I still remember the first time I saw , heard and FELT your speakers. It in Atlanta was around 1986 or 87 it was the first Trade show my brother and I went too. We were the only kids there with Merchant's badges and you guys saw up put us in your Porsche 911. We were not even old enough to drive you asked our Dad if you could take us for a ride. We rode around the corner and we were hooked. It was when the car scene was just getting started with the bass. We started selling your speakers a few weeks later armed with only brochures you gave us. You guys helped set the car scene in NW Atlanta (Bankhead) It's still amazing that all of us was able to do so much with just phone calls and trust. That day will forever be in my memory. You guys did not talk down to us or refuse to acknowledge us like some of the vendors did. (My brother was 15 and I was 13 or 14) You guys treated us with respect and showed us the pride that you had in your product which gave us the drive to talk about a company that was not known in the Black Community to become the MUST have speakers for many!! I just wish you guys had a better presence in Asia especially Japan. I hope to see what you guys do in the next 30 years!!
Thank you sir! That is deeply appreciated. We have always believed that building others up and acknowledging everyone that loves audio is the right thing to do. Being good, moral people is truly who we try to be. You may enjoy the 50th anniversary video we just released: czcams.com/video/4qrNsWeDhug/video.html&lc=UgwgaOw6MxCD2uU8uEd4AaABAg
I still have my 10" Mohawk by Stillwater Designs.... Anyone else remember those things? Oh, and a truly fascinating story... Pity it was so short! I would love to see more to kicker... I remember the first time that I saw kicker subwoofers, it was in Melbourne Australia at the original JB HIFI store in Keilor Downs... That was the early 90's... $450 retail for the 12"... At the time the speaker looked more like a high end home Hifi woofer compared to what is available today... But those were the days and they were very exciting indeed.... Cheers to a job well done.
I bought my first Stillwater design kicker crossover system box in 1984. (2) 8 inch speakers....tweeters along with passive radiators underneath. Placed it into my 1984 Nissan Pulsar, right behind the fold down seat. This was the most exceptional system I can remember owning. It cost me $400.00 way back then. Years later the speakers dry rotted and all was lost.
Steve Irby, the man who founded the Car Audio Company back in 1973. I definitely appreciate what you make for your customers and continuously deliver the best Kicker sound system to our vehicles of all types. I’m waiting for your next subwoofers, Amplifiers, Twitters and more from 2019 or later in the future. America’s #1 Car Audio Manufacturers and still keep producing good things and keep moving forward!
I remember what it was like when I was a kid. Alpine head units glowing green, lots and lots of sound from two Solo-Barics and those persons would go around the block pumping songs with the windows down. I miss those days! Everything was so simple and straight I still love the 'real thing'. You guys ain't disappointing us now either. "You get more with less money" my teammate said. Kicker subs are famous at our place, even using them for home systems! I'm looking forward to the budget-oriented products.
What a fun video! Loved the wind advisory. Back in the early to mid 90s here in NYC, we never called them "Kickers" though...for some reason the name "Stillwaters" caught on even though we meant kickers, so I used to always hear people say, "I'm gonna pick up some Stillwaters for the trunk" when showing off their car. Brought back some memories seeing the "Stillwater Design" logo on the side of the building!
Back in what, 92-93 I pinstriped the Kicker horse logo on the hood of my car wen I got my first subs, F6.5's. I remember calling from high school to tech support to get a bandpass design. I'm still holding onto a par of the 6.5's to this day, in fact I tore the bandpass apart yesterday and I'm rebuilding it for my office. Lots of Kicker memories and subs over the years. Bring back the F6.5's! or some SoloX 6.5 or something!
Mark, I can tell you that we have supported all the major car audio competition finals for the first tie in a LONG time, helped make JY Power's The CUBE become a reality, and even attended Slamology for the first time ever. We don't officially talk about new products until SEMA or CES, but if you can read between the lines for me a little, I would ask you this... why are we getting back to those roots? Could we be building up to something? Hmmmmmmmmm :-)
KICKER Please bring back the 6.5” subs. Possibly Freeair or a solo 6 because I loved those small subs and no one ever believed they were so small but still hit over 130dBs.
