Official BIC Venturi Thread - Page 12

My advice is that if you don't mind the extra size (and cost) of the CLRS then go with those. I have my DV62si's wall mounted with brackets and that would not work with the larger CLRS. In their stock configuration, the clrs does have a more balanced sound. My modded DV62si's are even more balanced than the stock CLRS. One other thing that may be a consideration, the CLRS may present a tougher load to your receiver than the DV62si.

Hey, BIC Aficionados !!

I've been listening to BIC speakers ever since the mid-seventies, and I just happened to stumble upon this thread by chance............

I purchased (4) BIC Venturi Formula 4's back in 1975, to use with my Sansui QRX-7001 receiver, back when quadraphonic stereo was the "in" thing. Replaced the Sansui with a Yamaha RX-V850 in 1991, to get in on the new Dolby Pro-Logic 5.1 surround sound, although I never got a subwoofer as I really didn't need it. The F-4's have gobs of bass just as they are (10" woofers) and are extremely efficient, but they also tended to have a "sizzle" in the mid/upper ranges that a lot of people didn't like (they have horn drivers).

The F-4's went into storage when I moved to a smaller place, and in 1998 I bought a BIC HTIB that consists basically of (4) DV52si for front/rear, DV32CLR center, and 10" 100W powered sub.

Just recently replaced the Yamaha with a Denon AVR-1912 for a 7.1 HT setup, and decided to experiment with the F-4's again for front/rear, using the DV52's for side surrounds. Ordered a BIC Acoustech PL-200 sub just for kicks, and will definitely need a new center channel (any suggestions????).........

As has been noted in this thread, it's AMAZING how well the new electronics can smooth out the sound of all the speakers in the room (Denon uses Audyssey MultEQ/Dynamic Volume control), and the 'boom/sizzle' of the F-4's is virtually gone, without even fiddling with anything yet!!!!! These things have never sounded this good

Just thought I'd chime in, and throw in my 2 cents worth..........

Hey Bic people. I have a chance to get a venturi v-1000r for a steal. I was wondering if this would be a decent sub in a small living space. I am currently using a HTiB sub from an onkyo 5.1 system. Thanks for any advice.

I ordered three of these, based on the great things you all have said. Let me ask those that have three across the front or have heard them, if you have ever tried the left and right fronts vertical with the center horizontal. Is there a difference versus all three vertical? Is there truely a difference or one way better than the other?

I had the DV62si for a few days now, seems like a pretty darn good speaker considering it's price point. Some things can be improved, however I want to break these in a good while before coming to any conclusions. Do these smooth out and warm up a little after a few hundred hours?

I dont think they do. They will smooth out and warm up after you send the crossovers to Dave1027. Read about his crossover mods in this thread (on the last couple pages) or contact him. Great guy and very informative.

Does anyone know how to open up a DV32? I think I have a dead tweeter and wanted to see if it can be replaced, but I can't seem to be able to get to it.

Thanks!

The grill is removable, get a small pick or hook tool - and gently work around and pull it off.
If I remember, the wires have been soldered on the tweeter connections..
Edited by zieglj01 - 7/5/12 at 2:57pm

I am butchering this poor guy but not making any progress getting the grill off. Am I not trying to separate it in the right spot?

Nevermind. I was trying to separate it in the wrong place. Got it off now. Thanks!

And while the tweeter does not work when inside the speaker enclosure, it does work if remove it and connect it directly to a sound source. So I'm guessing the crossover doesn't work right.
Edited by Pete7874 - 7/5/12 at 4:14pm

Hi, I'm looking for some advice to finish my HT upgrade from HTIB.

I currently have:
Yamaha RX-V667 receiver
Outlaw LFM-1 EX sub
DV62CLR-S center
and 2 DV62si speakers

My usage is 80% HT, 20% gaming, 0% music. Here's a rough outline of what the room looks like:


The options I'm considering are:
1) Pair of DV64 towers - ~$240
2) Pair of DV62CLR-S + Stands - ~$280-330
3) Pair of DV62si (+ stands) - $110 ($160-210)

Option 2 is the most expensive, but would allow having the whole speaker up at ear height.

