Search results matching tags 'JL Audio' and 'kicker'

Big bass in a small-car world

Charlie — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:52:00 GMT

Gas mileage is a big issue with an ever-increasing number of people. Most recently, the "Cash for Clunkers" program has resulted in a lot of people driving more compact vehicles. A smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicle is great news for your wallet, but it can really create problems if you like maximum bass in your car. And, fuel efficiency aside, there are some vehicles (Jeep Wrangler, for example) that make it tough for the bass enthusiast just by virtue of their design.

So, how do you get decent bass in one of these problem vehicles without taking up most of your precious cargo space? Two solutions have become increasingly popular in the last few years: vehicle-specific enclosures and shallow-mount subs.

Custom-fit sub enclosures for your car
Vehicle-specific enclosures are molded sub enclosures that are designed to fit into your particular car without taking up much space. The manufacturer looks at each vehicle, finds the best spot for the sub, then creates the molded enclosure that allows you to get strong bass in your car while maintaining a factory look.

JL Audio, for example, makes a Stealthbox® enclosure for the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited that fits up against the passenger-side wheel well, housing a high-performance 13" sub that handles up to 600 watts. MTX has created a ThunderForm enclosure for the VW Beetle that puts a 10" sub up against the wall on the passenger side of the trunk.

Some vehicle-specific enclosures even come with a built-in amp, so you get space-saving, all-in-one bass solution. You'll find these enclosures available for a wide range of vehicles, including some unexpected rides, like the Smart fortwo, Mini Cooper, and Scion xB.

Shallow-mount subwoofers
For bass heads who are handy with tools, the shallow-mount sub opens up a whole new world of possibilities. For instance, the Pioneer Premier TS-SW1201S2 12" sub handles up to 400 watts RMS, yet its unusual design keeps its top-mount depth to less than 3-1/4" inches. That means an inventive box builder could construct an enclosure that would house this sub under the rear seat of many compact automobiles, and get monster bass with no loss of cargo area.

Sony's XS-L12S 12" subwoofer and Rockford Fosgate's P3SD210 10" sub both offer an equally low profile and similar power handling.

Subs in your car, not in the trunk
Another cool option: you may be able to fit two smaller shallow-mount subs in your rear speaker openings if you're willing to make some small modifications, like cutting a little bit of metal or building some brackets. For example, you might be able to fit 8" subs in the 6-1/2" openings in the rear of your vehicle.

The Pioneer Premier TS-SW841D 8" sub is only a little over 2-1/2" deep, handles up to 120 watts, and works in "free-air" applications, which means it doesn't need an enclosure. You'll have to make a couple of adapters out of wood or plastic that allow the 8" sub to fit into the 6-1/2" hole by lifting it up a little, and you'll want to use a lot of Dynamat on the relatively thin metal around the speaker openings. You won't get the earth-moving low-end boom that you'd get from a couple of 12" subs, but you will get strong, powerful bass and you won't take up any cargo space in your car. If you don't want to modify your 6-1/2" speaker openings, Kicker's CompVT 08CVT654 6-1/2" subwoofer will drop right in most cars; it handles up to 150 watts, it's only 2-3/4" deep, and it's also suitable for free-air use.

Mighty mite
One last option for the creative bass addict: Focal offers the Utopia Be® 5" subwoofer for the ultimate in "tight" bass. This unique sub handles 75 watts RMS, and it's only 2-5/8" deep. Imagine a couple of these little giants installed on your rear deck, or in a custom enclosure in your interior.

So, don't worry: you can downsize your vehicle and still satisfy your jones for great bass.

I Need An Amp For JL Audio 12" W3

Alskie — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:55:07 GMT

I Have Two JL Audio 12W3v3-4 And Im Kinda Confused On Which Amp To Match These Up With I Wanted The Kicker 750.1 And Then The VPower 1000 From Alpine But Not Sure Any Suggestions?

which is the best head unit? and which is a better amp kicker or JL audio amp?

mikeli77 — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:20:03 GMT

Ok. I figured I would just put the two different questions into one post to keep everything in one place.

I currently have a Kenwood excellon kdc-x469 head unit which I want to replace. I was looking at either the Kenwood Excellon KDC-X792 or the Excellon KDC-X890. I was figuring on sticking with kenwood since besides the problems I had with the excellon I have now (6 years of a lot of use so I think I got my money out of it) the head unit worked and sounded fine. I have been going through the reviews of different models of the kenwood and alpine headunits and have found that almost all of them have there good and bad reviews. When I bought my head unit from the local car audio place near me they told me that kenwood was the best. Is this still true? are there any better head units that I should consider?

Along with the headunit I have now. I also have 2 amps in the back, 1 Kicker KX600.4 (75W X 4 @4ohm) which is powering 2 pairs of Infinity Kappa 60.5cs 6-½" Component Speakers (80W RMS handling) and 1 JL audio 500.1 amp powering 2 10" JL audio WO's (all of this is 6 years old). My kicker amp keeps cutting out on me. When I am listening to the system my component speakers being driven by the kicker amp will go out and I will only get bass from the subs at that point and then it can be a few seconds to almost 15 minutes has been the longest so far wear it will start working again and I'll hear a pop in the component speakers and they are working again so I want to buy a new amp as well.