Check these out: www.kicker.com/comp-rt-6-75-2-ohm-subwoofer They also come in dual 1 ohm and are weatherproof. They have the same RMS as the old F series.
Do you think there could be a possibility of Kicker doing a heritage line like Klipsch did and do low run production in the USA? I know that a few years back you did a round solo-baric but I would like to see something not only made here but more true to the original product. I understand that your company doesn't call a build house and order something up from china and hope for the best when you open the shipping container like other brands but I believe it would raise the brand up in the eyes of some consumers that are looking for something special. Also I want to let everyone know that I have called your customer service and I couldn't have received better support on a 19 year old product. Just amazing!
Hi Heywood, sorry it took a minute to respond, but here you go: first, no one can build a speaker top to bottom in America. You can assemble it here from parts sourced from overseas, but certain parts are simply impossible to source, like Neodymium for example. Baskets are also mainly forged overseas. The tradeoff is - of course - price. So here's what we do to keep the quality up (and share this if you like): First, everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - is engineered here in Stillwater, OK. Once we engineer it and like the sound, we send it overseas for production. Many companies will not do this. They go overseas and look at a "menu" of parts. Grab Magnet A, and combine it with Woofer Cone B, and make it look cool. It's a less expensive way of making a product, but doesn't always produce good sound or reliable gear. We don't do that. We say "Put your menu away. Build what we engineer - exactly how we engineered it." Once they create a sample, they send it back to us for testing and QC. We come back with notes/changes, etc...untill were satisfied. When the first batch of gear comes through the door - we QC it again. ALL of it. We don't just grab 1 or 2 from the batch. So yeah - it is made overseas. But it Is engineered here, QC'd here, RE-QC'd here, then (and only then) sent to our dealers. We want our gear to be solid and reliable, but more than anything else, we see ourselves as a music company that lets anyone at nearly any price point have access to good sound. Not just big bass (don't get me wrong, we LOVE big bass) - but our gear has to sound good with music of all types - from Jazz to Reggae to Metal to Rap. Not every manufacturer can say that. It's why we have more mechanical, acoustic and electrical engineers in-house than most companies have total employees.
Thank you for responding. I have been a Kicker from Stillwater designs fan from the first time I heard a pair of c12's around 1992. I understand what your saying and where your coming from. I appreciate that kicker doesn't slap their name on just anything. I feel like when you say no one can make a sub in the USA you are selling the company short. In 1999 no one could make a square subwoofer. I feel if stillwater designs had the will to make a product here their is no doubt in my mind you could do it. Having it be cost effective is obviously the issue. My suggestion was that you do it for the same reason Ford motor company made the GT40. They most likely lost money or broke even on everyone they sold but they flexed their engineering muscle and raised the prestige of the brand doing it. I just want to see Kicker stay at the top and be considered the company that is embarrassing the competition. I felt that way when you dropped the ZR series of amplifiers. When you debut the L5 and L7 subwoofers and came out with the Warhorse. You seem to have a quality product line that works as a profitable business model but where's the jaw dropping must have amp/sub that gets the kids arguing in the comment section? Maybe you got something in the works that makes all this a mute point. Maybe I'm just old. Maybe both.
In the past year, we have sponsored the USACi, Unified and MWSPL finals. We supported JY Power in creating the 60,000-watt Cube with forty 15" Q Class L7 subs, and made our first appearance at Slamology. Could we be building up to something? Perhaps certain product(s) that a crowd like that would love? Officially, I can neither confirm nor deny - but let me ask you to read between the lines. :-) P.S. We announce new products every CES. You may be in for a shock. #sharethis
I just want to see all the humble beginnings of every big name car audio sub/amp/head unit and where they are today....the 90s equipment was so much better buildwise imHo
Kicker what would you recommend using for a factory radio hookup to a sub + amp installation The Kicker KISL or the KICKER KISLOC-2? I have a kicker amp And Kicker subwoofers.
