Question about disapointing sub woofer performance.

[TheMisfit]

First of all I'm not a big car audio guy, I have very modest expectation when it come to a car audio system and sub woofer output. So when I speak of good or bad sounding, it's relative to my own expectations.

In my truck I have a Kicker 12" CompVT in a factory Kicker enclosure. It's powered by a Kicker ZX300.1 amp. I've been very disappointed in the bass I get out of this. I'm mainly disappointed because of how it sounds compared to the system I have in my car which is low end equipment, but sounds at least twice as good. In my car I have a cheap 12" Sony Xplode sub woofer (which I got for free) mounted in some generic box, and it's powered by a Kicker DX 125.2 bridged. My cheap Sony Xplode and small amp are MUCH louder and has much better sounding bass quality as well.

My questions isn't why doesn't the system in my truck sound amazing and blow out my windows. My question is why doesn't it sound nearly as good as a garbage sub with a small amp mounted in a generic enclosure?

Please ask me any for any pertinent information I may have left out. I appreciate anyone's input; I'd really like to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks.

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[Full Tilt 10+ year member]

No offense, man, but I don't exactly see the equipment you're running as 'quality' stuff. I will for help's sake, however, roll with you on this one, since it appears to me that you're looking for a relatively modest setup.

1. Be sure your setup is wired correctly. You may be running at a much higher impedance than you're looking to be, and therefore your amp may not be putting out the kind of power you think it should be.

2. Honestly, I would upgrade equipment. I realize you're not looking for heart-stopping bass, but even on this small of a system, you can get much more clear, defined, well-rounded sounds from different brands, and probably for a better price than you got on your Kicker equipment.

The CVT is a shallow-mount subwoofer, why did you go with this setup? Is it in the box recommended by Kicker?

And, keep in mind - you're only giving that subwoofer 75% of it's rated power. Some subs really don't kick in until you hit that RMS mark.

 

[TheMisfit]

Thanks for the response. I never tried to imply anything I had was high quality, in fact I stressed the fact that I have some very low end equipment like a Sony Xplode subwoofer in my car. I'm posting because I'm curious why a Kicker CompVT sounds horrible in comparison with a garbage Sony Xplode? You can't be suggesting that Kicker and Sony Xplode are comparable? I know kicker isn't top of the line, but it's much better then a Sony Xplode. To answer your questions, yes the Kicker sub in a kicker recommend box. It's in a "Kicker" factory box. What I have looks exactly like this except mine's a 12" http://www.audiosavings.com/products/Car-Subwoofer-Amplifier-Packages/Kicker-CVT12-2-12%E2%80%9D-800w-CVT-Car-Subwoofer-w--EnclosureZX400.1-Mono-Amplifier/10TCVT122---11ZX4001.aspx I went this route because it's mounted in a truck and I'm not willing to do any modifications just to install stereo equipment. I have gone over it several time to make sure everything is hooked up correctly, and it is. Interesting what you're saying about possibly needing a larger amp, I suppose that could be it.

I could accept the fact that a Kicker CompVT simply just sound like ***, if I didn't have a Sony Xplode with a tiny amp that sounds ten time better. I guess what I'm getting at here with all these questions, is a Kicker CompVT such a pile of crap that it sounds significantly worse than a Sony Xplode?

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

Is the box ported or sealed? If its a factory prefab ported box the reason it doesn't sound as clear as it could is because the box is most likely tuned to high which would make it louder at higher frequencies but not hit the lower notes as loudly. A sealed box seems to be what you're looking for to get the best overall sound quality but you would obviously lose some output. Just a thought.

 

[TheMisfit]

Is the box ported or sealed? If its a factory prefab ported box the reason it doesn't sound as clear as it could is because the box is most likely tuned to high which would make it louder at higher frequencies but not hit the lower notes as loudly. A sealed box seems to be what you're looking for to get the best overall sound quality but you would obviously lose some output. Just a thought.

The box is not ported. I guess it just sounds like crap and I need to replace it. I'll hook up my Sony Xplode in it's place, and if it sounds like it does in my car than I guess that'll be confirmation that this Kicker CompVT is a complete joke. I don't mind replacing it, it's just that I'll need to replace it with something that will fit in a "truck" speaker box.

 

[TheMisfit]

double post

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

Name your budget bro... members here are knowledgeable

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

Name your budget bro... members here are knowledgeable

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

Name your budget bro... members here are knowledgeable

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

You'd be surprised what you could get for $100. Just name your budget for members to make reccomendations

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

Stupid droid lag

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

..

 

[TheMisfit]

Name your budget bro... members here are knowledgeable

I did a quick swap of the subs in my car and truck, I should have done this a while ago because the problem didn't follow. Some troubleshooting is still in order. When I put that Kicker in my car, I've never heard it sound so good, and it was hooked up to a puny 125 watt amp. When I put my car sub in my truck it sounded like crap. I think my amp may be the problem. But first I need to triple check that everything is hooked up correctly.

Speaking of budget, if I was to replace my amp, what would be good choice to drive that Kicker CVT, if I was to go as high as $300?

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I did a quick swap of the subs in my car and truck, I should have done this a while ago because the problem didn't follow. Some troubleshooting is still in order. When I put that Kicker in my car, I've never heard it sound so good, and it was hooked up to a puny 125 watt amp. When I put my car sub in my truck it sounded like crap. I think my amp may be the problem. But first I need to triple check that everything is hooked up correctly.
Speaking of budget, if I was to replace my amp, what would be good choice to drive that Kicker CVT, if I was to go as high as $300?

You definitely should double check all connections and settings on the HU and the amp. There's a zillion amps that are reliable that'll do 500W for @100$

 

[NIHL8ION]

did you switch out entire sub / enclosures as a whole, or remove the subs from their enclosures and swap them to the different boxes for your comparison testing?