I came across a thread on the solo x 18 but couldnt post on it so ill start a new one. Here in Hawaii the Loudest vehicle in the state has and does run Kicker Solo X 18's. Primary vehicle for competition is a Chevy Astro van with a trio of Solo X 18's in a wall, each sub is powered by 4 kicker Kx 1200.1 the past comp. there were several entries with DD's and there was no way they could keep up. Current record is 171.8 .
IMO DD's are pretty good for SPL but SQ of these subs are not that great. In my personal vehicle i run one solo X 18 in a 10 cu box (SuV steet) so its set up to disturb the peace. But in curiosity i wanted to see how loud my truck would be as is in a comp. in a past competion i entered to see what my #'s would be and i hit a 152.3, now this is in a 98 4 door tahoe with massive amounts of air space. and not set up for SPL. I do think the SoLo X has what it takes for SPL its just the way the set up is designed. TRial and error.
the solox is good but they require unbelievable amounts of power to get loud. for simalar money u could have a brahma extreme or re mt and give it less power to get just as if not more loud.
I agree the solo x does require large amounts of power. I did wonder why the sub is rated at 10000watts (given the box is the correct design) but the amps they make dont come close to that figure (when strapped together). Hopefully they design a amp that can be strapped together and come close to that figure. Then see how it performs.
That dollar amount the sub retails is a bit High, if not one of the highest. I paid $800 for mine but that was though a friend at our streo shop. As of my knowledge there is only 6 solo x's in the state. I have one, my friend has 3 in his van, and one is a display at the shop and the last is still in the Box at the shop. (mainly because not many ppL can afford or have the resources to run this sub). But i must say compared to many subs i have heard the Low's are very impressive as with the other frequecnys. (SP?)
IMO Solo X's aren't anywhere near good for SQ either. 152.3 from an 18" sub in a 10 cubic foot box? Not trying to hurt your feelings, but you can get 15" SQ subs that hit that with 1/4-1/5 of the power. About SPL comps, it's all in the skill of the competitor and the money invested. You really can't compare one sub to the other just by who wins SPL comps because it's so dependant on so many different things. Stick the subs in a level playing field with others and then compare. Side by side a DD 9917 or 18" RE MT would hand that subs a$$ to it.
RE MT IA Death Penalty CN Sounds (same as TRF basically) TRF DD 9917
all of the above will crush a Solo X. Testing was done a little while back and it was proven that the DD 9917, a three year old or so driver, was still quite a bit louder than the X.
I can vouche that the 9917 doesn't sound bad at all in low power applications. I've got mine running off a sony home receiver for kicks and it absolutely hammers. X is made for looks imo
(152.3 from an 18" sub in a 10 cubic foot box? Not trying to hurt your feelings, but you can get 15" SQ subs that hit that with 1/4-1/5 of the power.)
I know that that # is not very high for a 18" sub in a 10 cu box and as i mentioned before its sitting way in the back of my truck with other things around and it has to travel thru a very large Suv before it hits the front. My truck is not or was intended for competition. Just for personal pleasure.
Another vehicle of ours was built and set up with the same 18" Solo X in a Maxima Wagon in a wall for a competition. That vehicle did hit a 157.7 it may or may not be that high as our competitions are not as big or as often as in the mainland. These are not shop sponsered or built by a shop .. all of these were done by my friends and I. The ppL that does enter with DD's or other subs were built and some sponsered by Local shops. There was a competitor that was running two DD 9917's in a wall in his regal. His highest mark was 163.0. His previous set up had 4 DD subz but was only able to hit 162. i am not sure what model subz he was running when he had 4 maybe 9915?.
I do think performance varys on design and set up per vehicle. And ( as Chief said : X is made for looks imo ) is very true. It does seem to shock and awe more ppL Than a plain round sub would. In the end its what u would prefer i guess.
(coils cook on those X's too easily too) So far we have destroyed one but that was due to a misshap as one set of speaker wires came off a CoiL and was running off one coiL.. but untiL Kicker comes up with a amp or a combination of amps that can come close to the pwr handling of the sub then we can see if any coils cook.
they are having probs taking two kx1200.1's for daily from what i have read. i'm just staying far away from that thing. just TOOOO much out there that is cheaper and better to get this 100 lb. monstrous paperweight.
I just bought a 12" Solo X and it's in a sealed box right now. The recommended amp power is 2500 watts. Which kicker will be releasing their 2500 watt amp in about a month. So I'm just gonna wait until that comes out to hook everything up.
