KICKER TRPT122 Dual 12" down-firing subwoofer Special Thanks to KICKER for usage of the video clips: ru-vid.com Shop: (affiliate links) 12" Loaded Enclosure TRPT122: amzn.to/3NRyEte 10" Loaded Enclosure: amzn.to/3Kicmyp 8" Loaded Enclosure: amzn.to/3r6OK8q Or build your own: 12" CompRT Subwoofer (D4): amzn.to/3DIKqBs 12" CompRT Subwoofer (D2): amzn.to/3uaemTQ 12" CompRT Passive Radiator: amzn.to/3uQTU9G 10" CompRT Subwoofer (D4): amzn.to/36TwjgL 10" CompRT Subwoofer (D2): amzn.to/3LJMvjb 10" CompRT Passive Radiator: amzn.to/3NUwqsM 8" CompRT Subwoofer (D4): amzn.to/3jaR2ip 8" CompRT Subwoofer (D2): amzn.to/3ufPbiU 8" CompRT Passive Radiator: amzn.to/3NOHOqj Video Index: 0:00 Intro 0:15 About the Review 0:40 Passive Radiators 1:15 Comp RT Overview 1:35 Unboxing 2:01 Specs / Features 4:03 In Vehicle Install 4:55 Inside Car Tests 6:42 Inside Lab Tests 7:23 Pros / Cons 8:01 Conclusion 8:59 Extras Note: Product was supplied by KICKER, but no compensation or further involvement in the video. I will gladly return the speaker at KICKER's request. DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase from one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
@@wal there's a Netflix story on him. They really ripped his family off. If you haven't checked it out. Hey,, how can I get in touch with you? Is there an email or something on your website. I didn't see anything...
These setups are for people who are ex bass heads who want to save space or have a family. We want a little more but not wanting to win comps. I hate bad reviews on awesome little setups like this. We're just trying to relive our youth while preserving what's left of our hearing.
This is great for people who want some thump but don't want to break the bank or try to compete with the bass head next door! Kudos to Kicker. Also D you got the subscribers because you do awesome content and help consumer wise by keeping the amp manufacturers honest! Keep it up!
He doesn't keep them honest. The liers keep lying and the honest ones don't have to lie. If he was keeping them honest he'd run out of content. He tells us who's lying, and tells us if it's still worth buying even though they lied about it
I have the 10 inch version on the back floor of my 2020 F150. Overall, I'd say this lineup is outstanding bang for the buck. I knew I'd eventually be doing an audio upgrade when I purchased my truck, but I wanted more than a "behind the back seat" subwoofer. For my needs, the 10 inch model was the way to go. I still have plenty of room for all my fishing gear, and should I need to fold the back seats down, there's plenty of clearance. That being said, you need to keep your expectations realistic. This is not a full on "shake the leaves off the trees" unit, nor is it the "best of the best" sounding sub on the market. Don't let that deter you from a potential purchase, though. This is not a cheaply made sub, and the sound quality is legit. Worth noting....these boxes are SOLID. Don't worry about throwing your groceries or your gym bag on top of this thing. You ain't damaging this box without intent. This is a perfect sub for someone who doesn't wanna break the bank on a custom enclosure with ridiculously high priced components. If you just wanna plug, play, have instant bass and enjoy, this is definitely a good option to consider.
I have a 12 coming and am excited for it. It's gonna be my first aftermarket sub. But I got a rsx and intend to take shit around with me in it since it's a hatch back. This I think will be perfect. I was thinking of mounting it to the back of the seats so when they fold it would be almost right next to me. But not sure if it is doable. I don't think so tbh but I haven't held one yet.
Those boxes are for sure an improvement over most built-in audio systems. Only my 2020 Audi had a pretty nice sub from the factory. The current Burmeister system in my '23 Mercedes doesn't even have a sub despite being a 1500 dollar option extra.
I just put one of the self powered ones in a 2014 mitsubishi mirage... all I can say is WOW. My first sub setup and I can say I am thoroughly impressed!
I have that exact sub in my Mini Cooper running off the sub side of a PDX-V9. I cannot express how happy I am with it, it's a lot of boom for the money and size.
Kicker took the same 6 1/2 “ woofer with a 8” passive radiator .They sold as 2 separate truck boxes .A friend on mine has a pair . They has a Piezo horn tweeters.They handled I believe I 100 watts .They didn’t sound bad .It was a full range box .