Option 1 is cheaper than option 2, and should provide the same or better sound. My only concern is that while the tweeter in the tower is up at 36" or so (I think slightly below ear height), the woofers are on the ground, and we have a couch along the left wall. Would that couch block some of the sound waves, or cause unwanted reflections, or whatever? ?Would I get better sound from having everything up at ear level to justify the price difference? Or am I worrying needlessly?

Option 3 is the cheapest, particularly if I use our existing stands (they're metal and they work, but they're obviously designed for much lighter speakers, and thus aren't the most stable). Would I be just as well served with the DV62si speakers since I have a sub? Or is it worth paying the extra for the larger, more balanced, more bassy centers / towers?

I'm obviously looking for a value system, thus the Bic America speakers, but which option would be the best choice for me?

I would go for option 1. The lower frequencies are less directional, so its not as important to have them at the critical height. The tweeter and midrange (if applicable) are the drivers that should be around ear level, so i dont think you will have any problems with the 64's.

In addition, the tower speakers will give you a much fuller front stage sound than the bookshelf dv62si's.

So I would definitely go for the DV64's if you have the space for them.

Ok, thanks, I'll go with that. The towers actually take up less space than stands + bookshelves, and are certainly more stable.

Does anybody know if the DV5s have some sort of mounting keyhole on the back? Im considering them as rear surrounds but cant seem to find a pic of the rear of the speakers.

Yes they do

Cool, thanks!

Just got my DV64's and 62CLRS yesterday!

Yes, they are really stiff out of the box. When I first turned on some music, I could not hear any low end coming out of the towers...about a minute later I could hear it. So yeah, these are definitely stiff and need some break in time. But good drivers usually do, in my experience.

The Audessey 2EQ on my Onkyo TX-NR609 Receiver noticed the freq response curve difference immediately. After xing over at 100hz on my Onkyo mains, it set the xover at 40hz for both mains and center now (lowest it can go before full range). That's also a good sign.

So far I notice the difference immediately from my stock HT-S5400 speakers. I thought to myself "My God, I have midbass now!".

The center channel really does bring out the vocals in viewing content, as well. Dialogue is much clearer, wtih a richer and fuller tone. And these babies are only going to get better with age!

Going to run them on Full Range with no xover for break-in period so as to get the full range of sound to break in the drivers. Once I've hit about 60 hours, I'll run Audessey again.

The towers definitiely have deeper bass than the center channel. Those two passive drivers below the active ones really deepen the sound. I like the fact that the boxes on the DV64's are not ported.

Very happy so far. My next purchase is the F12 and then satellites. Then I'll be done hopefully for a long, long time. .
Edited by mfrey0118 - 8/5/12 at 6:13am

Can anyone tell me if this is a correct crossover for BIC DV32?

I won't be home for another week, so I can't pull the old crossover out to compare. BIC sent me a replacement crossover, but something tells me they sent me the wrong one. I see two woofer outputs on this one, and my DV32 only has one woofer (if you can even call it that, LOL!). I think they may have sent me a DV32CLR crossover by mistake...

Got a good 30 to 40 hours on these bad boys now. They definitely get better with age. The towers are so impressive, I actually enjoy running them in Direct mode with 2 channel audio (no sub).

They have pretty good bass for a speaker of this size. I'd say the drop off probably starts in the 30-40hz range, but that yes, I can definitely hear all but the very low end on my Bass Mechanik CD. Those passive drivers are really impressive. I think I prefer this configuration over ported.

The center channel has bass also, but it is hard to hear. I wish I could isolate it but I don't want to disconnect all my speakers. I haven't noticed the center channel breaking in, as it sounded very good the moment I hooked it up, but I am assuming it is contributing to the overall SQ improvements I am hearing.

So for anyone considering the 62si or the CLRS as mains, I say go with these DV64s, the range and sound quality is impressive. These towers can put out some volume! I was playing a bass-heavy track and they were rattling the patio doors!

Ran some sine waves and they didn't bottom out until like 80-90 volume range on my Onkyo 609 at 45-50hz.

Overall, I am very happy with my decision to go with these BIC Venturis. I think complimenting them with the Formula F12 sub will really round out my current HT setup.

