Is the BIC Acoustech H100 a good sub? - Page 3

I don't understand why they call the material "foam".
The picture is overexposed so it does look like a foam, while in reality it looks very "rubber" to me.

Heard of people using something to insulate the subwoofer from the floor so it doesn't transmit vibes. What are some good things to use?

You can use the Styrofoam that comes in the sub's box, or a special pad like the Gramma or subdude. I have seen someone use painted patio blocks as well.

Just thought I would give a little update. I got my H-100 and I'm very very pleased with it! I cant imagine getting a better sub for so little $$$! Just a HUGE improvement from my little 8 inch sony HTB sub. I would highly recommend this sub to anyone that doesn't want to break the bank!

The driver surround on the H-100 is indeed closed cell foam. This shouldn't be a problem for longetivity. Well, maybe if you expect it to last 30 years, but I think any reasonable time span will be absolutely no problem for it(10 yrs or so?). Given that this sub will spend its life indoors(or should), I don't see how it won't hold up even longer than that, but as with everything YMMV.

BTW - foam surrounds do have some technical advantages over rubber surrounds by being lighter and having less internal damping.

Correct. Rubber surrounds are typically used in applications where UV damage and humidity/temperature changes are a concern (ie: car audio.)

Thank you for the clarification!

Does it mean that even the most expensive subs use the "foam" surrounds?

Question... is it better to connect the sub to a receiver through a RCA plug or the audio wires? I know either one works, but which is better and why? I'll have my Onkyo 604 receiver soon if that helps, thanks.

No. Some of the best subs out there use rubber surrounds.

I'll take rubber over foam any day of the week.

The 604 has a Pre/Subwoofer OUT single RCA. You should use that with the Onkyo as that is the OUT used to Bass manage the sub. The wires are used when the Receiver does NOT have a dedicated Sub OUT and you use the Subs Frequency controls for bass managment.

I don't know what the BIC has for controls but when you use the RCA from the receiver you have to set the filter all the way up to HIGH. This allows the sub to get all Freq. but in reality its only getting what the receiver sends.

--Mike

The JL Audio W7s and my Adire Brahmas use foam... so yes, Some do.

Thank you sir. The instructions for the sub says it does indeed have controls; one of them likely works as you say.

Hello,

I'm currently trying to purchase this sub from eBay. I've read that they can be had for about $210-$230 shipped. There are two distributors on eBay and I've made offers of $230 shipped, but they were denied by both. Can you guys share your buying experiences and how I can purchase this? I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

i just recieved mine from acousticsounddesign. i offered $200 and got it for that much. ended up being $230 shipped.

i'll post some pics up in a few minutes of it!

thats the wall texture you're seeing on the top of it!







these are all next to my sony htib subwoofer.

i'm waiting until i order my primus set to calibrate everything

Great pictures!!

i'm just so glad the port is on the back side, so my 10 month old wont have a hole to put toys into!

Hi, How do you guys do the volume level settings on the sub abd receiver?

I have Onkyo 504,velodyne CHT speakers and Bic H-100 sub. Haven't calibrated yet.

Following are my settings.

On the receiver 0db for all the speakers and -3db for the sub.

On the sub gain is at half way mark.

My normal listening level is master volume control at 30 on the receiver. 40 is loud.
Master volume range is 0 to 79.

With 30 I am getting decent LFE but not chest pounding .

What is the standard way to start with to get more out of the sub?

Thanx

You need an SPL meter, like the digital one from Radio Shack.

If you receiver has test tones for both the speakers AND the sub (which I think Onkyo receivers have), you cycle through the test tones and adjust the level of each so that you get the same SPL from each. Otherwise, you can use something more full-featured, such as the Avia test/calibration disc (for both audio and video).

To get "more" out of a sub, you need something like Avia, because it has special test tones to check for proper phase setting, and sweep tones that let you monitor SPL through different frequencies in the sweep to experiment with placement (of both the sub and the listening position) to find the placement that gives you the least amount of changes in SPL in the dips and peaks.

Thanks cyberbri. I have analog SPL meter and also Avia disk. Haven't gotten a chance to calibrate yet. My question is regarding the starting dB settings on the receiver.

Is 0 DB good for speakers to start with?
What about subwoofer? Is it better to set it high on the receiver and less gain on the sub or the other way around.

What was your level setting on receiver for Bic when you had it?

Thanks for any info.

pdadai

its all room dependent, so one persons settings will not work for you and vice versa. its best to set all speaker levels to the midpoint (0 on a -10/+10 scale) and the sub to -5dB. set the sub gain to about 10:00, all speakers to "small" sub to "on", and cross-over to 80 or 100Hz. keep the master volume (MV) at some (high) reference level and use the individual levels to balance each speaker to a reading of 75dB on your SPL meter (C weighting, slow).

make sure you set the sub and speaker distances in the receiver correctly as well, as this will impact your calibrations. you never want to have any speaker set above +5dB, as you risk getting distorted signals during peak volume scenes in movies. if you find that you need to adjust the speakers or sub this high, calibrate to a higher MV setting, or increase the speaker/sub distances in the receiver.

hope this helps.

To go along with what G-star said,

pdali, try using Avia, turn the receiver up to 65 or 70 on the dial, and adjust the speaker levels to read 80dB on the SPL meter. This will be your "-5 below reference level" point. To get real movie dynamics, listen at this level or about 5~10 notches below it.

For the sub, you have a good starting point. If your room is smallish, you can probably turn the gain way down on it, like to 1/3 to between 1/3 and 1/2. Setting the sub even with the speakers according to the SPL meter will get you 1~3dB hot, depending on the meter you're using. If you listen at lower overall volume levels, running the sub a bit hotter can bring back some of the bass slam. I personally listen at about -10 to most DVDs (and DD TV shows), sometimes a little higher to about -7.

Got it. Thanks G-star and cyberbri.

Hello,

I'm comtemplating purchasing the Auralex Subdude (I have hardwood floors). I've heard a lot of good things about them, but I wanted to hear your experiences directly from BIC H-100 owners, since I own a BIC. Let me know if you would recommed this subdue and also how well our BIC subs fit on this subdue in terms of size. Thanks!

I have one of these being delivered tomorrow and have every intention of laying it on it's side on a subdude. Being that it's front firing with rear port I'm not expecting any problems... am I correct in this assumption?

Nothing wrong with that. But why lay it on its side? The driver would still be in the front, and the port still in the rear, right?

And I never used a Subdude, but I found that putting my H100 (sold it last year) on a thick floor cushion helped isolate it from the wood floor we had in that residence and seemed to tighten up the sound a bit - less vibration from the room.

I too have a wood floor. I threw a thick rug under H100. No vibrations in my room.

Are you supposed to aim the sub opening towards the wall or away from it? Heh, the pics above confuse me about proper placement.