Kicker the best?

 

New member
Username: Makinblak

Post Number: 9
Registered: Oct-10
I'm just now getting into car audio big, but when I was growing up, Kicker was the name to have for subs when I was poor and living in the sticks. How do they stand up to these strange competition speakers like RE or Fi Q or whatever it is? Specifically the l7 solobaric?
 

Gold Member
Username: Gcs8

Atlanta, Ga

Post Number: 1567
Registered: Sep-09
kicker, subs suck, amps not bad, there hyper flex wire is nice bit a bit expensive. FI, AQ, PSI, DD, TCsounds, sundown, for got what else there is its late. these are the brands you want to spend your money on right now.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14065
Registered: Dec-03
Kicker was never the name to have, unless you really didn't know much about car audio, to be honest.
They make OK stuff, but not what I'd generally call "outstanding."
The square subs get plenty loud, but they have a whole myriad of shortcomings. Most of those shortcomings are related to premature failure and poor design.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Nd4spd18

Philadelphia, PA

Post Number: 11502
Registered: Jul-06
"kicker" and "the best" are not to be used in the same sentence.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14067
Registered: Dec-03
well, the amplifiers are decent. the CVR and other round subs aren't that bad. About 15-20 years ago Stillwater Design made some good component speakers (C and F series drivers and first gen (round) solobarics designed for small, sealed boxes.)
 

Silver Member
Username: Perfectcircle

Naptown, Indy

Post Number: 211
Registered: Feb-10
may be wrong. but i like the comps and the cvr's like glass mentioned. decent subs for being so cheap. Can get a pair of 12's for under a 100 bucks. not going to win any sq or spl trophies with them, but if your on an extremely tight budget and don't have an amp pushing many watts out. they work well. ive used 2 comp 12's in between builds several times. just easy to power and gives you a little low end to fill the void. but not the best by any stretch. is there really a best? i still own a tc sounds lms 5400 18. i would say its the best sub ive ever owned. people would say there is no way its the best. everyone's ears are different.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 11
Registered: Nov-10
Kicker has been around for years...you can't go wrong with Kicker
 

Silver Member
Username: Cenus

Post Number: 165
Registered: Aug-08
subs- decent at best. amps- great imo. componets- low end ehh ok high end pretty decent.
 

Diamond Member
Username: Wingmanalive

Www.stainles... .ecrater.com

Post Number: 23810
Registered: Jun-06
Kicker has a high exposure to the market which = the shotgun effect. When aimed in even a general direction of prey you are bound to hit something. Problem is they spend more $$ on marketing than they do design/engineering into making better products. Audioblah is famous for this angle. 20 lbs of shiny chrome flames as a basket just HAS to be great performance enhancer right? Hey it gets the newbs to buy the damn things, thus = their victory. I personally don't mind the bikini clad "spokespersons" however lol.


Kicker amps are solid as said earlier and the L5 was their flagship of fail.



Yet, they sold. Luckily, thanks to forums like this ppl are educating (at least trying to) others through their own experiences and failures. In my youth it was ALL about trial and error. It was taken as great gear because the only "expert" within earshot was the moron who sold it to you.
 

Silver Member
Username: Cenus

Post Number: 168
Registered: Aug-08
all square subs suck, get loud but sound awful imo plus they have all kinds of design flaws the main one being the stree points on the corners, which useally causes them to fail.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 29
Registered: Nov-10
bass makes bass it really don't matter what subs sound like...there is no SQ below 80hz fyi...
 

Bronze Member
Username: Makinblak

Post Number: 11
Registered: Oct-10
FI, AQ, PSI, DD, TCsounds, sundown !! Are these acronyms for the brand name, or is this their name? Sorry for my ignorance, I'm working on that haha.
 