Anyone got a recommedation on BIC satellites that are small enough to mount on stands and walls but that still have some good range?

The dv32's or the dv52si's would be the best bet. The 52's would have a larger, fuller sound, but are larger and would be more difficult to wall mount. They would work great with stands though.

The 32's would be very easy to wall mount with their "keyholes" in the rear to simply mount on a screw, but I would think there small size wouldnt be optimal for the best sound.

I dont have any real experience with either of these.....i only have the dv62si's.

edit: I just looked on their website and they have the DV3 and DV5 which would be excellent for surrounds and should be quite easy to wall mount. I would definitely go with these. I think there is a mistake in the specs. Both are listed with a frequency response of 100hz - 20khz. I would think the 5.25" driver in the DV5 would go lower than 100hz. These are specifically meant for surround use and will provide great dispersion which is great for surround speakers.

another option that would be less expensive would be the Adatto dv52si's which are indoor/outdoor speakers with the 5.25" driver and the keyholes in the rear for easy wall mounting.....

So basically, ignore the first part of this post You have a bunch of options to choose from.
Edited by kgallerie - 8/10/12 at 8:35am

I have my DV62si's wall mounted using stand off brackets so the rear ports have room to breath.

Yes Pete that lools like the crossover for the center speaker, considering the 2 woofer connections on that crossover!

I tried David's modification and noticed and improvement! I'm not exactly sure what he did, but it seems that the drivers are handling the areas they sound best playing at. The tweeter seems more subdued without taking away any detail! I do feel the change was subtle, but and improvement none the less. The quality of the crossover components are of much better quality and beefier, then the micro sized cheap stock components. I applied 1/4' light Oak hardwood laminate to the outside of the cabinet for appearance as well as resonance control, I added bracing inside the cabinet as well as dampening material and this tightend and controlled sound to a noticable degree. I did not notice any negative effect in transparancy and if so, what little was effected certainly made up for in control of the large degree of cabinet resonance as well as uncontrolled internal refelctions!


The BIC is a good speaker with decent drivers at and affordable price and certainly benefits with modifications, it also is a good way to get one interested in DIY speaker design. Yes, there are certainly better speakers out there, but you wont find many that beat this speaker at this price point! Thank you Dave for sharing your passion and helping to improve audio that anyone can afford!

hey guys, i just got a new (2) dv-84, (1) v1020, (1)DV62CLR-S,
can you guys tell me if these comes with wires? if not, what wires should i get?

thank you.

Yeah I don't like the Adatto design nor the fact that to wall mount them you have to invert them (according to other owners), that's unacceptable, IMO. Found an eBay wholesaler selling 3 used 52DVsi's (the regular ones, not Adatto) for $99 plus shipping...I jumped on that...now I just need one more and the sub upgrade and I AM DONE!!

The BIC DV62si are already are a good choice for performance/cost. Even better is that they are an excellent platform for modding because they are made from good quality parts. My guess is that BIC purposely crippled the DV62si so it would work well as a surround type speaker without competing with their more expensive offerings. Some simple mods makes it a serious sleeper.

Please post some pics of those enhanced cabinets. I'd really like to see those.

I just added 2 DV52sis (the discontinued shelf wooden box type) as my surrounds and the difference in sound quality is pronounced. I expected a big jump when I switched out my mains and center all at once, but man I noticed the difference with those 52s right away also...good stuff...now, even though I have 5 speakers that are larger, can take more power, and have higher impedence rating, the music is louder and fuller at lower volumes then when I ran the Onkyo HTiB speakers with my 609...

I've just been reading about timbre matching and now I'm getting paranoid...should I be concerned that I am losing SQ? I have the 62CLRS and DV64 mains and the DV52si as surrounds...is this considered a good timbre match?

Would I lose anything by using the DV32s as rear surrounds or should I just get another pair of DV52sis? Should I just admit defeat, sell the DV52s and buy four DV62sis?

I know I'm just an amateur and this is not a 10k system but I want to make sure that what I do have is done correctly.

Here's some pics of my setup evolution thus far. The only remains from the HT-S5400 HTiB is the Onkyo 10" sub and the 3.5" rear surround satellites...



