KICKER SOLO X Old vs New SPL Subwoofers Review and Comparison S12x L7X

[@Bassotronics]

For that price of the first ones, they better play ALL the square waves!

[@KICKER-AUDIO]

Actually, they are half the price of the originals. And play about 200 degrees cooler.

[@Bassotronics]

@@KICKER-AUDIO Thanks. I was referring to the first models. (Originals). 👍🏻🔊

[@898doffo]

Maximum Bass Capacity! ;)

[@Argedis]

Kicker is killing it with all these new subs. I wish Rockford Fosgate would do the things Kicker is doing

[@koprcord5338]

No doubt, all of Rockford has fallen from glory and all their speaker lines have grown long in the tooth. Miss the fays of component set ups and separates. Miss the 90s.

[@ruikazane5123]

Other than the Power T3, not much for the basshead without much bank...or space. Kicker got good pricing too, RF stayed up there

[@mirkolazar9250]

Rockford don't need to revamp nothing it works why fix stuff that works

[@mirkolazar9250]

​@@ruikazane5123 Rockford p1 2 and 3 beat with little power you want competition spl I'd Rather run 6 p1s then 2 or 3 t series

[@Argedis]

@@mirkolazar9250 I love Rockford I still use their amps and have two 2nd gen Punch P3 12's. Their stuff is old now though it's been like 10 yrs since they introduced anything new. Kicker keeps introducing new products keeping things fresh.

[@mackie_p]

Got my hands on an old school X18, was absolutely UNREAL!! Excited to see where kicker goes!

[@LivinLoudwithAndy]

Here we go! Comparison of all comparisons ❤️🔥👊🏼

[@dustydawson8977]

1992 I reached 154db with under 300w and only 2 kicker solo classics. Even the Kicker show truck only hit 156db with 6 12s and much more power. They saw my van setup and could not believe that was possible. Kicker the company said the solos would not run in a bandpass box, I guess I proved them wrong! And those were running on the old Soundstream 10.0. Lol Yea a mere 25w x 2 @ 4 ohm amp. Toooo funny

[@drpritchett91ify]

Bro how tf do you not have at least a million subs? People y'all need to hit that button! Top quality videos!

[@murrayshekelberg9754]

I haven't have a Kicker sub in quite a long time. The last ones were some of the early round SoloBarics in the 90s. I have nothing against Kicker and this one has caught my interest. I may have to look into getting a few.

[@blech71]

I miss that feeling seeing the original kickers in a Mazda B2200 with a snug top. Those 15’s with that oldschool gold lettering left me in love. Crazy cause this truck was running old white Autotek amps. Which came out of the same factory as my oldschool Lanzar (black w/ red lettering) and the HiFonics line. I ran the 240/500 which was kinda like the Isis/Zeus combo but I can’t remember the equivalent in the Autotek line…. But it was loud for back then. Amazing. Still remeber that to this day. Dude was getting it and went up against a bug with 2 big EV 18’s. Back then people use to run EV’s which were quite popular in the Bay Area (San Jose) circa ‘88-89’ish prior to the quake. Oh how I miss those golden days of audio. We didn’t have Sundown and the other giants yet so we played in this middle ground. The high rent district guys in their Audi’s had a/d/s with MB Quart mids and highs with their single 10” in the spare well… where we went as big as we could fit in whatever from ford escort hatch backs, CRX’s and mini-trucks with no window snug tops…. Anyone remember Mazda’s horrible side mirrors that would drop after the bass started? Lol fun memories.

[@Vegas_Baba808]

Very awesome run down on the Solo X Line. Excited to see the L7X bumping in the Gately Box with ample POWA... 💪🏽🔥

[@_NEW3RA_]

Kicker dropped the ball on the X. Honestly one of the best subwoofers made back then and they just stop producing. Awesome to see they are back. May be my only reason to return to kicker.

[@jasonhastings5538]

Those DD 9512s was badass!!!! Price was stupid high!!! Seen a VW bug with 4 15s and 16 memphis 1000d amps!!! That thing was a beast!!!

[@Rob-cm9jr]

I have a 10" CVX and it has the 600rms L7 coil in it. It is in a 1.75 CF box tuned to 39htz on a 1ohm kicker 400 with certificate of bench 490rms. It flexes my roof. Same speaker underneath, just a round face on it.

