ssmorga78

Ok, so after about a month of deliberation I finally settled on the Kicker Hideaway sub to add some low end to the sound system in my 2014 XLT Screw. I was kind of skeptical about whether 1 was going to do the job, or if I was going to need to add a 2nd one. I went ahead and picked up 1 just to see what the output was going to be like....and I must say "DEAR LORD!". Now, I used to rock a pair of Kicker 12" Competition subs with a 1000 watt amp running to them in an old Mustang hatchback back in high school/college. Granted, this little box does not put out the kind of output that system did, but when I got this installed and turned on ... I was floored at the amount of lowend that comes out of this little black box with an 8" subwoofer in it. I thought I was going to need to add another to get the amount of lowend that I wanted, and I still may, but this single unit definitely has enough to keep me satisfied. Now, they don't have that same kind of deep, take your breath away, kinda thump that a pair of 12's have, but I am over those days. If I do decide to add another, I am going to have to add an amp for my door speakers so that they will be able to keep up with the pair of Hideaway subs. I upgraded my door speakers to the Kicker KS series 6x8's last week and they are a little bit softer than the factory speakers that were in there. They sound much clearer than factory, but I'm sure they could use some power to them anyway. The install was super simple as well, thanks to another thread on here about the no door removal install on his 2015. It took me about 45 minutes to do the install and that was taking my time. I would HIGHLY recommend this little unit to anyone wanting to add some low end to their factory system.

I am curious if anyone else has a pair of these installed and what you have your settings on them at? I have toyed around with the controls and have them just about dialed in, but I always like to look at and compare what others have as well.

Wyo11Scab

iTrader: (1)

I have them and have the bass set flat and 2 clicks up on the treble

ssmorga78

Thanks for the reply Wyo11Scab, but I was talking about the settings on the Kicker 11HS8 itself. The Bass Boost, Phase, Crossover Frequency, and Gain.....

TerryH22

I'd be interested in what you guys have yours set at as well. I thought I had mine set just right, but in the attempt to make it even "righter", I don't remember where I had it before.

And if I'm correct, does the remote bass **** bypass the gain control on the unit, and if so, does it matter what the gain on the unit is set at prior to connecting the remote?

Without looking at it, I think I have mine set as this...

Auto turn on = 12v with blue wire connected to #23
Input = Hi
Phase = 180 (?) cant remember for sure, but I think at 0 I had nada bass.
Bass Boost = 0
X-over = about 80ish I think
Gain on remote usually just past half, about 1-2 oclock.

ssmorga78

Yes, the remote bass **** does bypass the gain control on the unit..... which answers a questions I was going to ask since I never read the manual until about 5 minutes ago. I was wondering why with the Gain **** dimed that the output of the sub would roughly about twice that with the Bass Control **** unplugged versus it plugged in. I really like the ability to control the unit with the ****, but when the **** is on max output...it is no where near the max output when the **** is unplugged. Now, it doesn't sound all that great when the Gain **** is dimed and the Bass Control unit is unplugged...but its loud as all get out!!!

I have mine set to DC for power as it is using the Hi-Level input for turn on signal and its working flawlessly. I have the Bass Boost set to around 2-3 o'clcok on the dial, Crossover set to around 11 o'clock, and I had the Gain set to 3 o'clock as well. I did not know that the Bass Control **** disabled the Gain **** on the unit, but I could swear that when you adjust it with the Bass Control plugged in that it still makes a difference! Also, I have the Phase set to 0 and have no issues with bass response. I can throw AC/DC's Back in Black album on and crank the Bass Control **** up to around 3 o'clock and just about run myself out of the truck with the radio volume on 18-20.
My radio eq controls are set as follows: Treble +3, Mids +5, and Bass +Max. I've read that the Kicker isn't audible outside the truck, but I can assure you that mine is. It may not rattle the windows of the car in front of me, but they know I am listening to the radio behind them.....and that's with the windows up!

TerryH22

I'll have to look at my settings again when I get home and make a note of them since it sounds pretty good now, but seems like there's room for improvement.

I'll use B&B as well as a reference and compare my settings and then use some of yours and see what I like best.

It would be nice to get some more input from others as well...

TerryH22

I noticed a difference with the Control **** disconnected as well. But I'm ok with that.

I switched the phase back and forth from 0 to 180 to see again what the difference was, and I get more punch with it at 180. At 0, it's ok, but less powerful it seems. Maybe a little tighter, but seems weaker.

I had read to keep the HU bass down and let the sub do all the work, so I had my eq almost flat. But the mids and highs seemed harsh sometimes and empty other times, so when I bumped everything up to almost where you have yours, the sound coming from the door speakers do sound a lot better now.

About the only other thing I changed was the crossover, from about 1 o'clock to about 11 o'clock.

But I do like the way it sounds better now.

KAVFX4

I like 180 better than 0 also! I think I'm close to your settings also but I haven't done anything with the settings on the head unit. I'm going to play with those now!

TerryH22

Ok. So I've been playing around some with this, I have had mine set at 180 since I installed it. At 180 it has a lot more boom and thump, and I can feel my drivers seat vibrating. Most songs sound really good, but... in the back seat the music is almost non-existent as all you can hear is the rumbling bass, and certain songs (not very many) are even that way up front (like most of Adele's, ex: Rolling in the Deep)

Now tonight I switched it to 0 and will leave it there for a while to see how I like it. But initial thoughts are... it is tighter, not as boomy, but not as powerful. It sounds good on some songs, but seems lacking on others. Sitting in the backseat, feels like in the front when at 180. Sounds better in the backseat! You can really feel the vibration, the bass sounds powerful, and you can actually hear the rest of the music besides just the bass.

Don't judge me on this, but one song I really like to test how bass sounds (use it on my subs connected to my computers in at home) is Kelly Clarkson's - Miss Independent. And it sounds good at both 0 and 180, so go figure!

Anyway, I'll leave mine at 0 for a while and see how I like it, I may have to play around again with the crossover, then maybe it will hit the front like it does the back.

ssmorga78

Has anyone else messed with the Gain on the unit while the Bass Control **** has been plugged in to see if it made a difference in output?

I agree about the 180 and 0 settings and the sound they produce. The 180 was really loud and boomy to me sitting in the front seat. It felt really loose....and almost like it was a half second behind on tracks when the bass or kick should be hitting. I definitely like the 0 phase setting as it seems more tight and punchy and doesn't have so much "boom" to it. I have an 8 year old riding in the backseat of my truck most of the time and she has been loving it the last 2 days on her Kidz Bop tracks on Amazon Prime Music, lol.