Full Kicker setup
05-29-2008, 05:15 PM
#1
Full Kicker setup
I just picked up my car today from Ultimate Audio in Orlando FL. I got myself a full kicker set up. Dual 10"s, 5 channel amp, kicker speakers and tweeters...It sounds beautiful. I got just what I was looking for.
They threw in a bonus for no extra charge, they used a viynl that almost matches the interior of my Z for the enclosure under that bar. I told them I could only get the carpeting but for some reason they did the viynl....I have a feeling they want a little of that advertisement out of it. They put their little logo between the subs. Its small and black so it doesnt look bad.
Besides a little rattling from the rear(only hear from the outside) its good so far.
-Lee
They threw in a bonus for no extra charge, they used a viynl that almost matches the interior of my Z for the enclosure under that bar. I told them I could only get the carpeting but for some reason they did the viynl....I have a feeling they want a little of that advertisement out of it. They put their little logo between the subs. Its small and black so it doesnt look bad.
Besides a little rattling from the rear(only hear from the outside) its good so far.
-Lee
Last edited by zerafian; 05-29-2008 at 06:12 PM.
05-30-2008, 01:28 PM
#6
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Kicker WAS good. I wouldn't take Kicker for free now. Their quality went way down hill. You can get WAY better quality audio equipment for the same price as Kicker. For example, why would anyone pick Kicker over Alpine, or Kenwood?
But if your happy with your setup, thats all that matters. Good luck!
Very clean install BTW.. looks good.
But if your happy with your setup, thats all that matters. Good luck!
Very clean install BTW.. looks good.
Last edited by nyguy4u; 05-30-2008 at 06:23 PM.
06-01-2008, 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by nyguy4u
Kicker WAS good.
For example, why would anyone pick Kicker over Alpine, or Kenwood?
For example, why would anyone pick Kicker over Alpine, or Kenwood?
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06-01-2008, 04:04 PM
#9
After ""careful"" sound testing I have found the 2x 10"s a **** ton of sound and I only have a 2 volt receiver. The guys at the shop said I should get a 4v to optimize the sound. The subs at 60% is all I can handle for about 2 minutes at a time..My damn rear view mirror goes limp like a wet noodle..its some funny sh*t.
As you can tell Im not use to this much..The only places my car has some raddling going on now is behind the rear fenders.
As for going JL, Alpine, or Kenwood I choose Kicker because 3 of my friends recommended them. From sitting in over 8 cars with kicker set ups I never observed or heard issues.
My subs pick up at 26 hz. If I get the 4volt receiver it may drop lower but as for now my 2 volt receiver is more then enough.
edit: so far all ipod visual Alpine receivers are only 2v. Its seems I must turn elsewhere for the 4 volt receiver...For as much as I love the album art and ipod interface it may have to go :/
As you can tell Im not use to this much..The only places my car has some raddling going on now is behind the rear fenders.
As for going JL, Alpine, or Kenwood I choose Kicker because 3 of my friends recommended them. From sitting in over 8 cars with kicker set ups I never observed or heard issues.
My subs pick up at 26 hz. If I get the 4volt receiver it may drop lower but as for now my 2 volt receiver is more then enough.
edit: so far all ipod visual Alpine receivers are only 2v. Its seems I must turn elsewhere for the 4 volt receiver...For as much as I love the album art and ipod interface it may have to go :/
06-01-2008, 04:30 PM
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A 4v line over a 2v line should just be used to give you cleaner signal, it should not be used to get it sounding louder etc. Also it will not change the dynamic range of the sub.
How do you know you are getting output down to 26Hz - Thats actually bloody low, have you put it onto a scope/RTA meter as its the only way to measure down with that sort of accuracy?
Make sure that if you do go for a 4v head unit you go for one of equal quality of the Alpine one (which is a very good one) Pointless going for a head unit with a lower quality signal but '4v' output than a quality output @ 2v.
If your only listening to the system at 60% them I doubt its going to make much difference changing to a 4V output. IMO Save your money and instead use it to get it IMPRINTed
How do you know you are getting output down to 26Hz - Thats actually bloody low, have you put it onto a scope/RTA meter as its the only way to measure down with that sort of accuracy?
Make sure that if you do go for a 4v head unit you go for one of equal quality of the Alpine one (which is a very good one) Pointless going for a head unit with a lower quality signal but '4v' output than a quality output @ 2v.
If your only listening to the system at 60% them I doubt its going to make much difference changing to a 4V output. IMO Save your money and instead use it to get it IMPRINTed
06-01-2008, 04:42 PM
#11
Thanks for the advice I definetly agree with you on the saving money part.
