Big name power without the big name price

I am a huge car audio enthusiast. Ever since my first car back in 1997, I have been trying to push the envelope on what my vehicles can do. My very first car, a 1995 Mustang started out with the most simplistic of sound systems, featuring a floating box for ease of removal, with a couple of 12" subwoofers and just a basic amp. I upgraded the deck, the wires, and all of that, but at the end of the day, it was still your basic sound system.

Since then I have done much more work, including a full car audio system on my competition 2003 Toyota Celica GT-S. I went all out on that car, with custom fiberglass enclosures, custom highlights, and lots of performance to go along with it, including nine 10" subwoofers, and more door speakers than anyone could ever imagine. There were amps all over the place, extra batteries, capacitors, everything. It was definitely the sport compact car audio enthusiast's dream setup.

Ever since then I have been involved in the industry, attending shows, working on comptetition cars, while trying to avoid sinking too much money into my own vehicles, as I have a son to feed now. Regardless, I have managed to create quite the impressive sound system in all three of my vehicles, and plan on doing substantially more into the future.

But the one that comes from all of this, is that I truly do know my car audio. I have tried so many different subwoofers, played around with numerous decks, and seen a large variety of application combinations that have worked and haven't worked. I have touched hundreds of systems in my years, and with that experience, I know what will work and what won't work.

Kicker CVR12 Subwoofer
I am a huge fan of the Kicker subwoofers, regardless of the series. They have always offered a high quality product at a fairly reasonable price. While there are other subwoofers on the market that are cheaper and just as reliable, Kicker gives you a name that you can trust, with a price that is more than realistic for such a high quality product.

Kicker is most known for it's Solo Baric line of subwoofers, which are square in shape, and produce immense power with incredible sound quality, however, they also do an incredible job of creating high quality round subs as well. The CVR12 subwoofer is just an example of why Kicker is one of the top names in car audio.

Sound Quality
The sound quality in the Kicker CVR12 is actually much more impressive than I initially thought it would be. I didn't think that Kicker would be capable of transitioning from their power and performance with a square design into a quality round one. I was definitely wrong in that aspect! The round designed subs that Kicker makes were created to handle high intensity loads, while at the same time producing excellent bass. The 800 peak watts that the CVR12 can handle, will create a deep throaty bass that any enthusiast will truly love. While this isn't going to be a competition subwoofer by any means, it does give the day to day driver hard hitting power that can be heard from quite some distance.

While the sound quality suffers slightly at higher power levels, for the most part, the distortion is minimal, especially if placed in a quality box. My suggestion for the perfect sound would be a particle board box, with dynamat packing. Rather than just creating the standard wood box, I would include dynamat on the inside to enhance the sound quality. This will take away from the overall loudness of the bass, however it will dramatically reduce rattle, and decrease sound distortion. If you want to take advantage of the loud sound, while reducing the distortion, try adding a small port into the box. I generally would throw a small 1" port to allow air to flow better, while at the same time preventing all the sound from deadening from hitting the dynamat. The result is a pretty incredible quality sound, while at the same time producing the power that you crave.

Durability
The biggest issue that I have with these subwoofers is their durability. While they can last under some pretty impressive conditions, it's highly likely that you will be replacing them within a few years of purchase. The durability is extremely inconsistant, and you can find yourself going years without replacing any, or you could be replacing them multiple times. This would make me believe that the manufacturing process isn't as consistant as it should be.

Regardless, it's a fairly sturdy sub, much stronger than a lot of the other similar products on the market, but definitely not a sub that I would count on. Be prepared to have to swap it out at a moment's notice.

Product Details
Size 12 -inch
Impedance 4 ohms
Cone Material Inject-molded polymineral
Surround Material Santoprene rubber
Sealed Box Volume (cubic feet) 1 - 4.6
Ported Box Volume (cubic feet) 1.75 - 2.25
Port diameter (inches) N/A
Port length (inches) N/A
Free-Air No
Dual Voice Coil Yes
Sensitivity 86.7dB
Frequency Response 25 - 0.5k Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) 50-400
Peak Power Handling (Watts) 800
Top Mount Depth (inches) 6 5/16
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) 6 3/4
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) 10 15/16
Vas (liters) 95.37
Fs (Hz) 26.1
Qts 0.527
Xmax (millimeters) 12.64
Parts Warranty 1 Year
Labor Warranty 1 Year

Final Thoughts
This is a great performing sub that can have excellent sound quality, while delivering high quality bass. I would recommend using these subs in groups of two or three for the best performance, but it all depends upon your overall application. The only thing I question is the durability of the subs, due to inconsistant design standards.