Kicker Comps Sound Terrible!
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=27660
Printed Date: November 22, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Topic: Kicker Comps Sound Terrible!
Posted By: Lukester
Subject: Kicker Comps Sound Terrible!
Date Posted: March 03, 2004 at 1:13 PM
I am a DIYer. Put in the following system into my 93 Volvo 940 sedan: Kenwood 579 Excelon HU with sat radio, Kicker K5.2 component front speakers in front doors, Kenwood 6x9 coax speakers in rear deck and 10" Boston Accoustics sub in sealed box in the truck. Powering the 4 inside speakers from a Kenwood 4ch amp and the sub off a Kenwood mono amp. The problem? Everything running great except the Kicker component speakers, they sound terrible, like out of a tin can with little or no bass. No matter how I crossover or tweak settings, they don't change, just sound bad. I suspect I've wired them wrong. I ran nice thick new speaker wire from the amp to the passive crossover. Ran the same guage wire from crossover to mid woofer, but got lazy and used the factory supplied thinner wire from the crossover to the tweeters. I can't imagine that would make a difference could it? I do notice that the tweeters sound very bright compared to the mids. The mids however sound absolutely awful. I will recheck polarity this weekend. Anyone else have any ideas?
Replies:
Posted By: lagatbezan
Date Posted: March 03, 2004 at 1:27 PM
sounds like you have the polarity wrong on the woofer.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: March 03, 2004 at 1:28 PM
Polarity is the most likely culprit. But then again, maybe those comps simply don't sound good to your ears or in your car. That happens. Those 5-1/4" Kickers don't have much bass response below about 100 Hz unless you light them up with at least 50 watts.. The RS5 sets sound much better from the Kicker line. Or get some MB Quarts or Diamonds....
Posted By: e40water
Date Posted: March 03, 2004 at 1:30 PM
Well if youre kicker subs are sounding like crap, I would see what kind of power you are running to them how many watts on youre amp? I have a good pounding sub U need a good power amp to do the job. And make sure u use the proper gauge of wiring too, Little things help out. ------------- e4
Posted By: customsuburb
Date Posted: March 03, 2004 at 4:22 PM
He's talking about his Kicker component set, he has a boston sub.
Posted By: Ravendarat
Date Posted: March 03, 2004 at 8:23 PM
I would almost bet money on it being polarity on either the woofer or the crossover
Posted By: Lukester
Date Posted: March 05, 2004 at 10:15 AM
I figured out the problem! After hours of pulling and checking wires, swapping out amps, experimenting with different crossovers, etc, I finally figured out the problem. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the speakers. Their sound simply STINKS! I have come to the realization, I simply do not like their sound. Guess that happens sometimes. It kills me because I now have speakers I hate! Guess I'll rip them out, buy a different brand and try to sell the old ones on Ebay. An expensive lesson. Should have listen to them first. I know Kicker makes good subwoofers, but I am not impressed at all with their components, at least the K5.2 model.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: March 05, 2004 at 11:45 AM
Damn, that sucks. But like I said earlier, it happens. This is why I always recomend that people go to a shop and listen carefully with music you know well before you make a decision on speakers. Subs are not so critical, but the mains will drive you nuts if you don't like the sound. Sorry this happened to you, but it's good to know you had it all hooked up correctly, eh?
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