I remember my bro had a 80ss in his 88' GT on 2 12s and Daaamn was it loud. Full nose hair tickles. His ride was a total Panty Dropper back in 1989. Full custom loweider paintjob, coffin upholstered, hydraulics, 400hp cammed, heads, intake Insanity! I was 6 years old and that amp stayed with us for years and years after.
Thanks bud. I've probably spent as much on magazines as I have on amps over the past 3-4 years. I started a scanning project, but at 5-6 hours per magazine, I decided this was a task I would have to take up later once things slow down a little.
thanks man, wondered how many people would stick around to the end. The 200 DSM comparo video is going to be much longer than most of my vids, but I will try my best to make it a good one
i had 3 of those running 6 kicker 8 ohm 15s, 4 ohm mono. it's funny you compared it with that Orion 2250 that's what I had running my mids and highs, super loud and clean
Good stuff once again. The first amp I ever bought brand new was from Car Stereo One back home in Michigan in 1996. The amp was a Kicker ZR360 pushing 2x12 Kicker Competitions. I absolutely hated that amp. Never had a good experience with it. Once I saved some more money I purchased (new) a Punch 225.2 and that was all she wrote. But that was my experience and yours may have varied.
Wow, I usually don't hear negative comments about the Kicker ZR series, but I've also heard people have bad experiences with RF amps...neither I have experienced.
Bought my Kicker gear from them as well. Less shady than house of car stereo but they had the rockford and ppi so you had to deal with them. If you look most the time on ebay the 120,240, and 360 go for the same price. People in the know on the zr series knew that the 360 was the week link. Alot of times you can get a zx460 on the cheep because it's a 4 channel but it's as good as a 240.
Thanks. I test what I have and can get my hands on. I have a Carver amp I was planning on making a vid about, but haven't decided for sure. It's the M-4060 model
I had the 200si for a very short period, maybe 7 months or so...burned up the power input stage. Sent it back to Stillwater designs and they wanted $100 to fix an amp I spent $200 on. That's a lot back in 1997 when you are in hs with no money. I ended up just leaving it with them.
saw this and decided to dig mine out of the closet to use in my next build. Took it to my local shop for a bench test, and yellow led protection light was all that came on. Any ideas on where to send it for repair, Kicker won't touch it because it's too old and they don't have the parts. Please help!
I grew up 30 min from Stillwater. Had one of these and one of the 160ss...Sure wish I would have kept them. Loved that amp but man oh man on a hot 110 degree Oklahoma summer day you could literally cook a steak on them. They never shut off from being too hot but I mean it, you could literally cook a steak dinner on them. Prob didn't help I had them stuffed in a trunk with no fans either tho lol
Would you accept any amps for Dyno testing, etc? I have a hifonics Zeus elite 2550.1 that I bought new 2 years ago collecting dust, and I always wondered what it put out.. I've never seen another person that has one or any videos of one online anywhere. I replaced it with a Sundown saz-1500, so I don't use it and would really like to see it on the dyno.
judging from some of the comments people are cluelss. lol...all amps not same. if you are just now getting into amplifiers you have missed the golden era ...
I am/was known on DIYMA as an amp collector. I owned everything from Alphansonic to Zed. People these days just see amps ass bass machines but then again nothing today can compare to a an made like a Phoenix Gold ZPA. Might not be the best amp ever BUT it was a work of art to see....things like that are long gone. I was an amp junkie .
+Travis Gully Yep, they can be purchased - look into SMD here: stevemeadedesigns.com/home Place to purchase (note this was only the first google "I'm feel'n lucky" hit): www.wccaraudio.com/smd-amp-dyno-ad-1.html BTW, check out Steed Meade Designs other more portable technician's equipment as that equipment might be more up your alley, esp. if your looking to do lot's of stereo equipment and such on a more professional level. It's not that the Amp Dyno isn't good (it is), I'm just thinking in terms of both price, flexibility, as well as portability. Before Big D got the dyno he was using those tools. Good luck! :-)
From my experience with the Kicker amps of the day, they did make reliable and clean power but they were incredibly difficult to fit in most applications! The damn things were HUGE!!!! Even the smallest 2 channels were massive...
