C8 /C10 /C1 2 /C1 5
Su b w o o f e r s
Congratulations! You have just purchased one of the most flexible subwoofers yet
from KICKER. Your Comp sub is designed to give you great bass performance in a wide
variety of applications. These installations instructions will help you get the most out of
your new KICKER sub. Thanks for buying KICKER. Enjoy!
Fe a t u r e s
He m is p h e r ica l Po ly m in e r a l Co n e w it h In ve r t e d St r u ct u r a l Do m e ™
(ISD) m eans high rigidity under pressure for accurate linear control, low enclo-
sure pressure loss to reduce "pum p-down", high internal dam pening, and excel-
lent sunlight, pollution and m oisture resistance
Do u b le -St it ch e d Su r r o u n d prevents cone/ surround separation at
high excursions
Bla cke n e d Po le Pie ce m axim izes heat transfer for long voice coil life
Ex t e n d e d Po le Pie ce allows cooler operation for superior power handling
and m agnetic field linearity around voice coil gap for enhanced control
Ve n t e d Po le Pie ce relieves low bass-robbing pressure under the center dom e
Ex t e n d e d Ba ckp la t e prevents dam aging voice coil "bottom ing"
Pe r im e t e r Ve n t in g for m easurably lower operating tem perature and freer
cone m otion
Hi-Te m p Ka p t o n ® Vo ice Co il Fo r m e r protects against warped, rubbing
voice coils
Lo n g -Th r o w Vo ice Co il for enorm ous cone excursion capabilities
Hig h Po w e r Le a d Wir e s resist lead breakage and reduce power robbing
resistance losses
Se a le d b o x m o u n t in g
A very sm ooth bass response with good low bass extension is achieved when
the Kicker Com p woofers are m ounted in a correctly built sealed box with the
correct airspace. Sealed (acoustic suspension) designs have been a favorite here
at Kicker since the original Com petition Series was introduced. We build just
about all of our show vehicles with sealed boxes for the sm ooth response, good
power handling and great sound quality they offer.
Of all the enclosures possible the sealed box is the easiest to build. The two
m ost im portant rules are to m ake it very solid and to seal all the joints perfectly.
If the panels of an enclosure can flex or vibrate you will experience a loss of bass
output. You don't want to throw away any of the output capability of your
Kicker Com p woofers. Sealing all the joints in the enclosure is necessary to avoid
loss of output and driver failure.
The following inform ation will give you exam ples of com pact sealed enclosures
for the Kicker Com p woofers. They have very high power handling and m assive
am ounts of high im pact bass. The given volum es are the m inim um recom m end-
ed and include driver displacem ent. Maxim um volum es for KICKER Com ps are
C8-1.2cf, C10-2.4 cf., C12-3.5 cf., and C15-5.0 cf. As the sealed enclosure vol-
um es increase, the response will shift from high im pact bass to a sm oother and
m ore extended low end.
Com pact
Model
Enclosure Woofer
A
panel
B
panel
C
panel
Volum e
Cutout
Co m p
8
.5 cf
6-7/ 8”
11 x 11”
11 x 9-1/ 2”
13-1/ 2x12"
14-1/ 2x13"
9-1/ 2 x 9-1/ 2”
12x12"
Co m p 10 1.0 cf
9-3/ 16" 13-1/ 2x13-1/ 2"
Co m p 1 2 1.25 cf 10-15/ 16" 14-1/ 2x14-1/ 2"
13x13"
Co m p 1 5 2.25 cf 13-11/ 16" 17-1/ 4x17-1/ 4" 17-1/ 4x15-3/ 4" 15-3/ 4x15-3/ 4"
3
Ve n t e d Bo x Mo u n t in g
Alm ost as easy to build as the sealed box, the vented or ported enclosure can
give you m ore output at certain bass frequencies. Although this design has an
output advantage at som e frequencies it also has a sharper rolloff characteristic
which will only affect the lowest of bass frequencies. Overall a correctly designed
vented enclosure will have som e "free" output provided by the port itself.
One m ajor disadvantage to the vented design is the "unloading" of the woofer
at very low frequencies. At a frequency 1/ 2-octave below the tuning frequency
of the enclosure the woofer acts like it has no box to work in and can go to full
excursion. This will be harm ful to the woofer's m echanical integrity. It is there-
fore very im portant to stay with the recom m ended designs.
Since the peak pressure inside a vented enclosure can actually be higher than
that of a sealed box, the sam e precautions m ust be taken to assure that the
enclosure is rigid and sealed around all the joints.
Recom m ended vented enclosure volum e ranges are .8-1.2cf for the C8, 1.25-
1.75 cf for the C10, 1.75-2.25 cf for the C12, and 3.0-4.0 cf for the C15. As with
the sealed boxes, as enclosure volum e increases the response shifts from high
im pact to a sm oother and m ore extended bass sound.
