Review for SSA in Store Products

[Sencheezy 689]

Here I will finally submit my review for the products I have purchased thus far. I will list pros and cons for each with my most unbiased opinion. 

 

SSA ICON

 

This was my first sub woofer purchased from SSA. I bought it used from Sean DeYoung with the AQ1200 to power it. It was in a box I believe that was 4cuft tuned to 32hz. The Sound Quality from this sub woofer was really amazing. To give it a better explanation  it had a very distinct sound to it. It was very sharp, and accurate, like pin point accuracy  and very quick/sharp. I believe that was its best attribute. But it was also really loud. With some early testing, I was able to do a 141 at the headrest off of a 35amp fuse. Which was pretty damn good for me, as this was my first few events ever competing, and always took 1st place among my class.

 

My first impression was how beefy it was, for the money, its definitely one of the better subs out there. I could only imagine these in the multiples. I can't really think of any cons for this driver. It really does have that perfect mix of precision sound and output. I couldn't say, I wish it had more output, or more clarity, because it seems SSA really did nail this one of perfect balance.

 

It is also very durable. haha, I took a 6 hour trip with this thing, from Nashville to somewhere in NC, never once stop beating that thing up. I'm pretty positive that I was giving it some clipping, and maybe even some distortion, but it took whatever I threw at it with no problems. I am very confidant  in saying this driver could take 2000 rms everyday with no problem. 

 

SSA ZCON

 

This was my first "big boy" sub woofer I've owned since the UFO BTL. I can't really compare the two, simple because the BTL was a 18", and this was a 15", also, I have mountains worth of knowledge now then I did at that time. But on to this moster. First thing to notice, is the packaging. It comes in a medium sized box that you would find at your local hardware store, but is sandwich between to wooden plates, that is braced by a 2x4 at each corner, with a protective surround around the top of the sub woofer to prevent any shifting. This thing is very heavy, I definitely need both hands for this one. With this sub woofer  I continued to use the AQ1200 for maybe a month or so. It did great with it, and I was actually scared to place my next anmp on it, just because I really didn't feel comfortable puting so much power on it daily. I had a BC5500 laying around, that I was planning to use, but only for burtps. Long story short, I went ahead and began using it daily. And for the rest of the time owning it(8or9 months), it never gave me no problems!

 

I'm not advising anyone to put this much power to it, but if you know what you're doing, this sub will take it. Now moving on to how it sounds, where as the icon was pin poin, this is like, a bomb that pushes you out of its way. The best way to put it, it feels like you are in the path of the sound waves haha. And it just wants to push you out the way. In my particular box, it was kind of top heavy. What I mean, is that it really killed the highs. That feeling of your ears itching, blurry vision, and throat scratching, but the lower notes where not as profound. In another build though, it was the total opposite, so its all about how you build the box. If you were to create more of a balanced sound, I would advice to tune a little lower, maybe around 30hz. And also, if you plan to use a lot of power, definately try to  build on the small side, with lots of port. 

 

The way it sounds on music is just skull crushing. Especially on fast past beats, such as dubstep, or some bass heavy rock. I mean, there was some songs that you literally felt like you was constantly being smack in the face over and over again! The best I was ever to get in my application was a 147.8 in the kick. Again, this was in a daily box that wasn't build for this kind of power. 

 

SSA Evil

 

So this is the big boy! Again, this sub woofer comes in the same kind of box and crate, to secure shipping. This thing is an absolutely monster! So you have the ICON, that's really pin point accuracy, then you have the move out the way sound of the zcon, now with this, you have the immersive sound pressure that literally surrounds you with its destruction. From top to bottom, this thing rocks! I use to ask the question, does lets say, 150 decibels sound like 150 deciblesl in every vehicle. Finally with this sub woofer  I can tell you HELL NO! This is such a different sound, that, myself have never experienced. I've been competing now going into my second year, and I've been to a lot of shows, listened to a lot of different setups, both big and small. Nothing has compared to this sub woofer. 