Can you do some dynos at 25hz. Lots of these class D Amps now days drop off below 40hz. I like it when it will drop at 25-30hz and shake the seat like someone's hitting it and it seems many of these class D amps dont do it. My old school amps would move a sub to it's full xmax with a 10hz test tone. My JBL 1001 ex will barely even move my 4 8's at 10hz, but at 40hz they do. My SVS pb2000 12 subwoofer I have for my home theater will even move quite a bit at 10hz and you can feel it even at 15hz. I'd like to know which amps really push the lows before I buy another amp only to be let down when the bass drops below 40hz.
Why stop at 4ohm? I was told all pre2000 kicker amps would run beyond spec but for warranty reasons manuel told us not too. For instance an x100-x100s was capable of .5 ohm.
Dereck BigDWiz. I'll be looking I love ur videos I even go back and see ur older videos I've already seen I watch again never know wat u may miss especially as my knowledge of car audio grows
Was this amp not .5 ohm stable. Also test the ss100. Do you have any information on the old-school kicker's Coca-Cola Thunder Truck from Naff's car audio and electronic?
I still haven't put the thread sealer on the fet clamp screws yet. I have an article from 1989 in PDF if you want from Car Stereo Review. Send me an email bigdwiz (at) gmail dot com and I'll send it to ya
This amp was BadAss. Pushed my 4 12 inch Pioneer single voice coil. Speakers hard. Just knocked. Only problem. Kept melting the ground inside the amp. Sent to Stillwater designs 3 different times to be repaired! They fixed it twice and third time. Said we cant fix it. Will give you $75 off a new amp. Are you fucking serious. An amp I Paid $1000 dollars for. They couldn't explain why the ground kept melting inside the amp. Told them to go screw themselves. And told everyone I know what happened and not buy their dogshit. This was back in 1998. Their stuff has gone down hill. I still have the amp sitting and collecting dust. Also still have the kicker 200si that I don't use in same plastic tote sitting.
I actually called them last month and asked about that and they only make one amp thats 1ohm stable anymore and its a monoblock. So i went and got a NIB ZR240 and slightly used ZX460 which were my dreams amps from back then anyways. Will be installing them in my 2017 Mazda 3 GT this summer. Cant wait.
If you read the comments on my ZR1000 test, you'll notice the guy who designed the ZR series comment. They were also regulated and were beasts. I just pinned his post in the comments for this video ua-cam.com/video/quDA0H1XB7w/v-deo.html
hi there BigDWiz i wanted your opinion on the JL amps JX series are they worth the money they seeem a bit expensive and the w3 subs? looks like i can get a "better" speaker for les money and also amp is it worth it what am i paying for?
I've heard they did about 1700-1850 but thst was probably 1 ohm. the 500ss is different inside but idk what the differences are. theres the 500si 500ss and the x100s the x100s was a store demo or sponsored person only amp so they are very rare. I bought one nib a year ago for about 800$ and a used one last night online for about 450$ out of Australia.
I've heard they did about 1700-1850 but thst was probably 1 ohm. the 500ss is different inside but idk what the differences are. theres the 500si 500ss and the x100s the x100s was a store demo or sponsored person only amp so they are very rare. I bought one nib a year ago for about 800$ and a used one last night online for about 450$ out of Australia.
As a comparison, the Orion XTR-2250 was $1299 and the Lanzar Opti 2500 was $1199 in 1996. Similar amp today would be the Rockford Fosgate Punch 1000x2, which retails for $599
good amps in the 90's cost good money. you get what you pay for.....and back then it was quality! my made in the USA Phoenix Gold M100 (1kw amp) cost me 800.00 back then. expensive yes, the market wasn't flooded then like it is today.
Wow, I just bought a Lanzar Opti 11k for a grand(which was the cheapest I found by $100+) so thats crazy to think that a 2.5k was the same price, lol. But from everything I've read/watched/heard these Opti's are beasts even now...especially compared to all the other lanzar junk
I miss those " Still Water Designs" days. Your amp dyno videos are very helpful!
+JD Walker thanks bro 🤘
The old school kicker amps is monsters!!!
good powa for back in the day fo sho
Kicker do over rated power, and they amps pound hard!! Do you test any other amps
my favorite kicker amp. sweet video big d
I remember my bro had a 80ss in his 88' GT on 2 12s and Daaamn was it loud. Full nose hair tickles. His ride was a total Panty Dropper back in 1989. Full custom loweider paintjob, coffin upholstered, hydraulics, 400hp cammed, heads, intake Insanity! I was 6 years old and that amp stayed with us for years and years after.
