Post by SiLeNt KiLlEr TS-01 on Apr 8, 2008 20:24:33 GMT 7
In 1980, KICKER Audio invented the high-performance stereo enclosure market when company founder and President Steve Irby developed the Original KICKER®, the first full-range speaker box designed specifically for automotive use. From the day we put the power to that first KICKER, Livin’ Loud® has always been the KICKER way - staying one step ahead of the pack, driven to create components that consistently raise the world's expectations for stereo performance.
As a continually evolving brand, KICKER reaches new heights in 2008 with the development of its first home audio product – digital stereo systems specifically for iPod® and Zune™ media players. As it has striven for excellence on the road the past quarter-century, KICKER will work to become a future driving force under the roof as well.
KICKER Audio products are designed and manufactured by Stillwater Designs, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The firm began in 1973 as a two-person operation, hand-building professional sound and musical instrument speaker systems for churches, auditoriums, and entertainers. Building upon the success of the Original KICKER, the company concentrated on the car audio market, applying the same research and design skills that made its first product so successful to the development of a complete line of high-performance components for car audio. What was once a company with two employees in a single-car garage is now a corporation with 220-plus employees in facilities totaling more than a quarter-million square feet.
High-performance car audio products sold under the KICKER brand name include:
SoloX™, Solo-Baric®L7, Solo-Baric L5, CompVX, CompVT, CompVR®, and Comp™ subwoofers;
KICKER Sub Boxes loaded with Solo-Baric, Comp VX, CompVT, CompVR, and Comp subwoofers;
WX-Series and ZX-Series power amplifiers;
SS-Series component systems, midbass drivers, and tweeters;
RS-Series component systems;
KS-Series component systems and coaxial speakers;
DS-Series component systems and coaxial speakers;
KICKER Marine subwoofer, sub box, amplifiers, component systems, coaxial speakers, and long-throw tower system;
KICKER Full-Range Boxes - Two-way, full-range enclosed speaker system;
KICKER Signal Processors/EQs;
and KICKER Audio Accessories.
High-performance home audio products sold under the KICKER brand name include:
iK500 and ZK500 digital stereo systems for iPod and Zune media players.
n September, 2006, Stillwater Designs acquired auto connectivity provider SoundGate, the respected manufacturer of high-quality audio interfaces and other OEM integration products. While strengthening each brand within the mobile electronics industry, the acquisition of SoundGate secured the ability to integrate KICKER systems into the new technologies available in automobiles today and in the future.
KICKER and SoundGate products are currently sold by approximately 1,500 Authorized Dealers in the United States. These locations are served by 15 manufacturers’ representative firms. Export sales are managed through a network of distributors serving over 2,000 dealers in approximately 50 countries.
KICKER speakers, amplifiers, signal processors, and SoundGate interfaces are developed by a design team headed by Irby. This hands-on approach from the highest level of management, matched with an energetic workforce of talented individuals in all areas of the company’s operations and an innate ability to create truly musical components, has been the reason for the company’s remarkable success.
As audio continues to evolve, KICKER and SoundGate will continue to be on the industry’s cutting edge, pushing the limits of audio design technology, performance, and integration in the quest for ultimate sound.