# Infinity kappa perfect 12.1 subs really as good sounding as reviews say



## coomaster1 (Jul 22, 2010)

I was looking at some infinity kappa perfect 12.1 subwoofers and almost all the reviewers I could find, said they were able to play very accurately at very high volumes, with no distortion in a sealed enclosure. Are these all hype or are there actual users of these subwoofers here, that can confirm or deny that they have the best of both worlds,by having excellent sound quality and still have good SPL. Also the manufacturer says to install these in a 1.0 cubic foot sealed box for best sound quality. Though some are going against that and installing them in a 1.25 cubic foot sealed box. Who has used both box sizes and can confirm if the 1.25 cf box is a better choice for better SQ and SPL or since I will be using 2 of them., should I just stick to the recommended manufactures sub box specs ,or is the 1.25 cf box, an overall better sound quality box for these subwoofers. Would love to hear from people that have experimented with these personally to know the best box size for maximum sound quality out of them. Also would be nice to know how much rms watts should be put to each one for the best sound quality as well. Usually manufactures specs are best to stick to,but I feel nothing beats years of personal listening to know what will work the best with them.Thanks


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## fisc2307 (Oct 29, 2011)

try using a program like winISD to compare the impact of changing the enclosure size and pick what you believe will suit your taste better is probably your best bet. it will also give you an idea whether it will give you the SPL they claim to have attained


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## chaser9478 (Aug 16, 2011)

I have saw a bunch of good stuff about them. i havent experienced them though. on amazon they had them for $7 with $56 s&h...lol


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## coomaster1 (Jul 22, 2010)

I am still looking for people with real life experience to answer these questions I have on the kappa perfect 12.1 subwoofers.The program sounds like it will be usefull ,but I am still looking for people that have used these ,and their real life experiences with them. thanks


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## doeboy (May 2, 2012)

i have older infinity kappa perfect vq's in a little less than 2.5 cubic ft. Sounds great I used to power them with a jbl bp1200.1 and they just thumped loud as hell.


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## legend94 (Mar 15, 2006)

those in my opinion are some of the best out of the box subwoofers for the price you can get. i have heard one solo one in a box based on factory recommendation and i was impressed with the sub and it was being powered by a jl 500/1. 

i would stay around factory suggestion on the box for sq and use 2-3 of them to get more spl


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## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

WinISD (latest version) should tell you the optimal box size. You can also play with your choice of box size. As long as qtc is below say 0.8, the box should be about perfect. Lower qtc may result in better transient response. I don't remember about the specific model name, but in Infinity Perfect line there used to be a subwoofer where you could actually adjust T/S parameters and fit it in the box that you think works best for you. WinISD also has a model for excursion. Once you settle on the box size, switch to excursion graph and then keep entering wattage in the signal tab until excursion exceeds xmax at say 30-40Hz. This would be the wattage that you can send to subwoofer with excursion still being in the "linear" range. It may be possible that the subwoofer will handle thermally more power than that, if the thermal power handling is higher, you're pushing excursion beyond xmax (the linear excursion range).

PS: If you want a new subwoofer for 1cu ft box, cheap, then consider the Infinity Kappa 120.9w, and run 300-500watts to it. Fine SQ and gets reasonably loud enough for me. Given the online price of under $150, it's a good value IMO.


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## douggiestyle (Apr 29, 2008)

I'm running one off ~400 watts in a 0.8cf sealed box, lightly stuffed. I have no issues with their accuracy or output, but:

1. I don't listen to music at extremely loud levels anymore and 
2. Sub bass occupies a very low portion of actual music.

If you are going to treat them like a reasonable person, then either box will work. You can either stuff it if it's too small or add blocks inside to make it smaller. 

Run them off ~350w -400w and you're golden.

If you really want to crank them, there are other subs better suited.

Lastly, look into some of the newer JBL offerings. The Perfects ahve been around for a long time. I have no reason to upgrade, but the tech has trickled down and there are some great entry level subs available now. The GTO has received great reviews (no personal experience)


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## coomaster1 (Jul 22, 2010)

Hi, Thanks to everyone for their responses. So is everyone saying to keep these subwoofers installed in the original sealed spec sub boxes, and I will get the accuracy these subs are known for? ,and since I will be using two of them I will retain the accuracy they are known for, and will have plenty of spl if I want? I'm really wanting these subwoofers to be first and foremost extremely accurate,and blend well with the music,and have them reproduce all the bass notes in the music accurately.But also when it comes time to reproduce the sound of thunder like in real life,where you feel the shake,I'd like it to perform at that as well and will be obtained with going with the 2 subwoofers. Just wanted to confirm with other that they are achieving this,since my subwoofers are tucked way in behind the seat with lots of amps in front of them.A fairly big job to remove everything. Thanks


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

What kind of car do you have? 

