# SSA ICON 12D2 long a$$ review



## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

OK, so I received the Icon 12" from UPS today. Very happy, bright spot in a rather DULL monday. 

OK, first of all, packaging and shipping. 
The box looks like its purpose built for shipping the drivers. very secure, no movement at all. Went ahead and opened it, and got my second workout in a day. All I can say is that the woofer is PRETTY!! Great construction and quality is evident through out the driver. The push wire terminals, suround (wow, is it a thick one). There is no spec sheet with the driver, so I will be using the printed information from their website. 

On a serious note, I will try to make this review as comprehensive as possible given my modest means and very limited time. Please be patient with me, that's all I ask. Unfortunately I dont have the capabilities to do any serious measurements on the driver, so what I can do will be about it. 

OK, now that's out of the way, next step will be to determine alignment, power and placement in the trunk of my M5. Let me know if you want some pics of the driver, as I am assuming the physical appearance is well known. 

Thanks to SSA for providing this giveaway and I will do my best to meet with the terms and conditions. Once I am all done with the review on this site, I will most likely transpose it over to another site. Even though I really doubt it if majority of their members know as much as the members here. 
Till our next meeting, farewell.


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## ANT (Oct 15, 2005)

slvrtsunami said:


> Thanks to SSA for providing this giveaway...


Ahem....


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

Thanks *Ant*


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

ok,ok, so I stand corrected and I apologize. Thanks to ANT. and other parties involved. Sorry, its been one of THOSE Monday's. Man, you guys are quick!!!
Ant, too bad your not in my neck of the woods, I would buy you dinner at this nice Italian place I know. Oh wait, I don't know it, I own it!! )


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

DIYMA said:


> Ahem....


Maybe that should be my new sig.


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## ANT (Oct 15, 2005)

****er cost me a pretty penny!
I hope you enjoy it.
Can't wait to see your review!


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

I don't know what cost is on those. but MSRP looked high, that was until I held it. Yes, I am sure I will enjoy it. Now, about break-in, any recommendations?


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

slow and easy unless it's female [ then drive it like you stole it }


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## vellocet (Nov 14, 2008)

Definitely take your time with that, it's worth it. I have one running it sealed. What kind of box are you putting it in?


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

vellocet said:


> Definitely take your time with that, it's worth it. I have one running it sealed. What kind of box are you putting it in?


Well, I will most likely be putting it in a sealed enclosure with about 1 ft^3 of space and some polyfill (maybe about 1/2 pound). The part that concerns me is that I only have about 300W on bass. Also, it will most likely be corner loaded in my trunk (BMW 5 series). I will let you know when I get around to it. thnks.


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## David_Edwards (Nov 12, 2008)

I am thinking that is alittle too small for that driver......more than likely it is gonna be alittle peaky


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

David_Edwards said:


> I am thinking that is alittle too small for that driver......more than likely it is gonna be alittle peaky


That is what I thought as well. But using the available information from SSA's website, the driver actually has a decent 'curve' with 1 ft^3. I will probably go a bit larger to extend the low end a little, but since the BMW trunks are pretty sealed, I think a little 'peaky' should be ok.

BTW, don't know when the MECA finals were, but congrats.


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## SSaudio (Jan 22, 2008)

glad to hear it arrived safe and sound. And a Big thanks to ANT for this give away! Looking forward to your review.


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## David_Edwards (Nov 12, 2008)

slvrtsunami said:


> BTW, don't know when the MECA finals were, but congrats.



thanks


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

I have it in 1.2 cuft and love it. Id suggest polyfill. I also am giving it 600 watts though. Keep us posted.


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

OK, quickie, I have it in my trunk in a sealed box. I think the approximate air space is around 1.25 ft^3. I have rearranged my amps and the Deuce is feeding it with about 7-800W bridged (4 ohms). The only problem is that my trunk still has my old sub box and amp rack (which are attached), so there is a lot of obstruction. I will do a better review once everything is out and there is more room to play. Thanks for your patience. Have a great weekend.


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## dftnz7 (Mar 2, 2008)

Couple of notes of mine that might be of use to you are that I noticed that this driver seems to be picky about the amount of polyfill you use, moreso that any other subwoofer I have used. Took me awhile to get it dialed in. Doesn't really make much sense but there is a fine line between getting all the low end she's got and it getting really muddy. Also, with the ultra stiff suspension, it takes quite while to break it in. I ended up running it on full power 0 dB intermittent tones about 30 mins at a time for 6 hours total. Made a huge difference.