A friend of mine actually has an old Bass album that was used for competitions. Each track does a test start at 5-10 hz, 10-15 hz, 15-20 hz, and so on. Also tests the tweeters and the mids, and lows on the speakers. I forget what the album is though, I just took it off my Ipod.
edit: anything below 26 hz was just a low hum...according to the Kicker website the 10" compcvs are suppost to get 20-500hz..or crutchfield I beleive its 25-450..I think.
A friend of mine actually has an old Bass album that was used for competitions. Each track does a test start at 5-10 hz, 10-15 hz, 15-20 hz, and so on. Also tests the tweeters and the mids, and lows on the speakers. I forget what the album is though, I just took it off my Ipod.
edit: anything below 26 hz was just a low hum...according to the Kicker website the 10" compcvs are suppost to get 20-500hz..or crutchfield I beleive its 25-450..I think.
06-01-2008, 05:54 PM
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If you have no noise in your system, then 4v outputs will gain you nothing. That's right, I said nothing. The higher the out put of your source allows you to turn down the sensitivity of the amps, which in turn makes the signal less susceptible to outside noise injection into the signal path.
Most human ears can not hear anything below 20-25 Hz.......Mine can't hear below 30Hz these days. You can only feel it.
There is nothing wrong with Kicker gear. Kicker's offerings are no better nor worse than any of the popular names in mainstream audio. No mainstream car audio company is what it used to be. Almost all have all sold out to gimmicky packaging and cheap overseas labor. But if the gear is quality (i.e. will last a few years), is installed/tuned properly, and suits your audio tastes then that's all that matters.
Install looks nice. Good luck and enjoy it.
Most human ears can not hear anything below 20-25 Hz.......Mine can't hear below 30Hz these days. You can only feel it.
There is nothing wrong with Kicker gear. Kicker's offerings are no better nor worse than any of the popular names in mainstream audio. No mainstream car audio company is what it used to be. Almost all have all sold out to gimmicky packaging and cheap overseas labor. But if the gear is quality (i.e. will last a few years), is installed/tuned properly, and suits your audio tastes then that's all that matters.
Install looks nice. Good luck and enjoy it.
06-01-2008, 06:16 PM
#15
Originally Posted by StreetOC192
If you have no noise in your system, then 4v outputs will gain you nothing. That's right, I said nothing. The higher the out put of your source allows you to turn down the sensitivity of the amps, which in turn makes the signal less susceptible to outside noise injection into the signal path.
Most human ears can not hear anything below 20-25 Hz.......Mine can't hear below 30Hz these days. You can only feel it.
There is nothing wrong with Kicker gear. Kicker's offerings are no better nor worse than any of the popular names in mainstream audio. No mainstream car audio company is what it used to be. Almost all have all sold out to gimmicky packaging and cheap overseas labor. But if the gear is quality (i.e. will last a few years), is installed/tuned properly, and suits your audio tastes then that's all that matters.
Install looks nice. Good luck and enjoy it.
Most human ears can not hear anything below 20-25 Hz.......Mine can't hear below 30Hz these days. You can only feel it.
There is nothing wrong with Kicker gear. Kicker's offerings are no better nor worse than any of the popular names in mainstream audio. No mainstream car audio company is what it used to be. Almost all have all sold out to gimmicky packaging and cheap overseas labor. But if the gear is quality (i.e. will last a few years), is installed/tuned properly, and suits your audio tastes then that's all that matters.
Install looks nice. Good luck and enjoy it.
I guess I should clearify...I made the same mistake at work when I was talking about it. The subs cant pick up below 26 hz but I start feeling anything above 26 hz..like a back rub
. I dont expect to hear anything until 28-35 hz...I dont really have super human or really good hearing for that matter.
Last edited by zerafian; 06-01-2008 at 06:30 PM.
06-01-2008, 06:19 PM
#16
Originally Posted by Phantom Menace
Nice set up. Where do you keep your amps?
Last edited by zerafian; 06-01-2008 at 06:27 PM.
06-02-2008, 03:53 AM
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Originally Posted by zerafian
I guess I should clearify...I made the same mistake at work when I was talking about it. The subs cant pick up below 26 hz but I start feeling anything above 26 hz..like a back rub . I dont expect to hear anything until 28-35 hz...I dont really have super human or really good hearing for that matter.
. I dont expect to hear anything until 28-35 hz...I dont really have super human or really good hearing for that matter. I wasn't trying to challenge you or anything. I was merely stating that anything below 20-25Hz can't be heard, so in a car environment (a moving listening room), 'feeling' the bass is moot unless you listen to your car's system with the car stopped and engine off. Most music (90%) doesn't get below 35Hz anyway. My statement was really to illustrate that the rating difference on the subs you quoted above (20Hz versus 25Hz) is a pointless difference. Besides, the fs of a sub is only valuable information in the proper enclosure.
