Kicker XPL C-SERIES User manual

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CONGRATULATIONS! The new c-Series KICKER XPL™ subwoofers fe ture the
l test dv ncements in loudspe ker design from Stillw ter Designs, the most
f mous n me in c r udio subwoofers.
XPL™ C-SERIES
HIGH OUTPUT SUBWOOFERS
FEATURES OF KICKER C-SERIES XPL
Cast Aluminum Basket - Precision alignment an motor structure support
Hemispherical Polymineral Cone w/ - High rigi ity un er pressure for accurate linear control
ISD™ (Inverte Structural Dome) - Stops enclosure pressure loss to re uce “pump- own”
- High internal ampening
- Excellent sunlight, pollution an moisture resistance
Double Stitche Surroun - Prevents cone/surroun separation at high excursions
Blackene Pole Piece - Improve heat transfer
Uniplate™ - Improve thermal an magnetic transfer between pole
an backplate
Exten e Pole Piece - Cooler operation increases power han ling
- Improve magnetic fiel linearity aroun the voice coil gap
Vente Pole Piece - Pressure relief un er the center ome improves low bass
Exten e Backplates - Prevent amaging voice coil “bottoming”
Perimeter Venting - Measurably lower operating temperature an freer
cone motion
Hi-Temp Kapton Voice Coil Formers - Protects against warpe , rubbing voice coils
Long Throw Voice Coil - Enormous cone excursion capabilities
High Power Lea Wires - Stops lea breakage
- Re uces power robbing resistance losses
RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURES
The c-Series XPL subwoofers are esigne to be installe in small seale enclosures.
Stillwater Designs has been using seale enclosures in its show vehicles for a number of
years. They have proven to be very reliable, with highly pre ictable performance, even
un er extreme power eman s. The seale enclosure soun is very tight an controlle ,
yet very “full” an soli , with exten e low bass response.
The table on the following page shows suitable enclosure volumes for XPL rivers. Note:
a larger box improves low bass performance; a smaller box pro uces more mi -bass
“bump”. Consi er the type of “soun ” you want, an the amount of space in your vehicle,
then you can choose the appropriate enclosure to pro uce it.

BUILDING YOUR ENCLOSURE
Your enclosure shoul be ma e of 3/4" woo , minimum. Avoi low ensity material such
as common particle boar an low gra es of plywoo . The recommen e materials are
MDF (me ium ensity fiberboar ), high ensity particle boar or high quality voi free 7 to
13 ply plywoo such as marine plywoo .
When assembling the box use a goo gra e of woo glue (such as Elmer’s Professional
or Titebon ) on all joints. Do not use silicone, hot glue or caulk in place of glue. When the
glue has set, seal all the insi e joints with a liberal application of silicone sealer. This is
important to ensure an airtight seal.
The use of terminal cups is the preferre means for getting wires to the woofer. If cups
are not available rill a hole slightly larger than the wire use an carefully seal aroun the
wire with silicone sealer. This is also very important to maintain a perfect seal in the box.
All the recommen e enclosure specs require a 50% fill of polyester fiber. Commonly calle
fiberfill, it is normally use as pillow stuffing.
If the woofer mounting hole is not cut exactly to specifications there is a goo chance
that air can leak out through the screw holes. To reme y this problem you can use a non-
har ening sealer such as rope caulk or plumber’s putty.
DO NOT USE SILICONE PRODUCTS TO SEAL THE WOOFER TO THE ENCLOSURE AS THIS WILL
VOID YOUR WARRANTY.
Be sure to observe polarity when wiring up any speakers. Incorrect polarity will cause a
loss of soun quality an in the case of woofers it can ecrease output ramatically.
RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE VOLUMES
XPL™ C-Series Drivers
Mo el Box Volume (cubic feet/liters)
X15c 1.8/50.9 Minimum
2.7/76.4 Maximum
X12c 1.0/28.3 Minimum
1.5/42.5 Maximum
X10c 0.8/22.6 Minimum
1.2/34.0 Maximum

