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-   -   New stuff from Kicker for 2014? (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=800658)

timmyb 12-18-2013 9:03 AM

New stuff from Kicker for 2014?
 
I heard rumor that Kicker is going to have a few new items for the marine industry at CES this year. Anyone have the full details? Maybe Phil can "fill" us in? :D

Sounds like they will have a new 8" speaker, a new mini tower speaker (4" ???) and a host of LED lighting upgrades for their equipment.

Anyone have the full details?

chpthril 12-18-2013 5:17 PM

Ive heard a little through the grapevine as to what was revealed at IBEX and SEMA , but no hard details. Hope to see in person @ CES next month

The entire marine speaker line is getting a new look, which includes RGB options.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps32f7c6bd.jpg

It seems that there is a larger in-boat coaxial with a 1" tweeter, that might be phasing out the 6.5" components

Some options will include both a charcoal and white grill in the box.

The mid level KM6200 and the price-point KM6000 have both received some acoustic tweaks and will be released as a new model with all new sound and look.

Looks like there is a new 4" speaker geared towards the power sports. There is also a 4" tower pod for it as well.

Looks like the 2 ohm options have been expanded. This makes it easier to get the most out of your amp.

Cant wait for CES, to get more details and actual pics.

timmyb 12-19-2013 7:16 AM

That's sweet!!! I like that they are offering 2 ohm speakers now, so much easier to get the power out of the kicker amps with a 2 ohm speaker.

philwsailz 12-19-2013 7:34 AM

Hey Guys-


Yes, we are re-setting the line for 2014.

One addition will be the KM8, which is an "8-inch" coaxial with 1" tweeter. The KM8 is physically the same size as our 8" woofers, but it is a little smaller than some of the 8" coaxial competition. Some of you guys might slam me saying we should have called it a 7 in stead of an 8, just know you heard it from me first.. :) The KM8 is 8-ish... It will have that big 8" sound, in a slightly smaller package that will fit in more locations.

Also new are 4" coaxials and 4" mini tower cans. Think bimini install, PWC, motorcycle handlebars, etc.

The 6.5" coaxials stay in the line, but with lighted, non-lighted, and non-lighted 2-ohm versions.

Most of the new coaxials have removable grills; you can paint them if you want. These coaxials also come with two sets of grills; one pair white and the other pair charcoal. You can choose which ones you want to use.

The woofer now has 2 and 4-ohm options and a white grill will be available.

There is RGB lighting built in and standard for the 6.5, 8 and 10-inch product, with an optional wireless RF controller.





We are also introducing new powersports speakers for Jeeps, bikes, 4x4 and other off-road fun. We have four new speakers just for Powersports, the PS4 in 2 and 4-ohm versions, and the PS69, also in 2 and 4-ohm versions. All of these are designed specifically for your wheeled toys.

I will try to get pics from someone who is attending CES; Sorry guys, you will miss me, as I am not going to be able to make it to CES this year. Tim, we will have to hook up some other time.

The new marine gear is supposed to be available in February.

Phil
Kicker

timmyb 12-19-2013 8:29 AM

Sounds like good stuff! How do you power the RGB lighting? Is there a control box or does each speaker require a 12v power source or does it just use the input wattage to power the LED's? Pretty sweet that it has a remote too!

philwsailz 12-19-2013 9:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmyb (Post 1856322)
Sounds like good stuff! How do you power the RGB lighting? Is there a control box or does each speaker require a 12v power source or does it just use the input wattage to power the LED's? Pretty sweet that it has a remote too!

Two options exist.

You can manually wire the speaker's lighting leads straight to the battery. Going this route provides 7 different color options, with no flashing or strobing etc. You can do this without the lighting controller.

The other way is to use the accessory controller. It will drive up to 6 pairs of speakers and provides 20 colors, strobe effects, fades, and other effects.

The speaker's lighting wiring is separate from the audio wiring.

Phil
Kicker

timmyb 12-19-2013 9:42 AM

Thanks, Phil!

nitrousbird 12-19-2013 3:11 PM

Let's ask the hard question. If a buyer has the room for a true 8" speaker, why should they purchase your 7"ish speaker for an 8" hole when they can just buy a real 8" speaker?

chpthril 12-19-2013 4:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrousbird (Post 1856397)
Let's ask the hard question. If a buyer has the room for a true 8" speaker, why should they purchase your 7"ish speaker for an 8" hole when they can just buy a real 8" speaker?

