How did i blow my 12inch Kicker Solo X?

[Milk Mayne 10+ year member]

Yeah my car audio guy just calls kicker and orders it. It'll be here in 3weeks. Then when i get it i'll be having some shop tune my amp for me with that/those crazy device's i do not have in order to make it sound good. Make a vid or 2 when i get this all done for you guys and your help. Thanks gangsta's.

Drop $20 on a multimeter, watch some YouTube vids on setting gains with a DMM, and save yourself the time and trouble in the future.

 

[n8skow 10+ year member]

What does the shape of the cone have to do with the thermal capability of the coil though?

=)

I've seen my share of shattered X cones (specifically the 2004 12" SPAIRS) - but the coils on these have always looked as new as the day they were bought.

My bad, what I meant to say is, when pushing a square cone sub to it's limits, the force is not evenly distributed on a square cone.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

What does the shape of the cone have to do with the thermal capability of the coil though?=)

I've seen my share of shattered X cones (specifically the 2004 12" SPAIRS) - but the coils on these have always looked as new as the day they were bought.

I was making two separate points. One was the thermal capabilities of the coil. The second that the mechanical limits of a square cone may limit the driver more than the thermal capability of the coil.

 

[n8skow 10+ year member]

How-so?

...the mechanical limits of a square cone may limit the driver more than the thermal capability of the coil.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

How-so?

You should be knowledgeable enough to know, so I should not have to explain it to you.

 

[IonRL205 10+ year member]

I loved my solo Xs

Even more than my Sundown Xs

 

[n8skow 10+ year member]

I'm just trying to be clear on what you are eluding to, or rather - what your basing your statement on. This really would be a more valuable discussion if you'd just come out with whatever evidence you have that squares are so horrible a design - I'd sincerely be interested to know. I'm a terrible mind reader, and don't know the extent of your experience with squares...

I have used (and abused) squares since 2001 (and soloX's specifically since 2006ish) - and the shape of the cone has never been a limiting mechanical factor (more-so bottoming out the former with the relatively modest xmax and too much port area combined with a good amount of power). I've burnt up a few coils - I've burnt up a few tinsel leads - I've even thrown a former out of the gap (L5's), but none of these issues have been related to the shape of the cone.

You should be knowledgeable enough to know, so I should not have to explain it to you.

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 PM ----------

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My bad, what I meant to say is, when pushing a square cone sub to it's limits, the force is not evenly distributed on a square cone.

I think it is evenly distributed, unless the coil is offset on the cone, and it's not. only thing I reackon would be the surrounds in each of the corners would be stiffer than the rest of the surround.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 PM ----------
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I think it is evenly distributed, unless the coil is offset on the cone, and it's not. only thing I reackon would be the surrounds in each of the corners would be stiffer than the rest of the surround.

You are on the right track. The coil and former are round, and the cone/surround are square. This means that the cone/surround are not equidistant to the former therefore the force being applied is not even. It may be an issue, and it may not, I never said that because it is square, you will have problems.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

I'm just trying to be clear on what you are eluding to, or rather - what your basing your statement on. This really would be a more valuable discussion if you'd just come out with whatever evidence you have that squares are so horrible a design - I'd sincerely be interested to know. I'm a terrible mind reader, and don't know the extent of your experience with squares...
I have used (and abused) squares since 2001 (and soloX's specifically since 2006ish) - and the shape of the cone has never been a limiting mechanical factor (more-so bottoming out the former with the relatively modest xmax and too much port area combined with a good amount of power). I've burnt up a few coils - I've burnt up a few tinsel leads - I've even thrown a former out of the gap (L5's), but none of these issues have been related to the shape of the cone.

For the record, I have zero experience with square subs, because coming from the standpoint of an engineer, it is a very poor design in my opinion. Can it work? Yes. Is it more likely to fail? Depends on if the soft parts being used are up to the extra demand. You can refer to my post above as to why it is a poor design.

 

[n8skow 10+ year member]

Your words "the mechanical limits of a square cone may limit the driver more than the thermal capability of the coil"...

What is the limitation? We're going in circles here...

