Little bother of the L7 still provides some punch!

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 Solo Baric S12L5 Subwoofer
I don't know what it is about the square subwoofer design of the Solo Baric series, but they are truly incredible in my eyes. It isn't too often that a company is willing to take the risk that Kicker took in developing these subwoofers. A truly radical square concept that could have sunk the company, if it wasn't for several big name car audio competitors trying the subwoofers out and putting them through some of the most incredible of tests.

The L5, is the little brother to the L7. The difference is that the L5 is about $100 cheaper and offers 1200 peak watts, while the L7, sits around 1500. In my opinion the extra $100 is well worth the upgrade, but if you are just looking for a high quality sound and don't necessarily need all of the added power, then the L5 is more than sufficient.

Sound Quality
The L5 is a fairly powerful subwoofer. With 1200 watts of peak power, it outperforms the large majority of subs on the market, which sit between 500-800 watts of peak power. This means a few things for the subwoofer, mainly that it is going to deliver some pretty high impact bass, which generally means more distortion, this however isn't the case with the Solo Baric series of subs.

The Solo Baric series in general provides incredible bass while still allowing for impressive sound quality. The L5 is installed in a method similar to manufacturer's specifications will provide great bass with some of the crispest quality you'll find in a subwoofer of this size and power range.

In order to further develop the sound of this speaker, I would highly recommend the use of dynamat to ensure there is little to no rattle within you vehicle. The rattle can cause the biggest preventable distortion in speaker installation. To do it right, it will cost you a few hundred dollars, but the end result will amaze you and you'll find that you wouldn't have it any other way. Without the dynamat, you are missing out on the capability and quality of this speaker series.

Durability
These speakers are quite incredible. I have seen them hold up to some pretty insane levels of pressure during competitions without blowing out, and I can imagine that they would hold up just the same on the street. While I wouldn't generally recommend this as a competition sub, especially with the availability of the L7, with it's additional 300 watts of peak power, this is still a great sub that will truly impress anyone. With that said, I don't foresee the strain caused by the daily driver being enough to blow these speakers out. So I'm sure that you could end up with these speakers upwards of 5-10 years after your purchase. That definitely wouldn't be beyond reason, whereas many other speakers you can expect to replace at least one within two years of purchase.

Product Details
» 12" subwoofer with dual 4-ohm voice coils
» SoloKon aluminum-treated composite cone with Santoprene surround
» rigid steel basket
» power range: 50-600 RMS watts (300 watts per voice coil)
» peak power: 1200 watts
» frequency response: 20-100 Hz
» sensitivity: 88.9 dB
» mounting depth: 6-7/8"
» sealed box volume: 0.88-2.00 cubic feet
» ported box volume: 1.75-3.25 cu. ft.
» Recommended Q-Logic Box Type: 1, 2, 3
» warranty: 1 year
» Want more peace of mind? Extended Service Plans Available

Final Thoughts
The L5 by Kicker is an impressive 12" subwoofer that delivers high quality power, while still producing great sound. While it isn't the most impressive in the Kicker line of products, it still blows away many of the other brands, and is one of the most efficient subs on the market.