After Ed Frias Mod: Huge soundstage improvement, tighter bass, smooth midrange. Modify, Modify ,Modify!! Price: What else can you say? Dealing with Ed Frias!!

Somewhat bright, boomy and sloppy bass before mod!!

Hey Ed, In my neck of the woods I am considered the ultimate skeptic. If there is something to be found wrong with a product or service, I'm the man that will do it. I have 5 sets of speakers in my house including (old) Cerwin Vega's, (old) Klipsch's, and JBL's. Right now my crossover modified DV62si's might be the best set in the house. Wow, I'm not kidding, what a difference. I pounded the DV62si's out of the box with classical and some jazz for about 2 weeks straight to try and somewhat break them in. I actually thought they sounded pretty good.. As I told you Ed, I thought the problems were bass sloppiness and they were somewhat bright with a boxy, boomy sound. After reading all of the reviews and conversing with you, your recommendation was "well if you are happy with them I wouldn't get them modified." Man am I glad I went against what you told me to do..After listening to Damien Rice's "O" over and over the week before I sent the crossovers in for mod, I was going to be ready to dismiss the modded crossovers as placebo effect. Well, after listening to this exquisite recording being reproduced very well by these two speakers something happened. After installing the newly modified crossovers, Damien Rice and his band must have somehow slipped in the back door. The soundstage exploded, the bass was now tight and well defined and the entire spectrum of sound, oh how smooth!!! This was not placebo.. One thing I do have is a very good ear!!! Ed it seems as if you have done it again!! I wish I could have heard the heavily modified speakers that you sell but this was an impulse buy and unfortunately I knew nothing of your magic!! I have $155 into these speakers with the mod and they sound like $800 to $1000 monitors!! My advice to anyone interested in these speakers. 1) Roll the dice and spring for the Ed Frias heavily modified speakers. I'm sure they sound superb. 2) If you are on a tight budget and want to go out and get the DV62si's cheap, make sure they're factory new, not seconds. Listen to them for several weeks with the same reference material (Very Important). Then get your screwdriver out, extract the crossovers, and get them as fast as you can to Ed Frias. You will not be sorry!! Warm up your equipment good, put on some new silver interconnects and Cat 5 or silver speaker wire and get set to be amazed at the transformation. Ed, all I can say is it has been a pleasure doing business with you and I can assure you we will be doing more in the future!! I will spread the word wherever I can. Thanks again Ed!!! John Costello

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, Cerwin Vega, JBL

Unmatched value, their sound reproduction is supurb.

None really. Far exceeded my expectations. Maybe some low base and some depth of soundstage of larger speakers and cabinets. No nebuless, verbose, overpolished advertising campaign.

Searched & auditioned many speakers to suppliment or replace my BIC Venturi speakers of 25 yrs. Couldn't find anything close to the value of what I had. Purchase on the strength of past performance, Audio Review, Consumer Reports and auditions. What could I lose for the price & being an accomplished value shopper. Out of the box they were very good but lacked base and were a little sharp and shallow as I found them as indicated in consumer reports. They require a break in period. I would not recommend anthing below the BIC Speakers as each had one or more noticable weakness. Per other reviews, I physicaly took the crossovers to Ed Frias in Escondido, CA at EFE Technology (EFESPKRS@AOL.com / also see his reviews for the T Series speakers & products here at Audio Review.) for modification. He gave me a full demo of his "highly modified" BIC Speakers as well as his handcrafted T Series Speakers. Ed is a true master of his craft as his speakers are supurb; from his highly modified BIC625si (picks up more low base as well as the sound stage and clarity)thru his magnificent T60's. My personal choice are his T36 Towers. Re-installing the crossovers is easy and the result is a pair of excellent speakers for under $200 complete with tx & shipping. These could be used for mains. Unmatched value and true giant killers. The base is now good with snare dumbs tight and crisp. Cymble brushes vivid and piano solos so clear you can hear the "plink" of the hammers striking the strings. You have to look to make sure the singers are not in the room with you. Perefectly smooth through their range, clear, tight, clean, live and natural. Unmatched value, and they compliment my classsic old BIC Venturi's (still good which go to 30Hrz passive base) perfectly adding crispness and clarity to their smooth and warm sound with their large & deep soundstage. I placed the 625si's on 22" homebuilt stands with a simple A/B crossfire setup for music and add a center and sub for TV and movies to be upgraded with my old amp to EFE Tecnology center etc. My recomendation for a budget speaker would be Ed's Highly modified 625si (see other brands auditioned below).Ed Frias enhances the vast treasure of sound and music; classic rock, jazz, and folk as well as movies.

