A couple of years back I was looking for a pair of inexpensive speakers to use on the "B" outputs of my amp for background music in another room. Browsing Costco, I came across a set of BIC Venturi 52Si bookshelf speakers. The name wasn't all that familiar, but the price was right.
When I got these things home I was ASTONISHED at how good they sounded for the money.

To cut a long story short, when the time came for new main speakers I took a leap of faith and ordered a full BIC setup. (BIC doesn't have formal distribution in my part of California, so I couldn't go anywhere to listen to them.) I kept my old 52Si's for the rear surrounds, and bought a pair of DV62Si's for front mains, a 52CLR for the center channel, and a V-1010 subwoofer. This setup sounds GREAT For both music and movies. Thru iitems.com the whole package cost around $450 (plus whatever I spent on the 52Si's, I can't remember exactly but I think it was well under $100). My opinion is that you would have to spend at least twice the money on any other brand to get as good a sound. The only problem with the system is that (as I see mentioned in other reviews on this site as well) the V-1010 sub has a tendancy to emit a soft "pop" noise when the auto power-up triggers. But hey, that only happens when you're NOT listening to anything, so it doesn't bother me much.

Good Quality components Handles lows and highs satisfactorily
for a bookshelf speaker.

Too high and tinny with female vocals. Bass can sound
too compact. Can cause fatigue.

Ed Frias was correct about his revised perception of
these speakers. I bought them based on Consumer Report's high ratings (pre-2000). The 2001 magazine reviewing speakers stated that they were on the high side.
So , I built the audio review DIY kit for main speakers
(of one of my systems) and use the unmodified BIC
DV-62si pair for rear (surround) speakers.

At some point I'll probably have Mr. Frias modify them.

This review is for DV 62si
They have potential. For $300 the DIY is better. Way so!!

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics, Bic Venturi Formula 2, Audio Review DIY Kit, Allison 5 .....

Good sound definition for 1975

foam-based speaker covers began to deteriorate over time.

I bought the BIC Venturi floor standing speakers in 1975 as one part of a complete stereo system as wedding gift to my wife. They were everything I hoped for and at a reasonable price. Excellent bass reproduction via the Venturi system, plus great midrange and supurb highs.
Used them daily from June 1975 to 1985. At that point one speaker gave out and the foam cover plates were crumbling to dust when touched. Still, how many speakers can you stand for a full 10 years? The speakers are now gone, but the wife is still here after 26 years, and I'm glad BIC is still in business!

Similar Products Used:

Cerwin Vega AT-10's

Just bought a pair of second-hand BIC Venturi V830a speakers. It is not in production anymore, and it probably is older than 95, but I still want people to know: If you come across this model on the buy&sell, do yourself a favour, go and listen to it, with your CDs and equipment.

I'm now driving it with a Naim Audio pre-amp and Monachy Audio power amp. IMHO it is better than the Totem Sttaf, and better at classical music than the JMLab Cobalt 815. I don't want to elaborate their differences because I didn't use the same front-end and pre-amp. Just trust your ears.

Very Neutral, Great Imaging and Ambience Recovery. The aforementioned qualities apply only after Ed Frias of EFE Technology Speakers modified the crossover networks.

Out of the box these speakers are way too bright, just nasty sounding and not at all musical.

I bought these speakers after reading the reviews of EFE speakers and a review that Ed had done on the BIC DV62si.
I listened to them straight out of the box, they are bright, harsh, and not very flat in their frequency response. I could not wait to have Ed make the crossover modifications.

The modified speakers are a real transformation, you wouldn't believe they were the same speakers. I have some Vintage IMF SACM (Special Application Control Monitors) that have undergone significant modification to a point that they now sound very good. I invited a frend over ostensibly, to listen to a new Odyssey amplifier. The BIC speakers were setting on top of a pair of Wharfdale MFM 7 speakers when my friend came in. HE remarked that the IMFs sounded much better than Wharfdales and that amplifier was indeed very good. When I told him that it was the BICs that he was listening to he could not believe it and remarked "now I am really impressed"

Thanks ED, before the modifications the BIC speakers weren't worth the $44.00 each that I paid for them, after they compare favorably with much higher priced speakers.

One last caveat, the altered speakers are very accurate and did not sound nearly as good with my Onkyo receiver as a source.

Similar Products Used:

Mission MS701, Klipsch KSB1.1