@@wal It was a weird looking poly woofer .With a flat Passive radiator. Flat passive radiators weren’t used often back then .Plus Kicker is probably one of the only companies who used passive radiators I think Pyle only made 1 model much later with a Passive Radiator Kicker has been using Passive Radiators since Atleast 1982? That I know of I think most companies just put. Speaker in a ported of sealed box .Market the crap out of it .Kicker Obviously innovates a lot of things The Solo baric was a huge game Changer . Before they created those .We had huge 1.5-3 cu DHT boxes for each woofer Just to get good low end I must say I had Kicker always needed smaller boxes then anyone else I went to Kicker because I wanted to run 4 12-‘s in my T-Bird .I have 4 Competition 12’s .I was running a Phoenix Gold 2125 driving all 4 .That amp has insane power .Plus 2-250’s One for front stage and one for rear stage That car rocked!!! I only had 450 watts rated power .Of course it was twice that But those Kickers hit !! Never failed 3 cars later lmao
I had some sick kicker free air setups back in the 90s, dual 12s really rocked. Built into the rear seat back using the whole trunk as a box.. I can't believe you've got a 1000 watts in your hand there. I've been out of the scene for almost 2 decades. I still have my old free air subs from 1994, and I liked the us acoustics amps in the early 2000s, still have them. Thinking about finally reinstalling a system into my current car.
I am freaking pumped you did this review. I have been looking at the 10” version to put in my SideXside which has the perfect spot for it. Have not found any good reviews of these so I have held back. Now I am going to order me up one I think!! Not looking for big bass just a nice balanced sound to go with all the Infinity Kappa components in it.
I have the 8” version in my 03 Mustang. Using a JL audio Amp putting out 500w at 2ohms. The 8” serves my purpose well…but that 12” is tempting. Great review…
I have the KICKER TRPT122 Dual 12" down-firing subwoofer in my audi q5. Its a good REPLACEMENT for the factory sub only. A little more than the factory sub. I had mined modified by adding 1inch more in height to the legs, because it sounded like the speakers were hitting the floor. It did help a little. Your not going to shake the cars next too you. But what i can say that the box is very sturdy, dont worry about damaging it. I have d block 500watt amp on it. So remeber, Its a REPLACEMENT sub from the little sub in the trunk of a audi q5.
I got the exact same one for my Escalade ESV and it sounded like total crap even with a 400wrms Class D amp. I honestly think that vehicle is too big for something that small in the trunk. I tried everything, no go. Then I decided to try the wife's cheapo Planet Audio 12 inch which is in a regular sealed box from ebay, lo and behold I got instant loud bass with excellent response down to about 25Hz! I'm guessing vehicle acoustics is the key but it's trial and error I guess which can get costly... I just hate the fact of having box to move around...
That's one of those situations where screwing the box down greatly increases the output since the woofer is firing against a solid surface. Also, not sure if you opened the pass through to the trunk, but that would likely improve the bass in the car.
I'm adding a system to my old Bronco and was looking at this along other enclosures. This review made me go this route. Thanks for your reviews Big D! 👍🏽
I would love an in car test with an SPL meter for reference. I don't know what you had in there before, but a test of a single 12" in a normal ported or sealed box vs this. Plus I would like to see the in car frequency response. I have been thinking heavily on a passive radiator instead of going with a vented box and have not seen the data apples to apples. These would be great for single cab pickups if they have the quality as a normal single shallow sub.
A passive radiator is superior to a vented enclosure in every way but costs. A matching passive driver is usually pretty expesive cosidering it doesnt have an expensive magnet. Ive built a couple and nothing plays lower than lots of big heavy cone with low fs
I have one in my wifes 2013 Toyota Highlander running off a JL JD1000/1 (Turned down to 33.5vRMS @ 50hz on my multimeter) it's great in that we can pile 2 weeks worth of groceries on top of it and it still bumps. the JD1000/1 is WAY more than enough power for this box. I'd guess is can do close to 129-130db on 500RMS it peaks low, something like 38hz so it's not going to squeak out a surprising SPL score playing 50-60hz. not bad at all for the price out the door.
I have a 2004 s10 crew cab. I have no room for subs. I bought the Kicker 43TCWRT672. I had to cut out the jack holder (the jack was long since lost). I am impressed with the bass output. By no means will it rattle the neighbors but inside the cab it is more than enough to add some defined lows.
