Do Kickpods really make sense??

[fujio001 10+ year member]

I am thinking about getting some kick panels for my 04 F150. It would be able to hold a mid dome and tweeter very nicely, all part of a DIY 3 way system I would like to install. What I am really concerned with when it comes to kicks is the fact that half of your body appears to be in the way of the direct projection from the speakers! This cannot be good for sound quality! I wonder what the SQ enthusiasts are realy doing these days. Boy optimum speaker placement sure can be a huge PITA. Thoughts or comments - how do other peoples kick pods sound???

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[Towncar 10+ year member]

When properly installed kicks have some of the best imaging.

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

I am thinking about getting some kick panels for my 04 F150. It would be able to hold a mid dome and tweeter very nicely, all part of a DIY 3 way system I would like to install. What I am really concerned with when it comes to kicks is the fact that half of your body appears to be in the way of the direct projection from the speakers! This cannot be good for sound quality! I wonder what the SQ enthusiasts are realy doing these days. Boy optimum speaker placement sure can be a huge PITA. Thoughts or comments - how do other peoples kick pods sound???

Kicks are a way to equalize path lengths between the drivers and passengers drivers . Most big time sq competitors have gone to dash mounted front stages. I'm a big sob , and have kicks. No problems with my big arse blocking the sound //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

Would the pre-fabbed q logic ones be good for midrange and tweeter?

 

[mikeyboc 10+ year member]

Would the pre-fabbed q logic ones be good for midrange and tweeter?

In most cases, custom anything will outdo prefab. If you get a little creative, you might be able to come with a way to incorporate the prefbs into another design that will seal them off.

 

[yacob.naif 10+ year member]

guess it depends on how much time you'd put into building them yourself

i know i'd go with a prefab if i could get one for my car, i just know i'd get impatient and make them look/sound mediocre

edit: n/m i didn't realize those prefabs aren't sealed..... that's pretty silly, i would imagine your midbass would DECREASE

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

guess it depends on how much time you'd put into building them yourself
i know i'd go with a prefab if i could get one for my car, i just know i'd get impatient and make them look/sound mediocre

edit: n/m i didn't realize those prefabs aren't sealed..... that's pretty silly, i would imagine your midbass would DECREASE

That's why I inquired about midrange. I thought they may do better in that app. since OP indicated a 3 way setup.

 

[2000LaDe 10+ year member]

so thats why u modify the prefab q logic pods.

 

[HarleyF150 10+ year member]

My friend and I both had the Diamond D6 comps and his were installed in his door with very little sound deadening. They sounded good until I got mine and installed them in custom kicks. Wow, its a big difference. And according to some of the "pros" on here mine were not done properly due to the lack of polyfill/or other sound deadening material. If you have the time or money to get kicks, I would highly recommend them. Just my 2 cents, mw

 

[fujio001 10+ year member]

For myself I could use the Q-logic kicks with little modification because I was thinking about running 2"domes Dayton RE52 from Partsexpress as my mids. THese are already sealed and do not need an additional enclosure.

As for SQ guys mostly going to dash mounted speaker systems, that makes sense to me since there is no interference, They must be using some time alognment to make it image and sound right.

Do you guys think you can actually use time alignment to make it sound right?

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

Most of the SQ comepetitors that are using dash installs are also completely tearing apart the dash, and basically making a new one from scratch. For a daily driving/amateur SQ install kick panels can do wonders. It's like alot of things in audio, it's easy to get the first 95%, past that it just gets really hard. Theres nothing wrong with IB midbass. Most kick panels are too small to give many speakers the proper space anyway. You end up with huge peaks that end up making things resonanate to hell. Try venting the back of the kick into the carpet or a door panel, get some kind of a semi-ap thing going on.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

As for SQ guys mostly going to dash mounted speaker systems, that makes sense to me since there is no interference, They must be using some time alognment to make it image and sound right.

They are typically using extensive time alignment, and as Tempest mentioned are completely rebuilding the dash.

Kickspanels are typically one of the best routes to go....unless you have a ton of time and a ton of money to blow......at which point only the sky is the limit.

Do you guys think you can actually use time alignment to make it sound right?

Yes and no. In situations where TA is needed, typically it will help with image placement, but at the sacrifice of stage width. This is why proper speaker placement and aiming (aka kickpanels) is generally a better solution than choosing an install that requires the use of time alignment. Majority of the old timers in SQ competitions will tell you that there is no replacement for proper aiming and placement of the speakers. Digital processing, such as TA, have kind of pushed people away from taking the time to properly set up their speakers, and use the TA as a bandaid for poor placement....and typically the end result isn't as good as you are making too many compromises.

My car images "okay" using the stock speaker locations with about 1.75ms of time delay.....but I can't wait to get my kickpanels so I can realize a big increase in just about ever aspect of imaging and soundstaging.....