[@Natetron1000]

I admit I loved my 12” L7, it made some sweet bass!!! Albeit recent when I had it I couldn’t help but go bigger! I love videos like these because you do an awesome job of explaining the history!

[@ChiliStyles]

I remember getting a demo in their f150 in the early 2000's. It slammed back then, I cant imagine these new gen subs

[@ParkerTheBasshead]

Couldn’t have made a better video comparing these!! I loved it Big D!

[@kilo-watt]

Still have an old 12” Solo Baric s12d in my basement. Loved Kicker back in the day.

[@lftdblazer]

Used to drool over the RFL and the SoloX back in high school. Unobtainium fo sho back then and now I dont care lol. But I do like to watch you review and compare old school audio equipment. Takes me back.

[@shaunhaman7474]

I wish they would bring back the 12d-4 round solobarics back. Such a solid woofer.

[@jtome84-91]

Got a L5 10inch in 2004 still thumping hard today .

[@dirtyflbreaks825]

Great comparison video Big D. I currently don't have any Kicker gear but I love seeing them still doing big things. My first subs in the early 90s were a pair of Kicker Comp 10s. Kicker has always been a solid company

[@restoreyourcar3833]

Thank you for the speaker specs as we just purchased a set of 12" dual 2 ohm Thursday May 25, 2023. Also 4 Kicker 7" square & 2 9" square midranges. We will strap 2 Kicker or EMF mono blocks at 2 ohm for the 2 12's. A 2.5k midrange amp on midranges, horns, tweeters. Impala Coupe vintage. Thank you for your channel as always, C.J. w/ A.R.T. Atlanta.

[@chicagorc3967]

seeing the SX model amps in those pics is pure nostalgia , i just got a NOS SX900.2 in the box!

[@aracelyaguilar4844]

Had lots of L7s back in the days...Crystal Comp CMP x2 my favorite sub of all time.

[@joshholden8561]

Those new solo x subs make the previous look like entry level.

[@mike.unlimited]

Can't wait for the video showcasing the boxes! Good job on this comparison vid

[@mkp3824]

Kicker makes great gear. I'm still jamming my Comp VT12 2 ohm from 2007 in my Ford Ranger! Still hammering away.

[@buddykiller]

"If it's too loud, you're too old!" -- Alma Gates Thanks for that clip Big D! She was an absolute legend!

[@Bassotronics]

Thanks for adding the weight feature. Many companies omit that spec. And when it comes to a daily driver or a guy like me who does not want to break the transmission, I personally try to locate the lightest subs that perform awesomely. Neo preferred but some companies who make neo subs are putting a steel ring of some sorts to “help” with gauss. But what’s the use of a customer getting neo subs if they are gonna end up being as heavy as ferrite! 🤦🏻‍♂️ Those Big Dummies!

[@jonadkins9339]

I use my car for drag racing, and I still love my bass, so keeping weight down was a big deal to me simply for speed. Went from SSA Demon 10s to Sundown SD4s to save about 20lbs. And they perform similar if not better.

[@bobbygetsbanned6049]

What do you drive to work a vespa?? The weight of the subwoofer isn't going to make any difference to a car's transmission lmfao. I bet your make your gf walk next to the car to save your transmission too.

[@Bassotronics]

@@bobbygetsbanned6049 I had a car which after 2 years damaged the torque converter. A cousin of mine also had issues with the transmission. If you live in a area of steep hills like I did, you will know bud. It's always smart to reduce as much weight as possible from a vehicle which is a daily driver. If its an SPL vehicle that I don't drive often, I would not care.

[@bobbygetsbanned6049]

@@Bassotronics Maybe if you have a huge setup top level SPL subs, with multiple batteries, huge amps, the whole 9 yards, then maybe. Otherwise, there is absolutely no way the added weight of a sub and box are going to kill your transmission. Whoever told you it did is a moron. You couldn't even have a passenger if the weight of a sub is going to kill your transmission, which would make it one extremely terrible car.

[@Bassotronics]

@@bobbygetsbanned6049 No sir… the setup was not just one or two subs. It was bigger for sure.