I would love to see you test the L7 series right next to this one. It’s a shame they didn’t send you both at once. The L7 series might be perfect for my girlfriends pickup. Might fit nicely under the crew cab rear seats. Wanna see you test it first tho. Thanks Big D Whizzzzz
@@wal Do you think this Kicker box will perform in my single cab F250? I have a 10” Rockford P3s running 350 watts RMS. It’s okay, but it isn’t that great
@@HighVybeTribe If i had the room, i wouldn’t be asking questions about these skinny boxes. No crap a better box would perform well. I simply don’t have the room
We have the 12” on a RF Prime 500x1 in my wife’s 2020 Grand Cherokee. She really enjoys it, doesn’t compare to the 2 12W3s in my MegaCab but it adds the perfect amount of bass for a non bass head
I tried to get this one put into my truck, but ended up with the 10 inch L7T Shallow Mount. Man that joint is amazing. It is my first subwoofer I’ve ever purchased. Other than the Infinity Bass Link Mini. 😢 Powered Subwoofer. Like the info I got from this channel. Actually paired my sub with the JL Audio RD 900/5 based off your JL Audio Amplifier tests. Much appreciated stay blessed sir!
If I could shake your hand I would, this was an awesome review you did! I stopped by my local car audio shop and was looking at these today, but was very skeptical. I have a 2018 Camry I’ll be adding a subwoofer in as the stock system (non JBL) doesn’t have much bass output. The down-firing compact design is what caught my attention to begin with, because I want to retain as much space as possible in the trunk so I can fit my bowling equipment and luggage in the trunk. I told the guy at the place I went that I was going to go home and do some research before biting a $700 bullet (amp, subs, and installation), and this is what I wanted to see. Anyways, thank you again for the amazing review!
they are good if you want to fill out a 500 watt system. but like all boxes of that nature you need to add a small L bracket to each side to keep it from sliding around when driving and they are mostly designed to go under a back seat of ext, or crew cab trucks.
These are 100% for people like me who just want strong sound quality bass. I bought one for my truck and use with with a DSP and about 300 watts RMS. It’s so damn good that I bought a second one!! They’re just so damn clean. Also, they absolutely sound better the longer you use them. I’ve had mine for about 3 years now.
I have a Kia Soul wanted more bass from my factory radio. My goodness the bass is awesome. Fits well in my Kia trunk with enough room for groceries. I’m not looking for blow your ears out bass so it works. If you don’t know by now I LOVE it.
Appreciate all your videos. Me and a few of my friends had those Stillwater boxes. We were all the time duct taping those radiators. Especially with Beasties (Liscense to ill on cassette of course) and some Rob Bass
Yeah that were amazing! Friend with a Pulsar NX hatch had a Super II (dual 8’s, dual 10” passives and dual horns) and that thing got crazy loud on a Punch 45 amp!
This video is why I like your content. Was looking for a box that would fit in my 88 Corvette convertible. There is absolutely no space back there when the top is down. This looks perfect. I might buy 3 or 4 for my other vehicles. Thanks Big D!
Thanks. I have one coming and can you tell me how/where you mounted it? I have a 2 door and was going to mount it behind rear seats but don't want to drill into the body.
I purchased one of these as I really did not want to give up my trunk space. I previously ran a single Rockford 12" P3 Punch in a ported box (1.8cuft), but needed another subwoofer for a second vehicle. While this Kicker did produce bass, I was not a fan of how it sounded. Perhaps because it was downfiring? I noticed it sounded a bit better if you pointed it upwards. Overall, the bass lacked depth and was felt hollow. I ended up returning it and had to pay about $30 for return shipping costs. Later I purchased a loaded Kicker L7S. Day and night difference. Huge improvement. I think I was expecting more, especially since the passive radiator looks like another 12 inch subwoofer. In reality, this should be viewed as a super slim sub that has a passive radiator as opposed to a port. A port is more efficient and will produce more output. This is not a bad solution, just dont expect the same type of bass as you would get with a L7 or P3 in a larger porter enclosure.
Because of this video I purchased one. My current setup was 2 kicker 10” in a massive box. Hooked it up today. It do bump doe!! Bye bye big box. Hello trunk space.
I use to have one of these and loved it upset my audio installer blew it up and denied it! Luckily I bought it at best buy and got a warranty and I instead got a pioneer 12 inch slim sub with the box and I used it with an alpine class d mono amp with 676 rms and on the box it was rated for 600.
Power isn’t everything. Sensitivity is. A sub that’s 90dB/w takes a 10th of the amount of power to do the same thing as one that’s 80dB/w. Apparently those are 98dB/w @1m but I find that a bit hard to believe.
Ribbbed… for her pleasure. lol I actually remember the old school Stillwater Designs enclosures with a passive radiator. In the early ‘90s Kicker had two subwoofer lines under the Kicker by Stillwater Designs line; freeair and enclosed. We used four C18’s in our demo back then. Crazy how far they’ve come.