Ju L Depending on your vehicle, it may be unnecessary for you to use a separate line out converter. What vehicle do you have, and does it have a premium audio system?
I bought the Kicker CompR 12 inch subs in a preloaded vented box with the kicker amp. Range rovers factory subs are terrible and was looking for more bass with this setup. Just would like to know in your opinion which Is better to use the Kicker KISL or the KICKER KISLOC-2?
As a matter of fact, we even have a museum here! KICKER is located at 3100 North Husband, Stillwater, OK 74075. The museum is open from 9-4 weekdays, and is free to the public.
Sorry to say this but really kicker I used to love y'alls products back when made in USA and not sold in Wal-Mart I used to own kicker everything I even had the sticker on my car but now 🤔🤔🤔😢😲😭😭
Its assembled overseas, but that's about it, and that's just to keep it affordable. Everything else is done here. The engineering, the quality control, the design, all done right here in Stillwater, OK. In fact, Steve Irby - our founder - still listens to everything we build before it goes into production. He a has part in the entire process. So yes, some companies say "made in America" but many (if not most) of the components you use to make a speaker simply do not even exist in the US anymore. They may assemble it here, but it's not completely made here. We have more acoustic and mechanical engineers than most companies have total employees. WalMart does have a few of our products, but just the baseline gear. We believe that better sound should be available to everyone, even if you don't have a larger budget to work with.
Well u guys proved me wrong the newest line is awesome my cousin bought some comp rs yesterday and they slam. I realized to not all kicker is at Wal-Mart just the starter subs so I apologize for being so harsh before u guys have proved me wrong. I will be upgrading my car soon so I'll give kicker another go with compr 12s and door speakers. Now if u guys could tell me where to find those old xpls id be super happy those are my favorite speakers of all time
Thank u for the reply as well again now I feel bad lol. After hearing those comprs 8inch in truck boxes slamming I was shocked cuz the box was small but the bass was deep. On thing do kicker amps still have more power sometimes than it's rated I used to have the zr350 I think it was but in the box it was rated certified at 486rms I pushed the 2002 kicker comps 12s with it and my car banged. Could y'all email me my email is. Destincox83@gmail.com if y'all know where to find those old xpls if not I understand and will definitely look into getting the comprs 12s in a sealed box for now I have a box in the living room as a cat bed lol. I plan to start my own car audio shop and id like to one day be invited to join the kicker team. Again thank u for the reply and God bless
Not 100% sure where to find those exact amps (we don't hold on to them), but you could try eBay, craigslist, old-school stereo sites or maybe the discussion boards. Thanks for the kind words!
I still remember the first time I saw , heard and FELT your speakers. It in Atlanta was around 1986 or 87 it was the first Trade show my brother and I went too. We were the only kids there with Merchant's badges and you guys saw up put us in your Porsche 911. We were not even old enough to drive you asked our Dad if you could take us for a ride. We rode around the corner and we were hooked. It was when the car scene was just getting started with the bass. We started selling your speakers a few weeks later armed with only brochures you gave us. You guys helped set the car scene in NW Atlanta (Bankhead) It's still amazing that all of us was able to do so much with just phone calls and trust. That day will forever be in my memory. You guys did not talk down to us or refuse to acknowledge us like some of the vendors did. (My brother was 15 and I was 13 or 14) You guys treated us with respect and showed us the pride that you had in your product which gave us the drive to talk about a company that was not known in the Black Community to become the MUST have speakers for many!!
I just wish you guys had a better presence in Asia especially Japan.
I hope to see what you guys do in the next 30 years!!
Thank you sir! That is deeply appreciated. We have always believed that building others up and acknowledging everyone that loves audio is the right thing to do. Being good, moral people is truly who we try to be. You may enjoy the 50th anniversary video we just released: czcams.com/video/4qrNsWeDhug/video.html&lc=UgwgaOw6MxCD2uU8uEd4AaABAg
I still have my 10" Mohawk by Stillwater Designs.... Anyone else remember those things?