Kelvin


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## coomaster1 (Jul 22, 2010)

Hi, I own a 1993 ford thunderbird. Thanks


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

coomaster1 said:


> Hi, I own a 1993 ford thunderbird. Thanks


The interior of that car is not that big, you'll be fine with the smaller enclosure 1-1.25cuft - cabin gain will kick in at a higher freq compared to big SUVs for eg. 

Kelvin


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## Pitmaster (Feb 16, 2010)

I ran a Kappa perfect 10 in a .75 sealed enclosure, and thought it sounded very good.
I then ran it in a 1 cft ported enclosure, with the same kenwood 921 amp(maybe 300 watts).
Much louder, but still great SQ. Still accurate, and really hit hard.
Not a 12" but I hope this helps. A great sub either way!


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## ATOMICTECH62 (Jan 24, 2009)

I had a pair in 3.7 cu/ft ported at 33hz on a JL 500/1.Very impressive.Most people thought I had 2 15's with 1000watts.Just for the hell of it I sealed the port off and ran them for about a week.Still impressive.They sound very solid and tight.I went back ported because I liked the output much better.The only drawback I could find was the aluminum cones get dents in them very easy but you can pretty much straighten them out from the back side.
The guy I sold them to has them on an old directed 1100d in a prefab ported box and they are still going.He drives by a few times a day beating them hard and has been for over a year.
I wish I never sold them.


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## BadUserName (Oct 18, 2012)

Seem pretty cheap too. Would be a nice upgrade if they still sold them.


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## coomaster1 (Jul 22, 2010)

Sounds like they will be worth putting in. They sound like what I am after.Accurate with some ability to go loud, and still sound good. Will putting two of the 12,s in, make up the output that one of them has when ported. I'd rather keep them sealed like the factory specs say, so I can retain the accuracy,and put two of the 12,s in to get my spl out of them. Will this work,and give me the best of both worlds with these subs. Thanks


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## coomaster1 (Jul 22, 2010)

Sounds like they will be worth putting in. They sound like what I am after.Accurate with some ability to go loud, and still sound good. Will putting two of the 12,s in, make up the output that one of them has when ported. I'd rather keep them sealed like the factory specs say, so I can retain the accuracy,and put two of the 12,s in to get my spl out of them. Will this work,and give me the best of both worlds with these subs. Thanks


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## ATOMICTECH62 (Jan 24, 2009)

You will not be disappointed in these subs no matter what type of box you use.
Two of them in any reasonable size sealed box with a strong amp in the 500-1200 watt range will make you smile.
I sold mine for $125 which is what I paid for them,and I got 2 years of use out of them.
They were in fair condition.


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## buchaja (Nov 10, 2007)

Pitmaster said:


> I ran a Kappa perfect 10 in a .75 sealed enclosure, and thought it sounded very good.
> I then ran it in a 1 cft ported enclosure, with the same kenwood 921 amp(maybe 300 watts).
> Much louder, but still great SQ. Still accurate, and really hit hard.
> Not a 12" but I hope this helps. A great sub either way!


Running the same in the VQ version, sealed. I agree it sounds very good. Thanks for the observations about the ported design. I may try that.

As I told 4thelove in his (her?) thread, the recommended enclosure of .75ft^3 is perfect (pun intended).


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## Ray21 (Oct 19, 2009)

Very nice sounding subs. I use the 10" version in my small HT setup and it sounds great in a larger sealed box. Very very nice SQ and lowend.


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## Rs roms (Jul 12, 2012)

I am using VQ 12 (SVC) in a 1.32 cuft sealed semi stuffed with driver displacement included and without any Q insert. The result has been above my expectations. They can play low, they can get loud when i want them without missing a single note. Damn accurate on high volumes as well. I hate to tell but my sub is being under powered by Harman Kardon ca1500m which puts out 360 [email protected] 4 ohms.
I have ran them with Mid Q insert in 1 cuft sealed. They were very impressive but was struggling a bit in low range.


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## chaser9478 (Aug 16, 2011)

Its a shame they don't make these subs anymore.....

How are the new kappa's with the selectable impedence? The 120.9 I think. There are a lot of really good deals on those.


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## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

chaser9478 said:


> Its a shame they don't make these subs anymore.....
> 
> How are the new kappa's with the selectable impedence? The 120.9 I think. There are a lot of really good deals on those.


They're good IMO. 120.9w works well in a 1-1.2cu ft sealed box. They have a balanced, tight melodic sound, and they can dig deep, at least with cabin gain taken into account. 350watts RMS rating is very conservative. Linear xmax suggests they can take a lot more power. 250-500watts RMS power should be safe power for these. I have mine with gain calibrated for about 450watts.


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## passtim (Sep 30, 2009)

I ran 2 of the 12s sealed in around .88cf ea and they dug very deep and got reasonably loud off of an old RF Punch 360a2, roughly 500ish watts. They will let you know when they reach there mechanical limit with a loud "WHAC" though, but great sub, very musical, wish the mounting depth was 1/4 - 1/2inch less and i'd still have mine.


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