When I took this woofer out of the box and listened to it I was very disappointed. I almost even listed it up for sale immediately. I talked to Denim about it a little bit, adjusted the polyfill and did by far the most extensive and abusive break-in procedure I have ever done, and now, it is my favorite sub of all time. Strange but true. I am confident that once you tweak everything you will be impressed. It doesn't have any bells or whistles or fancy technology to speak of but it sure gets the job done.


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

Thansk for the advice on the poly fill. I think there is only about a quarter pound (I think, not much really) in the enclosure. I am now in the process of "breaking in" the woofer. I guess I don't listen to my car as much as I thought. I really don't have a long commute. 

More to come soon.


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

dftnz7 said:


> Couple of notes of mine that might be of use to you are that I noticed that this driver seems to be picky about the amount of polyfill you use, moreso that any other subwoofer I have used. Took me awhile to get it dialed in. Doesn't really make much sense but there is a fine line between getting all the low end she's got and it getting really muddy. Also, with the ultra stiff suspension, it takes quite while to break it in. I ended up running it on full power 0 dB intermittent tones about 30 mins at a time for 6 hours total. Made a huge difference.
> 
> When I took this woofer out of the box and listened to it I was very disappointed. I almost even listed it up for sale immediately. I talked to Denim about it a little bit, adjusted the polyfill and did by far the most extensive and abusive break-in procedure I have ever done, and now, it is my favorite sub of all time. Strange but true. I am confident that once you tweak everything you will be impressed. It doesn't have any bells or whistles or fancy technology to speak of but it sure gets the job done.



*I am glad we talked it through and you took the time to tweak it. Many people would just say screw it and toss it. We had to go with a little stiffer suspension to give the driver a little higher abuse tolerance the normal. Last thing we want to do is re-cones left and right.  *


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

slvrtsunami said:


> OK, quickie, I have it in my trunk in a sealed box. I think the approximate air space is around 1.25 ft^3. I have rearranged my amps and the Deuce is feeding it with about 7-800W bridged (4 ohms). The only problem is that my trunk still has my old sub box and amp rack (which are attached), so there is a lot of obstruction. I will do a better review once everything is out and there is more room to play. Thanks for your patience. Have a great weekend.


*No rush, as I remember the pictures of your trunk, so I know it is not an easy task.*


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

denim said:


> *No rush, as I remember the pictures of your trunk, so I know it is not an easy task.*


Your absolutely right. Hopefully I will have the time to disassemble the trunk and go with a simple amp rack across the floor, that way I should get my trunk back, well at least most of it. Even with the obstruction the sub has good output for being one woofer, I am sure it will extend lower easily once I get all the cobwebs out and fine tune its integration in the system. Have a great Gobble Gobble day.


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## HHawk (Dec 3, 2006)

> long a$$ review


??? :S


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

yes, I know. Please excuse me as life has been getting in the way. I am still evaluating the sub and trying to get to blend 'just right'. Bear with me, it's coming.


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## Glowbug (Oct 23, 2006)

David_Edwards said:


> thanks


Do I know this guy? The name's familiar...just can't...wait, maybe...nope.


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

ok, here you go. I hope you enjoy the reading! I have broken it down so it won't be too much at once.

Ok, so I think it’s been long enough of listening. First of all, a big thanks to Anthony for the giveaway, you sure picked a nice product to give away. Since nobody knows who I really am, allow me this opportunity to give you a quick bio. I started in mobile electronics in 1987 at a stereo shop in So. Cal. Needless to say they are LONG gone. Anyway, I progressed into competing at local IASCA and independent events. Since I was in the industry I competed as a pro. Anyway, I had some great teachers and several good friends that taught me a lot. I do have some background in music as well, although that is brief but it helps never the less. I also am familiar with mid to somewhat high end home audio as far as what determines good sound from bad. I am not saying I am a know it all when it comes to it, there are others, but at the same time I am not a total noob. Ok, now on to the nitty gritty details. The ICON sub is mounted in a prefabricated angle faced sealed enclosure. The seams inside have been reinforced with more silicone, most convenient, and the interior is sprayed with rubberized undercoating, again convenience. There is also a small amount of polyfill in the enclosure. The internal volume of the box is about 1 ft^3 so it should model out pretty well in win ISD. Actually it is a little lower Qtc than I normally prefer. Anyway, in a 1 ft^3 the -3db point is about 50 Hz. Please understand that the parameters used were what were available on the website.


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

ok, here you go. I hope you enjoy the reading! I have broken it down so it won't be too much at once.

