Kicker XPL C Owner's Manual

CONGRATULATIONS! The new c-Series KICKER XPL™ subwoofers feature the
latest advancements in loudspeaker design from Stillwater Designs, the most
famous name in car audio subwoofers.

XPL™ C-SERIES

HIGH OUTPUT SUBWOOFERS

FEATURES OF KICKER C-SERIES XPL

Cast Aluminum Basket - Precision alignment and motor structure support

Hemispherical Polymineral Cone w/ - High rigidity under pressure for accurate linear control

ISD™ (Inverted Structural Dome) - Stops enclosure pressure loss to reduce “pump-down”

- High internal dampening

- Excellent sunlight, pollution and moisture resistance

Double Stitched Surround - Prevents cone/surround separation at high excursions

Blackened Pole Piece - Improved heat transfer

Uniplate™ - Improved thermal and magnetic transfer between pole

and backplate

Extended Pole Piece - Cooler operation increases power handling

- Improved magnetic field linearity around the voice coil gap

Vented Pole Piece - Pressure relief under the center dome improves low bass

Extended Backplates - Prevent damaging voice coil “bottoming”

Perimeter Venting - Measurably lower operating temperature and freer

cone motion

Hi-Temp Kapton Voice Coil Formers - Protects against warped, rubbing voice coils

Long Throw Voice Coil - Enormous cone excursion capabilities

High Power Lead Wires - Stops lead breakage

- Reduces power robbing resistance losses

RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURES

The c-Series XPL subwoofers are designed to be installed in small sealed enclosures.
Stillwater Designs has been using sealed enclosures in its show vehicles for a number of
years. They have proven to be very reliable, with highly predictable performance, even
under extreme power demands. The sealed enclosure sound is very tight and controlled,
yet very “full” and solid, with extended low bass response.

The table on the following page shows suitable enclosure volumes for XPL drivers. Note:
a larger box improves low bass performance; a smaller box produces more mid-bass
“bump”. Consider the type of “sound” you want, and the amount of space in your vehicle,
then you can choose the appropriate enclosure to produce it.

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BUILDING YOUR ENCLOSURE

Your enclosure should be made of 3/4" wood, minimum. Avoid low density material such
as common particle board and low grades of plywood. The recommended materials are
MDF (medium density fiberboard), high density particle board or high quality void free 7 to
13 ply plywood such as marine plywood.

When assembling the box use a good grade of wood glue (such as Elmer’s Professional
or Titebond) on all joints. Do not use silicone, hot glue or caulk in place of glue. When the
glue has set, seal all the inside joints with a liberal application of silicone sealer. This is
important to ensure an airtight seal.

The use of terminal cups is the preferred means for getting wires to the woofer. If cups
are not available drill a hole slightly larger than the wire used and carefully seal around the
wire with silicone sealer. This is also very important to maintain a perfect seal in the box.
All the recommended enclosure specs require a 50% fill of polyester fiber. Commonly called
fiberfill, it is normally used as pillow stuffing.

If the woofer mounting hole is not cut exactly to specifications there is a good chance
that air can leak out through the screw holes. To remedy this problem you can use a non­hardening 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 sound quality and in the case of woofers it can decrease output dramatically.

RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE VOLUMES

XPL™ C-Series Drivers

Model 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