 

The sound is so heavy, like, you can literally feel the pressure and air being pushed away in your vehicle, searching for a outlet. This is even crazier  in my setup, I'm actually loudest sealed, and it sounds sooo good. When I roll down the windows, it creates a weak point in my roof, and everything just starts moving like crazy. Even from 20 feet away, you can hear this subtle boom...boom... sound that is very warm sounding, really hard to explain. It doesn't sound muffled, it isn't heavy on any side of the spectrum  just a really loud bass in your face. I would say it sounds like the zcon had a baby with the icon, and added a bit of Thor's hammer in there and boom, you have the Evil. 

 

I have absolutely no cons to this driver. Unless you want to consider things like the weight, or enclosure size. It is one of the costly sub woofer though. And not just by itself. You are going to want more power, which is more electrical, which is more cable, battery, alternator, etc. But two things, A) Its WELLL worth it, and B) This thing doesn't NEED a ton of power to get loud. I myself tested this and put 600 watts on it, and it sounded amazing!! I suppose the only other con would be the terminals. They are sill only 8 gauge, I thought maybe this is the only size maybe that is offered, but this isn't true. Its quite frustrating when placing large gauge wire to the sub. Not that its a deal breaker, especially in a daily scenario. 

 

One thing is for sure, this thing can take some serious power. I find myself often want to turn it up more, but my electric is the only thing holding me back. The cooling is something amazing. Just this year, I took a 12 hour drive to FL for SBN2013, and I did NOT take it easy on this bad boy. I played hard, very hard for hours at a time, in about 83-90 degree weather, and this thing just kept hammering away. SSA did a great job on this one. 

 

ZED Leviathan IIII

 

This thing is Amazing!!! No way else to put it. It comes in a plain white box, that has no marketing on it what so ever. Talk about versatile  this thing can do it all. Currently I'm only using the four/six channels. So it still has power and expand ability for days. It can also run all channels flat! So the possibilities are literally endless. Well, about 16-18 different configurations in all. The build quality is bar none. The best amplifier I've ever used hands down. It plays everything flawlessly. I've played rap, dubstep, rock, and even symphony. The size of this thing is unbelievable considering the power output of over 300 watts per channel. Definitely getting your moneys worth here and I would highly recommend it to anybody. 

 

Crescendo Audio BC5500

 

 

This is the biggest amplifier I've ever owned. Coming out to about 26'', this thing is a boat, and a powerhouse. I've owned this thing and have had it in operations for over a year now, and have had absolutely no problems. Never been in protect, never needed to be repaired, no nothing. And I've changed my setup, and as well as just the layout/configurations of my vehicle many times. Currently, its underneath my false floor, and STILL nothing. It works every time, which can't be said for a lot of other equipment that have heating issues  This thing is well built, well cooled, and puts out serious power. I currently have 3 large Group 31 sized batteries supporting it, along side a stock 130amp alternator. Voltage still drops down into the low 12s if I play hard enough. So if you want to use big power, just know it takes power to make power. I really don't have any complaints on this amplifier, I mean, it does what I want it to, every day. 

 

Incriminator Audio I65

 

Not really much to be said here. Nothing to go against the par. I would recommend them to anybody who is looking to upgrade, and if this fits their budget, sure. But I wasn't "blown" away by their sound quality. It was very clear, the highs were a little bright. But take this for what its worth. I'm not great at setting EQ's or anything. My review is based off of plug and play. I did have them on a ZED made amplifier. I did turn down the mids a bit to get more highs to come out, so I was lacking some midbass action. Which I would say was just average. Nothing that the average consumer would worry about though. 

 

Well I think thats all folks. In conclusion, I will keep an eye out for new products to come out, and will continue to support the SSA Store. 

[ricksi30 923]

Weak review.....No I'm kidding, thanks man! I'll have to do something like this too.

[nem 2,019]

Nice write up!

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Great work sir.  Thank you for taking the time to write those.  Feel free to post them on others sites and link us.

[Sencheezy 689]

[SacredTanakh 67]

Very interesting read, enjoyed it

 

You have a badass history of subwoofers and amps. 

[Mark LaFountain 1,054]

thanks for your time writing these reviews.  appreciate it.

[Dictator 39]

you hit the zcon exactly how i would describe it!