This was my favorite Kicker heatsink. It was very authoritative and also unique.
+Mickey Pietrzak very unique, I agree
Awesome Video Dereck!~
Been wanting to see what one of those will do. Great video.
thank you sir
29th 😎that amp with 2 c15a did some work back in high school
big d love your videos man. thats really cool that you have those old magazines too.
Thanks bud. I've probably spent as much on magazines as I have on amps over the past 3-4 years. I started a scanning project, but at 5-6 hours per magazine, I decided this was a task I would have to take up later once things slow down a little.
I never tried the Kicker amps from back in the day, looks like I made a mistake. Keep 'em comin Big D!
I never had a problem with any kicker amp of sub. did with a couple mids. but that was my fault for letting some help me install. great video.
tears of joy.....i love this amp
saw that ending too.....i cant wait! lol
thanks man, wondered how many people would stick around to the end. The 200 DSM comparo video is going to be much longer than most of my vids, but I will try my best to make it a good one
i had 3 of those running 6 kicker 8 ohm 15s, 4 ohm mono. it's funny you compared it with that Orion 2250 that's what I had running my mids and highs, super loud and clean
yeah I had this amp on two kicker old school cvrs the red and black cone
Good stuff once again. The first amp I ever bought brand new was from Car Stereo One back home in Michigan in 1996. The amp was a Kicker ZR360 pushing 2x12 Kicker Competitions. I absolutely hated that amp. Never had a good experience with it. Once I saved some more money I purchased (new) a Punch 225.2 and that was all she wrote. But that was my experience and yours may have varied.
Wow, I usually don't hear negative comments about the Kicker ZR series, but I've also heard people have bad experiences with RF amps...neither I have experienced.
Bought my Kicker gear from them as well. Less shady than house of car stereo but they had the rockford and ppi so you had to deal with them. If you look most the time on ebay the 120,240, and 360 go for the same price. People in the know on the zr series knew that the 360 was the week link. Alot of times you can get a zx460 on the cheep because it's a 4 channel but it's as good as a 240.
@@brentb5303yea, the 240 was the unicorn of the bunch.
@@TalonPro For sure.
Love this old school shit .. this is the shit I grew up on ..
BigD how about testing a carver amp . I had a few of them for my sound quality install in the 90's. Great video as always .
Thanks. I test what I have and can get my hands on. I have a Carver amp I was planning on making a vid about, but haven't decided for sure. It's the M-4060 model
Nice! Let's you see that old school anit no slouch!
I want to see kicker zx amps on dyno ???🙏🙏🙏
I wanted that amp so bad back in the day,
Nice amps!!!
I had the 200si for a very short period, maybe 7 months or so...burned up the power input stage. Sent it back to Stillwater designs and they wanted $100 to fix an amp I spent $200 on. That's a lot back in 1997 when you are in hs with no money. I ended up just leaving it with them.
I used to have this amp, it was a good little amp. Ran super hot 😎
+Jason Thompson running Hot means the heatsink is doing its work 😁
BigDWiz Yeah all the old Rockford amps I owned were the same way. Could fry an egg on it haha
More Kicker Amps!
Solid
I wanna see a taramps hd mono amp dyno, why hasn't anyone done a dyno on one of these
saw this and decided to dig mine out of the closet to use in my next build. Took it to my local shop for a bench test, and yellow led protection light was all that came on. Any ideas on where to send it for repair, Kicker won't touch it because it's too old and they don't have the parts. Please help!
Hey bigD can you do an amp dyno of a power acoustik rz12300d i wanna see if it at least pushes 1400 watts
I grew up 30 min from Stillwater. Had one of these and one of the 160ss...Sure wish I would have kept them. Loved that amp but man oh man on a hot 110 degree Oklahoma summer day you could literally cook a steak on them. They never shut off from being too hot but I mean it, you could literally cook a steak dinner on them. Prob didn't help I had them stuffed in a trunk with no fans either tho lol
I know they`re not cheap but it would be nice to see you do a video on the JLAudio HD600 or the HD750.
