SnapperKing

The GCON is dynamite in a nice sealed enclosure. Very happy with mine. Can't speak for the rest of the product line though.

Just an update - After talking to Dustin at DC Creations, he recommended that I go with ~2.0 f^3 net per speaker because I told him that I'm making the change from sealed to ported for output above all else; obviously, I still want them to sound good. With that being said, 2.0 ft^3 each @ 32hz it is. I ended up going with a kerf ported enclosure with flush mounting and the bedliner option as opposed to charcoal carpeting (just to be different). Dustin is telling me that it should ship today or tomorrow at the latest. I'll keep you guys posted. My decision to go down to 2.0ft^3 was mainly based on Dustin's recommendation and from Rev0811's feedback above.

Hows it going fellas. Let me preface; I've been running my 2) 12" GCONS in the DC-Creations 1.35 ft^3 Sealed Enclosure @600W RMS Each (Kicker ZX1000.1) for quite some time now with absolutely no issues. I love these speakers and the DC enclosure is dynamite; not a single problem whatsoever. Like my previous review stated, they're loud, clear and rugged as hell. I had previously ran a couple of sets of 10" and 12" Type-Rs with this same amp and they just couldn't hang; ended up burning up multiple subs over the years. The GCONS have always stayed cool even after countless 5-10+ hour road trips. Anyway, I've always wondered how they would sound and how loud they'd be in a nice ported enclosure. I've ran some serious set-ups in the past and thought I had made it through the SPL phase of my audiophile career, but the curiosity has finally gotten me. My question to you guys - I'm looking at either picking up the ported Khaotic enclosure, or having another custom box made by the guys at DC Creations. The standard, ported, Khaotic enclosure is 2.0 ft^3 per sub @ 32HZ which is below the SSA recommended optimal ported enclosure volume of 2.5-3.0 ft^3, and barely within the lower end of the non-optimal volume range (2.0-2.5 ft^3). Do you think I'll be leaving a lot of performance on the table with this enclosure? Should I go bigger? Thanks in advance!

I've been watching a few videos of people using the Steve Meade/D'Amore Engineering DD-1 Distortion Detector for setting their gains and also in identifying if and where the head-unit output begins to distort (max safe listening volume). Anyone use this before or know anyone that has? Whats the verdict on this thing? Just asking out of curiosity, i've always set mine by ear anyway but it does look interesting. http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_61378_SMD-DD-1-Distortion-Detector-Analyzer-by-Steve-Meade-Designs.html

I searched "DD-1" before submitting this post and found no mention of it in these forums. Thanks though.

Kicker ZX1500.1

2012 VW GLI

You guys built me an awesome sealed enclosure for a pair of 12" GCONS last year; you were right when you said that I'd eventually give in and go ported! Just sent you an email for quotation. Thanks, Ron

Thanks guys, both very good replies. Since I've got the room, I'll be reaching out to our friends at DC for the enclosure. I'll be shooting for 2.5 - 2.75ft^3 per. Maybe I'll put together a sealed vs ported comparison video too

All, I am looking into running 2) SA-12s in my 2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. I do not want to loose my entire trunk with a large ported enclosure and also, I prefer the sound of sealed enclosures. I am not a SQ freak but I like the tight bass, with some boom if I crank it up. I am limited to 1000-1200W RMS. They will be getting 600W each @ 2 Ohms. My question is this - the Sundown website recommends 1.0 ft^3. I listen to mostly rap, R&B, electronic, with some metal mixed in there. 1) Should I be going slightly larger than recommended to retain my lows (e.g. 1.25 ft^3)? 2) I can't find much info on the SA-12s in sealed enclosures. Anybody running these sealed? How do you like them? 3) Any other recommendations if these are not the right subs for me? I'm looking for a nice pair of subwoofers around the $200-250 price range each, with 500-600W RMS each, decently loud sound in a sealed enclosure. Other drivers I have considered but decided against for one reason or another: 1-15" FI-Q Sealed @ 1000W ((I figured the displacement of the 2 SA-12s would better suite my taste)) 1-15" SSA GCON Sealed @ 750W ((If only the GCONS were 600W RMS so I could run 2 of them in a sealed enclosure)) 2-12" Type-Rs Sealed @ 1000W ((i've always had shit luck with Alpine)) 2-12" JL W3s Sealed @ 1200W ((I was immediately turned off when I saw that the JL Website recommended running their 600W JLW3 subwoofers at 400W-500W as opposed to their advertised 600W???)) Thanks in advance, Snapper King

Pics and videos to come.