Gold Member
Username: Skdooley

Roanoke, VA Usa

Post Number: 1273
Registered: Oct-09
Fi car audio, AudioQue, Psi is the name (not sure how to find these myself), Digital Designs, TC Sounds.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 52
Registered: Nov-10
most of those are quality subs....built by specialty companies
 

Gold Member
Username: Gcs8

Atlanta, Ga

Post Number: 1578
Registered: Sep-09
http://www.audioque.com/aq/?page_id=72

ficaraudio.com

http://www.fixmyspeaker.com/ <<psi

http://www.ddaudio.com/caraudio.htm

http://www.tcsounds.com/

http://www.sundownaudio.com/
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14081
Registered: Dec-03
".there is no SQ below 80hz fyi..."

This person has never heard of a BL curve, and has no clue about motor control of a driver, obviously.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 64
Registered: Nov-10
i've heard more subs than you have buddy...below 80hz in the right box they all sound the same....
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14086
Registered: Dec-03
keep telling yourself that.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Makinblak

Post Number: 12
Registered: Oct-10
Thanks deathoob that was real helpful. And as for the Below 80 htz, I'm pretty ignorant on this, but I have heard some sh!t lows and I have heard some lows that are so thick and creamy like breyer's ice cream. Smooth as my pickup lines, and tight as the girls they pick up. Sorry, I rant alot.


O and I just found out this a cuss-free zone haha. good thing i guess.
 

Gold Member
Username: Tejcurrent

Post Number: 2583
Registered: Apr-07
In the words of my old German co-worker, the fi q, ssa xcon, aa havoc, and several other subs are 'creamy like my grandmother back in Germany'.

Don't listen to cannan white.

What's your budget, power range, and goal with your setup? There are many better options than kicker, though if you want an L7 12 I have one for 75 plus shipping
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 70
Registered: Nov-10
Thats a good deal on Troys L7 ...those sound good in nearly all boxes ...ported or sealed
 

Platinum Member
Username: Rovin

1 15 = 153 DBs ...Trinidad & T...

Post Number: 16779
Registered: Jul-05
kicker was popular back in the day because they were not as many choices as we have today , im sure there are about x10 as many brands now compare to say 15-20yrs ago , alot of really good brands have come out during the 5-10yrs ....
 

Silver Member
Username: Mystre

Pemberville, Ohio USA

Post Number: 586
Registered: Sep-05
PSI stands for Pink Star Industries
 

Bronze Member
Username: Makinblak

Post Number: 13
Registered: Oct-10
That is a good deal on the l7. If i hadn't started my build for 2, I would start it for 3! But alas, then I would blow my crap amp and catch my engine bay on fire-again. I started my build a few days ago, and it's been slow going, but i'm getting there. I'm shooting for 3 cubes per l7 and tuning at 34 htz. I say shooting cuz this is my first time building a ported box. It's really kind of complicated. If all goes as planned, I will have only spent about $550 on the whole system, HU included. Anyone ever heard of savant? me neither, except to describe well adapted autistic people. Crap flip out 7 inch, crap 2400 watt amp, crap subs? NOPE. Crap box? Maybe. What would yall suggest to help a newbie avoid common problems? And since we are all bashing kicker, what about the SOLO-X ? I used to have a 12" and it could best the best of anyones creamy grandmother.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 73
Registered: Nov-10
The Solo X 12's are awesome subs...even though they are nearly impossible to blow you can recone them yourself if you happen too...most people have only heard them in SPL boxes at shows that are way to small...and they do sound like crap...with 30"s of port in a 1cu ft box.....but put one in a 3cu ft well braced box tuned about 36hz and look out...they get crazy
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14096
Registered: Dec-03
Nobody puts a SoloX in 1cu ft of air space. Most every SPL competitor I've encountered knows at least the basics of enclosure design. I've heard all of the Solobaric variants in various boxes, and I'm still not impressed. It's not a terrible sub, but there are many better subs on the market, for the same or less money that don't suffer from all of Kicker's square-sub design flaws.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 76
Registered: Nov-10
a lot of companies are going to square subs now since Kickers success...like MTX, Pyle, Power Acoustic, Soundstream, Hifonics so if Kickers such a failure with the square design...why are so many companies jumping on the band wagon...I tell you why because its a damm good design...and only the idiots refuse to admit it...
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14099
Registered: Dec-03
speaking of idiots and bandwagons..
 