[@Soulgasm08]

Awesome. Looking forward to the in-box testing.

[@stormyyoung6344]

The old school commercials at the end are always cool Thanks for sharing

[@less5406]

I had a pair of L5-15's. Wish I still had em. I also got to meet Alma Gates at a sound off. Amazing person and an amazing vehicle.

[@robdingosaenz5556]

Awesome video- appreciate your honesty- even when Kicker sends u stuff. Yes $700 is expensive- I said it from day 1- similar to high end prices. The 18" is gonna cost $$$!!!!!

[@piptyson5512]

Loved Kicker since I was a kid too young to even get a job to afford them lol. I'm drooling over these L7X's. And very cool clip at the end!!

[@rpgallagher7628]

Another cool thing the old ones had that these do not, the packaging was epic!

[@mullinperformanceaudio5902]

I guess I'll get my hands on one in a couple weeks at Slam.

[@coreykelly770]

Kicker is old school RIB CRUSHERS ... Thanks BIG D you've taught me TONS about audio much respect sir

[@spaminacan4u]

Don't forget the Image Dynamics ID Max line of spl subs which also are field serviceable.

[@2011joser]

Great video Big D! Although I think these subs are a bit on the gimmicky side, I’m glad they exist because they help push car audio forward. Maybe you can do a video on the truly silly Bazooka triangle subwoofers that these Kickers inspired.

[@beyondthedetails]

Gimmicky? That makes no sense.

[@2011joser]

@@beyondthedetails a square driver is less efficient than a round one with the same cone area and motor assembly because of the added mass needed to compensate for the uneven stress across the “cone”. The surround is also heavier because of the corrugations needed at the corners. The only reasons drivers are made in shapes other than round is because of space constraints. These are the reasons all serious home and car audio subwoofers before and after these Kickers came out have been and continue to be round. Even electrostatic home speakers, the squarest of them all, use round drivers for their sub section.

[@minus3dbintheteens60]

The square shape is more efficient to stack in a baffle, no car boot/trunk is round, that's why box baffles are made square or rectangular. The square design will get you far more cone area when space is any consideration

[@beyondthedetails]

@@2011joser Stop acting intelligent talking about “efficient”.

[@2011joser]

@@minus3dbintheteens60 what you say is true but if the increase in cone area was worth the price and difference in efficiency wouldn’t they have become dominant in competition? I’m not saying they are bad by any means, just that they were more of a flex by Kicker and their customers than a true competitor for spl.

[@djparra41]

I had the 12” SoloX and a KX2500.1 in my 2001 S10 Blazer and thought I was hot shit back in the day. I went through a couple of those spares too, knowing what I know now it was likely because I was just running a stock alternator and kinetic battery. 😂😂

[@joesmith6972]

These literally might get me back into building a system for the vehicle after a 15-year hiatus.

[@_FJB_]

Do it! I wish id never left it. I won't again either.

[@rpgallagher7628]

I pre ordered a D2. So excited

[@408DJGUERO]

I still got the Solo X18 and it's still pounding 😎 it was rare having it back then as I never saw or heard anybody else having it. I also had tge HX2s, 3 in a tri box and they were a Beast, those got stolen 😅🤬 with the kicker XS100 (I think that's the model). I especially love it when you cover old school stuff stuff that I had, takes me back 😊. Just remembered, I got a video of an old set-up with the 18 on my channel, I was using a phenox gold xs1200 (still got it 😎)

[@nikogauna3733]

Share the link for the video bro

[@408DJGUERO]

@Niko Gauna it's on my channel, I don't know how to add the link on here

[@SenpaiMclovin]

Great video like always. Can't wait to see bump in the Gately box.

[@germanywho]

That got to be the best looking sub i ever seen hands down facts not fiction 💯🏆

[@arthurhughlett2292]

Best audio reviews in the game hands down! 👍🏿

[@hopewilliams6705]

These were the best Sub s back in the day I broke 2 different vehicles trunk latches Banging these!

[@timothy5977]

Man i got a JP23 that would go great with that. And 699 to me doesn't sound that bad especially with how you can change the coil out

[@PhillyMontgomery]

Jp33 might be a better match for it. I'm sure it's conservatively rated for 2k rms. Feed that sub some power lol.

