Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I have had (4) EFE modified DV62si speakers in my home theater system since 2002. I bought them direct from Ed, never hearing the Standard BIC version. In 2005, I had an opportunity to do an A-B comparison with my EFE version side-by-side with a brand new pair of the BIC standard model. Folks, I'm here to tell you that hands down (not even close) myself, my wife, my neighbors, all picked the Standard BIC version.

The soundstage was much wider, the highs were more crisp, the main vocal performance was more natural & focused. You could hear the fingers sliding down the strings of an acoustic guitar. If you closed your eyes,
you could pick out musician locations on the stage. The EFE version had a much smaller soundstage, the highs sounded choked. The main vocal had less presence and musician locations were less focused.

Frankly, I was blown away by the Standard BIC model and disapointed I spent almost double the price for the EFE version. I have read that some listeners find them to be too bright. I would simply adjust the treble over having them modified. I have also read that some listeners who found them to be too bright reported that after a break-in period, the high end improved. I loved them right out of the box!!

If you are listening to "Adult" music @ "Adult" volume and sit in the proper isosceles triangle position, you will be extremely impressed with this set of speakers that can be purchased for about $125/pr. But, don't be fooled, you can also crank the sh_t out of these speakers. They have a much bigger sound than you would expect from a smaller bookshelf speaker.

The test pair that was used for this comparison is being used in a Professional Dance Studio. If they can hold up to that kind of abuse, you should rest assured that they will give you many years of service.

In closing, I realize that there are many positive EFE reviews on this forum, but unless you've had the opportunity to do an actual side-by-side comparison, it means nothing. Sure by themself, the EFE version sounds good, and there is a huge difference after the modification, but for me and everybody else who compared the two side-by side in my living room, the Standard BIC DV62si was the better sounding speaker.

ddw

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Bad experience with the modified speakers by Ed Frias I wish I heard the original so I could really compared what he did. These things were so bright and imaged so poorly it hurt my ears. My ears could not tolerate even 15 minutes of listening and the speakers were sent back immediately. Get some real speakers please… I compared these directly with Paradigm Reference Studio 20v.2 and Paradigm Titan v.3 not even close. I don’t think these can even stand up to budget Polk models that are very good btw.
Hearing is subjective so to each his own… But these are far from warm.
If they work for you good but this is far from what I expected. I might buy the originals just to see how they sound before being reworked, I have a feeling they would be better than the mod.
Unless I really got a bum pair (Ed re-measured the speakers and said they were perfect) I have to say no stars. Also because I spoke to another owner who burnt $1,000s because he was told his source equipment was the problem and his speakers still dont sound natural.


Strong points: the reviews posted here

Weak points: Sound is not natural, poor imaging, poor support from Ed himself.

Associated equipment: NAD 3240 Pioneer Elite A35r Denon Paradigm Studio 20v2 Titan v3 NHT SB2 B&W 602s3 Onkyo Polk rt25i Polk R30

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mconn

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Picked them up for $109 Amazon. Did not "need" new speakers but they had good reviews and the price was right. Considering the price, I couldn't be happier. I did add poly fill to the acoustic insulation already there. I can't say that it helped but it had been suggested by many. The run with a velodyne cht12 sub so low bass is no a factor. A little brightness that is easily corrected with the treb. control. Right now, I would be hard pressed to find a better buy. Even though you should always audition speakers, it's just too good a deal to let slip by. As stand alone stereo for music only, they are impressive. There are a lot of speakers hundreds more that they could give a run for the money. The name isn't cool with the audiophile set, but many would be embarrassed picking another over them in A-B test..

allstar720

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Although I was tempted to grab them for $100 from amazon I just had to hear what Ed Frias was doing. I figured in the end I'd have sent them to him anyway so instead of all of that s+h I ordered a pair of highly modified's directly from him. Boy are these things nice. I'm extremely happy with the sound. They are very warm, rich, and natural sounding speakers as modified by Mr. Frias. If you go to amazon's page I have uploaded some pictures of them.

donrday

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $109.00 from Amazon.com

Summary:
This is a story of two products, actually: the BIC America DV62sei speakers I purchased from Amazon.com and the crossover upgrade from Ed Frias.

I bought the speakers originally because I had learned only last year about the outstanding, low-cost Sonic Impact T-Amp, which I modified in the usual way (supply bypass and input caps, improved enclosure, etc..), upon which I needed a better set of speakers to better appreciate the great tonality of that little amplifier. The DV62si speakers had consistent praise, both unmodified and with the Ed Frias crossover modification. I purchased my pair for $109 from Amazon.com and got them in about a week with the free included shipping. I used these for several months, building my own appreciation for well-recorded music during that time and reading as much as I could about other speakers and the T-Amp technology in general.

This spring, I finally sent a note to Ed expressing my skepticism about whether I could really hear anything better than what I thought I was already getting out of the speakers. He made the point that the benefit may depend mostly on my own comfort with how the speakers delivered mid quality and known high brightness, and reminded me that with the smoothing of the mid-to-high corrections of his crossovers, the low end would relatively come out a bit more. I listed carefully to several test albums for a week, and then sent off the original crossovers for modification.

Exactly a week later, they arrived in a small box. I put them into the speakers and began re-listening to my test albums. Right away I heard the difference, best expressed in this following note that I sent to Ed shortly after I finished my listening:

"Hi, Ed. I received the BIC DV62si crossovers on Wednesday, true to the 1 week turnaround that others have mentioned. Listening carefully the next day to the before/after music pieces I had prepared, I could tell quite a bit of improvement in the overall balance, and indeed, even my unsophisticated ears could hear the improved smoothness of the midrange. But the biggest surprise is what I DIDN'T hear--the speakers! The BICs were very good before, but now, they are completely transparent--I hear music coming from their direction, but it plays across a wide and detailed sound stage, with much better imaging than before--a most pleasant surprise. Very good for a $32 upgrade on a $109 pair of speakers. I'm more than satisfied!"

I am still appreciating new nuances in my older music, and finding joy in new recordings. Currently listening to Robert Glasper Trio's album Mood from eMusic--a very nice, smooth-sounding jazz performance for this amp/speaker combination. The speakers are very good for vocals as well!

BTW, I recently sold my older Bose 301 bookshelf speakers after I heard what these could do. I had thought those speakers would do at the time, but the modified BICs truly out-imaged the Bose speakers across all types of music and let me hear music with much more of an "ahh" experience. By comparison, the Bose speakers now sounded hugely disappointing and flat.

As a related footnote, I can't say enough about the T-Amp, which is truly the poor man's entry into quality musical reproduction. Compared to my previous systems, now I know what a good listening experience is really like, and feel I can move up later with better understanding of what to listen for.

Strengths:
Smooth tonality, great low end for bookshelf speakers (on foot high stands on my desktop), good sensitivity for low-power amps like the T-Amp, realistic imaging (I still look around when hearing whispers or recorded ambient sounds).

Weaknesses:
Relative to other speakers at the same price, none.

Similar Products Used:
Radio Shack Minimus 7s with Soundaids crossover modification; Bose 301s (stock).