nemeses select

02:02 AM

Remember, I'm in Canada, we don't have great deals like US citizens.

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ412470111

If you don't care to click the link, that's a pair of Kicker L7s (04S12L74) and a Planet Audio BB1250.1 class D mono amp for $300. The drivers have some cosmetic blemishes on the cones (underneath the coating so it's not going anywhere) but it doesn't affect performance at all. Otherwise they look brand new, as does the amp except for a couple of small marks. It's all about 6 years old. These products are discontinued but it looks like replacement cost with new models would be around $800 plus any applicable shipping and taxes.

So is this a good deal? Anybody have experience with Kicker or Planet Audio? I've got very limited experience with car audio products.

I made some comments on an older model L7 here - http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...12#post1858612

Kicker products are ok, but there are much better ones for the price. I really like their wire products and those are some of the best wire/cables available for their prices, but their other stuff is meh. PA is a low budget brand that for the most part dont do rated power. I would personally pass on that and look for other deals. Go to diyma classifieds to find better items.

+1 Kicker only got so popular because of marketing hype, and as a young generation we were too ignorant to know otherwise. Heck I used to have a 10" Audiobahn, with a Volfenhaag 600W amp that I paid less than $100 for that would outperform them bang for buck wise. Of course the are just my personal opinions, and there are some Kicker faithful as with anything else.

What my generation knew about kicker is that by in large, they were SPL subs. Especially when they went to the square heavy poly cones. I had 2 12" l7's off 1800 watts that broke 150db in a rather extensively modified suv. Their product line remains SPL oriented to this day.
Years earlier with the original Solo-Baric subs, Jamie Perkins of custom auto radio in Saugus Ma became one of the most awarded SQ competitors ever. Running 2 10's in the rear deck of a Lexus sc400 hosting some hand made Boston Acoustics speaks up front.

The deal you see can be beat I think. The amp is nothing special and the subs are old and can probably be found cheaper at a pawn shop.

So is this a good deal? Anybody have experience with Kicker or Planet Audio? I've got very limited experience with car audio products.

Looks like a pretty decent deal to me. Kicker may aim their products more at output rather than SQ, but that's a matter of tuning as well as specs, and specs-wise the drivers I've come across have usually been pretty good matches for published parameters. The Planet Audio stuff I've seen has also struck me as been fairly decent. What would be more important is how those drivers have been treated. Sometimes this isn't readily apparent from a picture showing just the front of the drivers.

Kicker products are ok, but there are much better ones for the price. I really like their wire products and those are some of the best wire/cables available for their prices, but their other stuff is meh. PA is a low budget brand that for the most part dont do rated power. I would personally pass on that and look for other deals. Go to diyma classifieds to find better items.

I agree that the Kickers are vastly overpriced at their MSRP, but even at $100 each you still don't see any value?

Thanks for the perspective on Planet Audio, it seems to be fairly consistent with views around the net. But some of their products like this amp are spoken well of by their owners. This amp only claims 1250 watts peak and it's a class D with four 30 amp fuses so I'm pretty sure it will hit it's rated power.

I checked diyma briefly but I've got 2 problems. I don't recognize any of the brand or product names (what do you recommend?) and I'm in Canada. I don't think you guys understand how much we pay to import stuff. Shipping is terribly expensive, about $70 for a single 15 inch driver (and more if it's heavy) and we have to pay duty (basically just sales tax) on stuff even if it's used. I'm guessing it would cost $200 just to ship the items in the ad from the US (if that's where they were) with USPS and closer to $300 with UPS or FedEx, so diyma deals aren't going to work, especially on heavier drivers.

I'm actually least worried about the amp, I could probably resell that before breakfast for $100, maybe even $150.

+1 Kicker only got so popular because of marketing hype, and as a young generation we were too ignorant to know otherwise.

That's partly true but they also got popular because of their performance. Using a high q woofer with a too high port tuning causes a boost very similar to what you see from 6th order bandpasses - a whole lot of gain over a very very narrow bandwidth. I talk about this a bit in the other thread I linked to in the first post.

The guy I got this from said it was a pretty boring and unspectaclar sub most of the time. But when it hit that one note it would rip your head off. And if your sub peak matches the vehicle resonant frequency, just watch out. That's the other reason they got popular.

But I can design for any response curve shape I want (within reason), even with very high q drivers like this.

The deal you see can be beat I think.

Links and/or recommendations please.

Now the thing is to pull proper measuremnts and design around those for the vehicle. Dont use the factory specs or the recommended box! An enclosure designed to your vehicle for your goals is going to well out perform any prefab box.
Yeah, the manufacturer recommended boxes are a joke. But the published specs (at least for the older one I was given recently) seem pretty close to measured.

What would be more important is how those drivers have been treated. Sometimes this isn't readily apparent from a picture showing just the front of the drivers. I got pics of the backsides too. They still have the clear protective coating the back of the magnets. The spider is not offset like the older one I was given and overall they look brand new with the exception of the cosmetic blemishes on the front of the cone. All the coils test fine and there's no rub or buzz (as reported by owner). Not sure how much further I can go without personally inspecting them.

... it all depends on what YOU are looking for, and are willing to pay.