Ordered one and installed today. For the size it's ok. Small suv 2019 toyota rav4. Not for the people that like to feel the bass more for the hear the bass type. Might be under powered only running 400 watts? However does complement mids and highs and is decent for such a small enclosure. Contacted kicker the 12 is tuned to 35hz and the 10 to 44hz. If that helps anyone...
Im quite a fan of compact subwoofer box with passive radiator since I owned a pickup where big boxes are not an option without sacrificing back bench seat
Big D... luv the Bob Ross air freshener... need a Richard Simmons one, lol! I have a 10" Kicker CVT sub I'm installing (need the 10" passive radiator, coming soon). The sub was a 'pre-owned' eBay purchase but it operates just fine, always a gamble on used components of course but with S/H included, got it for just under $40 so well worth the risk, IMO... it's one of the grey cones, miss that series back in the day. I don't recall you explaining why the enclosure works so well... what the passive radiator does. The Kicker passive radiators are NOT adjustable (if you don't know what that means, my friends, then you are respectfully not well experienced using passive radiators). The passive radiator in the box tunes the box and makes it play "much larger" than the size of the box but internal air space being CRITICAL to the sub operating at peak efficiency. Power (RMS of course) is less in handling than if you just had the sub in a sealed box... use the rated power (400 watts of CLEAN power for my 10") where I could go to 450-500 watts in a sealed enclosure (no passive radiator). MY particular set-up will be in a space (building a custom enclosure where the 'factory sub would go if I had one) in the rear corner of my 2006 Saturn Vue... will be upgrading to a thin line 12" L7 later in a sealed enclosure in the same locations (rated 600 watts RMS, will be pushing 700 though but of course, the RMS rating is at high volume, much less power at lower volume, etc.) Since I'll be using the interior quarter panel to fabricate my (fiberglass/wood) enclosure, I could potentially swap out the enclosures if I wanted to but the fun is in the design & fabrication, doing different set-ups with different components. You all know what I'm saying (no, I'm not 'Butters'). I want to conserve my cargo space and not trying to set any SPL records... daily driver. Besides, doing a 4-way system with the 6.75" Kicker RTs in the doors for mid-bass so it will be low/loud enough. I do love some DJ Magic Mike, Bass Boy, Quad City DJs, etc... 90's for the young ones out there. I listen to a lot of EDM, Yanni, Sarah Brightman, classic vocal jazz, etc. so SQ is top priority but sometimes you have to "let the bass drop". I'm going to be running the Jensen XDA series of amps for a while (they have an updated line out now, just cosmetically different... STILL NO BASS KNOB but the NVX bass restoration unit is under $90 on eBay now, the Epicenter is going off at @$140, not too shabby... although the in0dash 1/2 DIN unit with SPL meter/mic is still at $250). Knowing that I can always lower my crossover point with the four RTs down to 40-60Htz using the Jensen/Dual app on the fly is also a big bonus. To anyone who has read this far, kudos. I'm just chatting away... good day my friends and Happy Hump Dayyyy!
If you’re pushing a lot of watts make sure there’s some clearance below the sub/radiator, in this video they bump 1” at some frequencies. This car’s trunk has a lip on the sides which lifts it up. Perfect situation! measure the dimensions to get a good fitting box
4:45 I’ll point out there is overlap between the speaker & trunk lips - so maybe getting the 10” version would have more longevity here. Not being an expert but i would be concerned with downward firing membranes hitting the trunk deck & wearing out fast
I have the 10 inch version of this subwoofer in the back of my truck, and I ended up installing 1/2 inch rubber feet to raise the box up some. The raised contours on my rear mat were occasionally making contact with the subwoofer surround. Kicker should have designed the feet on this box a little taller. I'm not the first one to have this issue.
I used to think that using passive radiators was a market secret that people weren't supposed to know about, only to find out that it ACTUALLY IS a difficult concept to get right when it comes to system configuration. To drive a passive radiator, you need an extremely powerful primary woofer and specially tuned & powerful amp to push it. Your cabinet has to be completely SEALED. If you push-in on the radiator, your woofer should push-out and stay out for at least a couple of seconds. You need an extremely powerful amp to drive the primary woofer, and the primary woofer has to be designed to take a lot of power without ventilation. Imagine taking a decent 15 inch woofer and reducing the cone size to about 8 inches with the same coil, magnet, and amp. But you're adding a passive radiator and cabinet space is as small as possible. That's what it takes for hidden speakers to sound great!
