Reddit reviews BIC Acoustech PL-200 Subwoofer (Black)
We found 23 Reddit comments about BIC Acoustech PL-200 Subwoofer (Black). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Front-Firing 12" Long-Throw Powered Subwoofer with state-of-the-art BASH amplifier1000 Watts Dynamic Peak Output, 250 Watts RMS ContinuousFrequency Response: 22Hz - 200Hz, adjustable crossover & volume controlsSensitivity: 110dB @ 30Hz12" Poly-injected, with high power magnet and long excursion surround
No.
You are going from one home theater in a box system to another. Generally, stay away from anything in a 5.1 package for under $500. Go with separates instead starting at $50 to $150 and build as you go. Only the front 3 speakers need to match.
If you want better sound then start with a pair of 5.25" or 6.5" bookshelf speakers and the matching center. Then add a better subwoofer. Then add surrounds.
Optional Receiver Upgrade:
Low Budget 5.1 under $300.
Better 3 front speakers:
Better subwoofers:
HT Guides: r/HTBuyingGuides FAQ, How to Set Up a Basic Home Theater System - Lifewire, How to Set Up Your Home Theater Receiver, Speaker Placement for Home Theater
Also see r/hometheater.
I recently purchased a town house, after renting a room for several years. Didn't have any furniture other than the bedroom essentials, so I had a pretty blank slate to work with.
I realize the layout isn't ideal, given the lighting and open floor layout (opens up to the dining room and kitchen), but I was more concerned with having a good hangout environment than having the prefect viewing experience. The only other option was an above ground basement, which would have had the same lighting issue, though better acoustics.
The lighting isn't as bad as it appears in the picture, imo. I've never really had a problem with it, though I do spend most of my time relaxing in the evenings when there is no direct sunlight coming from those windows. Even then, the Samsung seems to handle it well.
EDIT:
Additional pictures of the cable management.
https://i.imgur.com/iPxbpNz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6pkdjpH.jpg
For the wall I used some 1/4" shaped wiremold from Home Depot. Sanded and spray painted it to match the existing 1/4" Round. For the rest of the power cables and such, I modified the middle drawer of an Ikea cabinet to hide them away and give me easy access. I'm still not quite sure what to do about the remaining outlet wires, but other than that there aren't any other visible cables.
EDIT 2:
Since I've been asked about pretty much every piece short of the coffee table, I figured I would update this post to consolidate that info. Most of these items I bought used or on sale.
TV - Samsung KS8500 65"
Reciever - Denon AVR-S720W
Speakers - ELAC UB5/UC5/UB5, Surrounds - B4
Subwoofer - Bic Acoustech PL-200 12"
Entertainment Center - Modified BESTÅ from Ikea
Speaker Stands - Sanus SF30 Steel Series
Couch - Corey Sectional from Havertys
Art - Patent Collections from Displate
Rug - [Safavieh Glacier from Overstock](https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Safavieh-Glacier-Contemporary-Abstract-Blue-Multi-
Area-Rug-6-7-x-9-67-x-9/14248766/product.html)
Bookshelves - Parthenia Etagere Bookcase from Wayfair
Coffee Table - Baxton Studio Wood/Metal End Table
If you have space for a center channel this is what I would go for:
Speakers: A lot of options here but just as a good example consider the HTD Level 3 Bookshelf speakers along with the matching Center Channel. Should be between $560-600 after shipping and depending what finish you choose.
Receiver: Pick up a refurb Denon X1300W for $300.
Subwoofer: Again, a lot of options for the subwoofer but the BIC PL-200 is a great sub at $250.
That leaves you with a little padding for some odds and ends like speaker wire and speaker stands.
If you don't have a good spot for the center channel consider going for more expensive speakers, a more expensive sub/dual subs, or tower speakers.
Here are a few options.
> seating for 8 persons
That means you have seating off to the side, likely diagonally, correct? What this means is that you should get bipole/dipole/radiators for your side-surrounds, and place them centered between each "row of seating" (if it's additional couches instead of seats, put them centered based on distance from furthest seating to closest seating), a pic/drawing of the room would help. Good ones that'll fit in your budget are these bipoles ($120) or its bigger brothers, this one ($150) or this one ($200, I have these, got them $100 on sale from Walmart, currently normal priced).
> I preferred the quality of Klipsch
As for your front 3 speakers, two options I have would be Klipsch, or the same company as those bipoles. For Klipsch, there are these bookshelves + matching center ($340); for Fluance, they don't have a matching center for their SX Series, so you can mix and match, or not get their SX Series, their most expensive series (Signature) bookshelves + center would be $350, so similar price to the Klipsch's, their 2^nd highest model line bookshelves + center would be $270.
For your back-surrounds, are you wall-mounting? If your are, you will want front-ported speakers. Ones that I can recommend are these Sound Appeals ($70), or actually Fluance's top 2 model lines, you can get the Signature Series ($200) or their XL7 Series ($150). You don't want dipole/dipole/radiators for back-rears, as the sound dispersion wouldn't be good (null zones or amplified zones)
Now, that brings us to the subwoofer. If you were talking like 3-4, maybe 5 people, you could just get 1 sub, however, since you are talking 8 people, you definitely want 2 subs. The reason for that is a subwoofer has sweet spots, and an 8-person seating area is definitely too large. With the speakers I recommended, if you went on the most expensive of my recommendations, that would leave us with ~$750 to play with. I would recommend two of these ($660 total)
or two of these ($740$865 total, too expensive).Now, I'm guessing you'll also need speaker wire. I'd recommend getting at least 16 gauge (lower the # the better), and if you are going in-wall, get oxygen-free. Speaker wire is cheap, here is 100ft of 14 gauge oxygen-free speaker wire. Now, I'd also suggest getting open-screw banana plugs (likely wont fit on any speakers you are wall-mounting), just to save on some frustration with connecting the speaker wire to the speakers/receiver, I bought 2 orders of these ($16 total), they connect like this. You will also want 2 subwoofer cables (RCA's with better insulation), I bought 1 order AmazonBasics in 15ft for $9 ($18 total for you), they also come in 25ft ($20 total, so better safe than sorry). If you don't know how to place a subwoofer, here is /u/zeospantera's tutorial.
I really like my Bic PL 200
https://www.amazon.com/Bic-Acoustech-PL-200-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B00OFXV5IO
If you haven't bought the F12 yet, the BIC PL-200 is on sale for $250!
Grand Total: $918.94
>Budget $150/$250
Size of the room, unsure, This is silly, but its a house we are purchasing, Ive only walked through twice. Its roughly the size of a 2 car garage if that helps as its the space directly above. Double set of doors open into the hall.
That's fine. Ok, that's not too horribly big , lol and it's sealed so for the top end of that budget would be the BIC PL-200 at $249 currently on sale ( I've owned 2 of these in the past myself.) Better to put that money in a jar though and pull it back out when it's $400 -$600 and get either a ported HSU , Rythmik, SVS or Emp-tek but if that's the budget the BIC is the upper budget recommend and the Dayton 1200 at $135 shipped is my lower end recommend.
I wouldn't recommend anything that you linked. That Klipsch system isn't worth the money and subwoofer won't dig very deep. Spending $240 on the rears is too much money at this price point. I would go with:
AVR: Denon AVR-X1200 $320
Bookshelf L/R: Elac Debut B5 $200
Center: Elac Debut C5 $180
In-ceiling rears: Micca M-8C x2 $82
Subwoofer: BIC Acoustec PL-200 $249
Total: $1031
An array of 1000 smartphone speakers all around you might envelop you but it doesn't mean it will sound good. A good 5.1.2 will out do that 7.1.4 in terms of quality. Something like this:
So depending on which sub and how much on the extras you spend you should be around $1500 cad
One of the bang for the buck subs would be the BIC F12 $188. It's bigger brother the BIC PL-200 $330 would be just past your budget.
If you wanted to get a center channel, you should be trying to stick to a matching JBL product if at all possible.
Subwoofer – $249
Front L-R - $750 pr BIC Acoustech PL-980L-PL-980R
Center Speaker – $199 BIC Acoustech PL-28II Center Speaker
Surrounds — $239 pr BIC Acoustech PL-66 Surround Speakers
Best Buy does sell BIC America – just the crappy ones. See if they will order these and price match Amazon. I haven't done the calculations but I think that brings you right in at 1200+ the sub. Or see if you can sell your Best Buy GC. All the speakers have 5-7 your warranties and should last you 15+ years. IMHO
I did see that Amazon has it at $250 right now. It was $330 when I was originally shopping around:
https://www.amazon.com/Bic-Acoustech-PL-200-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B00OFXV5IO
Good call. I forgot to include the sub. I was looking at a variety of things so never pulled the trigger on one.
Klipsch R-10SW
ELAC S10
Bic Acoustech PL-200 II Subwoofer
Have you considered the BIC PL-200
http://www.amazon.com/Bic-Acoustech-PL-200-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B00OFXV5IO
It can be had for ~$280 by purchasing from Sound Distributors directly.
This thing thumps. It's $3 over budget but well worth it.
Bic accoustech pl-200
http://www.amazon.com/Bic-Acoustech-PL-200-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B00OFXV5IO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417887891&sr=8-1&keywords=bic+acoustech+pl-200
Bic Acoustech PL-200 Subwoofer - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OFXV5IO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_p43azb6KPQWXD.
