than that but it's because I'm cheap and I would get one with 6.5" woofers instead if this was $400.
Next will be the BIC PL-89 dual 8" towers. They will replace my Polk Monitor 60's which I love. My Martin Logan Encore TF's will continue to do rear surround. I'll have to sell the extra one I previously used as a center.
I will update this review as this speaker breaks in.
2/19/11 Update:
I just finished auditioning the Klipsch RC-62 II center for a couple hours. I don't think the BIC is better. I also do not think the Klipsch is better. The highs and dialogue sound different on both. At some points the Klipsch sounded a little harsh. You can always fix that by adjusting your receiver.
I would say the dialogue and highs are equal between the BIC and Klipsch. The BIC has a more impressive and warmer mid range and better low end than the Klipsch. I think anyone that listened to both would agree. Of course the BIC has bigger woofers so in theory, low end and mid range should be better. The Klipsch is a much bigger speaker in size and it's ported (BIC is passive) so I was genuinely curious to see if it produced equal or more bass. It does not. Not to take anything from the Klipsch. It sounds amazing and there is a reason Klipsch is so well known and liked.
From listening to both, I think the Klipsch would reproduce music and bass in music (response) better than the BIC. Just a theory as I did not test this.
The BIC is a little more broken in now. The bass is more pronounced. The horn tweeter continues to make me smile and sounds even clearer now. This center sounds more powerful and clear to me than the center channels in the movie theaters. Of course a living room is a much smaller environment. With the volume turned up, dialogue is VERY LOUD CLEAR and overpowering. I do have the center turned all the way up on the receiver. I think you could put this in a movie theater, turn up the volume and hear dialogue clean and clear in the very back row. 8 inch woofers are definitely not big enough to fill a real full size movie theater but would fill a very large home theater quite nicely.
I have not plugged in my Onxyo NR-1007 receiver yet so I have not done any tuning yet. I'm tempted to plug in the Onkyo even though I haven't built my theater yet. Just to see what else this BIC speaker is capable of. I'm extremely impressed by BIC.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Bic Acousetch PL-28 Center Speaker
PL-28 center speaker includes two 8" poly-injected woofers. Like other top-rated BIC center speakers, the PL-28 is specially designed to recreate voices and center effects in movies rich in clarity. Delivering output to 119 dB (live rock band levels), the PL-28 includes a state-of-the-art 6 1/2" high efficiency aluminum dome horn tweeter. As with all Acoustech horn speaker models, this exclusive tweeter produces such detailed, startlingly lifelike sound that it will leave you speechless. All Acoustech Platinum Series speakers come in elegant enclosures with hand-rubbed black lacquer tops and bottoms. This extra step ensures each cabinet has a deep gloss shine that is more scratch resistant than many lacquer finishes on the market. Price (MSRP): $449/Each Design: Video-shielded 225-watt 2-way horn center speaker with dual 8" woofers. Flush mount brackets included. Frequency Response: 30Hz-23kHz Sensitivity: 98dB @ 1 watt, 1 meter Drivers: Two high power 8" poly-injected woofers with butyl rubber surrounds, one 6 1/2" mid/high frequency aluminum dome horn with neodymium magnet. Magnetic Shielding: YES Gold-Plated Terminals:YES Recommended Power: 10-225 watts per channel RMS, 500 watts peak power. Impedance: 8 ohms Dimensions: 10"H x 25 1/2"W x 6"D Weight: 25 lbs. Each (11.3 kg.) Warranty: Extended 8 Year Parts & Labor
Click here for more information about Bic Acousetch PL-28 Center Speaker
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