Kicker Subs:

While I have been looking at car pics online I have seen that a lot of people have the Kicker Subs. No one around me has them, and I was wondering if they are really that good, and if I should consider them when I go to purchase a sub.

 

you should consider subs based on how they sound to you, with the kind of music you listen to. check out a local audio shop, they should have some you can listen to.

 

kicker is a good upper midlevel sub. they are popular because they are pretty readily availible and osund good for they price. go audition them and find out for yourself. good luck.

 

I would HIGHLY reccomend Kicker Solo-Baric L7's, top of the line subs in my book, and cleanest around for the price.

 

they're definitely nice subs, but for around the same money you could go with a brahma, idmax, xxx...

 

You guys have websites for those other brands or do they exist is stores only?

 

http://www.adireaudio.com
http://www.imagedynamicsusa.com

 

Well, I hope we're not just mid-level............

But the woofer needs to be the right decision for you. And, install will be as important as well. there are some good subs, but remeber specs don't always mean everything. Some think specs are the life bread of everything, and they really aren't. So go listen to many, and choose the one you like best.

 

sorry Polecat, i was refering to the lower lines. i think the L7 or L5 are some of the best speakers out there. i even own a kicker amp:hail:

 

I WANNA SEE PICS OF THAT BOX AND THE SET UP.

ASAP!!!!

 

Here is my L7 installed. Had it for about a year now and love it. a single 12 fills the whole car.

 

Here is my L7 installed. Had it for about a year now and love it. a single 12 fills the whole car. Oh by the way its driven by a kicker amp too. :hail: And it all fits nicely so i have room for my T-tops in the nice Cali weather.

 

I have a pair of Kicker Solo Baric L7s and I'm amazed at their power. I set off car alarms all day without even cranking it up that high.

 

This post hates me. I spent 20 minutes typing up a full response with a complete description of System Q (Qtc) and all that. I clicked on an IM link, then came back to find this field empty.

So I retype most of it. I highlight something, and next thing I know I accidentally deleted the whole goddamned thing. So... what you're getting here is an extremely abbreviated response because I'm way too irritated to type it out a 3rd time.

If you're looking for a sub specifically for sound quality, I'd look somewhere other than the L7. The L7 is a good sub, but to get a Qtc of .707 (i.e. a smooth frequency response), you need an enormous box; nearly 5 cubic feet. When you put the box in the size that Kicker reccomends, you get a very high Qtc and a response that isn't terribly smooth.

Here's a picture to illustrate what I mean:

All 3 response curves are based on the same sub. The only difference is the size box it's in. The red line shows it in a critically damped situation with a Qtc of .707. Nice smooth response. If you put the sub in a box that's too small, your Qtc rises and you get a response similar to the blue one. This diagram is a bit exaggerated compared to what you'd be likely to encounter in a normal situation (the blue curve represents a sub in a box that's 25x smaller than it should be), but still gets the point across. In a small box the L7 is going to have a peaky response. It's nothing that you can't overcome with a ton of equalization and plenty of power, but most people don't have that option.

The final decision needs to be up to you. Listen to a lot of subs and decide what you like the sound of.

 

bayarea - how do you get that box in and out? Where did you put your amp?

 

I have an L7. Ones enough, I had to sell the second one. OVERKILL. Great base, hits all notes, dont blow extra $$ on same performance w7s

 

Hey Jim!

While I agree in order to get the .707 butterworth alignment, the enclosure will be larger, but IMHO, a flat .707 sounds like poo-poo...
Tooooo boring for me...and I'm old...

 

I guess it boils down to one of those personal preference issues. I grew up with an interest in home audio before I even had a driver's license, so I've become accustomed to a nice smooth response. I've got enough equalization to be able to compensate for a high box Q (although I've found that they aren't very effective when they sit in your bedroom ), but I've always felt that if you can make it sound as good as possible before you eq it, the end result is always going to be better.

That's not to say that the L7 isn't a good sub, because there's thousands of happy customers that would say otherwise, but it doesn't fit the criteria that I base my personal decisions on.

So when are you guys going to be looking for an enthusiastic Electrical Engineer out there in Oklahoma?

 

Hey now, I want that job to be MINE!! OK seems like a good location for me. lol

 

So you out of school now?

 

hellfire- I dont take my sub out but if i have to i have to remove the back interior panel. It not hard once you have done it. And my sub amp is currently in the spare tire area but will be moved shortly to the other side since i now have a kicker kx 600.4 which is bigger and wont fit on the drivers side.

 

Yeah, I've been out for about a year and a half. I'm working at General Dynamics working on the design for the new Fire Control system for the Trident Submarines. Sounds cool, but it's a lot of document writing, which isn't my bag. I haven't seen a circuit board or a spectrum analyzer since I started working there.

 

wow..sounds like a good paying job though.........

 

For this area it is. I could make more elsewhere, but the cost of living here is cheap, plus my whole family is here. When the job market improves I'll start looking for my "dream job". For now I'm just happy to be gainfully employed. A lot of other engineers aren't so fortunate.