I like the way you phrased your question. May I use it the next time the topic of 9sh speakers comes up :p

On a serious note. Every speaker has its own sound signature, so one should always demo a speaker when possible. This is just another option for people, considering the ratio of quality marine 6.5" speakers to larger marine speakers. Surface are offers more mid-bass extension and more output as compared to smaller speakers. This holds true with sub, tower speakers and in-boats. So this new Kicker offering might give those that cant fit a speaker with a 9" OD and option to go with something more then a traditional 6.5"

Would you consider a JL 7.7 or would you pass on it for a "true" 8"? Its OD is 7.7" so I guess its a 7sh speaker. For comparison, the Kicker KM8 has an OD of 8", so its larger then the JL 7.7.

philwsailz 12-20-2013 9:45 AM

Nitrous-

That is an easy question. It is a harder answer... :)

Ready for a long-ish read?

There is a LOT of confusion out there when it comes to the size of speakers. In the mobile electronics world where speakers have forever had to fit into stock car mounting holes, we can see lots of variations. The term "six-and-a-half" is more a marketing term than anything as the 6.5" coaxial exists in lots of different physical sizes. The 6" speaker is also out there as a standard designation, but often 6's are marketed as 6.5's and vice versa. If you got out a ruler and started measuring 6.5" car speakers you will find it is a random even that you find any measurable feature that actually measures 6.5 inches. The same goes for 6x9's. 4's, 5.25's etc... There is a standard out there, the EIA standard, that tries to codify the standard sizes for each general size class of speaker, but when you look at the "standard" you realize there really is no standard.

As a statement of fact, ALL speakers of a general size-class will vary in their critical dimensions, specifically grill OD, cutout diameter, bolt circle diameter, mounting depth, and mounting depth at motor diameter, (I bet you hadn't considered that one, design a truck box....).


Move on to woofers, where the 8 has been commonly only been a woofer until recently. Anyone remember Q-Logic empty enclousres? Remember the QX rings and how they promised to help you line up and center woofers that were different sizes? On the 10"-class woofer as an example the cutout hole, depending on brand and model of woofer, ranged from 8.45" to 9.25" as I recall. I vaguely remember the numbers since I was the design engineer for that patented feature of the Q-Logic enclosures. My point in bringing it up is that woofers also have a range of sizes as well. The 10" - class of woofers among all brands of woofers is the worst, with the widest range of sizes.

The 8" woofer and the 15" woofer actually have the tightest range of sizes. Put another way, most 8" woofers have about the same critical dimensions for cutout ID and screw pattern and most 15" woofer have about the same critical dimensions for cutout ID and screw pattern.

The KICKER KM8 is designed with the 8" woofer standards in mind. Specifically, it is roughly the same size as most other 8" speakers in the market with regards to basket OD, bolt circle diameter, cutout etc.

SO..... Back to your question, what would one call a TRUE 8" speaker? From my experience the best answer is: "I don't know."
Based on historical standards I might say that the KM8 is closest to a true 8" speaker based on the long history of 8" woofers in the mobile audio market. But I already pointed out that with any class of speaker size there is a lot of variation, so who knows? The best competitive example of a different-sized 8" speaker I know of right now is going to be familiar to the Malibu owners out there. That example is the Rockford M-series "8-inch" coaxial. It has a grill OD of 9" and a 7.25" cutout. Its bolt circle is 7.75-inches. It is bigger than the KICKER KM8. The KICKER KM8 has a grill OD of 8" and a 6-5/8" cutout. Its bolt circle is just under 7-7/16"

Is the Rockford Fosgate speaker larger? yes. Is it an 8? They say so, and I don't disagree.
Is the KICKER an 8? yes. Is it smaller than the Rockford Fosgate? yes. Is it an 8? yes, certainly based on the long history we all have with woofers...

I think the big question looming in the minds of many is: "Can you take the Rockford Fosgate speaker out and install the KICKER in its place?" Right now I don't know the answer, but I bet it will be pretty difficult for many, based on the dimensions shared above.

Since the comparison has been floated and the objective comparisons have been made based on measurable data/facts, I know the next question will be: "How do the KICKER KM8s sound compared to the Rockford Fosgate 8s?" My answer will be to tell you to listen for yourselves! :) Any feedback I provide based on my own experience will be subjective; it is dependent on my ears and my tastes. Anything I tell you will be MY opinion, and I don't want an opinion to be misconstrued as fact. Hey, I am just being honest!!!! We all have different tastes...

I hope I did at least an okay job of answering the question. Sorry for going on so long, but there is a history there, so it is worth understanding the decisions in context.

Phil
Kicker


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