Similar Products Used:

Altec Lansing, BIC Venturi 5, Bose, Alpine, JVC, Awia. Auditioned various models of Bose, Boston Acustic, B&O, Cambridge Soundworks, Klipsch, Polk, Pioneer, JBL, Infinfty, Sony.

Rich, mellow sound, almost doesn't need a sub. I like the "EFE Technology" emblem on the speaker.

None

First of all I don't understand why the BIC DV52si is considered a "Main" speaker by Audioreview when the DV62si is considered a "Bookshelf" speaker. That being said, I feel a good review is the least I can do for Ed Frias. These reviews convinced me to buy Ed's heavily modified DV62si. I was so impressed I bought the DV62CLR center speaker. I'm using a Yamaha HTR-5250 receiver, a Polk Audio PSW350 sub and Boston Acoustic CR-6s in back. I was so happy with all of this I bought a Gateway 42" plasma TV to round out my system. I can't say enough good things about EFE Technology and Ed Frias. These are great speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustic

Above all else - GREAT SOUND & BUILD QUALITY AT A SUPERB PRICE!

ABSOLUTELY NONE. Ed's speakers are truly Giant Killers!

About a year ago I bought a BIC DV62CLRs center channel and was quite disappointed. I then discovered that a crossover modification was available by Ed Frias of EFE Technology (efespkrs@aol.com 760-741-6525). For about $20.00 my center channel was transformed to what is simply the best speaker I have ever heard! Presently, I was in need of some speakers to run off my "B" speaker selection on my Onkyo to a separate location in the house. The speakers were primarily to listen to music, but there would be times when I might want to enjoy a movie via DirecTV - which had an extension into the same room as the speakers would be. Being on a budget I first tried some small Advent towers from Costco. They were returned the next day. Then, I tried some small Yamaha towers from Best Buy. They lasted about a week before I returned them. Then I contacted Ed about BIC's small towers (modified, of course). It turned out they were a little over my bugdet, but Ed suggested I try his heavily modified DV62si's. He said they'd "blow me away," and that's exactly what they did! There is so much clear and well defined music coming out of these small speakers that they surprise everyone who hears them. Ed is great to work with and professional in every way. These modified BIC's are totally awesome and will stay a part of my system for as long as they live, or as long as I do - whichever comes first.

Great sound at a great price. Flat response after adjustment of treble and base for my room acoustics.

These are wonderfull speakers for $135 per pair. There are not ideally situated in the room but I do not live in a anechoic chamber. I hooked up my DOD RTA (real time analyzer) and found that I had to lower the treble and bass. But after I did that they were very flat over the audio range and sound wonderful. These speakers have been reviews in the August 2001, November 2001 and the November 2002 Consumber reports. These speakers remain the most accurate bookshelf speaker reviewed by Consumer Reports as of this date June 1, 2003.

Incredible dynamic range. Full, rich warm sound. Best speaker value you can find anywhere.

Need's break in period of about 15 hours, after that, no weaknesses.

This review is for the DV62si with the crossover modification from EFE. I was looking for a quality bookshelf to replace my 15 year old full range Advent Legacy II's. Based on the reviews on this site, I thought I'd give this system a try. I have to disagree with most on this site about the speakers performance out of the box. I thought it sounded a little hollow and was certainly no match for my Advents. They were OK and I figured I could still use them somewhere around the house. I left them connected to my main system for a few weeks until I found time to return my HT system to it original configuration. But something changed during those weeks. After 15-20 hours of operation, these speakers transformed. The hollowness was gone. The bass response was incredible. I disconnected my subwoofer and listened to just these speakers and could not believe the dynamic range coming from these small units. I repeated the side by side comparision with my trusty old Advents and found the BIC's mid and highs far superior. The Advents still had a lower bottom but this distinction disappeared competely when I reconnected my sub. I'm now a believer. This is likely the best bookshelf speaker system you buy for under $700. (I paid under $200 with the crossover mods) If you're looking for home theater, you'll still need a sub, but for most music, these alone will probably be all you need.

