My system has plenty of power. Who needs an amp?

You might think you don't need an amp because you have a 400-watt system in your car, or because your new stereo puts out 50 watts a channel. But those are peak wattage ratings, which may boil down to 15 or 20 watts per channel, using the more realistic RMS rating. An amp sends your speakers the power they need to deliver your music with clarity and impact, whether you're using factory speakers or high-performance components. And low-frequency reproduction requires lots of power, so an amp is an absolute must if you're adding a sub to your system.

Our take on the Kicker 11ZX500.1

by Buck Pomerantz

Big bass

This Kicker ZX500.1 mono subwoofer amplifier powers up your bass loud and clear with up to 500 watts RMS. This reliable bass rocker remains cool even when pushed hard, thanks to its heavy-duty internal components and the efficient Class-D amplifier technology it uses to boost your low end.

Works with almost any stereo

Kicker employs their Fail-Safe Integration Technology (FIT™) to reject noise and stop any interference generated by your car's electronics, so you'll enjoy your music clean and pure. Speaker-level inputs make it simpler to hook this amp up to your factory system.

Bass controls

You can tune for almost any enclosure and bass driver with the steeply-sloped subsonic and low-pass filters. A bass boost gives you even more kick, if you so desire. Be sure to get the optional wired remote level controller so you can crank up the level of fun from the front seat.

See more info on this item

Highlights:

mono subwoofer amplifier
250 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (500 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms)
CEA-2006 compliant
variable low-pass filter (50-200 Hz, 24 dB/octave)
fixed subsonic filter (25 Hz, 24 dB/octave)
variable bass boost (0-18 dB at 40 Hz)
Class D amp technology
Fail-Safe Integration Technology eliminates noise from your vehicle's electrical system
preamp and speaker-level inputs (speaker-level input requires an optional adapter)
preamp outputs
optional wired ZXRC Remote Bass Control available
4-gauge power and ground leads recommended — wiring and hardware not included with amplifier
fuse rating: 30A x 2
12"W x 2-1/8"H x 9-5/8"D
warranty: 2 years (extends to 3 years when purchased with either the Kicker 09PK4 single amp wiring kit or the Kicker 09PKD4 multi-amp wiring kit)
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

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Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs

Performance
RMS Power Output (Watts x Channels) Loading...	250 x 1
Peak Power Output (Watts x Channels) Loading...	N/A
Power at 2 Ohms (Watts x Channels) Loading...	500 x 1
Bridged Power (Watts x Channels) Loading...	N/A
Minimum Impedance Bridged Loading...	N/A
Minimum Impedance Unbridged Loading...	2
Best Frequency Response Loading...	25-200 Hz
THD at Rated RMS Power Loading...	1%
Signal to Noise Ratio Loading...	74 dB
Input Voltage Loading...	14.4v
Features
Amplifier Class Loading...	D
Low-Pass Crossover Frequency Loading...	50-200 Hz
Low-Pass Slope (dB/octave) Loading...	24 dB/octave
High-Pass Crossover Frequency Loading...	N/A
High-Pass Slope (dB/octave) Loading...	N/A
Bass Boost Loading...	0-18 dB
Bass Boost Frequency Loading...	40 Hz
Fan Cooled Loading...	No
Fuse Rating Loading...	60
Speaker Level Inputs Loading...	RCA
Preamp Outputs Loading...	1 pair
Width (inches) Loading...	12
Height (inches) Loading...	2-1/8
Depth (inches) Loading...	9-5/8
Parts Warranty Loading...	2 Years
Labor Warranty Loading...	2 Years

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

Mono subwoofer amplifier
Owner's manual (English/ Spanish/ German/ French)

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Controls
Connections

Controls

Gain: The rotary gain control is continuously variable from 125 mV to 5 V when the Input Sensitivity switch is set to Low and 250 mV to 10 V when the Input Sensitivity switch is set to High.

Crossover: The crossover is always engaged (cannot be bypassed). The crossover point is continuously variable from 50 to 200 Hz and the slope is 24dB per octave.

Auto Turn-on Switch: The amp offers three automatic turn-on modes; select from:

+12V: connect a wire from the remote turn-on lead from your source unit to the REM terminal on the amplifier; this is the preferred turn-on method
DC Offset: turns the amp on when a 6-volt DC offset is detected at the high-level speaker inputs when the source unit is turned on
Audio: detects the incoming audio signal from your source unit and automatically turns the amp on; will not work if the input gain control is not set properly

Bass Boost: The bass boost circuit provides up to 18dB boost at 40Hz.

ZXRC Remote Bass Control: The bass output level can be controlled remotely using an optional wired remote bass control (item number 20610ZXRC, sold separately).

Connections

Left Side of Amplifier:

+12V (power): set screw terminal
REM (remote turn-on): set screw terminal
GND (ground): set screw terminal
Fuses: two 30-amp ATO fuses

Right Side of Amplifier:

Speaker Outputs: one pair of set screw terminals
RCA Input: one pair of stereo RCA input jacks; also used for speaker level input (item number 20609ZiSL needed, sold separately)
RCA Output: one pair of stereo RCA output jacks

Amp Wiring Kit: Kicker recommends using a 4-gauge wiring kit with this amplifier.

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