New member here. Feedback please on my set-up? (1 Viewer)

[DL 00]

Hello everyone. I'm planning on setting up a small home theater in my basement after it's remodeled. I'm trying to decide on which speakers to go with. I have a decent set-up already in my living room with the Infinity Primus line, which I will leave as is, and start from scratch for the basement. I want a set-up which of course looks nice, and will be good for movies and music. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the BIC Acoustech line (pl-89, pl-28, pl-200, pl-66) and the BIC Venturi line (DV84, DV62clr, V1220, DV62si). The Venturi line will cost probably half the price of the Acoustech line, although the cost is really not an object to me. I've read great reviews on both, so I'm really trying to decide which look I want to go with. But regarding the performance, would there be a major improvement with Acoustech over Venturi? And by the way I'm planning on running a Yamaha RX-V473 receiver. I should mention I wouldnt consider myself an audiophile but I do love music, movies and video games and dont want to sell myself short on sound. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks! -DL

 

[schan1269]

Acoustech is horn. DV is not. Do you want horn?

 

[DL 00]

Well I've never had speakers with a horn. Some people say the highs are too strong for them with the Acoustech line. Personally I do like pronounced treble in my music so I'm thinking that wouldnt be an issue with me, possibly even a plus. Also people have said the Venturis have a strong high end too.

 

[schan1269]

I have the "elder" BIC V line(the V line are "identical" to the DV, except for the whole..."V are american made from real wood and are covered in real wood veneer" and the DV are "Chinese MDF covered in a vinyl that doesn't even pretend to be anything but vinyl"). The V were sold in B&M till the early 90s. BIC was one of the first speaker companies to "abandon ship" on the US B&M electronics store... The DV were created as a less expensive variation to be sold online only. The DV contains the same tweeter BIC has been using since 1984. The BIC V62 and DV62(they look identical...till you pick them up to see the difference between real wood vs MDF and the real wood veneer vs vinyl) if you count it as "one speaker" has been in production since 1987. There must be something "right" with it. Back to the subject of "horn or not"....You could buy a pair of each tower speaker...audition them yourself...return the one pair and finish up buying the remaining Acoustech or DV based on your preference. Amazon has a liberal return policy.

 

[schan1269]

Oh yeah, no I don't consider the BIC V to be a "bright" speaker. I had a pair(set actually) of Altec Lansing model(85/100/center) that had their metal tweeter that in many respects was brighter than the tweeter found on comparable JBL and Def Tech. Is the DV going to "lack high end"? Certainly not. I personally think the venturi tube(their take on the classic transmission line) makes the speaker punchy in the lower registers...and the tweeter "keeps up nicely"...

 

[DL 00]

Yes true I would have never considered doing that before, buying both and returning one. Guess that's the only way I'll know for sure what I prefer. Surprisingly for as cheap as they are, the Venturi line has great reviews. And I'm interested to try to sealed towers with passive radiators. My father had some old BIC Venturi floorstanding speakers, I'm not sure of the model but he had them since the 70's and used them for over 30 years until the day he died. Even when he inherited some new Klipsch speakers from his father, he hooked them up, tried them out, and when right back to his old BICs! AS you mentioed the build quality might not be the same from the old days, but people say their speakers sound better than ever.

 

[schan1269]

Yeah, BIC has a "storied" history...The current BIC is a shadow of its former self... BIC started out as an importer of British electronics(reel 2 reel and turntables). Then they started building their own speakers...and then Wharfedale and KEF came calling to be exported by BIC(since BIC was already doing so for Dual and others). BIC and Wharfedale "merged" for a while, but they never had anything beyond a shipping interest with KEF. I have a pair of older BIC/Wharfedale sitting in a closet. One of the cabinets had gotten wet(not by me) and is falling apart. I have it wrapped in a "load strap" to keep it together. Still trying to find a set of cabinets for them as the drivers are fantastic. May give up one day to gut them and sell the drivers.

 

[DL 00]

Nice info. Btw, those speakers I was referring to were the BIC Venturi Formula 4. Thanks for your time and help. I'm sure whichever I choose I'll be happy with!