Kicker - Any good, do they fit, what do you think?

[Mrk_Mickey]

Hey all,
Looking at upgrading the soundsystem..bored of distortion,even with the amp. Here's what I'm looking at, because I think it damages my wallet the best way - I'm tight budget-wise :D. What do you think? I've got necessary amp power etc so i'm just looking for speakers. (www.customcar.com.au has info+pics on all the speakers)

1. Looking at these (for front and rear door upgrades) - KICKER KS Series 6" splits. (RRP $299)
- Are these any good? I've heard them and they sound good, but you can never tell.
- Will they fit in the stock holes on the VR6?


2. Looking at - KICKER CompVR 12" Subwoofer. (RRP $299)
- What do people think of this? Any good?


3. I need 6x9's as well I guess. Don't know what to look for, cause personally I don't like them much...


Any feedback is much appreciated..I'm not gonna be buying straight away, but it will be in the not-too-distant future.:).

[rayray086]

6" mids won't fit in the door holes - you'd need 6.5" to fit with little or no modifications.

You might be better off asking in an American forums for Kicker stuff... I don't see a lot of their products down under!

What amp do you have by the way?

[Mrk_Mickey]

Really? 6" is too small? hmm..Is that because the gold-coloured metal thing that bolts the stock speakers to the doors make THEM fit?

I have a Precision Response Full-Range Digital amplifier. 4x100W RMS:). It was the third-place winner in car audio magazine for like...2006 or 2007 or something. Really great amp, got it from Jaycar at wholesale through my cousin :).

Just in case you're wondering..I'm running the splits in doubles; two ohms fed off one channel of the amplifier to the two left or right speakers. Works out perfectly (RMS wattage-wise) if I use those exact kickers.

[Spyda]

Kicker is ACE for power and quality for the price. They did go down in quality a bit once they stoped making them in america but they are still ace. Monster power.

have a look at www.indo-audio.com, they are good and cheap and decent with shipping. If you can go for an L7 and SS65.5 components.

[Mrk_Mickey]

have a look at www.indo-audio.com, they are good and cheap and decent with shipping. If you can go for an L7 and SS65.5 components.

Hey mate the site link didn't work..I just googled it, is it an eBay store?

[Spyda]

Yeah sorry its www.indoaudio.com and yeah its an ebay store. There kicker stuff is much cheaper then youll find in Aus. But ebay is not always everyones cup of tea.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Mate, if they can properly supply for the prices they boast, I'm happy with that lol. You say they're good?

[Bubu]

I have used Kicker amps and subs in previous rides and my mate has splits and other Kicker goodies.

I have always liked their products, never had any problems with them. I would definately have a listen before opening the wallet. Not everyone listens to the same music and your idea of quality sound may be different to mine.

(I like mine with bass and quality midrange, not too much up top) :D

[FknDubbin]

I have a CVR12 running off a Cadence 800w monoblock amp and it ****in booms.
People that get in my car ask if im running 2 15's and when i tell them its a single 12, they dont believe me. I love my Kicker sub!!

[ScienceVR6]

This is the advice i'd give to anyone looking for speakers.
Listen to them.
Listen to lots of them.
Compair them.
If you can, listen to them in a Car.
And, use your music.
Stores are very good at working out what speakers sound good with what music. They will play what makes them sound good.

[Mrk_Mickey]

I spoke to someone a few days ago and they have actually suggested Alpine Type-R splits for me. They have more RMS wattage for the same price (as the KS splits), and he reckons they "thump". Any thoughts? Alpine's sound like a better deal to me..It's either going to be like..Kicker,Alpine,Boston acoustic, JL Audio i guess at this stage

[ScienceVR6]

This is the advice i'd give to anyone looking for speakers.
Listen to them.
Listen to lots of them.
Compair them.
If you can, listen to them in a Car.
And, use your music.
Stores are very good at working out what speakers sound good with what music. They will play what makes them sound good.
Like i said. Listen to them. For all we could say, US Audio splits sound fantastic and cost $50. But they don't sound any good. Just listen to those which are in your price range, then decide.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Bit of an update...
It will be KICKER. End of story. I went to JB HiFi today (they're the only stockists of the speakers i was comparing) - I heard the Kicker KS Series, the Alpine type-R's and some JL Audio's.

Kicker sounded by far the best for quality, even though they had less RMS wattage. They were more crisp, had more guts and sounded structually stronger throughout.