I've had my eyes peeled for an HD750, as soon as I can get one for a reasonable price, I'll test it out.
Like to see the new i q class amps or that kicker zx 2500.1
I would like to see you try out a MTX blue thunder Pro 150x2 to see what those amps put out
I've already tested one, let me find the Dyno sheet
Dereck BigDWiz do you have a video would really like to see it
Nice I'm running 2 15" mtx thunder 8000s with mtx blue thunder pro 150x2 for each sub
Would you accept any amps for Dyno testing, etc? I have a hifonics Zeus elite 2550.1 that I bought new 2 years ago collecting dust, and I always wondered what it put out.. I've never seen another person that has one or any videos of one online anywhere. I replaced it with a Sundown saz-1500, so I don't use it and would really like to see it on the dyno.
judging from some of the comments people are cluelss. lol...all amps not same. if you are just now getting into amplifiers you have missed the golden era ...
+Michael zeda christian103wolf its all good, I should do a better job of explaining the differences
I am/was known on DIYMA as an amp collector. I owned everything from Alphansonic to Zed. People these days just see amps ass bass machines but then again nothing today can compare to a an made like a Phoenix Gold ZPA. Might not be the best amp ever BUT it was a work of art to see....things like that are long gone. I was an amp junkie .
I payed 800 for my Sundown scv3000, two years ago. Now it's 850.
I always wondered why Kicker amp's aren't a little more common. Perhaps they're slightly under appreciated?
+Travis Gully Yep, they can be purchased - look into SMD here: stevemeadedesigns.com/home
Place to purchase (note this was only the first google "I'm feel'n lucky" hit): www.wccaraudio.com/smd-amp-dyno-ad-1.html
BTW, check out Steed Meade Designs other more portable technician's equipment as that equipment might be more up your alley, esp. if your looking to do lot's of stereo equipment and such on a more professional level. It's not that the Amp Dyno isn't good (it is), I'm just thinking in terms of both price, flexibility, as well as portability. Before Big D got the dyno he was using those tools. Good luck! :-)
Here ya go www.damoreengineering.com/collections/amplifier-power-measuring-systems
Thats the site I was thinking of... Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for clearing it up Big D (and Happt New Year too).
From my experience with the Kicker amps of the day, they did make reliable and clean power but they were incredibly difficult to fit in most applications! The damn things were HUGE!!!! Even the smallest 2 channels were massive...
Hey have you ever did a amp dyno test on a kicker zx2500.1 or a kicker is 2500.1
Can you do some dynos at 25hz. Lots of these class D Amps now days drop off below 40hz. I like it when it will drop at 25-30hz and shake the seat like someone's hitting it and it seems many of these class D amps dont do it. My old school amps would move a sub to it's full xmax with a 10hz test tone. My JBL 1001 ex will barely even move my 4 8's at 10hz, but at 40hz they do. My SVS pb2000 12 subwoofer I have for my home theater will even move quite a bit at 10hz and you can feel it even at 15hz. I'd like to know which amps really push the lows before I buy another amp only to be let down when the bass drops below 40hz.
Why stop at 4ohm? I was told all pre2000 kicker amps would run beyond spec but for warranty reasons manuel told us not too. For instance an x100-x100s was capable of .5 ohm.
This amp was borrowed from a friend and I didn’t want to overly stress it out...
hopefully see sum digital designs amps tested
I'm sure I will Ice. Just a matter of time
Dereck BigDWiz. I'll be looking I love ur videos I even go back and see ur older videos I've already seen I watch again never know wat u may miss especially as my knowledge of car audio grows
Was this amp not .5 ohm stable. Also test the ss100. Do you have any information on the old-school kicker's Coca-Cola Thunder Truck from Naff's car audio and electronic?
Not this one
@@wal I had a zr120 on c15s 93 models it produce 140+ db's
What about a 1998 kicker ZR 360.
I had one on 3 kicker xpl 12s and hit a 149.8 in a 91’ eclipse
Those do 600-700 watts. Powerful but current hungry
I had it bridged to 2.66 ohms
Have you ever dynoed a Warhorse? I used to have one and HOLY crap i regret selling it. That thing was awesome!