I am a little split between the Kicker ZX650.4 and the JL audio 300/4v2 amps. The kicker ZX650.4 puts out 120 watts RMS x 4 channels at 4 ohm ( I can't find anywear if this rms is dependent on how many volts the amp is getting from the car, i see some amps say a certain wattage rating at 14.5 and another at 12 volts) and the JL audio 300/4v2 puts out 75 W RMS x 4 @ 1.5 ohm-4 ohm (11V-14.5V) (this amp puts out the same watts between different levels of voltage from the car which I think is much better).

I am leaning towards the JL audio amp because I think it is a much better amp. But the kicker amp puts out more power which could be usefull in the future. Also since I already have the kicker KX600.4 I'm thinking if I replace it with the ZX650.4 it should be a little easier to set up than the JL audio amp since I should not have to really move much of the wiring at all to install it. The JL audio amp also has some sort of 9 step process in installing it wear I need a voltage regulator and I have to buy a disc to set it up correctly which is souding pretty intimidating to me. Is that hard to do? Which amp do you recommend?

Re: kicker solo 18x4 HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paul — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:59:16 GMT

Unfortunately, we do not carry that subwoofer and I could not find any information on that subwoofer on Kicker's web site. However, I do know that we carry an excellent subwoofer for the producing some excellent deep bass frequencies. We offer the JL Audio 13W6v2-D4 which will be able to give very accurate bass production and can even go subsonic. It handles a lot of power (up to 750 watts RMS) and has gotten a great review on our web site.

You would want to get an amp that outputs 750 watts RMS power at 2 ohms to power it. Kicker makes quality amps and they offer the Kicker 08ZX750.1 amp that will be a perfect match for that subwoofer. HTH!

Does anyone have any experience with the Kicker 18x4 subwoofer? Know of any other subwoofers to recommend in place of it?

JL Stealthbox

KYFHO — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:52:08 GMT

I am in the process of installing a new system in my 05 4Runner. I already have a JL 300/4v2 for my mids and highs and plan on purchasing a second JL amp for my sub. I have been looking at the Stealth box but am unsure as to the sound quality and the amount of bass it will produce. In the past I ran Kicker Solo Baric subs in 12" size and was extremely impressed with the performance. I am trying to save as much space as possible, so if anyone has used a stealthbox or has heard a stealthbox that is running a 10w3v3-4 I would really appreciate your feedback. My system is going to be designed for SQ so I'm not really interested in excess SPL. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Kicker ZX400.1 or Alpine M450 for single 10 sub?

wakebrdr142 — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:35:03 GMT

Hello,

I am either going to get a Kicker 10"CVR sub 400rms or a JL W3v3 10"sub 300rms.

I have a few question

1. Which amp would you recommend for either of these subs Kicker ZX400.1 or Alpine M450?

2. What ohm sub should I select with the amp?

3. How would you wire this combo you recommend to me.

4. Which sub do you think I will like better. I prefer quality over loudness and listen to mostly modern rock ex; three days grace, godsmack...

Thanks a ton and Crutchfield is the best!!

which brand to get?

marcusvp — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 22:12:42 GMT

who makes the better speakers in terms of quality of sound, loudness ability, and overall performance for 6x8 speakers?

boston acoustics, infinity, jbl, jl audio, kenwood, pioneer, kicker and sony

Also why is it that 5x7s can fit into 6x8 holes? which brand of 5x7 would you recommend and would they be better than a 6x8?

What subs would be the best

t dog — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:17:21 GMT

i currently have 10 JL audio sub

i am looking to upgrade my system to 2 12" but i dont know which brand of sub to go with, ive heard really good things about JL and iam pleased with the sub i have but ive also heard good things about other brands like kicker, alpine, pioneer. I am just wondering which subwoofers would be the overall best to go with if i want good sound quality that hits pretty hard, any suggestions???

please som1 help me

josh101287 — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:12:08 GMT

hi i was wondering what would b the best set up fo an 06 silverado ext cab. i was thinking going with two 12s under the back seat in a fiberglass enclsure that has &" mounting depth n 15 cubic feet air space.. probaly use jl w3s or kicker cvrs or cvxs. and also replace all my door speakers with boston speakers. im getting the pioneer z2 in dash. But i was jus wondering how this set up would b or is there a better one i also need help with an amp i was thinking the jl slash series but idk please help

Re: matching an amp with these subs

ralphy — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:28:41 GMT

OK, heres what i have in mind. I hear JL amps are high quality but would the JL1800 amp sound good with the two Kicker CVR02, or would the KickerZX750 sound better? Or if i want the JL 1800 amp would JL subs sound better with it?