BIC Acoustech H200 Subwoofer (AKA PL-200) - Page 2

Now you are experiencing the hifi sub sound, all rumble and no mid bass. Thats what they are called real subwoofers the onkyo sub is a midbass unit that probabbly dont extend lower than 30hz but offer the localized bass you are used to. I went trough that myself and most people will tell you that the problem is you don't have capable mains..My advice go with what sounds good to you. The PL200 is a good product for the price and most subwoofers in this price range and up will give you that effect and it will take a while to get used to it. Having a background of DJ'ing in the 90's with the sub not going lower than 40hz it was a shock to me..the sound is completely different.in a goodway.

would love to hear if you have anything else to contribute, or if anyone else bought this sub, please chime in.

Anymore updates? Im curious to know if this sub, is worth the extra cash to get in place of the H100?

it is well worth it, just got mine today to replace my f12 and it extends lower but I also remember being dissapointed with the response of my f12 when i first got it and over about a month or so it started to extend deeper. So if all things stay the same this pl200 should drop pretty low once it breaks in a bit more. I will give a full review at this time.

Bump - I'm thinking of adding 2 of these to my 5.1 system My old Kenwood 1050SW is on it's last legs..... Anyone have any comments on these subs? good or bad

Thanks

I just ordered one yesterday for $269 shipped from acoustic sound. I bought a pa-120 from its sister site, sound distributors, and was definitely impressed by that sub.

But, it bought that sub and realized hey, for this price range what would 20 extra bucks get me ? So i got the pl200 for the 1000w bash, and designed with help from HSU.

I will post back some pics and some initial thoughts when i get it in next week. Looks to be a great sub though.

i watched LOTR 3 tonight. i have twin PL-200s in a 15x27x11 room that opens to the kitchen, a bonus room, & hallways to the front door and bedrooms. anyways, these subs would play deep and loud enough to shake the ceiling and also shake items in the kitchen which is about 30ft away from the subs. for reference, that was with a Onkyo SR-805 receiver on -20.0 dB,double bass on, x-over set to 80Hz, and everything else flat. both PL-200 gains were set at 1/2 way. they will play extremely low. at one point, there was no sound but the sectional was shaking pretty good. oh, the subs are right next to the TV about 8" off the wall, not corner loaded.

i did a sine sweep test from 10-100hz for fun [ no scientific measurement ] and my calibrated eyeball showed me that the PL-200 was traveling about 1" in excursion, or ~13mm each way.

Actually, it's 250 watts rms, 1000 peak.

How is it at 20hz? Does it reach 20hz at least? I have a room that loves to strengthen low bass and this would be great if it did with authority.

just got my pl-200 yesterday. it's not broken in yet, so i can't tell you a whole lot yet, except it already blows my old ksw-12 away. it's not boomy, it's tight, but over powers my klipsh synergy b3 fronts(the gain is half way and my fronts are set to +15 and sub 0)...have heard great things about the towers, so i am thinking 2 pairs of pl-76's

Due to lack of reviews for this sub I thought I would share this one from amazon.com Looks pretty good!

5.0 out of 5 stars Significant sub for the money -- down to 5 Hz!,

January 2, 2010
By Robert S. Brayton (www.cinenosin.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I am a recording engineer and sound designer. I bought this subwoofer to create a 5.1 system for mixdown. I have been using the Mackie HR824 for the past 12 years. I bought three more to complete the "5" portion of the "5.1" formula. These professional studio monitors are THX PM3 certified. The "PM3" designation is specific for studios that want to create mixdowns for THX certified movies. These amazing speakers are flat down to 35 Hz without a subwoofer. Needless to say, most subwoofers are a waste next to HR824--I needed to find a sub with significant low-frequency response that is also very clean. I researched subwoofers and stumbled on the BIC and HSU offerings. I bought the PL-200 to try out. I have a test CD with a frequency sweep from 5 Hz to 22 KHz. Yes, brothers, the PL-200 responds significantly to 5 Hz! The 1000 watt BASH amplifier controls the driver with great precision. Granted, it is not THX PM3 certified (although I see no reason it would not be if BIC paid the money to Lucas), and it is not flat down to 5 Hz, however, the PL-200 is a perfect addition to my THX studio system. I highly recommend it!