I just finished up with my install: 2) 12" D2 GCONS in a DC-Creations Sealed Enclosure, all installed in a 2012 Volkswagen GLI running from the factory fender audio system to a LC2i LOC and Kicker ZX1000.1 Amp w/ KnuKonceptz Kolossus Flex 0 ga kit. GCONS: Visually: I placed my order and received the speakers about 25-30 days later, just like the guys @ SSA said. Between the heavy foam surround, to the huge magnet, to the frame, they look SICK. Looks wise, I can't complain, the build quality seems to be great; real heavy duty shit here. When I bought my kicker amp from the car audio shop around the block, the guy I dealt with asked what I was running for subs. So I showed him... His eyes light up and he says, "SSA... never heard.. WOW! Those look SERIOUS!" DC Creations: Build Quality: I ordered a stage-one sealed enclosure with the flush mounting option, built to the max dimensions of my vehicle. The enclosure is around 1.3 - 1.35 ft^3 per speaker. Received it in the expected time-frame with no issues. Build quality is awesome and I really liked the way the guys at DC wired up the box for me; 2 runs of heavy gauge wiring shrink tubed right to the terminals. It was basically plug and play. The enclosure was built like a brick shit house compared to one my old prefabbed enclosures. No comparison there. Fitment: The GCONS slipped right into the flush mount face, wired right up, VERY EASY. It was perfect in all aspects. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Performance: Overall the installation went well; getting all the LC2i and ZX1000.1 adjustments were a pain but I finally have then fine-tuned and I couldn't be happier. This was my first sealed enclosure so I really wasn't expecting much in the area of loudness (compared to my Kicker L7s in a ported enclosure), especially running off the factory head-unit. Honestly - I'm impressed in all aspects of their performance (Enclosure and Subs). They get low, they get high, they're punchy and most importantly, they're really clean and tight; I don't understand why it took me this long to go sealed. Loudness - Unless you're competing, I can't see ever needing any more SPL than this. My car has a sunglass compartment that pops down from the headliner. When I turn up the volume - it flies open and my sunglasses fall on the floor... Every time.... Its really impressive. The rear-view mirror doesn't move around in circles like I've seen in some SPL videos but it shakes a LOT -the same goes for my side-view mirrors. A friend of mine runs a pair of 12" Alpine Type-Rs @ 600-700W each in a sealed enclosure; All I'll say is this - every time I see him now, he asks me to trade. The Type-Rs get pretty damn hot, pretty damn quickly. I'm not sure that I'd feel comfortable running them hard for any longer than 15-20 minutes at a clip. Last night I took a 2-3 hour road-trip running my GCONS pretty damn hard (safely of course). I felt the cones out of curiosity - BARELY WARM after 3 hours in a SEALED BOX @ 550-600W Each. Overall: Although they were only around 200 bucks each, I'm not sure that I'd call the GCON a budget subwoofer. The only thing budget is the price. I can only imagine how loud these would be in a ported enclosure from DC-Creations. 2 THUMBS UP AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Will try to get some GoPro videos up this weekend.

The manual leaves a lot to be desired. Here are a few things that I've learned by messing around with it.. 1) Run your bass or subwoofer level adjustment almost all the way down on your head-unit. I have mine @ -7 right now and it seems to be working well ( Range of -9 to +9). When I went any higher than that, the LC2i would cut in and out. 2) Definitely run the threshold about all the way up, with the AccuBass around half way. 3) The manual tells you to run the volume up until the factory bass rolls off; mine didn't roll off at all, and those Threshold & AccuBass settings still helped me out a lot. 4) The Bass knob is very sensitive, be careful with that. Mine is almost all the way down. I think it is essentially another gain or bass boost adjustment. I'd much rather use the gain on my amp. 5) The Main level adjustment does nothing unless you're running a highs amp from the LC2i. Leave it down. 6) Run a remote turn-on. Don't rely on the GTO Auto-Sensing crap; be sure to move that jumper to Bypass too. Let us know how it works out for you. Good luck

So I finished installing my 2 12" GCONS/Kicker ZX1000.1/LC2i/DC-Creations Sealed Enclosure into my 2012 GLI and I have a couple of questions for some of you more experienced guys. My car had a factory subwoofer (fender audio system) so I tapped into the subwoofer speaker wires for the line-out signal. The low frequency bass sounds GREAT but the higher frequencies are weak, almost like they're dropping off. Since the factory subwoofer was hitting all these higher bass notes before I disconnected it, the factory head unit/amp MUST be sending the full range signal back to the input of the LC2i, no? I can't figure out why I'm not hitting the full range of bass. Current Settings: Head Unit Settings: Bass: -5 (-9 to +9 Range) Mid-Range: 0 (-9 to +9 Range) Treble: +2 (-9 to +9 Range) ZX1000.1 Settings: Gain: just under half way up Bass Boost: 0 db Fixed 25hz Subsonic Low-Pass filter: all the way up @ 200hz - shouldn't a pair of 12s in a sealed enclosure be able to hit this? LC2i Settings Threshold: 3/4 of the way up AccuBass: 1/2 way up Bass: 1/8 - 1/4 of the way up Main: All the way down (this is for if you want to run set of door speakers) Any Ideas? By the way - I just ran the GCONs pretty hard for 2 hours, HARDLY warm. Same with the Kicker Amp. And with this being my 1st sealed set-up, I'm actually really impressed with the loudness. Well done DC & SSA. Full review and videos to come, once I get everything dialed in.

