BIC Formula 5
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Grayhouse
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Wow! Talk about a flashback. A buddies brother of mine had a pair of these back when I was in highschool. I remember them being very good party speakers. Bass was so so, but the highs were exuisite :yes: I can still hear "Hiroshima" by Utopia being played on these in my head. Its to bad about the black paint. I think the front baffle is even veneered in walnut, but I can't remember for sure. Very cool speakers and worth restoring.
My memory is that they are near the top of the line for that series. I thought the cheaper ones I heard were pretty fierce, but one of the things I have discovered about a lot of 70s speakers is that they sound a lot better on better amps. So they might not be bad on a more decent ss amp or even better, tubes. If you like the sound, you ought to be able to refinish them. Though the foam grills are probably utterly gone.
Good score on the Formula 5's. I worked in a high-end audio store part-time while in high school in the mid-70's. We sold everything from Klipsch to JBL to BIC speakers. I had the opportunity to listen to all the top speakers of the day by switching from one set to the next using the same audio source (usually a quality amp and turntable). The BIC's, particularly the Formula 6's, outperformed everything we had except for the top Klipsch speakers, which were four to five times more expensive.
I started buying equipment and continually upgraded as my budget allowed while in college, ending up with a clean-sounding, powerful, DC Integrated amp from Kenwood, Formula 2's stacked on Formula 5's, and a quartz locked direct drive turntable from JVC. It still outperforms anything my friends have bought recently, including a high-dollar, surround sound system that a friend recenly installed for big money.
The key to making the Formula's sound good is to feed them plenty of clean power from a quality amp. eBay has amps available regularly. Look for a Kenwood KA-7100 or KA-9100. After 30 years, mine are still going strong.
I started buying equipment and continually upgraded as my budget allowed while in college, ending up with a clean-sounding, powerful, DC Integrated amp from Kenwood, Formula 2's stacked on Formula 5's, and a quartz locked direct drive turntable from JVC. It still outperforms anything my friends have bought recently, including a high-dollar, surround sound system that a friend recenly installed for big money.
The key to making the Formula's sound good is to feed them plenty of clean power from a quality amp. eBay has amps available regularly. Look for a Kenwood KA-7100 or KA-9100. After 30 years, mine are still going strong.
