Latest System Review...Pretty Long

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

Also posted on ECA and Carsound:

Ok, this is going to be fairly long. I’ll review everything. Vehicle is an 02 Dodge Stratus coupe (very very similar to an Eclipse)

HU: CDA-9835 w/ KAC-420i and 20 GB iPod: Love the 9835; Bass Engine Pro is great, as most on here already know. Don’t love the iPod implementation, although it works. Playlists are a must, as scrolling to find a specific artist is a nightmare. Hopefully the 9855 fixes this with the scrolling strip. I definitely like the ergonomics of the 9835 more than the Pioneer 860 I was using previously; the remote is 10x more intuitive.

Speakers: Kicker SS65.2 6.5” component set. This is Kicker’s high end set. I’m currently running the set active in the coax config in the doors, although I did try biamping with two pairs of passives. These speakers really were a pleasant surprise for me. The tweeter is quite smooth and detailed. It was slightly sibilant, although a little eq’ing fixed that. I’d say it’s on an even level with the Seas Lotus Performance tweeters I used. The 6.5” midbass/midrange is a really solid unit. Male vocals are excellent, although they can be a bit on the dark side. Midbass is very solid with good extension. The doors in the door seem to boost the range from 60-200 Hz, so I had to EQ this region down a good bit. Midbass isn’t as snappy as the Lotus Perf mids, but certainly is snappier than the PG TI Elites I used.. The set is built very well. Passives were quite nice with air core inductors and an actual brand name cap (albeit not Solen like the TI Elites).

Amplifiers: Kicker SX700.4 and SX650.1 with the SX remote (SXRC). This is Kicker’s high end as well. Many would consider these amplifers to be…flashy, but without the end caps they look quite good. The amps have good power (the SX900.4 was tested in a mag and did well) and don’t have any turn on or off thump, and are as clean as I’ve heard in a car. Now, I will say that I’m not one that claims to hear differences in amplifier. I hear differences in power, but that’s about it. These have ample power for my setup. The BEST part of these amps is the built in DSP’s. For those who don’t know about these, it’s worth taking a little time and reading about them on the Kicker site. Everything on the amp is digital from gains to the crossovers to the EQ’s. Gain ranges can be changed from 0.5V to I believe 8V. Actual gain can be changed in 0.5 dB increments. Crossover is selectable from 6 dB to 36 dB/octave in 6 dB increments. 1/12 octave steps. Yes, you read that right, 1/12 octave steps. Each amp has a 1 band fully parametric EQ (2 bands for the 700.4) that are also in 1/12 octave steps from 0 to –18 dB. I’m actually using both the crossovers on the amps instead of the 9835 and using the EQ’s on both the 9835 and the amps.

Now, just as cool is the SXRC unit. This unit controls ALL the functions of the amps from up front. I love this thing. Something I’ve always wanted. I have in installed under the dash up front and I’ve been messing with it for weeks now. Color scheme of the LED’s doesn’t match the car, but it’s worth it.

Sub: Oz Audio Matrix Elite 10.4. Props to csuflyboy for getting this unit for me. Sub sounds very similar to the IDMAX v2 I used before. Good, clean output and a lot of it. This and the MAX are the two best subs I’ve used, with the eD 13Kv2 not far behind. The Oz is in 0.8 cubes sealed after displacement. Really a great woofer. For the money, these are one HELL of a deal. Matt has good prices on these, and is a stand up guy.

I’ll be taking pics of the trunk with the new install sometime soon and putting them on my SD page.

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[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Very nice review chad //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbsupwink.gif.129404938effda6ad9cca39e7f4b58a3.gif

Just curious what this was supposed to say:

The doors in the door seem to boost the range from 60-200 Hz, so I had to EQ this region down a good bit.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

yes. those kicker amps sound pretty impressive. id love to see that remote you have up front in some pics.

id really like to HEAR how it works tho //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

very nice tho. now get my pictures //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

so you liked those kicker tweets? what material are they made out of silk? i'm thinking of getting a set of kicker 4" comps with my 6.5" mids but i'm not sure. i was also a little confused about what you meant by doors in door?

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

Nice...Kicker SS comp set quite impressed me as well-very nice set

 

[Hundreth 10+ year member]

Nice to see another try out the Matrix Elites //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

good review

 

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

LOL, the doors in the car is what I meant to say. Pics will come tonight, hopefully. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[acousticguitar 10+ year member]

how much did it cost to put together the system? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

Hmm, around $2k I believe. However, I sold a bunch of stuff I had, and bought some of the stuff at different times so it didn't feel too bad. Got great deals as well on pretty much all of it.