Oh, and a truly fascinating story... Pity it was so short! I would love to see more to kicker... I remember the first time that I saw kicker subwoofers, it was in Melbourne Australia at the original JB HIFI store in Keilor Downs... That was the early 90's... $450 retail for the 12"... At the time the speaker looked more like a high end home Hifi woofer compared to what is available today... But those were the days and they were very exciting indeed.... Cheers to a job well done.
I bought my first Stillwater design kicker crossover system box in 1984. (2) 8 inch speakers....tweeters along with passive radiators underneath. Placed it into my 1984 Nissan Pulsar, right behind the fold down seat. This was the most exceptional system I can remember owning. It cost me $400.00 way back then. Years later the speakers dry rotted and all was lost.
Just bought my first kicker set and couldn’t be happier!
That’s a great video and humble beginnings. Kicker is where it all started for me! Keep up the good work!!!
Steve Irby, the man who founded the Car Audio Company back in 1973. I definitely appreciate what you make for your customers and continuously deliver the best Kicker sound system to our vehicles of all types. I’m waiting for your next subwoofers, Amplifiers, Twitters and more from 2019 or later in the future. America’s #1 Car Audio Manufacturers and still keep producing good things and keep moving forward!
Pablo Rodriguez thanks Pablo!
KICKER your very welcome
I remember what it was like when I was a kid. Alpine head units glowing green, lots and lots of sound from two Solo-Barics and those persons would go around the block pumping songs with the windows down. I miss those days! Everything was so simple and straight I still love the 'real thing'. You guys ain't disappointing us now either. "You get more with less money" my teammate said. Kicker subs are famous at our place, even using them for home systems! I'm looking forward to the budget-oriented products.
This man actually said *it is a great peaceful place to be creative !*
What a fun video! Loved the wind advisory. Back in the early to mid 90s here in NYC, we never called them "Kickers" though...for some reason the name "Stillwaters" caught on even though we meant kickers, so I used to always hear people say, "I'm gonna pick up some Stillwaters for the trunk" when showing off their car. Brought back some memories seeing the "Stillwater Design" logo on the side of the building!
that's funny how that happened
This was so cool to see. True american entrepreneur what this country was built on.
Absolutely right!
I always Loved Kicker. Didn't know all my life i was so close to were it all started. Poteau, Ok here.
I would love to see what we called “Kicker Golds” the subs that had kicker written in gold on them, make a comeback! Best sounding subs hands down!
Had 2 15s they awesome subs
Back in what, 92-93 I pinstriped the Kicker horse logo on the hood of my car wen I got my first subs, F6.5's. I remember calling from high school to tech support to get a bandpass design. I'm still holding onto a par of the 6.5's to this day, in fact I tore the bandpass apart yesterday and I'm rebuilding it for my office.
Lots of Kicker memories and subs over the years.
Bring back the F6.5's! or some SoloX 6.5 or something!
Mark, I can tell you that we have supported all the major car audio competition finals for the first tie in a LONG time, helped make JY Power's The CUBE become a reality, and even attended Slamology for the first time ever. We don't officially talk about new products until SEMA or CES, but if you can read between the lines for me a little, I would ask you this... why are we getting back to those roots? Could we be building up to something? Hmmmmmmmmm :-)
KICKER Please bring back the 6.5” subs. Possibly Freeair or a solo 6 because I loved those small subs and no one ever believed they were so small but still hit over 130dBs.
Check these out: www.kicker.com/comp-rt-6-75-2-ohm-subwoofer
They also come in dual 1 ohm and are weatherproof. They have the same RMS as the old F series.
I have 2 12" impulse old school in great condition still in the box
Best on the Market in my opinion. I have used Kicker products for 25+ years in a variety of vehicles.
