Questions about Kicker

[mrbigles]

Hey everyone... got a question for ya.

A buddy of mine called and said he was going to get a good deal on some Kicker equipment for his car.

His car is a 92 like mine and he is going to replace all speakers and put some subs in the trunk.

Because of the deal he is getting and, because he is strict about keeping all the same brand in a car.. he was asking me what I thought he should get. I have been out of the game too long, so, I don't know anything about Kicker amps, and interior speakers. Also, I don't know what size we have in the doors.

So.. I come to you smart people and ask you... what sizes, models, and amounts (numbers of each) would you recommend?

I know he should put some tweeters up on the dash by the windshield. Other than that.. no clue.

Also, please no... "He should pick a better brand than Kicker" comments.. .I'm not claiming they are the best, I am just going by what he wants.

Thanks!

John

[StaindGreen9]

I'm assuming maybe 4x6's in the doors.

[RomeoGAOC]

I run kicker subs and amps and im very happy with them both. If he has the money, you could do a Solo Baric L7 with a kicker kx600.1 Amp. Or you could bridge the kx850.2 amp to give you 850W @ 4 ohms. There are so many choices, but with one L7 and a good amp to power it, that thing will be LOUD.

i dont know too much about the interior speakers and how they sounds, but my buddy had a pair of kicker impulse in his cavy and i didnt think they sounded that great. but then again, i think they might have been a little older.....

[matts]

depends on what he wants. just some extra bass that he's not going to have cranked all the time then the comp vr's wouldn't be that bad. if he's wanting something pretty loud that can take some abuse then i'd go with the solo barics.

depends on how many subs, what impendence, and what he's wanting for bass as to what amp i'd go with.

i used to have some of the old kicker resolutions and i liked them. didn't sound as good as alpine, but won't go there :P. they took a beating from me and they're still going strong in a friends ride. now they've got the SS or SX series or something like that which took the resolutions place. supposed to be equally as good, but never heard any of them

[nineteen88ga]

Not familliar with Kicker now a days.... but being that I will be selling them shortly I better brush up on their new lines. lol

I can also get a bangup deal on thier stuff...70% off and free shipping till the end of march. Now only if I wanted to do a system in my new car. lol

[car audio dave]

i dunno why everyone is so intent of having all the same brand. theres nothing wrong with using differnet companies, in fact, youll get a better system, bang for buch, if you mix up the brands. all it takes is research.

im not a fan of kicker...they are middle of the road for some stuff, and low end for other stuff. none of their stuff is junk tho.

[mrbigles]

Hey everyone.. thanks for the help. Or.. constructive criticism or whatever these posts are. LOL.

Later

[robry]

I have a set of kicker K6.2 components up front (replaced the 4x6s, I would recommend doing this as well) Then run about 75w rms to each side. So whatever amp they have that will do that (150.2 maybe?) Then get a kicker L7 in a vented box with 600w rms+, that would be great. I would leave the rear deck speakers alone, although I'm one to complain about having highs in the rear. It ruins the sound stage in my opinion.

[1992grandam]

i have a kicker 300 watt am and 10" cvr in the trunk in a ported box....i have all alpine speakers and head unit. it definantly doesnt sound as good as my type R 12 but it gives me the lil bit of thump i need

[Trancer]

Kicker has came a long way in their component speakers. However cross out Kickers best line of componets. The SS line. I was going to get that for my car and I actualy checked them out. You will have to do some serious modifications to get the tweeters to fit. Those things are massive. I mean its over two inches tall! Why I have no idea and damn are they heavy. Yes I am talking about the tweeters. The componets scream though

[unfknreal]

I've got a 10" Kicker SoloBaric L7 sub driven by a Kicker KX400.1 and it rocks pretty good... rest of my speakers are still stock (it sounds good enough for now), so I can't give any adivce there, but there's no going wrong with a SoloBaric for sure.

[Matt95GT]

Although I do like Kicker, there are certain parts that I would purchase other brands. Their Solo-baric series subs are great. I'm out of the loop on their new amps... but I have 2 of their 'oldie but goodie' amps circa 1996-7. They have been great amps... the only thing to remain from my old system.

I'm not too fond of their speakers... I had a pair of Kicker coaxial 4x6's in the front doors. Although they sounded great when new, it seems the tweeters either deteriorated or blew... when I got my 94 as a second car I realized the highs sounded better from the wizzer cones stockers in it than the kickers in the 95. I have no experience with their components tho.

Since I've tried many configurations of stereo components in 92-95 GA's, I have a few suggestions:
1. use components up front - 4x6's just can't compare. I converted to 5.25" components... the single biggest improvement in sound quality. I used plexiglass to fabricate mounts to do so...
http://fazeshift.org/pics/thumbnails.php?album=53
2. amp the front components - doesn't have to be much power, 35 watts/channel from my small kicker amp is plenty
3. don't stress over rear 6x9's... just get something economical and DON'T amp them. Run from the headunit, fade them down. Rear fill only needs to be minimal or it will kill the quality and staging.
4. the rear deck will rattle - use 3-5 rubber gromets between it and the rear window to stop this


Originally posted by mrbigles
I know he should put some tweeters up on the dash by the windshield.

I would advise against it. When I installed my components, I initially used tape/velcro and moved the location several times to various places. After driving around with different configurations, I've determined the tweeters could best close the mid-bass in the door... just above the 'grill' area. In fact, anywhere on the door sounded much better than on the dash.

[mrbigles]

Thanks for the replys guys.

Matt.. basically said what I told him. However, I am going to disagree with you on the tweeters. Not saying that your idea is wrong or that they don't sound good.. but.. I had them in my 92 in the corner of the dash.. firing up off the windshield and bouncing right back towards the front seats and they sounded great! Biggest and best improvement I made in the stereo.

But.. then again.. everyone's tastes are different. I will pass on your idea though.. "just because I like it one way doesn't mean everyone does."

Thanks again!

John