This is how I first had it all setup using the Onkyo factory speakers. All components on the shelves, etc...But my little ones were too curious about all of daddy's cool shiny toys on those shelves, so I began to look for a solution...


I found this shelf while doing an estate cleanout with my brother in law. He was going to recycle it. It had no finish, just raw wood. But it was big, had really deep shelves, and was solid wood. I needed something that not only could hold my components, but could also double as a bookshelf, etc...space in our condo is horribly limited so this stuff literally had no where else to go...so I sanded and stained it, and got some press board for the lower half to look nice and stop the books from falling out the back.



After that, I began the speaker upgrade process. First I bought the DV64 towers and DV62CLRS center channel. As you can see, the center channel was so big that I had to place it off center on the stand or it blocked the TV's IR sensor for the remote. Not acceptable.






This was my solution. As you can see the tv mount frame is supposed to sit flush with the ground using 6 screw in type bolts. I raised the bracket up 8" and used four 3 1/2" bolts and I drilled all the way through both support beams and used locking washers and nuts. It has a bit more sway in it now but since the TV is only half the max recommended weight, the trade off is acceptable...



...and now the center channel sits on center with plenty of headroom...



So while my setup is far from professional and I am on a very limited budget, I think I did well for myself and hopefully other less financially secure amateurs can see that you can get a sweet home theater system for less if you put in the work...






Edited by mfrey0118 - 8/26/12 at 4:48pm

The 52's should be just fine for timbre matching. They are from the same line of the same brand, so they are meant to be used together in a home theatre. Also, its not quite as important for the surrounds to be perfectly timbre matched, so the 52's should be more than adequate in your system.

The 32's should work pretty well for rears, however you will be losing a bit of soundstage due to the smaller drivers in them. However, if you are mounting them on a wall, they would be very simple to mount.

You don't have to spend 10k to have a system that sounds great. I myself bought speakers intended to emulate a THX system on a budget. Timbre matching and consistency while duplicating THX design parameters wasn't easy.

First, I knew I liked the sound of polypropylene-based cones with just the right amount of the natural damping that cone material gives you. I did my research and found that a home theater magazine review once believed the BIC DV62CLR-S was the "best center channel I've ever heard". Coming from a reviewer, that's a big compliment. I know some of the best sounding speakers in the world for small/medium room sizes are poly-based speakers. So, it didn't surprise me totally that the DV62CLR-2 could potentially sound phenomenal. Price should never be a consideration, only performance. If you dismiss speakers based on price, you very well may pass by one of the best speakers you can get. Price no consideration, they are worth a listen even if you are a snooty two shoes.

I decided to run with 3 vertically aligned DV62CLR-S speakers and those were the "easy" decisions (what speaker and how to mount/align them). The hard part was finding a dipolar surround speaker that would timbre match. After researching and testing some possibilities, I ended up buying a pair of used Optimus LX-5 II's from a seller on Craigslist out of Maine. They had sat in his closet untouched for 13 years and yes, they arrived in excellent condition with no blemishes. Their performance was amazing and as discrete rear speakers, the soundstage is enormous and wide, while at the same time (post Auto-EQ calibration) the highs were virtually indistinguishable from the fronts. Although the mid-bass/lower-mids could not match due to the cabinet size differences, although that happens even in timbre matched sets. With some manual EQ'ing, playing the 2-channel music with a DV62CLR-S and an LX-5 II as a stereo set (after the auto-calibration to give me a place to start), I was able to achieve a very nicely matched sound which was acceptable to me as if listening to the two different speakers as a match pair with a subwoofer.






Opinions vary, but IMO, I built the best possible "budget" system that could be put around the BIC DV62CLR-S speakers. If you have a medium-large room (3,000-3,500 cuft), There is a way to further improve on my system. A $1,000 subwoofer, 200x3 watt front channel amp + the aftermarket crossovers available for the DV62CLR-S to prevent low/high-pass drift when pushed with a strong amp. For a small-medium room (up to 2,500 cuft), the system I have is all that you need for THX level output. The DV62CLR-S will require modification and strong amplification to meet THX-Ultra2 specs while still sounding incredible (but it CAN be done!).
Edited by Timothy91 - 8/27/12 at 10:49am