Zero Gravity DD1008 COMBO MSRP: $588Sound Quality Boom And Output Ease Of Installation Overall Value
I'll bet there are quite a few of you out there in readerland who have a car that you've modified for faster acceleration, better handling, or both. As we all know, weight is the number one enemy of either of these goals. You probably want a kickin' sound system too, and that only makes achieving your goals that much more difficult. Wouldn't it be great if you could find a subwoofer enclosure that was light, already had an amp integrated into it and kicked out some good jams? Well, you might want to take a look and a listen to the subject of this article: the Zero Gravity Dd1008 Combo, powered 8" subwoofer system. It retails for $588 and, if you are so inclined, each component is available separately.
This unit is small - as far as subwoofer systems go. It's a wedge-shaped vented box that's only 19" long, 13 1/2" tall, with a depth measuring 13 3/4" at the bottom and 8 3/4" at the top. It's coated with a stipple-textured polyurethane material that looks good and is backed by a lifetime warranty. The 8" Digital Designs Dd1008a driver itself looks pretty impressive with its tall, wide, foam surround and a carbon-fiber-like dust cap. The Digital Designs 350-watt amp fits snugly into a compartment on the opposite end of the box from the port and woofer. It has a power connection block to accommodate 4-gauge power cables, RCA inputs, remote turn on, gain and lowpass crossover frequency controls. The best part is that the enclosure is made of an ultra-light, 1"-thick material called ZGAP (Zero Gravity Acoustic Panel) and the whole system weighs only 20.5 pounds - that's right, I said 20.5 pounds! Many subs weigh as much, or more, without an enclosure. This kind of flyweight certainly won't upset your car's handling or acceleration.
InstallationI installed the enclosure in my BMW 3-Series Coupe at the right rear corner of the trunk and left the rear seats folded down for the audition. Installation was a snap, even though I had to run power, turn on and signal to the amp. Zero Gravity didn't supply any mounting brackets with the enclosure, so you will need to come up with your own solution. And, if you carry items in your trunk, you will want to find a grille to protect the speaker.
ListeningWhile I was installing the Zero Gravity enclosure, I questioned how this single 8" subwoofer was going to handle the job of producing a believable bottom end in a car this size. To answer my query I started with Susan Tedeschi's "You Need To Be With Me." Immediately I thought to myself: "Wow, this doesn't sound like an 8-inch sub - it sounds more like a 10- or a 12-inch." It had very nice low-end extension and impact, although on some notes it began to boom. I switched to Dave Weckl's "Head's Up" and the Dd1008 combo displayed the same boomy tendency, and definition wasn't all it could have been. The bass and drums were a little difficult to differentiate from each other.
On B.B. King's "Stormy Monday" the ZG did a little better, but this track showed some non-linearity on running bass lines. Some of the notes were considerably louder than others, and the sub had a propensity for sounding boomy on the lowest of them. This boominess I've been encountering is one of the reasons I've never been a big fan of vented enclosures. To me, they all seem to exhibit a "one-note bass" type of sound, as opposed to the better transient response and linearity of a sealed enclosure. Then again, Zero Gravity tells me this enclosure was designed more for output, and they will be offering a more SQ-oriented unit in the near future. As is, this subwoofer system would probably be a better choice for someone who isn't as concerned with accuracy and realism as they are with bass they can feel.
Lastly, I tried some "house" music. The Dd1008 Combo absolutely shook my car! I was amazed at the undistorted output of this single, little 8" enclosure. I would have thought I was listening to a much larger woofer system than this - I guess boom does have its place. Maybe this is the genre the designer of this system had in mind.
ConclusionIf you're looking for a subwoofer system that's tight and accurate, you might want to shop around a little more. If what you want is a small, extremely lightweight, self-contained, easily installed subwoofer system that will let you feel and hear your music, the Zero Gravity Dd1008 Combo powered subwoofer is your answer. It's certainly impressive for an 8" sub-enclosure weighing 20.5 pounds. Give it a listen and decide for yourself.
| ZGAP ENCLOSURE | $200 |
| DD1008A SUB | $139 |
| MB1 AMP | $249 |
| TOTAL | $588 |
Kicker vcvx12 MSRP: $499.95Sound Quality Boom and Output Ease of Installation Overall Value
When I think of squares, I think Kicker. Of course I'm talking about subwoofers (not the personalities employed in Stillwater, OK). And what audio-obsessed person wouldn't? After all Kicker virtually invented the square sub; and what a novel idea it has turned out to be. The fact that a square 12" can move nearly as much air as a 15" sub without the size-induced hassle leaves installers smiling rather than balking at the trunk space in your Kia Rio.
