The Official BIC America Subwoofer Owners Thread

[ECrispy]

How does the Bic PL-200 compare to the Klipsch Sub 12-HG? The Klipsch is sometimes on sale at Fry's for $200, its $250 on Amazon.

Klipsch 12Hg - 300W RMS, 24Hz low end
Bic PL-200 - 250W RMS, 22Hz low end

Both of these look good but I have no idea how they compare.

[striker199]

Finally placed an order, I hope its as good as everyone says.

[YamaPolk]

Originally Posted by Underworld54

So I sent my Yamaha receiver out for service a couple weeks back and I unplugged all my gear including my BIC PL-200. I was hooking everything back into my APC H15 today and noticed no light on the sub. I was like weird. So I popped the fuse and it was clearly blown. I called BIC to inquire if I needed a special fuse and I was told a blown fuse is an indication of a bigger issue with the amp itself. He said the fuse prevents a fire and that I needed to send it in for a warranty repair. Did I do something wrong that caused the sub to blow? I've unplugged it many times before with out issue, what gives???

Hey I ran into the same problem tonight with same sub and blowing fuse.
Was wondering if they found out what the problem was?

[SixSpeedSamurai]

I have the F12 have have been happy with it for the most part. With my Denon receiver I have now, I've actually had to set the sub level on the receiver negative, it rattles the walls otherwise.

[donzo29]

I have had an F12 for about three years now and for a long time I was not thrilled with it. Up until last week I had it running with a Yamaha receiver with YAPO set up. I could never really feel the sub working with the Yamaha. Well last week I got a Denon X3300 and after running the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 my F-12 is making bass I can feel. It is also rattling stuff around the house that it never rattled before. My Denon even told me to turn down my Sub when I was running the set-up. Thanks to whatever voo-doo Audyssey is doing I feel like I got a new sub along with my receiver and now I am very happy with it. I may just order another one.

[Dwayne]

Originally Posted by ECrispy

How does the Bic PL-200 compare to the Klipsch Sub 12-HG? The Klipsch is sometimes on sale at Fry's for $200, its $250 on Amazon.

Klipsch 12Hg - 300W RMS, 24Hz low end
Bic PL-200 - 250W RMS, 22Hz low end

Both of these look good but I have no idea how they compare.

I own the Acoustech PL 200, and so far it is the best sub I have ever purchased, at only $329.00. I do not know how the Klipsch sub's are, however anything with the Klipsch logo on it is going to be good.

[Dwayne]

Originally Posted by donzo29

I have had an F12 for about three years now and for a long time I was not thrilled with it. Up until last week I had it running with a Yamaha receiver with YAPO set up. I could never really feel the sub working with the Yamaha. Well last week I got a Denon X3300 and after running the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 my F-12 is making bass I can feel. It is also rattling stuff around the house that it never rattled before. My Denon even told me to turn down my Sub when I was running the set-up. Thanks to whatever voo-doo Audyssey is doing I feel like I got a new sub along with my receiver and now I am very happy with it. I may just order another one.

That is why I choose to deal with Denon/Marantz as they are the only ones that use Audyessey Room Correction. I use Denon's 4520c.i. AVR and recently purchased the BIC Acoustech 12" PL 200 sub, and absolutely love how it blends with the the other speakers I have

[gfmucci]

I have a 20' x 20' detached wood frame garage with open truss ceiling and concrete floor. I would be using these for 100% music. My mains are a pair of Def Tech 8040's.

Wondering how 2, PL-200's would do for $660 compared to 1 SVS model for $700 in the same space?

The tradeoffs I considered are these:

2 of these: better low frequency distribution across the room; a bit more total output, but not as much sub-25 Hz extension.

1 of the other: spottier low frequency distribution; a bit less total output, but more sub 25 Hz extension.

I understand the distortion levels of the PL-200 leap below 30 Hz. I wonder if with 2 of these, since they don't have to be pushed too hard, distortion levels can be kept in check. I have a 31 band graphic equalizer that could even out the responses - reducing levels in the 30-40 Hz range, in increasing a bit at 20 Hz - I am thinking that a pair of these would allow me to increase lower frequency output with lower distortion compared to using just a single PL-200.

I am told by Hsu, Rhythmik and SVS techs that just ONE of their $600 or $700 subs would be just "barely" adequate for my space. They all wanted me to spend well over a grand to make my purchase really worthwhile - and to make them more profit, no doubt. I'm looking for a decent lower priced alternative.

What are your thoughts on the relative value of the trade offs between 2 of the lower priced subs versus one of the higher priced ones.

[Dwayne]

Originally Posted by gfmucci

I have a 20' x 20' detached wood frame garage with open truss ceiling and concrete floor. I would be using these for 100% music. My mains are a pair of Def Tech 8040's.

Wondering how 2, PL-200's would do for $660 compared to 1 SVS model for $700 in the same space?

The tradeoffs I considered are these:

2 of these: better low frequency distribution across the room; a bit more total output, but not as much sub-25 Hz extension.

1 of the other: spottier low frequency distribution; a bit less total output, but more sub 25 Hz extension.

I understand the distortion levels of the PL-200 leap below 30 Hz. I wonder if with 2 of these, since they don't have to be pushed too hard, distortion levels can be kept in check. I have a 31 band graphic equalizer that could even out the responses - reducing levels in the 30-40 Hz range, in increasing a bit at 20 Hz - I am thinking that a pair of these would allow me to increase lower frequency output with lower distortion compared to using just a single PL-200.