POWER HANDLING
The power han ling of any woofer is epen ent on the type of enclosure use .
Although the thermal power han ling figures are liste , there will be other limiting factors
such as over-excursion. It is possible to buil an enclosure small enough to control excur-
sion to the point where the speaker will han le as much power as the thermal rating, how-
ever low bass an soun quality will suffer. Therefore the excursion limite power rating
shoul be consi ere the most power that the woofer shoul ever receive.
It is also possible to amage a speaker by using too little power if the amplifier is run
into clipping. A clippe signal contains a lot of irect current which the speaker is not capa-
ble of issipating. This will cause burne voice coils. It is ifficult to tell when a woofer is
getting a clippe signal because the larger speakers on’t repro uce istortion very well.
Any time the soun quality changes as you turn the volume past a certain point, you can
be assure that the amplifier has reache its limitations an shoul be turne own.
SPECIFICATIONS
Maximum Amp Frequency Mounting Mounting
Size Impe ance Power Sensitivity Response Depth Hole Diameter
MODEL (inches) (ohms) (watts)* ( B 1w/1m) (Hz) (inches) (in., mm)
X15c 15 2,4 & 8 600 90.0 23-500 7, 178 14-1/16, 357
X12c 12 2,4 & 8 500 88.5 25-500 5-1/2, 140 11-1/8, 283
X10c 10 2,4 & 8 350 88.5 25-500 5, 127 9-3/8, 234
*Assumes typical musical program; varies with enclosure size, see your ealer for com-
plete etails.
Base on measurements of 4 ohm mo els.
I you have more questions about the installation o your new KICKER component,
see the Authorized KICKER Dealer where you purchased your component. You may
also call our Technical Services Line at 405 624-8583 or technical assistance.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
Stillw ter Designs m int ins go l of 24-hour service for ll returns. Del ys m y be incurred if
l ck of repl cement inventory or p rts is encountered.
INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY
Cont ct your Intern tion l Stillw ter Designs de ler or distributor concerning specific
procedures for your country’s w rr nty policies.
P.O. Box 459 • Stillw ter, Okl hom 74076 • U.S.A. • 405 624-8510
• Inst ll slips (screwdriver holes)
• D m ge c used by exposure to w ter
nd/or excessive he t.
• D m ge through negligence, misuse, or
ccident.
• Items physic lly d m ged due to buse.
• Freight d m ge.
• The cost of shipping product to Stillw ter
Designs Service.
• Items previously rep ired by ny
un uthorized rep ir f cility.
• Items returned from un uthorized
individu ls or de lers.
• Return shipping on non-defective items.
• Spe kers d m ged due to mplifier
clipping or distortion.
• Spe kers with silicon c ulk used for g sket
m teri l.
KICKER drivers re c p ble of producing sound levels th t c n perm nently
d m ge your he ring! Turning up system to level th t h s udible distortion is
more d m ging to your e rs th n listening to n undistorted system t the s me
volume level. The threshold of p in is lw ys n indic tor th t the sound level is
too loud nd m y perm nently d m ge your he ring.
Please use common sense when controlling volume!
WARNING:
MARCH 2000
SPEAKER SYSTEMS LIMITED WARRANTY
Stillw ter Designs w rr nts this product to be free from defects in m teri l nd workm nship under
norm l use for period of one (1) year from date of original purchase, unless this product is l beled “B
Stock”, in which c se it is w rr nted for ninety (90) d ys from d te of purch se. Should service be neces-
s ry under this w rr nty for ny re son due to m nuf cturing defect or m lfunction during the w rr nty
period, Stillw ter Designs will repl ce or rep ir ( t its discretion) the defective merch ndise with equiv -
lent merch ndise t no ch rge. W rr nty repl cements on “B-Stock” m y h ve cosmetic scr tches nd
blemishes. Discontinued products m y be repl ced with equiv lent products.
This w rr nty is v lid only for the original purchaser nd is not extended to owners of the product sub-
sequent to the origin l purch ser. Any pplic ble implied w rr nties re limited in dur tion to period
of the express w rr nty s provided herein beginning with the d te of the origin l purch se t ret il,
nd no w rr nties, whether express or implied, sh ll pply to this product there fter. Some st tes do not
llow limit tions on implied w rr nties, therefore these exclusions m y not pply to you.
This w rr nty gives you specific leg l rights; however you m y h ve other rights th t v ry from st te to
st te.
WHAT T D IF Y U NEED WARRANTY R SERVICE
Defective merch ndise must be returned to your loc l Authorized Stillw ter Designs (Kicker/Impulse)
De ler for w rr nty. Assist nce in loc ting n Authorized De ler c n be obt ined by writing or c lling
Stillw ter Designs direct. You c n confirm th t de ler is uthorized by sking to see current uthor-
ized de ler window dec l.
If it becomes necess ry for you to return defective merch ndise, c ll the Kicker Customer Service
Dep rtment t [phone] for Return Authoriz tion (RA) number. P ck ge ll defective items in the
origin l cont iner or in p ck ge th t will prevent shipping d m ge, nd return to
Stillwater Designs, 5021 North Perkins Road, Stillwater, K 74075
The RA number must be cle rly m rked on the outside of the p ck ge. Return only defective compo-
nents. Return of entire c binets, system p cks, p irs, etc. incre ses your return freight ch rges. Non-
defective items received will be returned freight collect.
Include dated proof-of-purchase from n Authorized De ler. W rr nty expir tion on items returned
without proof-of-purch se will be determined from the m nuf cturing d te code. Cover ge m y be
inv lid ted if this d te is gre ter th n one (1) ye r previous to the d te item is sent in. Freight must be
prep id; items received freight collect will be refused.
F ilure to follow these steps m y void your w rr nty. Any questions c n be directed to the Kicker
Customer Service Dep rtment t [phone].
WHAT IS NOT COVERED?
This w rr nty is v lid only if the product is used for the purpose for which it w s designed.
It does not cover: