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Topic:
Anyone ever heard of Bic America speakers?
This thread has 27 replies. Displaying posts 16 through 28.
Post 16 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 02:49
Ernie Gilman
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On June 9, 2015 at 09:26, jimstolz76 said...
There's a guy who will hot rod the crossover and the end product gets rave reviews. FWIW.

What's hotrodding a crossover here? Putting one in?
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 17 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 07:59
highfigh
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On June 9, 2015 at 09:26, jimstolz76 said...
There's a guy who will hot rod the crossover and the end product gets rave reviews. FWIW.

Where are these reviews, Audio Karma?
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 18 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 08:07
Mr. Stanley
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We do upgrades on a lot of speakers crossovers... replacing the cheap capacitors with high end capacitors, and removing the usual thin gauge (16 to 18 gauge) wiring from the crossovers to the speaker drivers with Kimber cable.

Why use expensive speaker cables from your amp to the speakers, if, internally they have small gauge wire?

Also a lot of speakers can benefit by using more damping material internally, and on occasion we will abb more internal bracing to deaden the cabinets.

Fairly inexpenxive tweaks that can go a long way.
"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."
Frank Lloyd Wright
Post 19 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 12:41
PatMac
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I have installed them in a few homes. When a customer is wanting the absolutely cheapest in wall speaker they can find, I go with the BIC Americas. No customer of mine has ever complained about them. I haven't installed any for several years.

I had the BIC Venturi Formula 4s back in the 1970s. They were incredible! Took a few months of paper route money to buy them at the time.

BIC America is nowhere near the BIC Venturi quality.
Post 20 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 13:11
Mr. Stanley
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On June 10, 2015 at 12:41, PatMac said...
I have installed them in a few homes. When a customer is wanting the absolutely cheapest in wall speaker they can find, I go with the BIC Americas. No customer of mine has ever complained about them. I haven't installed any for several years.

I had the BIC Venturi Formula 4s back in the 1970s. They were incredible! Took a few months of paper route money to buy them at the time.

BIC America is nowhere near the BIC Venturi quality.

Yeah they used to be OK. Then the name got bought and sold a few times, and it's now a bargain basement line. Actually surprised they are still around. They were BIG in the early 70's.
If Fins relatives are not audiophiles, these will probably do.
"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."
Frank Lloyd Wright
Post 21 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 13:57
jrainey
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On June 8, 2015 at 22:23, Fins said...
That sub should pair beautifully with these and a Yamaha center speaker

[Link: speakercraft.com]

Um sure ....$1600/pr in ceiling speakers....I am sure they are voiced perfectly for those products...

I am curious what folks think about the new SpeakerCraft speakers...installed in the wild
Jack Rainey - Full disclosure...reformed integrator, now mid-Atlantic manufacturers rep for: Integra, Paradigm, Anthem, Parasound, Atlona, LG TV's and Metra Home Theater...among others
OP | Post 22 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 14:17
Fins
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So far I like the new series 2 speakers. They have a fuller sound, and I used the Kevlar drivers so they are warmer than the aluminum aim 7 we usually sell.

I talked to him today and found out the sub was $200 (not $340 that I saw) and he had a $50 Amazon gift card. I explained the issue of the Yamaha speaker not matching the speakercraft speakers and the front stage not being on the same plane. They are in the process of remodeling and a couple other projects so cash flow is tight right now. So I think we will do another speakercraft for the center and use the BIC sub for now. I realized he is just excited and wants this working before a family reunion. He's not an audiophile, but that's only because he hasn't really experienced anything close to audiophile quality. He has always been into music (was a drummer in a band for years) and if I was given the chance I'm sure he could be made into audiophile. (Not that aventage and sc is audiophile quality)
Civil War reenactment is LARPing for people with no imagination.

Post 23 made on Wednesday June 10, 2015 at 16:21
highfigh
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On June 10, 2015 at 08:07, Mr. Stanley said...
We do upgrades on a lot of speakers crossovers... replacing the cheap capacitors with high end capacitors, and removing the usual thin gauge (16 to 18 gauge) wiring from the crossovers to the speaker drivers with Kimber cable.

Why use expensive speaker cables from your amp to the speakers, if, internally they have small gauge wire?

Also a lot of speakers can benefit by using more damping material internally, and on occasion we will abb more internal bracing to deaden the cabinets.