No, but if I come across one at a decent price I’ll pick it up and try it out
@@wal That would be epic. I ran 4 FI 18's off of one and it was a beast!
Have you ever tested a Harmon Kardon CA-260?
Not yet but I intend to someday
Williston Audio Labs Too bad shipping would be so high on sending you one of those heavy old Dino’s from here
yo Big D, ever been to Slamology?
I have not, but I try to make it to the MECA finals in October when possible
I wish I had that amp. Will you sell it ?
I borrowed it for this test
i really wanna see the hifonics colossus VI on the dyno..... PLEASE BIG D WIZ
I still haven't put the thread sealer on the fet clamp screws yet. I have an article from 1989 in PDF if you want from Car Stereo Review. Send me an email bigdwiz (at) gmail dot com and I'll send it to ya
This amp was BadAss. Pushed my 4 12 inch Pioneer single voice coil. Speakers hard. Just knocked. Only problem. Kept melting the ground inside the amp. Sent to Stillwater designs 3 different times to be repaired! They fixed it twice and third time. Said we cant fix it. Will give you $75 off a new amp. Are you fucking serious. An amp I Paid $1000 dollars for. They couldn't explain why the ground kept melting inside the amp. Told them to go screw themselves. And told everyone I know what happened and not buy their dogshit. This was back in 1998. Their stuff has gone down hill. I still have the amp sitting and collecting dust. Also still have the kicker 200si that I don't use in same plastic tote sitting.
Muy bueno....ok
👌😬👍
And the Bazooka Speaker
I love the kicker amps but the new ones are only 2 ohm stable ! I hate that
I actually called them last month and asked about that and they only make one amp thats 1ohm stable anymore and its a monoblock. So i went and got a NIB ZR240 and slightly used ZX460 which were my dreams amps from back then anyways. Will be installing them in my 2017 Mazda 3 GT this summer. Cant wait.
Derek were the zr and ss amps similar in power out put...i want to say the zr were the over achievers and weren't as regulated..
If you read the comments on my ZR1000 test, you'll notice the guy who designed the ZR series comment. They were also regulated and were beasts. I just pinned his post in the comments for this video ua-cam.com/video/quDA0H1XB7w/v-deo.html
hi there BigDWiz i wanted your opinion on the JL amps JX series are they worth the money they seeem a bit expensive and the w3 subs? looks like i can get a "better" speaker for les money and also amp is it worth it what am i paying for?
I have a rf 500.2 that iwant you to dyno.
Regulated power! Almost aerospace like...
first
No 2 Ohm run 🙁
Efrain Cruz that amp is the same chassis as the x100s which is half ohm stable
@@andrikaharris4114 cool must have massive power output.
I've heard they did about 1700-1850 but thst was probably 1 ohm. the 500ss is different inside but idk what the differences are. theres the 500si 500ss and the x100s the x100s was a store demo or sponsored person only amp so they are very rare. I bought one nib a year ago for about 800$ and a used one last night online for about 450$ out of Australia.
I've heard they did about 1700-1850 but thst was probably 1 ohm. the 500ss is different inside but idk what the differences are. theres the 500si 500ss and the x100s the x100s was a store demo or sponsored person only amp so they are very rare. I bought one nib a year ago for about 800$ and a used one last night
online for about 450$ out of Australia.
@@andrikaharris4114 wow that's great. I'm looking at a kicker zr1000 I think ima get it soon.
$1000 for this amplifier? Completely overpriced
As a comparison, the Orion XTR-2250 was $1299 and the Lanzar Opti 2500 was $1199 in 1996. Similar amp today would be the Rockford Fosgate Punch 1000x2, which retails for $599
good amps in the 90's cost good money.
you get what you pay for.....and back then it was quality!
my made in the USA Phoenix Gold M100 (1kw amp) cost me 800.00 back then. expensive yes, the market wasn't flooded then like it is today.
Dereck BigDWiz, okey and look like the Harman kardon amp
Stardust79 back then more than $1/watt was not unusual for quality amps.
Wow, I just bought a Lanzar Opti 11k for a grand(which was the cheapest I found by $100+) so thats crazy to think that a 2.5k was the same price, lol. But from everything I've read/watched/heard these Opti's are beasts even now...especially compared to all the other lanzar junk