Looking for advice on BIC America.

[jlindsey86]

I also posted in AVS and got some good info, I was told several people on this forum have some experience with BIC so I thought I would post here too.

I ran across a pair of speakers a couple of weeks ago ,in an independent stereo store, that I had never seen before. They were BIC Venutri tower speakers and looked nice. I went home and did a search on them to find out they are pretty highly regarded given there price. On there site it shows snippets of reviews from Stereophile, Home Theater Mag, and several other big name magazines. I'm really getting curious about these and I am going to go back to that store today and see if I can listen to them.
Does any one on this board have any experience with BIC? How do they compare to infinity, jbl, klipsch, polk, yamaha, etc... BIC has several series of speakers too one being Venturi, another is Acoustec which I think are a little more expensive, then they have a line they call RtR but they look like junk imo.
Has any one heard the Venturi line and the Acoustec line and how do they compare, I know they Venturi has dome tweetes while the Acousic have horn. Most of the time I perfer dome tweeters. They would be paired up to a sony receiver right now, but when I get the money I will probably buy Pioneer, or Marantz.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

There is a "Search this Forum" function and if you type in BIC you will find tons of threads on the subject. Many on this forum consider them a bargain.

 

[jaxvon]

You're spot on the RTR series. One look at the specs makes me cringe. I own the DV62 bookshelves and I think they're amazing speakers for the price. I don't know what your local dealer was charging for them, but you can probably pick them up online for cheaper. I've not had a chance to listen to the towers, though I've heard a lot of good things about them. The nice thing about the towers is the passive-radiator design. With the lack of ports, you can't get the chuffing noise, and as well, you have more leisure with placement. From my reading, the DV-84s are supposed to have excellent imaging.

 

[jlindsey86]

The speakers that they had were the BIC DV736 towers. Unfortunatly they didnt feel like hooking them up so I did not listen to them. I left somewhat annoyed. They were asking $125 apiece and do not offer any kind of return policy. From the looks of the place it didnt look like they were doing to well.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I purchased a pair from a high end audio shop in Cleveland in the late 80's. They were the DV62 Venturi bookshelves. One of the best sets of bookshelves I've ever owned. Venturi for music/movies, Acoustech for movies. RTR for frat parties.

I'm not sure why the speakers you mentioned are not on the website. I'd call BIC to see if they're discontinued. Could be an issue with replacement parts if they are. You can't beat a 7 year warranty.

Amazon has the DV84's for $147 each (a bit more), but they offer free shipping, and most likely no tax depending on where you live. The DV84's have larger woofers, and dual radiators. I think that's much more speaker for your dollar than the DV736's.

In any event, you'll have a hard time getting more for your dollar. Wait until you purchase their center channel - the DV62 CLR-S. That's what the company is known for.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00012F7CI/002-3975692-9236008?v=glance&n=172282&n=507846&s=electronics&v=glance

Here's a little history on BIC from the website:
"BIC originally an abbreviation for British Industry Corporation, was established as an American corporation specializing in British products. BIC was among the earliest pioneers in the audio industry, distributing products including Garrard turntables, Luxman amplifiers and Wharfedale loudspeakers during the 1960's.
In 1973, BIC introduced its own brand of loudspeakers and the industry' first belt drive turntables. By the mid 1970's, BIC Venturi loudspeakers were among the top 5 best-selling brands. Eventually, the original corporation began diversifying outside of audio and shortly after the death of its founder, the company was sold.
It wasn't until BIC was again purchased in 1988, that the company has emerged as the clear choice for those seeking very high performance audio at affordable prices. BIC products were top-rated 4 times in 1999 alone in comparison with all of the top ten best selling loudspeaker brands! We encourage you to purchase your favorite testing publication (or check with your local library on past issues), to see for yourself how BIC products rank. Better yet, why not make the comparison for yourself at one of the approximately 500 retail stores which carry BIC America products.
BIC products are all designed and engineered in America with production both in the US and abroad. Careful quality control enables BIC America to offer some of the longest warranties in the industry, ranging from 2 to as many as 7 years, depending on model.
The BIC America management team intends to continue the tradition of high quality at bargain prices. Our new slogan sums up best what you can expect from BIC America as we head into the millennium."