Im upgrading my system and have so far decided to go with the following.

1/2 Back Seat Driver Box from supercrew sound. .625 cuft

10" Audiobahn Performer Series AWC10T dual 4 ohm 200 rms per coil 800 peak. Sealed box vol .58 - 1.16

Kicker KX400.1 Mono Amp 200 rms@ 4 or 400 rms@ 2 ohm

I plan to wire sub to 2 ohm. Do I have enough power for the Sub and would it work with this box. Any reason to add poly fill to the box.

Any comments on this setup or anything you would change? I already ordered the box and still have 30 days to return sub. Yes I only want one ten. thanks

03 SuperCrew

 

What kind of budget are you looking at for the sub and the amp?

From personal experience I would steer clear of the kicker amps (it could have been a fluke...or just a single bad amp, but it was enough to keep me away from them). Also I would tend to steer clear of the Audiobahn subs unless your just looking for a very cheap system (meaning not wanting to spend a lot...not talking about the 'quality').

 

Ok what problems did you have with Kicker and did you ever own audiobahn subs or just hear them or from someone else that they are bad. Im not really looking for a window shaking system just something that adds moderate bass. Would a Rockford Fosgate Punch HX2 RFD2110 Dual Voice Coil 500 rms 1000 peak be a better choice for sub if I insist on using this amp. what about two kicker 400 strapped together with the sub?

 

The kicker had a buzzing sound on the output channels. No it wasn't a ground issue or anything like that, it was with the amp.

Have I personially owned Audiobahn? No, because I refuse to run it because I know what it is and how it acts. I have seen it run in several installs from amps to speakers to subs. For the price its decent, but nothing more. Also, they tend to 'inflate' their power ratings (or used to on amps and subs). The subs can get loud, but tend to be pretty sloppy generally speaking. Again if your trying to go with the cheapest subs then this may be the right thing for you and all you need, but keep in mind you get what you pay for.

As for RF I cant really say I havent had much experience with the newer stuff.

Basically the best I can do is tell you what I think is the best in my opinin given your budget.

Eclipse Alums are pretty good subs
Adire makes some nice ones as well
A Kicker Comp VR may do well (cheap sub but not to shabby for the price)

As for amps I say go Autotek (unless you want to spend more) they are great amps especially for the price.

 

gots to go with stillwater design

 

The Rockford equipment is ranked anywhere from decent entry level to top notch. The only difference between the RF of old and the RF of today is that the old RF was all top of the line whereas the new RF throws in that cheaper sub and amp in the line up. If you go with their middle to upper end items you will not have to worry. I only say steer clear of the entry level equipment from all the manufacturers. As far as Autotek goes I have also used them in the past and they are a great bargain and nice amp. Not familiar with the Kicker amps too much. Audiobahn is one of those companies that is exactly like Hazard said cheap and will work good for those on a budget but far from the SQ some people want.

 

I've owned 10 audiobahn subs 6 12's and 4 10's and never had any problems with them. they are way better than any fosgates that ive owned. As for kicker amps, i've never owned one..

 

brentswanton, As you can see, people admittedly give advice when they have never even owned the products involved. If you stick with buying what fits your criteria, as far as budget, tastes, etc., then you will be much happier. Recommendations are funny. People will "jump on the bandwagon", so to speak, when a particular component gets "popular"(JBL amps, for example). And they slam certain products at times when that is in vogue. Some times it certainly is deserved. There is some crummy equipment on the market and there are some "fly-by-night" companies who will rip you off. If you ask enough people you will find someone who will slam every brand on the market, regardless of their standing in the car audio heirarchy. There are a certain number of reputable car audio companies that make reputable equipment. My advice is to research heavily and listen, listen, listen, and weed out the ones that don't fit your criteria and go from there. There is no magic involved, and in most cases you get what you pay for. And whatever you end up with, be fair and expect it to perform like what it is. Don't buy low end, bargain basement, cheap gear and expect it to sound like high end, expensive, serious stuff. I see that a lot. John Doe wonders why his 2 $29 12" xplor subs and $79 Rockwood amp don't sound like his buddy's JLAudio set-up. Give me a break!!!! Like I said, it's not magic, even though some people seem to think so.