OK I figured it out - I never switched the jumper from "Enable GTO" to "Bypass". After doing that, all is well. The remote turn-on wire is now fully functional. I also reset the low-pass filter to around 120-140hz which seems to sound better. I think you guys will be impressed with the sound quality and loudness of this system. Especially since I'm running the factory door speakers and head-unit.

I understand what you're saying but I still think there is something going on with the LC2i. I also should have mentioned: when I start a song, there is a slight delay around a 1/2 - 1 seconds until the bass starts to hit. It will sound like I don't have a subwoofer... a half of a second later, you bass kicks in... From what point forward though, everything is good. Not really sure why. I ran a remote turn-on wire for the LCO but I suppose its possible that I still have it set for "GTO Mode" (Great Turn On - Signal Sensing Turn-On)

Sound Solutions Audio across the map with the American flag as the fill of the letters. Maybe add a BUILT IN THE USA in there somewhere too - Its a big selling point these days.

I'm in the process of adding a pair of 12" GCONS to the stock Fender stereo system in my 2012 Volkswagen GLI. The subs will be in a sealed enclosure from DC Creations are going to be powered by a Kicker ZX1000.1 (1298w rms according to birth sheet) controlled through the LC2i. I have 2 questions about some adjustments I'm unsure of 1) When setting the gains using the DMM method to obtain the corresponding output voltage for the amp's rated capacity (1000W RMS) - I need the most clean power I can get from this amp. Should I be using 1298w as stated on the birth-sheet to come up with the voltage number I'm looking for? or should I be using 1000W as rated. 2) With the LC2i - can I run this turned all the way up, and simply control the bass through the remote bass control knob? The reason I ask is because I can't really hear any significant bass roll-off at high volumes. I do NOT want to leave any performance on the table when setting everything up. Any help is appreciated Snapper

I ran a pair of 12" L7s in a custom ported enclosure for a long time. That set-up was loud as hell but I can tell you they definitely lacked detail. It was great for me as I was 18 at the time and had the loudest system in town (I thought). I'm 26 now and my taste in music has changed since back then. These days I'm about SQ so I'll be sticking with sealed enclosures from here on out. It all depends on what you want to get out of it. Based on the videos I've seen and from these forums, I have no doubt that the ICONS will satisfy your SPL craving unless you're looking to compete. If you're looking to compete, there may be better SPL options. ***By the way - I am not a SSA fan-boy. I just received my GCONS but have yet to run them, and have yet to hear any of the SSA products in person - I would consider my opinion rather unbiased at the moment. I hope that changes once I finish my install

Wow, I've never seen that before. Good info thanks Hypothetically speaking here... If your lowest total impedance is 2ohms at 20Hz and 35Hz, and is greater than 2 ohms at all other frequencies within the range of the graph. Setting your amp output voltage for the lowest subwoofer impedance (~2 Ohms in this case) would actually be conservative assuming that the output of the amplifier decreases with increasing resistance. Wouldn't I expect to see less distortion/clipping at the higher resistances (as a result of the decreased power output)? I could see a problem if you set your amplifier using a voltmeter at one of the higher resistances and then you hit 20HZ or 35HZ, impedance drops down to 2 ohms and the power output/distortion spikes. Not the other way around. Just thinking out-loud.. my logic is probably incorrect.

I understand that the voltage method is dependent on the rated wattage output @ final impedance of the subwoofer(s) (e.g. I will be running the ZX1000.1 to 2) Dual 2 ohm subwoofers wired for a final impedance of 2ohms. the amp puts out 1000W @ 2 ohms so thats the wattage number I will use.) I took those steps from the pinned thread below which everyone seemed to think was a great "how-to-set-your-amplifier-gain". If "this doesn't work. At all." Maybe the other thread needs to be unpinned.

#1) "Gain Setting Equation Voltage of the output = sqrt(RMS Power X impedance of the speaker) Example Say the amp provides 100WRMS into a 4 ohm speaker: Voltage = sqrt(100W X 4 ohms) Voltage = sqrt(400W*ohms) Voltage = 20V Again, that was only an example, use the ratings of your amp to figure that out. Setting the Gain(s) To set the gain(s), you need two things: 1. A DMM (digital multi-meter) that is capable of measuring AC voltage (needs to be able to measure up to a range of 200V). 2. A test tone CD to use to set the gains at the correct setting. Now, to set the gain(s): 4. Take the leads from the DMM and but them on the outputs from the amp. 5. Set the gain so that the outputs of the amplifier equal the voltage you found above. This is a MUST." #2 - The manual says, "for ground shaking bass" turn the master down, turn the small one almost all the way up, and then bring the master back up." I don't have the product right infront of me at the moment so sorry for not knowing the exact names of the adjustments... But since you have one, you should know exactly what I'm talking about. SNAPPER

Hows it going. I'm looking to purchase the BC2000D to power my 2 12" GCONS @ 2 Ohms. What is the lead-time on this product? Thanks, SnapperKing

I'd like to see some footage of the GCON in action (aside from the 1 SSA GCON Video already on youtube)

I'm going with the LC2i to correct for the bass roll-off at high volumes - but I also have the new fender audio system which is surprisingly really nice