I don't need a car stereo, I have enough hearing damage already. I noticed this ad and thought I could make $100 or so selling this stuff with free installation. I know a few guys that don't know anything about audio EXCEPT marketing so Kicker should be right up their alley. I know I can get my money back out but I don't want to feel like I'm ripping people off either. (But if I did buy them I'd probably play with them a bit first before selling.)

Several people have mentioned there are better deals to be found. LINKS PLEASE! Or recommendations, personal preferences, etc.

As for brand, sorry I don't know whats listed for sale. You should browse through and see whats in your price range and list then and we can provide feedback. But if youre not willing to m make that effort and like that d real, go for it.

Sure, I'll make the effort, but it will take awhile. I have to read every single ad to find out what they are selling. For example, a listed brand name and model number in the title means nothing to me, it could be a sub, a cd deck or something else. Then I have to research each product I find interesting. I was hoping for a couple of links or at least product recommendations. Thanks for your recommendations.

Any opinions on these? (The driver in particular or the brand in general and not necessarily from that retailer.) http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...o-SEX15D4.html
A few of these (or something like this) for personal home use (possibly in bigass horns) is the reason I'm looking to flip some car audio to make some spare change. If the hobby generates some income I don't mind putting it back into the hobby.

Looks superior to the kicker in every way except for the foam surround and lower rated power handling. I've been looking at these for a couple of weeks now but I'm also happy to consider other brands and models if people tell me their favorites. Now that (some) car audio subs actually have published specs, some of them look to be better bargains than home or pro gear.

Sure, I'll make the effort, but it will take awhile. I have to read every single ad to find out what they are selling. For example, a listed brand name and model number in the title means nothing to me, it could be a sub, a cd deck or something else. Then I have to research each product I find interesting. I was hoping for a couple of links or at least product recommendations. Thanks for your recommendations.

I know a decent amount about car audio as I was pretty into it many years ago. But I was out of it for over a decade and just got back into it about 1.5yrs ago. I had to re-learn most everything about what brands were good, what models were good, new technology, etc. It took me a good amount of time to catch up with everything. DIYMA was one of the main info sites. There's a LOT of info on there, but when I searched around for new gear, I clicked on a lot of for sale ads. I was familiar with most brands, but not with some. And the models all changed. When I found something that looked interesting, I took the time and made the effort to research that brand and model, what their worth, etc. Yes, it takes. If you want good product for cheap prices, you need to take the effort to research it and find out what's out there and what fits your needs. We can provide feedback on specific things you find such as the products in this thread, but I will not research everything for you as I simply don't have the time. Yes, click through a ton of ads and find out if they're good. We'll help if you want more feedback and details on particular items. Otherwise, just take that deal if you really like it.

Sure, I'll make the effort, but it will take awhile. I have to read every single ad to find out what they are selling. For example, a listed brand name and model number in the title means nothing to me, it could be a sub, a cd deck or something else. Then I have to research each product I find interesting. I was hoping for a couple of links or at least product recommendations. Thanks for your recommendations.

I know a decent amount about car audio as I was pretty into it many years ago. But I was out of it for over a decade and just got back into it about 1.5yrs ago. I had to re-learn most everything about what brands were good, what models were good, new technology, etc. It took me a good amount of time to catch up with everything. DIYMA was one of the main info sites. There's a LOT of info on there, but when I searched around for new gear, I clicked on a lot of for sale ads. I was familiar with most brands, but not with some. And the models all changed. When I found something that looked interesting, I took the time and made the effort to research that brand and model, what their worth, etc. Yes, it takes. If you want good product for cheap prices, you need to take the effort to research it and find out what's out there and what fits your needs. We can provide feedback on specific things you find such as the products in this thread, but I will not research everything for you as I simply don't have the time. Yes, click through a ton of ads and find out if they're good. We'll help if you want more feedback and details on particular items. Otherwise, just take that deal if you really like it.

Yes. Buy them (25 years car audio experience here).

If the amp works - great. It's a commodity design from Korea that was used by some "big" brands. When it works, you get about 450W into 4 ohms, 700W into 2 ohms and over a kilowatt into 1 ohm (which is probably how your subwoofer cabinet is wired). You will love it.

Here's a review for an amplifier with the same "guts":

http://www.carsound.com/reviews/amps/vibe1200d.html

Yes. Buy them (25 years car audio experience here).

If the amp works - great. It's a commodity design from Korea that was used by some "big" brands. you get about 450W into 4 ohms, 700W into 2 ohms and over a kilowatt into 1 ohm (which is probably how your subwoofer cabinet is wired). You will love it.

Here's a review for an amplifier with the same "guts":

http://www.carsound.com/reviews/amps/vibe1200d.html

Thanks for your input here. Do you think that amp has exactly the same guts? I'm just wondering because the article talks about the built in high and low pass filters, something I couldn't find info on anywhere else on the net.

Also, it might just be me, when you say... "If the amp works - great." and "When it works,"..., it sounds like this amp is known for being unreliable. If so, is it a heat issue from being abused or something else?

nemeses select

Monday, September 17, 2012

Is this a good deal? (kijiji car audio)

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