Below are specifications for a sim ple com pact vented box for each sub.
Com pact
Model Enclosure Woofer
Volum e Cutout
A
panel
B
panel
C
panel
Port
Co m p
Co m p 10 1.5 cf
Co m p 1 2 1.75 cf 10-15/ 16"
8
.8 cf
6-7/ 8” 9-1/ 2x13-1/ 2” 13-1/ 2x 15”
8x15”
3”dx7”L
9-3/ 16"
12x18"
14x20"
18x15"
20x13"
15x10-1/ 2" 4”dx11-3/ 4"L
13x12-1/ 2" 4"dx9-1/ 4"L
Co m p 1 5 3.5 cf
13-11/ 16" 17x25-1/ 2" 25-1/ 2x16-1/ 4" 15-1/ 2x16-1/ 4" 6"dx9"L
4
Mu lt ip le Wo o f e r En clo s u r e s
If you are building enclosures for m ore than one woofer, they should always
be divided to m aintain the correct airspace for each woofer. There are a couple
of reasons for this. First of all, not all woofers are exactly the sam e. If there are
slight differences between the woofers in a com m on enclosure, at certain fre-
quencies one woofer m ay think it's in a larger enclosure than intended. This can
affect the power handling capability. Second, if one woofer fails, the rem aining
woofers will have m ore airspace to work in than what was designed. Again, this
will severely affect the power handling capability of the woofers that are still
working.
Another benefit of a divided enclosure is that the divider helps strengthen the
enclosure. A large com m on enclosure will have m uch bigger panels than one
that is divided. Large panels tend to flex m ore and can cancel som e of the
woofer's output.
5
Bo x Bu ild in g Tip s
The m aterial of choice for building a strong box is 3/ 4" MDF (Medium
Density Fiberboard). Cross bracing is a good idea to help reduce panel vibration.
Strips of 3/ 4" by 2" wood work well for tying the panels together. HDF (High
Density Fiberboard) is also good as is a really good grade of plywood (such as
m arine grade 7 or 13 ply). Regular particle board is not very good for speaker
enclosures. It is flexible and will crum ble when you try to screw the woofer in.
A good grade of wood glue is recom m ended for joining two pieces of wood
together along with 1-1/ 4 to 1 1/ 2" drywall screws or 1-1/ 2" staples. A fastener
placed about every 3" will hold the box together good enough until the glue
dries. After assem bling the box and allowing the glue to set up, use silicone seal-
er to m ake absolutely sure the corners are perfectly sealed.
Hint: When assem bling the enclosure, build the whole enclosure except for
the rear baffle opposite the woofer cutout. This way you can easily reach inside
to apply the silicone sealer. Once this is done, put the rear panel on and seal it by
reaching through the woofer cutout.
A com m on source of air leaks is the connecting wire for the woofers. Term inal
cups are com m only available and are recom m ended. They provide an airtight
m eans for bringing the wire into the enclosure and allow for easy wiring
changes. An alternative is to drill a hole slightly larger than the wire and seal
carefully with silicone sealer. Do not disturb the silicone until it has set up.
Moving the wire before the silicone has set up will usually cause an air leak.
If you carpet the enclosure it is im portant to cut the carpet around the woofer
opening. It is hard to get a good seal if you have both the gasket and the carpet
between the woofer and the wood.
On a sealed enclosure it is easy to test the seal of the box. Push the cone in all
the way and let it go. If the seal is good, the cone should take at least five sec-
onds to return to the center position. If the cone spring back faster that that
you have a leak som ewhere in the enclosure. Som etim es you can hear air escap-
ing around the woofer or at one of the joints in the enclosure. If the box itself
leaks take the woofer out and check the silicone seal all around the inside. If the
air is leaking out around the woofer try adding a flexible sealer like plum ber's
putty or rope caulk. Don't use silicone sealers around the woofer.
For m ore inform ation and additional box plans, see the KICKER Com p Technical
Brief on kicker.com or call the Technical Services Line at (405)624-8583.
6
Sp e cif ica t io n s
Mo d e l
Co m p 8
84.5dB
620.0
38.0
Co m p 10
87.7dB
982.3
60
Co m p 1 2
Co m p 1 5
89.2dB
3256.8
198.7
SPL 1W/ 1M
Displacem ent, cc
Displacem ent, cu in
Hole cutout, in. dia.
Mounting Depth, in.
Revc
88.6dB
1718.6
104.9
10-15/ 16
5-1/ 2
3.79 Ohm s
.0532
11.69
133.27
4.71
6-7/ 8
3-13/ 16
4.09 Ohm s
,0206
9.08
9-3/ 16
4-9/ 16
3.65 Ohm s
.0370
10.17
59.48
2.10
13-11/ 16
7-1/ 8
3.23 Ohm s
.0856
Sd, SqM
BL, TM
15.84
Vas, Liters
21.99
.75
301.02
10.63
Vas, CuFt.