 

Well I ordered the Kicker Amp and Audiobahn Sub and am now waiting for the box to come in. Ive already got the amp hooked up and broke in the Audiobahn with my other box (subbox.net box). Im impressed with this setup but think it will be better in the new box plus it will let me fold down my back seats again.

 

No experience with kicker AMPS, but I have heard audiobahn subs, not bad, but not excellent. Anyway I owned a RF HE2 sub and it was pretty nice, but my amp was clipping the signal to it so it was a big mess, but anyway I must say the HX2 is the top rockford sub and looks to me to be nice, and like I said I liked the HE2. I like RF, and have one of their amps now, and it is a solid amp that works a heavy load.

Best of luck with the new system

P.S. how did you like your subbox.net box, I have one also, thinking about getting it fiberglassed inside, it doesnt sound like it is quite the tightest craftman ship.

Jim

 

Neck I dont really care for the subbox.net box I have. It came with a shallower mounting depth and the thing leaked air like crazy around the speaker terminal. Guess I could have sealed it but you think the thing would be ready to go when you recieved it. Maybe I got a bad one.

 

Brent,

I think you will find that a large amount of the mass fabrication sub enclosures suffer from the same short comings. They do tend to leak air but nothing that can't be resolved with a bit of silicone. Anyway, I always have built my own enclosure, but seeing as how I worked in the industry in virtually every position from installer to field rep I never had a problem building exactly what I wanted. I think another short coming of the pre-fab boxes is that in some cases they could even stand a little more internal bracing.

Well, I am glad to hear that you found what best fits your plans. I am sure that you will be happy with your setup. Well, at least until you get used to it and the "I wanna upgrade bug" hits you. Just please don't be like me, I have spent way too much in car/home audio over the last 18 years that I could have bought and paid for a few homes by now. I guess I just like trying different things and will do about anything to get that audio nirvana in my cars.

 

Hey there I have owned both kicker and audiobahn. If you are just lookign to add a little bass then go with the audiobahn, they are inexpensive and if run in the right box and with the right power they will sound good. I have never used a low end kicker before but the 12" kicker solo baric L7's damn what a sub. You can't beat them unless you go with a JLW6 or JLW7.

 

the kicker 400.1 will do fine on what you are doing as far as sub size....I have installed many kicker amps and never a problem...make all you connections as secure as possible with the right size power AND ground and you should have no power problem i have used a kicker 550.3 for 2 sets of 5x7 and 1 L5 at 2ohmand it pounded in a mustang. the rear section power of the 550.3 is the same as the 400.1

 

Know I'm a little late here, but anyway. I have the following items installed in my wakeboard boat.

1 - Kenwood head unit
1 - Kicker KX600.4 amp
1 - Kicker KX400.1 amp
1 - Kicker CVR12 Subwoofer
6 - Infinity 6.5" Coaxial Marine Speakers

Everything in the boat is wired down to a 2 ohm load, and peak power is well over 1,000 watts total. The sub sits in a custom made box (I built) under the drivers console. All I can say is this setup rocks. And as for durability of Kicker equipment, if you can find a way to subject your equipment to more punishment than mine sees (heavy vibration, moisture intrusion, etc), maybe you can break yours. I haven't seen any problems with mine yet.

One comment made earlier in this thread deserves additional mention. Your sub enclosure will make or break the bass your system can produce. Example. A JL Audio sub (fantastic product) in a poorly designed enclosure won't sound as good as a cheap sub in a very well designed enclosure. I rebuild the box in my boat three times before I got the exact sound I was looking for.

I can definitely recommend Kicker amps, but take your time and perfect your sub enclosure, regardless what cone you put in it.

-Mike-