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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 Very ImpressiveMay 26, 2007
By anonymoose
I bought this V-80 to complement a pair of Athena B1.2 (great little speakers) in a small home theatre setup. I was not expecting much more than a subtle improvement. Wow, was I shocked...tight and clean bass, very musical, louder and lower than I had hoped, set at well less than its max output. With crossover control set to about 80hz it blends perfectly with the Athenas.
I have very high standards when it comes to subwoofers, using an HSU VTF-2 for my main music system. I cannot stand boomy, non-musical subs.
The Bic V-80 is not boomy, plays tight and fast and musical and is excellent for a small room. Highly recommended.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Boom for the Buck!Mar 26, 2007
By Robert J. Murphy
Very well built and great sounding bass, fills my 12x16 room with adjustable level and crossover frequency. The on-auto-off is very convenient. I would highly recommend this Made in America speaker for camparatively rated HT systems.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Great sounding SW for a small home stereo setupApr 17, 2007
By Curtis S. Cooper
For the $100 I paid for it, this SW really delivers. I have it hooked up to a compact stereo system: the Sony CMT-HP7 Micro Hi-Fi Component System. FYI, this system is configured with stereo speakers and an amplifier delivering 35 Watts per channel of power. It is meant for small rooms (like a bedroom). The Sony system is generally power short for a living room and won't deliver good sound at high enough volume in a room greater than ~12' on a side.
The Bic 8" Watt Powered Subwoofer really helped this micro component system's strained speakers produce a more even, natural harmonic response. I consider it well worth the money, as the SW price was much less than that of the system and really helps, especially at high volume.
I would not recommend this product, however, for owners of a high-powered stereo system (100 Watts per channel or greater) or a surround-sound system. For my home theatre system, I have a higher-powered (250 Watt) Sony subwoofer that spans the full range of low frequencies (down to 20 Hz). The Bic *will* help, even in a 100 Watt per channel setup. Be aware, however, that it only goes down to 38 Hz and is not high powered enough to handle the bass from such a system at high volume.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Great, but unreliableMar 13, 2012
By Justin Pugh
I purchased this subwoofer on May 24, 2011 to compliment my 2.0 set of Swan D1010MKii speakers. It was a great pairing, and the subwoofer's auto-on feature worked well. I was able to adjust the crossover point as well as intensity/volume. It definitely gets powerful at its highest setting, enough to overpower my relatively small D1010MKii speakers.
If it wasn't for what I'm about to write, I'd give this sub a solid 5 stars.
However, on March 9th, 2012, the sub started emitting loud buzzing sounds, in varying intensity and tone. This persisted even after disconnecting the audio cable. Attempts to turn the sub off by switching the switch to "OFF" did not work. An electrical burning smell came from the subwoofer. I'm away at college from August until May, except for short breaks... so the total amount of time I've had with this sub (and have used it) is about 5 months. And, this subwoofer is plugged into an Uninterruptible Power Supply, specifically for power conditioning (not for battery backup), along with my other computer equipment.. so it's unlikely that an electrical surge damaged this sub.
I could forgive the random failure, though... and it normally wouldn't affect my rating, because failures happen. However, I attempted to contact BIC America to see if they would replace the sub, as there is a warranty of 1 year on the electrical components. However, my e-mail did not get a response after two business days. Also, I attempted to call their technical support phone number, but got no answer. In desperation, I tried calling the SALES number, still no response. These calls were placed during the specified business hours.
So, as much as I enjoyed this sub, it's now a $100 piece of wood sitting in the corner of my room, and BIC America doesn't seem to care. I had never heard of the brand, but I put faith in them. Now I regret not buying a comparable Polk Audio subwoofer, which is a more widely known and reputable brand.
=== UPDATE 03/15/12 ===
I was finally able to get in touch with their technical support on 3/14/12. The person I spoke with was very nice, and said he would send me e-mail instructions on how to get my subwoofer fixed under warranty. I did not receive the e-mail until today, 03/15/12. The e-mail instructs me to TAKE APART THE SUBWOOFER MYSELF, remove the amplifier, and ship it to them for repair via UPS or FedEx. Shipping charges are not covered. If you ask me, they should just send me a brand new subwoofer, ask me to put my old one in the box, and send it back.. although I suppose shipping would be expensive. Let's see how long it takes to get back...