Mm s, gm s
49.55
36.8
75.81
31.2
107.37
25.8
254.86
18.03
Fs, Hz
Qm s
10.179
.578
10.534
.555
11.298
.499
13.136
.390
Qes
Qts
.547
.527
.478
.379
Pm ax, watts
Xm ax, m m
100
125
150
250
7.5
7.5
7.5
13.0
Freq Response, Hz
Magnet weight, oz
Voice coil (Kapton), In.
30-500
24
30-500
32
27-500
44
25-500
74
1-3/ 8
1-1/ 2
1-1/ 2
2
*Based on 4-Ohm m odels
7
SPEAKER SYSTEMS LIMITED WARRANTY
Stillwater Designs warrants this product to be free from defects in m aterial and workm anship under
norm al use for a period of o n e (1 ) ye a r f r o m d a t e o f o r ig in a l p u r ch a s e f r o m a n a u t h o r ize d
Kicke r De a le r , unless this product is labeled “B Stock”, in which case it is warranted for ninety (90) days
from date of purchase. Should service be necessary under this warranty for any reason due to m anufac-
turing defect or m alfunction during the warranty period, Stillwater Designs will replace or repair (at its
discretion) the defective m erchandise with equivalent m erchandise at no charge. Warranty replacem ents
on “B-Stock” m ay have cosm etic scratches and blem ishes. Discontinued products m ay be replaced with
equivalent products.
This warranty is valid only for the o r ig in a l p u r ch a s e r and is not extended to owners of the product
subsequent to the original purchaser. Any applicable im plied warranties are lim ited in duration to a period
of the express warranty as provided herein beginning with the date of the original purchase at retail, and
no warranties, whether express or im plied, shall apply to this product thereafter. Som e states do not
allow lim itations on im plied warranties, therefore these exclusions m ay not apply to you.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights; however you m ay have other rights that vary from state to
state.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU NEED WARRANTY OR SERVICE
Defective m erchandise m ust be returned to your local Authorized Stillwater Designs (Kicker) Dealer for
warranty. Assistance in locating an Authorized Dealer can be obtained by writing or calling Stillwater
Designs direct. You can confirm that a dealer is authorized by asking to see a current authorized dealer
window decal.
If it becom es necessary for you to return defective m erchandise, call the Kicker Custom er Service
Departm ent at (405)624-8510 for a Return Authorization (RA) num ber. Package all defective item s in the
original container or in a package that will prevent shipping dam age, and return to
St illw a t e r De s ig n s, 5 0 21 No r t h Pe r kin s Ro a d , St illw a t e r, OK 7 4 0 7 5
The RA num ber m ust be clearly m arked on the outside of the package. Return only defective com po-
nents. Return of entire cabinets, system packs, pairs, etc. increases your return freight charges. Non-
defective item s received will be returned freight collect.
Include a d a t e d p r o o f -o f -p u r ch a s e from an Authorized Dealer. Warranty expiration on item s
returned without proof-of-purchase will be determ ined from the m anufacturing date code. Coverage
m ay be invalidated if this date is greater than 18 m onths previous to the date item is sent in. Freight
m ust be prepaid; item s received freight collect will be refused.
Failure to follow these steps m ay void your warranty. Any questions can be directed to the Kicker
Custom er Service Departm ent at (405)624-8510.
WHAT IS NOT COVERED?
This warranty is valid only if the product is used for the purpose for which it was designed.
It does not cover:
•
•
Install slips (screwdriver holes)
Dam age caused by exposure to water
and/ or excessive heat.
Dam age through negligence, m isuse, or
accident.
Item s physically dam aged due to abuse.
Freight dam age.
The cost of shipping product to Stillwater
Designs Service.
•
Item s previously repaired by any
unauthorized repair facility.
Item s returned from unauthorized
individuals or dealers.
Return shipping on non-defective item s.
Speakers dam aged due to am plifier
clipping or distortion.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Speakers with silicon caulk used for gasket
m aterial.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
Stillwater Designs m aintains a goal of 24-hour service for all returns. Delays m ay be
incurred if lack of replacem ent inventory or parts is encountered.
INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY
Contact your International Stillwater Designs dealer or distributor concerning specific
procedures for your country’s warranty policies.
P.O. Box 459 • Stillwater, Oklahom a 74076 • U.S.A. • 405 624-8510
KICKER drivers are capable of producing sound levels that can perm anently
dam age your hearing! Turning up a system to a level that has audible distor-
tion is m ore dam aging to your ears than listening to an undistorted system at
the sam e volum e level. The threshold of pain is always an indicator that the
sound level is too loud and m ay perm anently dam age your hearing.
WARNING:
Please use com m on sense when controlling volum e!
February2002
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