There was one of these in the truck the shop I work for bought along with a small kicker amp and yeah my bar is pretty high but I thought this sub was pretty weak sauce.... Its not just a small enclosure it sounds like a small enclosure, it doesn't hit very low and sounds like it's getting out of shape pretty easy. If you just want a bit more low end in your music fine but not for any real bumpin.....✌️
With Kicker, anything below 40hz is a wast. So remember to cut off all them frequencies below 40hz. For a decent high power SQ experience. Does give off a very clean look. We need a 15in model as well. Or even better. A quad box version. Im a big fan of a well built passive radiator subwoofer design.
Just got back from Sound Solutions here in Greensboro NC talking to them about this product. Dude tried selling it to me for $700. Came back and saw it on Crutchfield for $250.
Ok I'm probably gonna ask a complete newbie question here (maybe I missed something but yes I always watch the vids in their entirety... Why does Kicker choose to use a passive radiator rather than just using two 12" CompRT subs?? Lol yes like I said probably a newbuddy question but I've had a lot of different systems throughout the years yet I've never owned a passive radiator (not even in my home audio), and I've never been around friends or anyone else who had a passive radiator. Don't beat me up too much for my question fellas (and ladies), I'm just hoping to learn something new here. *By the way I was very surprised by the amount of bass that lil setup seemed to produce inside the cabin of the Accord! I didn't think it would be able to even vibrate the rear view mirror in the slightest. Props to Big D for another great video & to Kicker for still supporting and contributing to car audio, audiophiles & bassheads all these years, even though much of the younger generation do not seem to appreciate or respect Kicker like I feel they should.
Great video! I’ve always been curious to the passive radiator since seeing Boston acoustics use them in some of the gtuned boxes in the late 00’s. Noticed last year that kicker had a few setups with the passive radiator but have been reluctant to pull the trigger. Might have to now!
nice product from KICKER... I was among the earliest dealer/installers in 1981 here in Hawaii at AA Sound Systems. I remember well them original Kicker boxes as we could barely keep em in stock. Great sound from a small package made for back of truck seat use. Only thing I can say is that Passive radiator systems in general tend to cancel themselves out at a certain level as the forward waves from the woofer become backward waves in the passive radiator. This effect increases with volume. Sorta like hooking up a set of woofers out of phase. Coupling issues. GREAT for the quick fix!!!... Nice package. GO Kicker!!!! Keeping Car Audio ALIVE!!!! BDBD/2022
My mom’s 04 mustang convertible has 2 Power bass 10s that the previous owner installed as they used the car in mardigras parades! Good little car although I would like updated the radio to something with Bluetooth since we both have newer iPhones so the only two options is Bluetooth or using the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter which sucks because it doesn’t leave an option to charge the phone!
Perfect for your DAILY car that you have to use for things like Getting stuff. Other than your ride on the weekends. They also work well as some of these flat and compact designs can be used Under your seat or right behind it. Helping with time and phase issues. The one thing I'm going to say outright? Your going to need ALL of that power from your amp to drive these. Or look forward to your Bass boost switch running your amp into clipping. So don't do that. That's why so many of these kinds of subs blow. You really REALLY need to have clean power to go to them to perform. Plan on getting an amp that does at least 700 watts RMS to give you some Headroom. But if you got the space? Go for a ported or sealed box if you can. Much better efficiency. Really surprised with its extension! They tuned this small box very well!
I've owned SO MANY SYSTEMS but never once had a box that was sealed with a passive radiator. I have had sealed, ported, slotted, and even t-line. And the best sounding to me was sealed. no port noise and hard hitting bass. Port wasn't bad, hit harder on the low end but the upper bass suffers. T-line wasn't bad but I probably designed the box wrong as didn't outperform the sealed or ported. If I ever heal from my spinal cord injury, im going back to sealed. put a nice 12" sealed in my 2015 mirage. replace the polk door speakers with the new sony ones that just came out. new headunit. and ill be flying.
Well, well, well. I wanted something exactly like this for the storage area in my Tesla Y. Seems to perform without a lot of boom that I would have expected from a tiny enclosure. With some shaping EQ, it seems like it would blend below the roughy 40Hz cutoff of the stock 8” nicely.
Looks as though it is not much (if any) louder than my spare tire subwoofer from cerwin Vega. I added a RF line driver and it compliments the stock bose system beautifully
Wish I would have known about this before buying my sundown 8" , no lack in performance from the sundown but even though it's just an 8" the enclosure takes up to much space on the rear of my small suv
![Kickin' it Slim Style? KICKER 12" Down Firing Subwoofer TRPT122 [4K]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