[@TheBoofGod]

More like a 83 lol

[@rodennis418]

Great video...tons of fun memories and I didn't know they brought it back! We built some loud stuff back then but 2 of the 18" Solo X in a Blazer was the only time we got the guys from Circuit next door to come over going "WHAT was THAT?!?!?" lol And perfect ending. We all miss you Alma! ♥

[@XteriorxpertsFL]

Alma the true OG if you know you know.

[@volvo09]

Wow, kicker had some tight tolerances with manufacturing to make those drop in recones. That's impressive.

[@JasonWW2000]

Do you mean on the older ones? They had to open the gap a little more than they liked to make it possible. That lost them some motor force, but it was still plenty strong.

[@jremeee1599]

Man I had some Cerwin Vega VMAX subs years ago. They were the best subwoofer in the world. IMO! They were monsters.

[@Kamakaze04]

Cool video! Kicker fan here!

[@ceciljones1248]

I was a kicker man back in 2000s then I ran across DD ?Dd is the king of all subwoofers facts

[@asmack360]

Kicker has been there and done that before anybody they had this technology way back.who do you think these other companies got this stuff and wanting to be like. Kicker is the golden standard in subwoofers but these clowns want to dis kicker. It's all user error kicker doesn't make anything inefficient period. Great video Big D!. The other companies let you dump piles of dirty clipped power into their mega surround monster crackhead magnet subs so it wont blow and they think that's what a subwoofer is. Put dirty power on a kicker and wrong box size then it blows and then they say kicker sucks when kickers Love clean power and the correct box all day long! Kicker has won again!!!

[@michigansoundwizard]

Amen.

[@dickwoods536]

So how do you think this new X will stack up against other $700 subs around the world ?

[@dimi3391]

You know one thing I never get tired of…your ultimate dad jokes! 👍👍👍

[@MrDopey32]

I really miss the Kicker ZR1000 amps! If you could get your hands on one of those bad boys, I'd love to see that on the dyno!

[@_FJB_]

That Gately box is BEAUTIFUL!!!

[@ChefVegan]

I had a Soundstream SPL160. They didn’t have much back then. Great video big D 👍🏻

[@Evak-4allG]

Still have mine, the 170 SPL believe it or not NIB, no joke. Never being hooked up Never been played.

[@ChefVegan]

@@Evak-4allG there are people looking for them 💪🏼

[@Evak-4allG]

@@ChefVegan which one? The 170’s ?

[@ChefVegan]

@@Evak-4allG A 15 inch 160. Sadly I don’t live in the US anymore. I can’t order them since they are so expensive and hard to find. I just have a singe 8 inch fosgate punch these days.

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

2:35 i had 2 of these in 10" in a bandpass Rockford Fosgate branded box, in the back of my 89 Honda CRX back then. Very few people would stay in the passenger seat at full volume. Those cars are great for small systems and big bass, i miss that little car.

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

before anyone says it, YES, I had 1600$ worth of audio equipment in the back of a $400 Civic. Take it out and that Crx would drag anything short of an actual drag built car for bus lengths. Hurt many peoples v8 feelings back then. Was a B16 DOHC bored to 1.789. So it was essentially a higher compression B18 Type R engine before they made it to the states in mass quantities. Back then you couldnt get an Integra type R engine or the like from japan for any reasonable price, IF you could even find one someone was willing to come off of.

[@Anthony.Tsopurashvili]

l7x is a true beast i hope one day i will be able to purchase two of those

[@marioHernandez-ew6vd]

Can't wait to see it in the Gately enclosure

[@chrf65]

I wish I still had my 03 solo x 18..It was still new in the box when I sold it years after buying it

[@ROTTBOXX]

Alma has been gone since 2013? Man 10 years flew by.

[@travismclendon8961]

Alma brings back great memories. Great sub, can't wait to hear a few in a wall.

[@_NEW3RA_]

6:44 what’s the difference? All numbers are the same for the 10, 12, and the 15. Aside from box size.