06-02-2008, 05:18 AM
#19
Originally Posted by StreetOC192
I should clarify as well
I wasn't trying to challenge you or anything. I was merely stating that anything below 20-25Hz can't be heard, so in a car environment (a moving listening room), 'feeling' the bass is moot unless you listen to your car's system with the car stopped and engine off. Most music (90%) doesn't get below 35Hz anyway. My statement was really to illustrate that the rating difference on the subs you quoted above (20Hz versus 25Hz) is a pointless difference. Besides, the fs of a sub is only valuable information in the proper enclosure.
I wasn't trying to challenge you or anything. I was merely stating that anything below 20-25Hz can't be heard, so in a car environment (a moving listening room), 'feeling' the bass is moot unless you listen to your car's system with the car stopped and engine off. Most music (90%) doesn't get below 35Hz anyway. My statement was really to illustrate that the rating difference on the subs you quoted above (20Hz versus 25Hz) is a pointless difference. Besides, the fs of a sub is only valuable information in the proper enclosure.
06-02-2008, 07:47 AM
#20
my two bits:
1. Kicker, like many companies today, IMO dont make solid of gear as before, the old ZR ZX amplifiers were beasts, super underrated, and given enough current, can really put out some serious power. today's kicker, IMO, is more run of hte mill stuff, decent, but really nothing to stand out from the crowd. Kicker speakers, on the other hand, i personally have never found to be that great sounding, i have installed virtually their entire line, and they arent bad, they can get pretty loud and sound decent, but IMO still more of a muscle spekaer than a true SQ oriented brand, similar IMO to JL, Diamond etc
2. as mentioned above, specs on speakers pulled from websites really dont mean much at all. They are more or less an advertising tool as worst, and as best, just a rough general reference for the customer. a simple spec of 20-2000hz for example, gives no tolerances to specify under what condition does the sub get this kind of response, what kind of enclosure is it in? what kind of vehicle is it in? and is thos 20-2000hz rating with in a 6 db window? a 3db window? or 10db window? all these things affect this "rating" so i wouldnt put too much emphasis on it. The only thing i tend to use these subwoofer ratings for is usually to get a very rough idea of how a 10 can possible compare wtih a 12 from the SAME manufacture within the SAME model line, becuase i hope in that case, their are at least using identical rating method for their speakers the spec that gives more importance is usually within the package, with a full t/s parameters and box recommendations.
3. its scientifically proven that we cannot "hear" freq below 20hz, however, you can definetly FEEL this subsonic range, and IMO, you can definetly tel a difference with certain types of music, even driving down the road...i have played around with first having a sub go just on a low pass at say 80hz, and then settting a very steep subsonic highpass at 20hz with say a 48db/octave slope, and with certain types of music with extensions below 20hz, you can very obviously tell a difference n sound
b
1. Kicker, like many companies today, IMO dont make solid of gear as before, the old ZR ZX amplifiers were beasts, super underrated, and given enough current, can really put out some serious power. today's kicker, IMO, is more run of hte mill stuff, decent, but really nothing to stand out from the crowd. Kicker speakers, on the other hand, i personally have never found to be that great sounding, i have installed virtually their entire line, and they arent bad, they can get pretty loud and sound decent, but IMO still more of a muscle spekaer than a true SQ oriented brand, similar IMO to JL, Diamond etc
2. as mentioned above, specs on speakers pulled from websites really dont mean much at all. They are more or less an advertising tool as worst, and as best, just a rough general reference for the customer. a simple spec of 20-2000hz for example, gives no tolerances to specify under what condition does the sub get this kind of response, what kind of enclosure is it in? what kind of vehicle is it in? and is thos 20-2000hz rating with in a 6 db window? a 3db window? or 10db window? all these things affect this "rating" so i wouldnt put too much emphasis on it. The only thing i tend to use these subwoofer ratings for is usually to get a very rough idea of how a 10 can possible compare wtih a 12 from the SAME manufacture within the SAME model line, becuase i hope in that case, their are at least using identical rating method for their speakers
the spec that gives more importance is usually within the package, with a full t/s parameters and box recommendations.3. its scientifically proven that we cannot "hear" freq below 20hz, however, you can definetly FEEL this subsonic range, and IMO, you can definetly tel a difference with certain types of music, even driving down the road...i have played around with first having a sub go just on a low pass at say 80hz, and then settting a very steep subsonic highpass at 20hz with say a 48db/octave slope, and with certain types of music with extensions below 20hz, you can very obviously tell a difference n sound
b