Very accurate reproduction.

none

I was looking to replace my Boston Acoustics a60 pair after about 20 years of use. I read as many reviews as I could find on the internet and also looked at Consumers Report. I kind of narrowed it down to the JBL S26,Venturi DV62si and Polk r15. The DV62si won the competition. I auditioned each of the speakers and found the BIC pair to have a singularly beautiful sound especially for classical and jazz (which are my mainstays). I was pleasantly surprised by the bass response since CR said they were a bit "bass shy". I recommend highly. (I have my speakers on 12 inch stands.) Bravo BIC.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoutics A60.

accurate, open and airy, no "boxy" sound and power handling

You will want a powered sub for home theater

These speakers need not be modified to enjoy. I know that you can put them up against any 6" 2-way under $400 pair and they will simply sound more true to actual music.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, JBL, Paradigm, Theil

Coupled with my Yamaha RXV-890 receiver/amplifier, the BICs come alive like no other. The primary strengths include amazing, accurate reproduction clarity and the near-impossible rock-bottom price. Any style -- rock, jazz, classical -- shines with flying colors. They're warm, they're clean and there's plenty of punch in the bass to separate any fine low-end elements. Powerful enough to drive a fairly large room, simple enough to keep the sonics in place in a small, tight bedroom. Absolutely amazing versatility!

I'm stil looking for one. I suppose I very infrequently find myself boosting the bass a notch or two on certain recordings, but that's nit-pickingly minor. There's no subwoofer needed, really. This pair will sing any tune without haste.

These Ed Frias "extensively modified" BIC DV62si speakers are probably the absolute best pair of bookshelf speakers my ears have ever heard. I'm not a complete audiophile by no means, but my years as a musician and my vast time spent in the recording studio has built quite the discerning ear when it comes to listening for reproduction clarity, warmth and realness. And for $275, this is an absolutely unbeatable deal. Mr. Frias is an amazing individual with precise attention to detail, as the products he works with prove. I purchased this pair of BICs after hunting on Audioreview.com for a worthy pair of bookshelf units. I'm extremely glad to be writing this review today, as these BICs are wonderful. I give this pair my highest recommendation possible. I don't even know what the unmodified pair of BICs sound like -- nor do I really care. It's well worth it to splurge the measly $275 on this pair of fine speakers. (I strongly suggest you contact Ed Frias at efespkrs@aol.com for more information.)

Similar Products Used:

My experience with bookshelf-sized 2-way speakers includes several years with studio-grade near-field reference monitors, particularly the Yamaha NS-10Ms and Tannoys. I've also used KRK V6 and V8 moni

Big sound for small speaker. Better bass than most speakers in its class Clean, accurate sound

Unable to audition outside of Southern California

This review is for the "Extensively Modified" BIC model DV62si, only available from EFE Technology. When reading all of the reviews, keep in mind that there are actually (3) different versions being reviewed. First, there's the stock version from BIC, Second, there's the stock version with modified crossovers from Ed Frias, and last is the "Extensively Modified" version only available from Ed Frias. I recently purchased (4) speakers from Ed for my home theater. I was unable to audition them personaly, so I sent a friend who lives near Ed to pay him a visit. I made my decision to purchase these speakers based on his visit with Ed Frias as well as all of the other positive reviews posted on this website. Also, I did have a couple of phone calls with Ed himself. He was very informative and a pleasure to do business with. My experience with the speakers has been all positive. They have a much larger sound than you would expect from a small bookshelf speaker. The bass is very good w/o a subwoofer but obviously, you still want a sub for HT. I have found that for music, the sub is optional depending on the type of music you are listening to. Ed has designed his crossover so that the speakers sound musically accurate. I have found them to have a nice clean sound. The high end is very clear, not too harsh. The midrange blends well with the high & low ends. They're the type of speaker you can listen to for long periods of time w/o fatigue. You can crank them louder than you would ever need to. My HT room is 15'x 23' and these little speakers fill the room with more sound than I would normally experience in a typical movie theater. The BIC build quality is very good. The fit and finish are excellent. If you have the opportunity to audition them, give Ed Frias a call @ (760) 741-6525. I would also like to ad that I was replacing a pair of Phase Research R's which are a large bookshelf w/ a huge sound. I did do a side by side comparison a couple of years ago w/ Paradigm Mini Monitors and frankly the Mini Monitors could not compete so I returned them. The BIC's from Ed performed much better in the same comparison w/ the Phase R's. They have a much bigger sound than the Paradigm's did. In addition, I have designed some Home Theaters for remodeling projects that our company has constructed. We just finished one that used PSB Mini Stratas at about $1000 per pair. I can honestly say that I can't justify the extra money. I haven't been able to do a side by side comparison between the PSB's & the BIC's but can tall you w/o question that the BIC's are a better value. For those of you intersted, you can typically buy the stock BIC-DV62si for About $125-$150. Ed charges $30 to modify the crossovers or you can order the already modified from ED Frias for $250 + shipping. Ed's version is "Kicked up a notch". Good Luck in your speaker research and I hope this was helpfull.

Similar Products Used:

Phase Research R's Paradigm Mini Monitor PSB Mini Stratus Optimus ProX77