Bull crap on the 5Hz claim. Just complete and utter crap.

Yeah for sure! I had one and while it did impress me overall considering its cost, it rolled off pretty hard around 25hz in my room which is where all the funstuff begins....

I agree with you guys with the 5hz...but I previously owned an h100 which didn't roll off hard till about 22hz. I hope that the specs hold true with the new pl200, because it seems to be a good deal.....

5hz

I would like to see some real numbers from this.

I am tempted to cancel my f12 order for this.

I have checked the price of the BIC PL-200 over the last two weeks. The lowest price I found is ~$330 (includes shipping).

At present, nobody has established that the PL-200 is clearly that much better than the F12 to justify the extra expense.

The Hsu STF-2 and eD A2-300 that were on sale last week ($360 then but now much higher) are considered by many individuals in this forum to be clearly better than the F12 (or H100).

On ebay or one of the sites that sell the PL-200 you can make a offer south of $300, and I think they will take it. Not saying it is or isn't worth it, but someone can try it out if they wanted. I asked via email on ebay what they would do for 2 of them, and I think it was $279 EACH, not sure if that included shipping.

The price they quote for you will always include shipping. They people who sell them via E-bay, Sounddistributors also have a website that offers a "Make an offer" option as well. They are one of the few authorized resellers for the Bic Acoustech line. Also, if you mention that you were referred to them by AVS forums, or give them a call stating the same, they will also usually go down a little bit further in price. AVS'rs have given them a ton of business.

In the end you will be better off with a HSU, eD, or SVS sub.

I own the pl-200 and I think its fantastic. Lots of output.

I have never heard a high end home theater sub so I cant comment how it compares, but when I was a younger I did have 4 12" flat subs that measured over 140 db in my car so I am quite suprised that this sub outputs as much as it does.

I had a f12 and a pl-200 and the pl-200 is worth the extra cost. I say this due to the fit and finish (its far more presentable than the f12) and there is a noticeable increase in sound quality/output. I was very close to considering adding another pl200 before I sold it and got an Empire.

Have you compared the above options with the PL-200??

Individuals in this forum have stated that the PL-200 is better than F12.

Others have stated that the Hsu STF-2, eD A2-300, and certain SVSs are better than F12 (or H100).

There do not appear to be any direct comparisons between PL-200 and Hsu, eD, or SVS.

just as a heads up. sound_distributors is making good deals on the PL-200 right now. I got an offer of $275 with free shipping accepted on their ebay store. i know another user had a $270 accepted. seems like a very solid sub at a good price point for those who cant bump up or wait for the eD a2-300.

That was my point actually. To make a claim that "In the end you will be better off with a HSU, eD, or SVS sub" seems to be an uneducated assumption when dealing with the PL-200.

Just placed my order for the PL-200...I can't wait to hear what true bass sounds like and whatever else I was missing.

I just ordered the PL200 as well. I currently have all Axiom. My setup is:
Axiom M80's, VP100, EP350 - Odyssey Khartago Monoblocks - Pioneer VSX-9040TXH

I'll let you know how it compares to the Axiom EP350 sub...I paid $750.00 for the EP350, should be interesting...

The wait for me is becoming unbearable. I'm counting down the days until purchase time. Roughly 10 give or take 1. I've even cleared out a spot for it already, like I'm preparing a room for a baby to come home from the hospital.

Yeah be sure to let us know.

so is this sub better than the VK-12?

I need a better sub and I was eyeing the a2-300 but it is out of my price range so now im looking for something that is.

well i ordered a pair of pl-200's and i will compare one of them to my a2-300 ED (if ED ever sends me my replacement driver) when it gets here. It will be a couple of weeks though...
Best,
Chris
PS My take is that the ED will better the pl, but I am just basing this on my past impressions of ED and BIC stuff, but there is now about $125 difference in price between the two...