BIC America Revives RtR With Elite On-Wall Speakers for Big-Screen TVs

Wall-mounted 75-inch and 85-inch TVs have become increasingly common, but the loudspeakers traditionally used to give those displays a proper home theater experience still take up a lot of floor space. Soundbars solve the space problem, but even the better examples have limitations when it comes to channel separation, scale, and dynamic output.

BIC America thinks there is room for something in between. The American audio company has revived its RtR brand with a new family of Elite On-Wall speakers designed to deliver a more traditional component home theater experience without requiring floor-standing loudspeakers on either side of the television.

BIC has considerably more history in the loudspeaker category than some consumers may realize. Originally established in 1950 as British Industries Corporation, the company imported brands including Garrard, Luxman, and Wharfedale before introducing its own American-made loudspeakers in the 1970s. RtR goes back even further than BIC’s ownership of the brand; it was founded in 1966 and became one of the larger American loudspeaker manufacturers of the late 1970s before ending production in 1990. BIC acquired the RtR name in 1999 and is now repositioning it around systems designed for modern flat-panel TVs.

The new RtR Elite Series includes three On-Wall Towers (OWT) sized to complement 65-, 75-, and 85-inch displays, two voice-matched center-channel speakers (OWC), and two dual-angle surround models. Internally braced MDF enclosures, high-output driver arrays, passive radiators on the tower models, and placement-specific cabinet designs are intended to give installers and consumers a system that sits close to the wall without surrendering the output and separation expected from discrete loudspeakers.

“Today’s TVs have gotten dramatically larger while becoming thinner and less intrusive, but traditional speaker options haven’t evolved in the same way,” said Eric Huang, President of BIC America. “With the RtR Elite line, we set out to preserve the performance, separation, and impact consumers expect from a component home theater while matching the size of the large-screen TVs on the market today. It’s exactly the kind of practical engineering and exceptional value BIC America has always stood for.”

RtR Elite On-Wall Towers: Big Sound Without the Floorstanders

BIC is offering three front-channel speaker models: the OWT65, OWT75, and OWT85 On-Wall Towers. Each is sized to visually complement 65-, 75-, and 85-inch-class TVs.

Unlike ultra-shallow on-wall designs, the OWT models use larger, internally braced MDF enclosures with two extra-long-throw 4.5-inch woofers and four passive radiators. This combination provides greater cabinet volume and air movement to support higher dynamic output and deeper bass extension.

The towers also feature tapered cabinets that angle their output downward toward the listening position rather than projecting above seated listeners when installed alongside higher-mounted TVs. All three models handle up to 100 watts RMS and use gold-plated binding posts that support speaker wire up to 14-gauge.

RtR Elite Center Channel Speakers

For installations requiring a dedicated center channel, BIC offers the OWCLR35B, designed for placement below the television, and the OWCLR33A, which can be mounted above the display with three downward-angle positions to better direct dialogue toward the listening position.

The OWCLR35B and OWCLR33A are voice-matched to the On-Wall Towers and can also be mounted vertically for use as left/right speakers in system configurations where the larger OWT65, OWT75, and OWT85 may not be the best fit as the main speakers.

Dual-Angle Surrounds 

To complete the system, BIC offers the S2040 and S3070 surround speakers. Both models are designed for front-height, side-wall, or rear-wall placement, can be oriented vertically or horizontally, and are optimized for Dolby Atmos setups.

The S2040 provides 20- and 40-degree mounting options, allowing installers to select the appropriate angle based on the speaker’s height and distance from the seating area.

The S3070 uses separate driver sets mounted on precisely angled 30- and 70-degree baffles. This approach broadens on-axis coverage for listeners seated both near and farther from the speaker, including challenging positions close to side or rear walls.

Additional System Requirements

All RtR Elite models are passive loudspeakers, which means an AV receiver or amplifier is required to power them. They are also designed to work with a subwoofer using a crossover frequency of 80 Hz or higher.

The models are voice-matched to work together in 5.1-, 7.1-, and immersive home theater configurations. Mounting templates, heavy-duty keyhole mounts, and installation hardware are included to simplify setup.

The Bottom Line 

The RtR Elite Series is interesting because BIC is not simply shrinking a conventional loudspeaker and sticking keyhole mounts on the back. The three tower models are proportioned for 65-, 75-, and 85-inch TVs, while the angled center and surround options give buyers enough flexibility to build a proper 5.1-, 7.1-, or Dolby Atmos system without filling the room with floor-standing speakers. The OWT85 tops out at a $469 MSRP, which also keeps the series well below many premium on-wall alternatives. 

The obvious omission is an RtR Elite on-wall subwoofer. A conventional powered subwoofer is still required if you want meaningful low-frequency impact, which means the completely floor-free home theater remains unfinished business for BIC. There is also no powered or wireless version of the Elite speakers, so an AV receiver and speaker cable are still part of the equation.

Competition is not exactly scarce. The ELAC Debut 2.0 OW4.2 remains a strong budget option at $279 per pair, while the GoldenEar SuperSat 50 ($599.99 each), MartinLogan Motion SLM ($624.99 each), Motion SLM XL ($799.99 each), and Paradigm Millenia LP XL ($799.99 each) occupy the more expensive end of the category. BIC’s advantage is that RtR Elite has been conceived as an affordable, voice-matched whole home theater system built specifically around today’s larger wall-mounted TVs, rather than as a collection of slim speakers that happen to work on a wall.

Pricing & Availability 

The RtR Elite Series is expected to begin shipping September 1, 2026, through BIC America’s distribution network and Amazon with the following MSRP pricing

• OWT65 On-Wall Tower: $377.04 at Amazon
• OWT75 On-Wall Tower: $400 at Amazon
• OWT85 On-Wall Tower: $469 each  
• OWCLR35B Center Channel: $369 at Amazon
• OWCLR33A Center Channel: $420 at Amazon
• S2040 Dual-Angle Surrounds: $359 at Amazon
• S3070 Dual-Angle Surrounds: $479 at Amazon

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