You are on the right track. The coil and former are round, and the cone/surround are square. This means that the cone/surround are not equidistant to the former therefore the force being applied is not even. It may be an issue, and it may not, I never said that because it is square, you will have problems.

 

[n8skow 10+ year member]

First off, Happy Thanksgiving.

Second, what field of engineering is your background in exactly?

I've read and re-read your previous posts, and it keeps coming back to this: where is your supporting data? As a man of science - I'm sure your familiar with scientific hypothesis and method... What are you basing your info on here? You haven't used square woofers - that's fine, but what is this glaring flaw you keep referring to? Where are you seeing cone failures at? What is it you would of done differently if you were designing your own square woofer?

The molded contours in Kicker's cones make them pretty strong, coupled with a large piece of bracing on the rear of the soloX cones specifically (completely redesigned on the 2007 SPAIRS). To reiterate - I've yet to see the cone itself be the point of failure in all my years of use and testing (again, with the exception of one specific model), as well as amongst my colleagues combined experiences. Kicker's been making squares for 12+ years now, and I don't see any sign of them stopping - surely that's got to account for something as well.

For the record, I have zero experience with square subs, because coming from the standpoint of an engineer, it is a very poor design in my opinion. Can it work? Yes. Is it more likely to fail? Depends on if the soft parts being used are up to the extra demand. You can refer to my post above as to why it is a poor design.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

First off, Happy Thanksgiving.Second, what field of engineering is your background in exactly?

I've read and re-read your previous posts, and it keeps coming back to this: where is your supporting data? As a man of science - I'm sure your familiar with scientific hypothesis and method... What are you basing your info on here? You haven't used square woofers - that's fine, but what is this glaring flaw you keep referring to? Where are you seeing cone failures at? What is it you would of done differently if you were designing your own square woofer?

The molded contours in Kicker's cones make them pretty strong, coupled with a large piece of bracing on the rear of the soloX cones specifically (completely redesigned on the 2007 SPAIRS). To reiterate - I've yet to see the cone itself be the point of failure in all my years of use and testing (again, with the exception of one specific model), as well as amongst my colleagues combined experiences. Kicker's been making squares for 12+ years now, and I don't see any sign of them stopping - surely that's got to account for something as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. Finishing up my degree in EE this spring. The design flaw is the square cone/surround itself. It presents an uneven distribution of force on the parts. The fact of the matter is, I would not design a subwoofer with a square cone for this reason. The cones/surrounds may be resistant enough to withstand unequal forces, however that does not make it an optimal design in my opinion. It is clear that at some point Kicker had a problem, which ended up being resolved by reinforcing the cone, however in my opinion it is more of a band-aid. I also think that kicker could make hexagonal, octagonal, and triangular subs as well, and they would sell because of the name "Kicker" is attached to it. As long as you are happy with the durability of your subs, that is the main thing, I just dislike the design for reasons stated above.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

Not to mention, if square subs had a design advantage over round ones, I do believe that companies like DD, Sundown, IA, TC sounds, among others, would have square woofers on the market. There is a reason that they don't bother.

 

[n8skow 10+ year member]

The additional cone area is a nice 'free' gain (in terms of SPL). Sony and Xtant tried similar cone area gains on their pentagonal woofers, Boston Acoustics with their ovals, JL with their oversized woofers, etc...

And I would agree - I don't anticipate DD, Sundown, IA, TC sounds, etc. doing squares - but the high cost of custom tooling is probably as much a deterrent as their lack of interest... with the exception of Sundown mentioned in that list - I wouldn't really call any of those other brands high-volume producers, more niche oriented brands - so you also have to weigh the economical considerations of how long it would taking a smaller company to jump into producing something completely foreign to their existing production lines.

You are probably aware there 'are' other companies that have followed though, MTX, Cadence, MB Quart, Hifonics, Pyle, PowerAcoustik - all offer squares... There's a lot more brands out there than just whats popular on the forums here =)

Not to mention, if square subs had a design advantage over round ones, I do believe that companies like DD, Sundown, IA, TC sounds, among others, would have square woofers on the market. There is a reason that they don't bother.