Very very cool I would love to visit someday
We hope you do! Keep watching KICKER social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and here). You'll get glimpses of the museum as well.
Sensacional! Recente mente adquiri um subwoofer 10cvr152 e estou espantado com o som forte e da estrema qualidade!
Thank you so much
Glad to help!
A full factory tour video would be Awesome
There are several out there. Try this one by Dean of Dean & Fernando fame: czcams.com/video/u4MJfPUKVfo/video.html
back in the day i thought kicker and punch were made by same company going off their names one punch while he other kick
Do you think there could be a possibility of Kicker doing a heritage line like Klipsch did and do low run production in the USA? I know that a few years back you did a round solo-baric but I would like to see something not only made here but more true to the original product. I understand that your company doesn't call a build house and order something up from china and hope for the best when you open the shipping container like other brands but I believe it would raise the brand up in the eyes of some consumers that are looking for something special. Also I want to let everyone know that I have called your customer service and I couldn't have received better support on a 19 year old product. Just amazing!
Hi Heywood, sorry it took a minute to respond, but here you go: first, no one can build a speaker top to bottom in America. You can assemble it here from parts sourced from overseas, but certain parts are simply impossible to source, like Neodymium for example. Baskets are also mainly forged overseas. The tradeoff is - of course - price. So here's what we do to keep the quality up (and share this if you like): First, everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - is engineered here in Stillwater, OK. Once we engineer it and like the sound, we send it overseas for production. Many companies will not do this. They go overseas and look at a "menu" of parts. Grab Magnet A, and combine it with Woofer Cone B, and make it look cool. It's a less expensive way of making a product, but doesn't always produce good sound or reliable gear. We don't do that. We say "Put your menu away. Build what we engineer - exactly how we engineered it." Once they create a sample, they send it back to us for testing and QC. We come back with notes/changes, etc...untill were satisfied. When the first batch of gear comes through the door - we QC it again. ALL of it. We don't just grab 1 or 2 from the batch.
So yeah - it is made overseas. But it Is engineered here, QC'd here, RE-QC'd here, then (and only then) sent to our dealers. We want our gear to be solid and reliable, but more than anything else, we see ourselves as a music company that lets anyone at nearly any price point have access to good sound. Not just big bass (don't get me wrong, we LOVE big bass) - but our gear has to sound good with music of all types - from Jazz to Reggae to Metal to Rap. Not every manufacturer can say that. It's why we have more mechanical, acoustic and electrical engineers in-house than most companies have total employees.
Thank you for responding. I have been a Kicker from Stillwater designs fan from the first time I heard a pair of c12's around 1992. I understand what your saying and where your coming from. I appreciate that kicker doesn't slap their name on just anything. I feel like when you say no one can make a sub in the USA you are selling the company short. In 1999 no one could make a square subwoofer. I feel if stillwater designs had the will to make a product here their is no doubt in my mind you could do it. Having it be cost effective is obviously the issue. My suggestion was that you do it for the same reason Ford motor company made the GT40. They most likely lost money or broke even on everyone they sold but they flexed their engineering muscle and raised the prestige of the brand doing it. I just want to see Kicker stay at the top and be considered the company that is embarrassing the competition. I felt that way when you dropped the ZR series of amplifiers. When you debut the L5 and L7 subwoofers and came out with the Warhorse. You seem to have a quality product line that works as a profitable business model but where's the jaw dropping must have amp/sub that gets the kids arguing in the comment section? Maybe you got something in the works that makes all this a mute point. Maybe I'm just old. Maybe both.
In the past year, we have sponsored the USACi, Unified and MWSPL finals. We supported JY Power in creating the 60,000-watt Cube with forty 15" Q Class L7 subs, and made our first appearance at Slamology. Could we be building up to something? Perhaps certain product(s) that a crowd like that would love? Officially, I can neither confirm nor deny - but let me ask you to read between the lines. :-)
P.S. We announce new products every CES. You may be in for a shock. #sharethis
I have 2 old school kicker impulse 12 inch subs 8ohms each, I think it’s time for some new kicker subwoofers, Ive been living in the Stone Age.