Add these...
BIC America Venturi DV64 2-Way Tower Speaker, Black (Single) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00011KLOI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_H83azbPJTWW6M
And these...
BIC America DV62si Bookshelf Speakers (Pair, Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JPDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_m93azbQ5KSMEM
Can't find the center channel model right now, will post later. Edit found it! BIC America DV-62CLRS 6-Inch 2-Way Center Channel Speaker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009WBYL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_k79azbVHSM7VV
They sound incredible!!
Generally speaking, "all in one" packages (AKA, Home Theater in a Box) are less quality than buying the pieces yourself. The Phillips unit you linked seems to be a pretty low end package. with everything being powered by the all in one receiver/bluray player. I can promise you, this isn't pushing anywhere close to 1000 watts.
Don't concern yourself with the power rating. In most cases, its nothing more than an advertizing number for these All in one packages. They are likely quoting the max power handing of each speaker, and adding them together, which is unlikely to ever actually be hit.
My suggestion, check out a place like Accessories4less.com and buy a refurbished receiver (I highly recommend Denon, but if you like Yamaha, thats fine as well) you can save a decent amount by going with a refurb, and it carries the same warranty. I've had 2 refurb Denon's and they've been rock solid for me.
For speakers, you want to spend the bulk of your money on the front 3 (Left, Center and Right) as thats where the majority of your sound is coming from. You want to make sure all 3 speakers match.
If you get a good subwoofer, you usually don't need floorstanding speakers. You can save a dcent amount of money by going with bookshelf speakers for the fronts, and just getting cheap speaker stands on amazon for $50 or so.
As an example, many people love the HTD level 3 speakers, the bookshelf version are $379 for the pair, the floorstanding version is $800 for the pair. (quite the difference!) I've listened to the Bookshelf versions, and they are plenty loud, and sound fantastic in my opinion.
For subwoofers, I like to reference the Subwoofer Guide from /r/Zeos Pick the best one your budget and space allow.
To put together a quick system.
$250 for this Denon refurb receiver
$379 for the HTD level 3 speakers
$229 for the HTD L3 matching center
$299 for and the Bic Subwoofer
Total price: $1157
Add in another $100 for speaker stands, a roll of speaker wire and HDMI cables, and you're around $1200 for a pretty decent home theater setup, that I guarantee will blow your current setup out of the water.
Just to point out some of those pricier options, I'll add the BIC PL-200 II (
CDN$ 437.99Edit: correction that link is to the original, not the II) is generally considered a little better than the F12, but just over the cap right now.HSU is step up and is great too, as mentioned, plus SVS sometimes has the SB12-NSD in stock and on sale for $400 (US), though not now. I'm never sure if it's coming back but it seems to a couple times a year or so.
^(Edit: Added link and price for PL-200.)
For subwoofers, we are partial to BIC for < $500. The F12 used to be what we recommended to someone looking for an entry level subwoofer cost. However, the next level up PL-200 is current on sale for $250:
https://www.amazon.com/Bic-Acoustech-PL-200-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B00OFXV5IO
This subwoofer was amazing at about $330, and I remember some customers were gleeful about being able to negotiate it down to about $270 by messaging one of the authorized dealers. $250 is really a no-brainer.
For > $500, we recommend one of the many fine subwoofers from SVS for maximum "pants leg flapping" effect.
Denon 2500
Jamos S 803 HCS
BIC PL-200II
Or Fluance
Fluance HTS
Or Towers
Fluance Tower HTS
Jamo Towers HCS
i would go with this package deal at just over $1,000
https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SC-1223-Andrew-Theater-Package/dp/B00R2HQG02/ref=sr_1_20?
i have these on one of my tvs and they are great for the price. they perform far above their price point in my opinion.
you could also just get the fronts/center/rears for just under $500 then pick the receiver & sub you want.
$480: https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-PK52FS-5-0-Theater-Speaker/dp/B00IRH0QMA/ref=sr_1_3?
if i were going that route i would try to spend a little more on the sub (that is one of most important parts to me) and get a basic receiver to start.
so this sub
$330: https://www.amazon.com/Bic-Acoustech-PL-200-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B00OFXV5IO/ref=sr_1_4?
and this receiver
$160 used, $250ish new: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDH550-5-2-Channel-Receiver/dp/B00J30GXW2/ref=sr_1_2?
that comes in either just under $1k or $50 over for new receiver.
either of those packages should perform very well for the price.
edit: saw this receiver from a similar thread and would be good fit to start with too http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamhtr3067bl/yamaha-htr-3067-5.1-ch-x-70-watts-a/v-receiver-same-as-rx-v377/1.html