Platinum Member
Username: Nd4spd18

Philadelphia, PA

Post Number: 11519
Registered: Jul-06
Why yes, all those brands you mentioned are making square subs now.

And as anyone that knows anything about car audio will know, those are all junk brands.... so yeah they should fit in well with keeker
 

Diamond Member
Username: Wingmanalive

Www.stainles... .ecrater.com

Post Number: 23830
Registered: Jun-06
It's disturbing how many people here have so much time and so little to do with their lives that they love trolling just for the responses they get.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14104
Registered: Dec-03
fiat experimentum in corpore vili
 

Gold Member
Username: Hdubb

Team Revolution

Post Number: 4344
Registered: Nov-04
Actually glasswolf people put them inn 1 cube and even smaller. Pure spl of course. Not a huge fan of anything kicker except the hyperflex wire.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14112
Registered: Dec-03
nobody uses a 1cubic foot ported box for a 12" sub. You wouldn't really ahve room for the port in a box that small anyway. Besides, larger boxes yield better SPL anyway in a 3rd order enclosure.

"most people have only heard them in SPL boxes at shows that are way to small...and they do sound like crap...with 30"s of port in a 1cu ft box...."
 

Gold Member
Username: Th3pwn3r

I compensate...

Post Number: 9706
Registered: Jul-06
If Kicker wanted to they could probably afford to be the best and make the best. It's more than likely not nearly as profitable to make quality equipment that A. Costs more money and B. Is reliable. Kicker is probably about appealing to the masses and selling in mass quantities. If I got into business for money that's something I would do and care far less about making something of quality, I'd make something that sells.
 

Gold Member
Username: Th3pwn3r

I compensate...

Post Number: 9707
Registered: Jul-06
Oh and Glasswolf, don't say nobody. I've seen one installed into a Mercury Cougar spare tire well.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14124
Registered: Dec-03
that well is larger than 1 cubic foot. I have an 18" sub in my spare tire well. (I have a larger car, however, and a raised floor.)

The problem with making unreliable, cheap products is that it's self-defeating in the long run when it comes to return business and customer loyalty, product reviews, cost in product returns, and so forth. Then again, game theory is a bit of a different topic from car audio generally speaking.
 

Gold Member
Username: Th3pwn3r

I compensate...

Post Number: 9710
Registered: Jul-06
Overall the point is moot on the subject of a Solo X in a 1 cu. ft enclosure. As far as return business and customer loyalty goes...from the majority of people that have "systems" in their cars that I've talked to not a whole lot of them know the flora or fauna. They blow it up and just buy more keeker products to replace them with because they're loud and sound "good".
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14130
Registered: Dec-03
"If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth."
Joseph Goebbels
 

Bronze Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 86
Registered: Nov-10
In other words noob...buy KICKER and quit letting these people confuse you with off the wall bullsh!t ...Buy troys L7 that is the best that KICKER makes under the SOLO X and a very good price....It will make you happy and don't let these KICKER haters tell you diffrent...Kicker was the best...Kicker is the best and Kicker will always be the best....../thread
 

Silver Member
Username: Nevertoomuchbass

Virginia Beach, VA

Post Number: 107
Registered: Aug-10
i gotta agree with the fact that all those square subwoofer companies are anywhere from mediocre to pure crap. its a valid point. i have never personally heard a soloX but i know its expensive as anything and it can be pretty insane. ive heard L7's, they sound decent and are really loud. Kicker is VERY far from the best as far as subs go. Id say they are the loudest ive heard for the money and wattage, but other than that they sound like you know what. I have 2 Fi Q 12's on 3kw, and even in my crappy 2ft^3 sealed box, they sound beautiful. I wouldnt trade them for anything else that would be comparable. Kicker is a name, thats it.
 