I just want to see all the humble beginnings of every big name car audio sub/amp/head unit and where they are today....the 90s equipment was so much better buildwise imHo
Kicker what would you recommend using for a factory radio hookup to a sub + amp installation The Kicker KISL or the KICKER KISLOC-2? I have a kicker amp And Kicker subwoofers.
Ju L what amp do you have?
KICKER CXA 600.1
Ju L Depending on your vehicle, it may be unnecessary for you to use a separate line out converter. What vehicle do you have, and does it have a premium audio system?
KICKER I have a 2013 Range Rover sport with the Harman Kardon sound system.
I bought the Kicker CompR 12 inch subs in a preloaded vented box with the kicker amp. Range rovers factory subs are terrible and was looking for more bass with this setup. Just would like to know in your opinion which Is better to use the Kicker KISL or the KICKER KISLOC-2?
where amd how can i visit love kicker my truck is all kicker. i need a mew family vacation destenation!
As a matter of fact, we even have a museum here! KICKER is located at 3100 North Husband, Stillwater, OK 74075. The museum is open from 9-4 weekdays, and is free to the public.
anything old and not wanted? Can you ship to texas 🙏
Sorry to say this but really kicker I used to love y'alls products back when made in USA and not sold in Wal-Mart I used to own kicker everything I even had the sticker on my car but now 🤔🤔🤔😢😲😭😭
Its assembled overseas, but that's about it, and that's just to keep it affordable. Everything else is done here. The engineering, the quality control, the design, all done right here in Stillwater, OK. In fact, Steve Irby - our founder - still listens to everything we build before it goes into production. He a has part in the entire process. So yes, some companies say "made in America" but many (if not most) of the components you use to make a speaker simply do not even exist in the US anymore. They may assemble it here, but it's not completely made here. We have more acoustic and mechanical engineers than most companies have total employees. WalMart does have a few of our products, but just the baseline gear. We believe that better sound should be available to everyone, even if you don't have a larger budget to work with.
Well u guys proved me wrong the newest line is awesome my cousin bought some comp rs yesterday and they slam. I realized to not all kicker is at Wal-Mart just the starter subs so I apologize for being so harsh before u guys have proved me wrong. I will be upgrading my car soon so I'll give kicker another go with compr 12s and door speakers. Now if u guys could tell me where to find those old xpls id be super happy those are my favorite speakers of all time
Thank u for the reply as well again now I feel bad lol. After hearing those comprs 8inch in truck boxes slamming I was shocked cuz the box was small but the bass was deep. On thing do kicker amps still have more power sometimes than it's rated I used to have the zr350 I think it was but in the box it was rated certified at 486rms I pushed the 2002 kicker comps 12s with it and my car banged. Could y'all email me my email is. Destincox83@gmail.com if y'all know where to find those old xpls if not I understand and will definitely look into getting the comprs 12s in a sealed box for now I have a box in the living room as a cat bed lol. I plan to start my own car audio shop and id like to one day be invited to join the kicker team. Again thank u for the reply and God bless
Not 100% sure where to find those exact amps (we don't hold on to them), but you could try eBay, craigslist, old-school stereo sites or maybe the discussion boards. Thanks for the kind words!
Can we get a sub that does 1500w rms plz or more the 1000w rms scene is in the past
he left out the place in China that makes them OOF !
When was this???
The kicker 41vl722 Box no good because the is too skinn 3/8 come on kicker 🤣
300,000 sq ft of basically a shipping/receiving warehouse. Zero manufacturing. Kicker is a Chinese company. Such a shame.
Watch this tour: facebook.com/KICKERaudio/videos/410093123023238/
Kicker...the crown jewel of the flea market lol
kiezer sosay very, VERY far from it.
Tell that to my JLs...
I buy it kicker vsl7122 end this shit don't have it magnet cover kicker give my money back 🤑