I am told by Hsu, Rhythmik and SVS techs that just ONE of their $600 or $700 subs would be just "barely" adequate for my space. They all wanted me to spend well over a grand to make my purchase really worthwhile - and to make them more profit, no doubt. I'm looking for a decent lower priced alternative.

What are your thoughts on the relative value of the trade offs between 2 of the lower priced subs versus one of the higher priced ones.

To start with, I have one PL-200 in front along with a Polk 10" PSW behind seating area and the Polk is a very weak link in my set up. My living area is 20'x20' with an opening that leads to the kitchen with a standard ceiling, and this single PL-200 has completely changed the way my low frequency audio sounds. Combined with the weak Polk sub, I have more than adequate low end for my room size. Having said that, I desperately want another PL-200 because they are very easy to drive and blend well with my Polk RTi 12 mains and my JBL ES 80s as my surrounds. Two of the PL-200s I know for a fact you would love, but I have heard many SVS Subs and they are without a doubt the best Sub on the market . Will one SVS sub do the trick I guess depends on what model you go with, but if I had to do my set up over, I would still go with the PL-200 because of its price. If money was no object then I would go SVS all the way. Good luck .

[OnePenny]

Hi Pros, Have a BIC F12 for few years, use it rarely. I had been using Onkyo receiver to connect, it worked well. When I started using it on Pioneer receiver, it fused out couple of times, and now it doesn't even turn on. I checked the power cord, that supplies the electricity fine.

What could be the reason, and how to fix it ?
Thanks in advance for the help.

[Dwayne]

Originally Posted by OnePenny

Hi Pros, Have a BIC F12 for few years, use it rarely. I had been using Onkyo receiver to connect, it worked well. When I started using it on Pioneer receiver, it fused out couple of times, and now it doesn't even turn on. I checked the power cord, that supplies the electricity fine.

What could be the reason, and how to fix it ?
Thanks in advance for the help.

Personally, I do no think that connecting it to the Pioneer AVR had anything at all in blowing the fuse. I have never had a problem at all with my Bic Acoustech PL 200 sub, so far. I did however run into this exact same issue with a New Polk Audio PSW 110 sub. I replaced the fuse 3 time's before it died. Spoke with Polk's customer service people a couple of time's on this issue, and they all said the same thing about fuses blowing. First thing they said was if a fuse blow's once, then replace the recommended fuse once more and if it blow's, STOP. They stated that the fuse is designed to blow for the protection of the sub, and if a few fuses continue to blow mean's that there is an internal issue with the wire's to the amp, or the amp just gave out inside of the sub. Mine was still under warranty, so they sent me a replacement model quickly. I so wanted to take this sub apart to see if I could isolate the problem, but I chose not too, for warranty's sake. So if your sub is out of warranty, then take it apart and see if you can isolate the problem. Purchasing another sub is the first thing I would do, and I would not give up on Bic. My Acoustech PL 200 Sub is the Flagship Bic model and can be had on-line for about $300.00 and less. It's an awesome beast that deliver's big. Whatever you choose to do, I hope that it work's out. Sorry.

[Riddler The Slag]

I've been thinking of getting another sub for the home theater and stumbled across the Bic PL-200 II.

Can anyone give me any thoughts on this?

[Riddler The Slag]

Ok better question.

Do I really need 2 subwoofers?

[isolar801]

I have 2 f-12's for sale in the Pittsburgh area....one has a Bash 300 replacement amp installed. Perfect condition...just replaced them with RSL Speedwoofers.

[SlaughterX]

Thinking about getting the PL-300 to replace my old PL-200 that just shit the bed.

[Croweyes1121]

I have had two PL-200 II's for about two years.

About six months in, one of the subs blew a fuse. I replaced the fuse, and it was fine for about another month, and it went dead again. This time, replacing the fuse did nothing.

I contacted the service department and they had me send the amp in for repair. I received it back quickly and it worked fine - for about another two months. Then it died AGAIN.

BIC sent me a totally different amp this time, and at their expense. This amp, I decided to put on its own power bar, away from all of my other equipment and plugged into a different power outlet. It worked again for about two months, then stopped getting power. No fuses worked.

In exasperation more than anything, I pulled the original amp out of the box (I still had it), and replaced the fuse...and lo and behold, it worked again. I've been enjoying the original repaired amp now for about two months.

I was moving some things around tonight and had to unplug it from the power bar momentarily. Out of an abundance of caution, I turned the power bar off first (as I had done many times in the past), and then unplugged the power cable. I just went to plug it back in, and the damn thing is getting no power AGAIN. Sigh. This is beyond infuriating. I've emailed the service department again about this, and I'm hoping to get yet another amp sent to me.

The thing is, the OTHER amp (remember, I bought two of them) has NEVER had any problems whatsoever, let alone this same problem over and over again.

Has anyone else had this issue with the BIC PL-200 II? What are the odds that I'd have gotten two lemon amps? I mean, the first one was bad, then it was repaired...then went bad...then the replacement they sent went bad...and then the original decided to work again, but has now gone bad again. This is kind of ridiculous. I've now been trying to fix this randomly-not-getting-power issue for going on two years and it's driving me absolutely insane. Any ideas on what might be causing this? Keep in mind that my sister sub (same exact model) has had zero issues getting power in two years, so this really can't be anything I'm doing to overload or surge the sub. I'm just at my wit's end.