As for subs, I was definitely thinking Kicker because I know they KICK (pardon the pun!j:). After reading up on the CX series subwoofers I thought I would go no further, until I heard the square L7 12" at JB. All I can say is... WOW!! That sounded better than EVERY sub enclosure they had there, INCLUDING the round double sub enclosures made by Kicker! It felt so strong, like it had power packed away that it didn't even need. Even when I turned it up and it moved much more, it still didn't sound like it was stressing.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Oh, and just a note on pricing, if anyone thinks I could get cheaper..

I was quoted $195 a pair for the Kicker KS series splits, and $450 for the L7 Sol-Baric 12" sub.

I think the bloke mentioned something about those prices not being final because I wasn't buying THEN..but I'm still a bit skeptical, and I think I should be able to get cheaper..

[Spyda]

Good choise mate.

Get the right box and the L7 can push out 140+ db with a 1000.1 mono block.

Kickcer suff is great but JB HiFi sucks ass.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Haha well I have yet to find a different place to buy Kicker..
i've kind of turned away from eBay as I will end up paying around 175 for the splits, and $195 as their "not best" deal from JB is only a little more for no shipping, no waiting time, and easy warranty.

As I was talking about the L7 to the JB dude, I told him I was to be making my own box for space reasons, and he pointed out that the subs Kicker make only need 0.75 cubic feet of space in a sealed box to operate properly. This is all I need to keep in mind when making the box to make it sound great!

I think the Kicker monoblock is the best amp for the L7, because it's rated at the exact same power, and Kicker actually put a power certificate on their amps to show exactly what RMS power they can be pushed to. If I buy a battery that can run fine with 14.1 volts, the Kicker amp pushes to 930wRMS!!

Yes, JB HiFi sucks ass. Much agreed..lol

[ScienceVR6]

all batterys run at 14.4 volts when the motor is running. you will be fine. The solobarik will rock your socks off. Get a big amp.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Kicker amp.

What about when i want to play music without the car on? (ie key inserted but not turned..) will that affect the battery or will it just mean that the amp runs at 12 volts like normal..?

[Spyda]

Depends how loud and how much power is being used up by your amps. You might get voltage drops. A cheaper alternative for running more current is get a truck battery, there big and heavy but they do the job. If you play music with the car off, ofcorse your battery will run out much quicker and voltage drops will be a bit worse. (Voltage drop is when you system is sucking more current then is being provided and your lights and stuff dim, usaly with big bass notes, answer is more current)

The kicker sub doesnt reach anywhere near it full potential in a small seal box, even the standard ported box it comes in doesnt do it justice.

Something like 90% of your bass depends on how good your box is. Remembering different boxes work better at different frequencies, you want to get your box right.

You can run a 12" L7 of a kicker 1000rms monoblock with no dramas

[ScienceVR6]

Depends how loud and how much power is being used up by your amps. You might get voltage drops. A cheaper alternative for running more current is get a truck battery, there big and heavy but they do the job. If you play music with the car off, ofcorse your battery will run out much quicker and voltage drops will be a bit worse. (Voltage drop is when you system is sucking more current then is being provided and your lights and stuff dim, usaly with big bass notes, answer is more current)

The kicker sub doesnt reach anywhere near it full potential in a small seal box, even the standard ported box it comes in doesnt do it justice.

Something like 90% of your bass depends on how good your box is. Remembering different boxes work better at different frequencies, you want to get your box right.



You can run a 12" L7 of a kicker 1000rms monoblock with no dramas
I have installed an L7 into an RX8 in a .75 box, and it was increadible. The car was to be used in sound comps.

To be brootily honest, you will notice stuff all to no differance with the motor running at 14.4v to not running and at 12.2V. You dont need a truck battery, just a well serviced car battery. If that gives you any trouble, a Ultima yellow top costs the same as a huge truck battery, and wieghs less, and makes the same CCA. It also charges faster than any other battery on the market.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Sweet..thanks guys

So, are you two suggesting that I don't get the Kicker amp, but a different amp? JL Audio powered the one I heard, but it was something like 1400bucks and that's WAY too much...even 1000 is way too much honestly

[ScienceVR6]

Sweet..thanks guys

So, are you two suggesting that I don't get the Kicker amp, but a different amp? JL Audio powered the one I heard, but it was something like 1400bucks and that's WAY too much...even 1000 is way too much honestly

You might as well get the biggest amp you can find. The L7 will take far more power that Kicker say. if your spending $450 on the sub, give it the power it deserves.

[Spyda]

Kicker makes 1000.1 amps and 1500.1 and 2500.1 and they got a new warhorse amp that makes like 10,000rms or something lol, i forget but it big.


Just look around and as ScienceVR6 says, get it an amp it deserves.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Alright cool, thanks for all the help you two:).
I'll keep you posted;).