Fairly inexpenxive tweaks that can go a long way.

Do you measure the impedance & phase and smooth the response & improve the dispersion patterns? Do you measure the dispersion?
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 24 made on Thursday June 11, 2015 at 00:06
Mr. Stanley
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Actually no I don't. Its pretty old school. Just looking to improve the signal path as much as possible, and if really needed --- upgrade some of the raw drivers with better performing ones. Its not that scientific... I have a knack for doing this --- I've done it for forty odd years.

If there is a better woofer, mid or tweeter, I'll suggest the upgrade. Surprisingly there have been few BIG advances in speaker technology over the last 40 years.

Some drivers have improved, better (lower distortion) cone materials, and fairly recently tweeter design has improved (especially some of the better ribbon tweeters) and computer aided crossover design has helped move up the bar.

I also work on a lot of vintage JBL speakers (L-100's), Dalquist, AR, KLH, Polk, Cerwin Vega, Klipsch, A/D/S, Wharfdale, , Quad, Infinity, Carver, M&K, Advent, EPI, Sonus Faber, KEF and others... and there are some serious tweaks and upgrades out there for a lot of these old guys.

A fairly minimal investment in improving and repairing these speakers make a lot of fiscal sense... as you can drop a couple hundred or so $$$ into a pair of speakers and end up with something that would cost several hundred or thousands of dollars, today to be better.

I love nothing more than taking in an older speaker and being able to make a substantial improvement & hand back a pair of improved speakers, sonicaly, as well as cosmetically (cabinets re finished - grille cloths re-done) and see the owner's eyes light up and the smile that crosses their face when we fire them up in the listening room!

Often the situation is... a twenty or thirty something brings in speakers their (late) father left them, and these speakers have amazing sentimental value... These guys recall crawling around on the shag carpet, twenty or thirty years ago in their parents living room, when their parents were blasting the Beatles, Stones or Led Zep on these beasts of speakers---and being able to restore them and improve them back to better than original condition - so that they may pass them on to THEIR kids, is very satisfying.

It doesnt make me rich financially, but it is very satisfying - as I know every time they fire them up, the good memories will come back, and they will sound pretty damn good, and are cool mid-century pieces of furniture.
Now, if I could find a way to really capitalize on this, so I could make some good money, that would be great.... but being able to resurrect these beautiful older speakers and improve on their performance helps me sleep at night, and my customers really, really appreciate our efforts.
Its a good thing, and trying not to sound cliche' ---- to me is a labor of love.

I'm a crappy guitarist, but I still LOVE music, and this is the closest I can come to making people happy through sound and music.

Last edited by Mr. Stanley on June 11, 2015 00:27.
"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."
Frank Lloyd Wright
Post 25 made on Thursday June 11, 2015 at 15:47
Mr. Stanley
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Ive been online checking out reviews and stuff on the current line of BIC speakers... Hell, maybe for an inexpensive speaker they are OK afterall!

There are currently a lot of cheap speakers that are getting very good reviews... The Pioneer (Andrew Jones) designs, and Infinity has a pair of floor standers that are like $129 each that are getting amazing reviews.

Im currently working on a couple of prototypes that we will be bringing to market (locally), but after seeing how well some of these newer el-cheapos perform, I'm a little nervous!

8>(
"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."
Frank Lloyd Wright
OP | Post 26 made on Thursday June 11, 2015 at 18:53
Fins
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Most of those reviews are written by people that have never heard a pair of paradigm, B&W, totem, or etc speakers. They've also never heard any speakers powered by Marantz, Rotel, or Mac amps. Don't put much stock in those reviews
Civil War reenactment is LARPing for people with no imagination.

Post 27 made on Thursday June 11, 2015 at 19:40
24/7
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You know the junk mail distributors you get a quarterly catalog from? Turn to page 40. You will find a BIC subwoofer there.

They have been around forever. I had a turntable in the early 80's made by BIC.

Post 28 made on Thursday June 11, 2015 at 19:57
Mr. Stanley
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They are sold through Amazon, Best Buy, Parts Express --- basically cheezy distribution...

The speakers look like a cross between Klipsch and the cheaper Infinity's.

Basically, Chinese speakers at their finest... That being said a lot of speakers of course come from China... even some of the B&W's.
"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."
Frank Lloyd Wright
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