Silver Member
Username: Cenus

Post Number: 184
Registered: Aug-08
this thread is pointless but atleast it makes me chuckle, one thing id like to add though someone posted saying soundstream is junk. um your an idiot, last i checked ss makes the xxx a sub that will own 99% of subs ever made and they make some of the best amps out there.
 

Silver Member
Username: Nevertoomuchbass

Virginia Beach, VA

Post Number: 109
Registered: Aug-10
a lot of people confuse soundstream and soundstorm.

soundstream makes some pretty badass stuff like the xxx.

soundstorm = pyle
 

Silver Member
Username: Cenus

Post Number: 186
Registered: Aug-08
ya true, plus just checked it was the troll that posted that. this site really needs some mods or atleast an admin that gives a sh1t.
 

Silver Member
Username: Nevertoomuchbass

Virginia Beach, VA

Post Number: 110
Registered: Aug-10
i agree man. hes trollin on almost every thread
 

Silver Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 102
Registered: Nov-10
some people just hate hearing the truth....even if the truth stares them right in the face....
 

Gold Member
Username: Th3pwn3r

I compensate...

Post Number: 9713
Registered: Jul-06
Umm, I recall people testing Soundstream amplifiers and they were overrated. The XXX was also designed by the owner of Fi so yea. What has Soundstream had since the creation of the XXX? Nothing that I can recall being so great.
 

Silver Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 108
Registered: Nov-10
The square Soundstream subs are pretty awesome...pretty much like Kicker L7's
 

Silver Member
Username: Nevertoomuchbass

Virginia Beach, VA

Post Number: 113
Registered: Aug-10
well hifonics amps are overrated but they sound pretty good and are very reasonable on the price. its all about what you get for the money.

for the money, kicker is excellent on their low end models like the comp and compVR.
 

Silver Member
Username: Cenus

Post Number: 188
Registered: Aug-08
didnt know scott worked for tc sounds since the ss xxx uses a motor based on the tc 4hp. The re xxx in which scott designed is xbl^2 nothing even close to a 4hp. as far as ss amps every test ive seen shown them doing rated power so imo there decent a lot better than the group of audio brands theyre mentioned with in the earlier post.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Post Number: 14147
Registered: Dec-03
yeah I was about to say Scott did the RE XXX.
Regarding Soundstream, it's very hit or miss. Some things past and present are very good. Some of their products from the recent past really were rather poorly made Chinese junk. Like a number of companies suffering the change of hands from buyouts, they had some dark times.
 

Silver Member
Username: Canaanwhite

Monroe, Louisiana USA

Post Number: 205
Registered: Nov-10
After the Hifonics Gen X stuff they went to hell.....I still like the Gen VII and VIII stuff....some of the VI pieces were nice...also...I really dig some of the VI processors...but the amps wern't really right till VII....
 

Platinum Member
Username: Insearchofbass

2 hifonics 2607s, 2dcSounds12xls SPL\idmax12SQ

Post Number: 15843
Registered: Jun-04
reliability issues
 

Silver Member
Username: Makinblak

Monroe/Monticello, La/Ar

Post Number: 134
Registered: Oct-10
Got a tag-team going on here?
 

Platinum Member
Username: Insearchofbass

2 hifonics 2607s, 2dcSounds12xls SPL\idmax12SQ

Post Number: 15882
Registered: Jun-04
im trying to discourage him
 

Silver Member
Username: Makinblak

Monroe/Monticello, La/Ar

Post Number: 139
Registered: Oct-10
Ha you're just making it funner for him. I don't mind, its just when I pull up the forum , its flooded with bull and can't tell what is worth reading or not
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