[@08magnumsrt]

I was fortunate enough to meet Alma Gates at CES in 1997 when the Bronco was still with P. P. I, I'll never forget it . RIP

[@mrlithium69]

Ive been using one of these 15"s for the past 15 years to this day. I Used to have two, in a square ported box. but one died since then and i put it in a way smaller sealed box now, and its nice. I Hope it lasts forever... Can you make a new 2023 comparison video between the new 2023 model and its nearest MODERN competitors ?

[@Mr.Robert1]

Never forget when my son got his driver's license I gave him my used Honda Accord. I was buying a new car anyway He was happy. At that time I was working in a wholesale car audio shop. Decided out of the Clear Blue Sky that I was going to build a system for him. My money, my time. Went with a Pioneer head unit. We had this brand called Cadence that I thought was a good value for the money. Got two 12-inch Cadence woofers and a big vented box. Used a Power Acoustik monoblock amp for the two Cadence 12s. I thought it sounded fantastic and a million times better than the stock system that sounded like garbage. My son being spoiled tells me his friends have kicker and they never heard of Cadence before. Forgetting about the sound. All about the name and competing with his friends. I wanted to kick my son after the money and time I spent out of the goodness of my heart. About six months later I took out the Cadence and Power Acoustik amp. Replaced it with a single 10 in Square Kicker woofer 2nd edition and a Kicker amp. Now he was happy. Spoiled but he was a good kid he deserved it. That's my experience with kicker.

[@jdlech]

When I was a teen, I went out and bought these home speakers and put them in the back seat of my car. They were only rated at 100W, but the sensitivity was somewhere around 96 or 98db. I just turned down the bass a bit and out SPLd all these rich kids with 1 or 2 thousand dollar custom stereos. About half would get super mad that my cheap speakers blew away their expensive stuff. Ever hear of the Cerwin Vega D-9s. My "cheat" inspired a kid to put two of them in his back seat. He didn't have enough amp to power them at 100%, but he didn't need it. He rattled everything that could rattle within 30 feet of his car. 101db at 1w, and 400w max power rating meant those D-9s were capable of producing 126db each, so about 129db inside his car with no sub. These kids buying the name and getting somewhere in the 80's db sensitivity meant they needed some ungodly amount of power to match it. And back in the 80s without class D amps, you needed competition level engineering to power it. As it was, his "thousand watt amp" was pushing maybe 60 watts. But that was still roughly 122db, much more than a lot of these kids with "name brand" stuff could produce. Home speaker sensitivity is measured at 1 meter, and you can barely get 1 meter away from a speaker inside a car. So it's not a simple comparison. But you get the general idea at how crazy we teens were back then. Especially the rich kids. It's actually nice to see how much the prices have dropped since then. Pretty much anyone can afford to ruin their hearing these days.

[@wmp0074]

Cadence made some really great subs. I had a Cadence S3W12. Really nice sub wish I had not got rid of it.

[@omsirut]

Damn the CV strokers, they were ridiculous, but definitely home audio based. Still they just pumped it out.

[@jefferyglover4295]

I still have my 15inch HX2 Powerz, 2 of them from 03' with 4inch Voice Coilz, Nice Video Big-D!

[@iKevin_22]

What is Designed for SPL? Sorry for my ignorance. Still Learning

[@lunam7249]

spl = loud, sQl = quality......a spl woofer is usually beefy with fat thick heavy voice coil, while and sQl woofer has a thinner wire coil....musically , sQl sound better, tighter bass..... spl woofer usually sound "sloppy"

[@iKevin_22]

@@lunam7249 thank you!!

[@lunam7249]

@@iKevin_22 if your more curious... "the loudspeaker design cookbook" vance dickason, great book!❤️👏❤️😋

[@kevinhare7177]

I can't wait for the solo x 10 to come out

[@atheistpeace7579]

I first saw a solo in a trunk at a show (yes we had them often in the summers) back in 1993. We all thought it was just a gimmic when the guy said it was as powerful as two 12s. Turns out he was right. The original marketing was that one of these was as good as two 12s in a isobaric enclosure. Again they were the best boxes back then

[@racecitypatriot66]

The solos been my favorite since my buddy put two 10s in his f150. Im not big into car audio. Probably is better stuff but i like them.