Ok, so I think it’s been long enough of listening. First of all, a big thanks to Anthony for the giveaway, you sure picked a nice product to give away. Since nobody knows who I really am, allow me this opportunity to give you a quick bio. I started in mobile electronics in 1987 at a stereo shop in So. Cal. Needless to say they are LONG gone. Anyway, I progressed into competing at local IASCA and independent events. Since I was in the industry I competed as a pro. Anyway, I had some great teachers and several good friends that taught me a lot. I do have some background in music as well, although that is brief but it helps never the less. I also am familiar with mid to somewhat high end home audio as far as what determines good sound from bad. I am not saying I am a know it all when it comes to it, there are others, but at the same time I am not a total noob. Ok, now on to the nitty gritty details. The ICON sub is mounted in a prefabricated angle faced sealed enclosure. The seams inside have been reinforced with more silicone, most convenient, and the interior is sprayed with rubberized undercoating, again convenience. There is also a small amount of polyfill in the enclosure. The internal volume of the box is about 1 ft^3 so it should model out pretty well in win ISD. Actually it is a little lower Qtc than I normally prefer. Anyway, in a 1 ft^3 the -3db point is about 50 Hz. Please understand that the parameters used were what were available on the website.


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

Here comes the part that puts me in a dilemma. My car is a 2000 BMW M5 (might be 9 years old, but still a dream for me!) and I am in the middle of changing a few things. Unfortunately, I have had no time to do any of the changes. Therefore I am basing my evaluation with this big quirk. If you have seen previous install pics, you will notice there is a 2 ft^3 box on top of my amp rack (nice work there Schuey). Since I got the ‘wild hair’ again, that is being changed eventually. Anyway, the only place the box will fit is in the space left in the back of the trunk. So, if you can imagine, the sub is firing through the amprack, around the existing box (which is empty) and then inside the car. The amplifier connected to this sub is a Zed Audio Deuce, bridged at 4 ohms (wired the VC in series) so it’s seeing about 800W. Since the M5 has split fold down seats (why I don’t know) it allowed me to at least get some more output to the cabin of the car.


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

I pretty much used a wide variety of music to check this little bad boy out. I did try to break it in and the difference is noticeable since I first installed the sub. The music I used ranged from big band, jazz, vocal, symphony, electronica, electronic dance music and of course the ever so popular IASCA test disc (not the newest one though). After attempting to dial it in by ear, I think it’s close enough, I noticed a few ‘things’ about this particular subwoofer. First of all, the Icon is a very ‘musical’ sub capable of blending rather nicely, once it’s all figured out. The output of this sub in a smaller enclosure with what I have to say ‘mid-level’ power applied was rather impressive. The cab of my car was nicely filled with accurate transitions and good level. Actually, I found myself readjusting my EQ down on certain bands. Secondly, this particular woofer does not show any signs of break-up or mechanical distortion. I understand the driver is built to handle a lot more power, but when I went ‘bass-head’ to see what would happen, nothing did! Great engineering guys. One of my reference songs I use is Bird on a wire from Jennifer Warnes’ album famous blue raincoat. To me, the bass line and percussion are rather unique with a certain quality to it. I have listened to several home and mobile audio systems and this little guy, with so little tuning and playing time came away sounding like a champ. I can only wonder what would happen in a proper enclosure without all the obstructions, a bit more power and tuning. There you have it! My long winded but short review of the SSA Icon 12D2. I hope you found it helpful and amusing at the same time. Please PM me if you have any specific questions about material I used to evaluate this subwoofer.


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

Let me know if I should take a few more journalism classes and try to do this for a living?!


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

*Wow. Thank you for taking the time to write that up. I hope you have a chance, when you find time to rebuild, to experiment with a larger, low tuned ported box. I admit, I was a little concerned with all the obstructions between the listening position and the location of the driver, but it appears as if that was not an issue.

Once again, thanks for writing the review.*


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## slvrtsunami (Apr 18, 2008)

denim- my pleasure. Actually it was a great distraction for me. Work has been kicking my butt recently, so this was definitely welcome. I think I will be mothballing the driver and using it in the future for either my wifes car or even a home setup. In the house I can power it with a nice solid BASH amp and build the box it really deserves to sound good. One last thing, over the years I have used and listened to several lmanufacturers, some well known and a lot not so well known. The Icon 12d2, by far, ranks up there as far as a great all around subwoofer. Whether your an audiophile, 'bass-head' or somewhere in between, you can't go wrong with this speaker. 

Thanks again to Ant. and SSA. I have to go and 'sling' some pasta!


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

*If cool with Anthony, we might try this again with the new dcon model.

*


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