=== UPDATE 03/16/12 ===
I've just shipped the subwoofer to BIC America ... it cost $15 to ship it via UPS Ground from my town in NY to Anaheim, CA where BIC America is. Overall, I have a very sour taste in my mouth from all of this... First, it took forever (3 days) to get in touch with their technical support. Second, I have to cover shipping charges on a product that failed within the first year with minimal use. Third, I had to take the subwoofer apart myself to get the amplifier out to send it to them. They are supposedly repairing it and sending it back. Sure, the repair is free of charge... but what if it happens again? Do I wait another three days to get in touch with them, take the subwoofer apart again, spend the $15 to ship it to them for repair? If you ask me, skip right over this subwoofer... go for a reputable brand, one that won't take three days to get in contact with, and won't make you take your own subwoofer apart.
=== UPDATE 04/16/2012 ===
UPS Tracking shows that BIC America received my subwoofer on March 26th, 2012. I have yet to receive any word from BIC America that they received my subwoofer, or that it's been shipped back to me. I called their warranty/tech support department, and was told that the delay is because of the "holiday weekend" (Easter). They aren't even open on the weekend, so I fail to see what difference that makes. He said it takes 10-15 days to repair. They've had it for 15 business days - I haven't heard a word from them. The guy on the phone is the same guy that I called to request warranty replacement, so they must be a fairly small business ... and apparently, they don't care very much about your business. I've now been without my subwoofer for a little over a month. This wouldn't be that a big deal if the customer service wasn't total garbage.
=== Final Update 4/19/2012 ===
Incidentally enough, I got home on the 16th to find the replacement/repaired part from BIC America waiting for me. I installed it in the subwoofer, and gave it a test... everything seemed to be fine. The replacement part didn't look any different.. and I can only hope that mine failed just as a random chance, rather than due to a defect. The subwoofer is working great now, and I hope I don't have to deal with their warranty again. All in all, I was without my subwoofer for over a month... and it took them 3 weeks to get the part back to me after they received it. Again, is it a good subwoofer? Yeah, I love it. I just hope you don't have to deal with their RMA process.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Pleasantly SurprisedAug 18, 2011
By 31Alpha
I bought this subwoofer mostly on based on its price. I read reviews of some of the other BIC products out there and came away fairly impressed. The company is known for putting out good performing products (the VK-12 and F12 are seemingly legendary among some audiophile groups), so I thought I would give it a shot. For the room and purpose this sub is being used in, it seems to be perfect.
I have set it in a home office to mostly play music and an occasional movie. I have paired it with a pair of Aperion Audio Intimus 6C in-ceiling speakers, run through an older Sony amplifier, all of which is fed by my PC through a add-on USB sound card. I can say that it all works well together in this 10'x'12' office. The Aperions are doing their part to produce good, clear highs, and the BIC is taking care of the low end without issue. I was somewhat worried originally about using a downfiring sub in a room with wood floors but I have not noticed any problems.
I can rock out very well.
Now to some of the specifics of the subwoofer. In my opinion (and it is just that, I am by no means an audiophile), it sounds clean. I don't hear boominess in my music, it pairs well, and I get good clean sound out of the system. I have a fairly eclcectic mix of music and it goes through it without being noticed--music sounds good whether it is pop rock of the 80s or something more recent with strong beats. I don't have a reference CD/track, but I have enjoyed it. I have watched little in the way of TV/movies on the system, but I did put Season 8 of 24 in it and was blown away. The clock ticks were well-executed. Explosions came alive and gun fights were reproduced well with plenty of punch from the subwoofer. Most importantly, it was able to do this without muddying the sound of the normal dialog.
When I received the subwoofer, I noted that it was different in appearance from the one pictured on Amazon. It has a grey-black laminate...I would say veneer but I am unsure if it is real wood and have no desire to scratch it find out. I think it is more interesting than the plain black, vinyl unit shown on the product page and will say this is a positive.
Given the size and rated power of this subwoofer, I do not think it will be able to satisfy if placed in much larger rooms--it is a small sub and is not the right thing if you are expecting it to work in your 40'x40' great room. If you are looking for something to fit into a small room though, this is the ticket.
Bottom line: For a small space and on a budget, this subwoofer rocks.
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based on 23 reviews