Of course, the only thing remotely square with our test subject, the Kicker VCVX12, is the face of the enclosure. Instead, this bass system uses a textbook round air mover from the company's CompVX line. To applaud Kicker, they knew from the get go that the square sub wasn't for everyone, so they implemented some of its technology highlights into this series' round sub design. In fact, the CompVX 12's looks are a direct offshoot of its square brethren with its split-spoke design, vacuum-molded polypropylene cone and ribbed Santoprene surround that is stitched to the cone in standard Kicker fashion. Its fairly large motor uses Kicker's "UniPlate" pole-piece/back-plate design and a heat-reducing T-cut top plate to move the available dual 2- or 4-ohm voice coil. Holding it all together is a unique cast aluminum basket with additional plastic spokes holding spring-loaded terminals.
The enclosure is wedge-shaped with a height and width of 16" and 17" respectively, and depths measuring 18" at the bottom and 14 11/16" at the top. Its construction is solid MDF with radius corners, all covered with a really thick "DJ" carpet. A wood insert covered in a black carpet with a "K" logo embroidered at the top left corner flushes in the 12" sub perfectly.
The left side of the enclosure holds a huge 5" port. This is capped off with a teardrop-shaped black ABS plastic trim panel that flares the end of the port to prevent port huffing and also incorporates the push terminals for the incoming speaker wire. The other end of the port is also terminated with a flared flange so port noise should sustain below audible levels.
The looks and build of this enclosure are highly impressive, even if it is a bit understated. However, at almost 50 pounds, the Kicker VCVX12 isn't exactly lightweight. To keep it secured, Kicker thoughtfully provides four thick-gauge mounting brackets and necessary screws. What is not provided is a grille to keep the golf clubs at bay.
Most who actually read the manual will find it rather helpful. It provides the consumer tips and diagrams on getting the best performance from the enclosure including location and orientation with specific reminders about port obstruction. Reading the spec chart, power handling is 750 watts RMS and 1,500 peak. There is a two-page warranty section that explains the three-month warranty and one-year authorized dealer warranty.
InstallationI placed the enclosure in the back of my '99 4Runner and aligned it according to the instructions. Connection was simple with wire coming from my amplifier slipping right into the spring-loaded terminals. This enclosure is 2-ohms, thus my amplifier will be cranking up to about 750 watts. I broke the woofer in for about 30 hours before giving it a listen.
ListeningOK. I was expecting this thing to be loud, but, WOW! The output of this monster had me chasing down a few new rattles in my 4Runner that was otherwise pretty tight and rattle free. With Usher piping through the system, the bass was bold and a little fat; every pop note and strong bass line pressurized the cabin rather intensely for a single 12". In fact, it sounded more like two substantial 12" subs because of the gain from the ported enclosure. To top it off, the sub took virtually every watt my amp threw its way without ever showing any sign of stress. The same was true with the electronica tracks I played from both Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers.
When it came to more technical tracks, the Kicker VCVX12 showed its sacrifices for big output. The kick drum that overlaps the bass guitar in Ziggy Marley's "Gone Away" was not as sharply defined as it could be. In fact, the bass guitar was really strong, as if it hit in a resonant area in the response of the system. The kick drum in turn was a bit muddled because of this.
With Diana Krall, the transition from midbass to sub was seamless, but the lowest of notes from the standup bass were a little strong and the resonance of the strings, not very noticeable. There definitely was a linearity issue here and with some of the Star Wars tracks where the ultra-low frequencies were almost transparent. The latter, however, is so low that few systems play it much better.
ConclusionWhat do you get from a Kicker 12" subwoofer system that retails for $499.95? BIG bass. The output will knock your socks off and surprise just about anyone when you tell them it's a single 12". However, its tradeoffs come with some loss in articulation and tonal accuracy. In the end, if you are willing to trade in a little sound quality for huge output, you'll definitely want to put this on your short list.