[@chincemagnet]

I bought a pallet of Solo Bariks back in like 04-05, or so, and every single one was blown. The other pallet of other sub varieties, most of them still worked. Never bought a Kicker after that 😂 full range speakers yes, not subs

[@bladeboysfv5646]

2003 12"&15" ECLIPSE TITANIUM CONES were all the rage @ my HS!

[@2010HarleyDynaFXD]

Don't forget the Kove Armageddon U series back then I still have mine they still work real good.

[@lieutenantmikeo5979]

Yea kicker is a brand that everyone like to laugh at ,but they definitely got my respect. Been around since or before 79' has great build quality, and has been consistent. Enjoyed the Sq of my L7s ,never got to hear the old skool solo xs but I am impressed with the new Solo X.

[@scarce911]

Kicker got laughed at when they started selling in Walmart ..and had too many "budget/entry level subs" ...$$ over pride

[@MrInfoPhilly]

I had the solo 10x, It was really over rated, Claimed 2,500 rms watts, Was closer to 1,500 rms

[@L3NN0XX]

5:20 Exo´s facial expression

[@20hztremor]

Love the new solo x 12's , but holding back from burning a hole in my pocket till they bring out the 18's 😎

[@2414kels]

I remember my Solo X 18 in my 96 Tahoe. I opened up a beer one time bumping it and the whole beer foamed up😂 I had it on 2 T2500BD. I sold the set up to my former coworker. Now I'm running 4 15's in my 2dr Tahoe running a DS4S JP63

[@SuperBongface]

You forgot about Ground Zero subs back in the mid to late 90's D, and the DVC Nuclear series 15's I had were insaaaane! :D

[@roadrunnadon9573]

I had a solo x 18 in a dodge nitro had to force close the rear Hatch but no one had a system louder than mine. That thing was earth shaking

[@Hicompression1]

Looking forward to hearing this sub in different enclosures!

[@DanB3286]

I loved my L5 12s . I also love the mono digital amplifiers it slammed

[@rob22849]

18in solo x 28lbs yea ok lol I like how they underated everything back then including the weight

[@420dportkid]

This is a great video!!! Story time: in 2003 I had 2-15 kicker cvr’s in a sealed box. In a dodge neon. In 2005 I competed against a guy in a ford explorer with 1-15 inch L7. He won. Those square subs were expensive.

[@thatguy_jose]

Still love my 07 18inch. I mean I like the power. But I don't like modern items. I love the older technology.

[@MrBoomBlops]

I'm still rocking one of the 15s

[@firebirdude2]

63lbs for one 12"!! KICKER coming with it!!!!!!!!!!

[@FangOfTruth]

I got to check out the new SoloX at a local music store ( car, band, concert equipment,no installers). The thick surround makes it look smaller than anticipated. They have sold two Quad Boxes and one on display. The local car audio retail and installer lied to me once. Will not go back to them.

[@legendsofcaraudiobradnewso8424]

You also had the Atomic APXX subs, and the Concept LMT subs with the 4HP motors on them. Oh and the RE's

[@uunometra2789]

Whats better the 1 ohm or 2 ohm?

[@BobBob-dx1tv]

Kinda seems like a step backwards with such a large surround taking up cone area. Square subs are not made for excursion

[@mattunh]

Boston Acoustics had that re-cone technology 10+ years ago with the SPG and G5 woofers.

[@observer4322]

I've got a pair of the new L7X12s. Been working hard to get my car up to par. Had to build a brace for my rear deck / roof because they are destroying my car. 😅

[@HighVybeTribe]

Let's not forget the Almighty Cerwin Vega stroker Subwoofers 💪 Great video Big D 😎👌

[@nickgenre1]

had a pair of hx2 12's.... loved those subs!!!!

[@playa4lyfe451]

My L7s are still kicking since 2005

[@dustinerickson1253]

i love that you did not include the w7 in the SPL lineup....to this day i hear people bragging that they are the hardest hitting subs ever made. i just smile and agree while internally screaming

[@aracelyaguilar4844]

They clean as hell ..the w6 is even cleaner id say the cleanest sounding sub but nowhere near a bass head sub but they do have some nice output.

[@LMN22]

Had an L7 15" in the backseat of my corolla in 2013 ish. It was nuts before eventually being stolen. Now I'm trying to figure out who is on top of the sql world rn and put together a new system