Kicker Hideaway vs. Infinity Basslink – A battle Of Epic Proportions
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Finding a good subwoofer system for your car can get kinda’ tricky. There are lots of options out there.
You can find anything from big bass systems designed to blow your trunk apart all the way down to a Smaller self powered unit with a lot less bass.
In the realm of Clean bass systems with smaller footprints we have came to two smaller self powered subwoofers in the same class. The Kicker Hideaway VS. Infinity BassLink.
Picking The Right Powered Subwoofer
Don’t confuse “A lot less bass” with “No bass at all”. Every listener requires something different, some want heavy bass and others just want quality bass that brightens up the low end in their vehicle.
For the folks that just want some clean bass it comes down to a couple of different options, specifically the Kicker Hideaway and the Infinity BassLink.
and a lot of people believe that a smaller self powered would be the best approach.
The reason is simple, save space and still achieve clean bass. both units are delivering very good quality, and you will be extremely impressed with the features provided here.
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Both Kicker and Infinity are some great companies when it comes to delivering audio hardware. But can they bring you all the value and efficiency that you may need?
Kicker Hideaway – All You Need To Know
The Kicker Hideaway offers you all the wire terminals and wires needed in order to ground and connect the battery for your power source.
Power: 150 Watts RMS
That means installing this unit is easy. You will also have proper documentation right in the package.
Kicker Hideaway Installation
You even have a harness that will plug in the amplifier and which offers support for all the wiring that you need, which is really interesting.
Moreover, the Kicker Hideaway also has a built in hi/low converter. This means the unit can actively deliver a very good quality and the attention to detail that you receive here can be special in that regard.
You will particularly like the fact that the product can particularly be optimized for a high-level input and output. That works quite nicely, and in the end, it will be well worth the effort, so try to consider that.
Mounting the Kicker Hideaway was an easy thing, but the only issue is that the stereo doesn’t have pre-outs that are powerful enough to turn on the amplifier.
You will need to use a remote turn on wire. It’s not a huge deal, but it is a problem and one that should be fixed as quickly as possible if you want to have good results.
Kicker Hideaway Installation Parts
One of the most important things about the Kicker Hideaway is the harness. Your wires need to reach far enough to connect to the vehicle speaker wires, power, and ground. The way you add the wires is pretty easy.
You need to connect the signal wires, the power wires and then you are good to go. You do need to click the Amp turn on switch to the right position.
This will ensure that everything works the way you expect. It’s a nice system to have and one that does bring in front some pretty impressive things to consider here.
Tuning The Hideaway
When it comes to tuning the Kicker Hideaway, you do need to adjust lots of things like frequency, bass boost, gain settings and a variety of other similar stuff as well.
Adjusting the frequency response can take a bit of getting used to, but it’s still very nice, and it delivers all the features that you may need in a pretty comprehensive package.
So yes, the value is indeed impressive, all you have to do is to adapt that to your needs if you can.
The specs are pretty impressive here. The frequency response is 25-150 Hz, you have a 150 Watts RMS at 14.4 volts, so the value as a whole is quite incredible. The unit itself is not that large either, which makes it a tremendous purchase.
Infinity BassLink SM – All You Need To Know
We all know that a good bass unit in your car usually requires a ton of space. But the Infinity BassLink does a very good job here.
Power: 200 Watts RMS
The design is futuristic, which is quite impressive for a unit like with this price point.
Infinity BassLink SM Features
The 10” subwoofer and the 10” radiator can do wonders, which is exactly what you need to consider in this regard. A passive radiator is a non-powered speaker with a nice twist, It basically provides you with the means to get a bit of extra bass depth while using just enough power needed to power the actual subwoofer. It’s a great opportunity and one that can do wonders in that regard.
Moreover, this powered subwoofer has lots of sound controls. You get to adjust things like bass boost, the low pass filter and you even have a wired remote control as well as a phase switch.
All of these add up to bring you all the customization options you need from something like this. It all comes down to using the right approach, and the experience is an astonishing one.
Infinity BassLink SM Installation
As with most self powered subwoofers The installation process for the Infinity BassLink is a fast one. For the most part there’s no need to worry about any wiring problems; you just have to attach your remote leads, ground, and power leads to the screw terminals.
Wiring With Ease
Once you do that, you run the RCA signal cables to your stereo. Keep in mind that Every vehicle will not offer an RCA signal input, we’ve only seen them on a hand full of Scion’s with the factory Pioneer system. The good news is that the BassLink SM comes with a Hi level input for vehicles without the RCA input.
Infinity Bass Link SM Performance
When it comes to the performance, the Infinity BassLink is pretty impressive. It bolsters a great pretty efficient amplifier and a pretty efficient subwoofer cone. This translates to some pretty impressive sound quality. Pair that with the fact that you can adjust its frequencies and other features so intuitively does make it stand out.
Also, there’s no distortion or sound issues. Instead, the small Infinity BassLink can easily provide you with a really good output, no matter the situation. It’s one of the best systems that you can find out there, and it can do wonders from that perspective.
Which is the best?
Both the Kicker Hideaway and the Infinity BassLink offer astonishing bass quality and tuning options for their price points. But which one should you pick? The Infinity BassLink is small, and you can install it with ease.
The same thing is apparent with the Kicker Hideaway, although the Infinity BassLink SM does require a bit more wiring. Still, the installation process is pretty impressive, and that’s good.
The Infinity BassLink has a passive radiator, which makes in a whole different monster. The grill is also more powerful here. That being said, both units have a pretty hefty 1 warranty for both parts and labor. The warranty covers labor only when the installation is done by an MECP certified shop technician. The warranty covers parts always.
Comparing Performance
If you’re more about the performance, the Infinity BassLink offers a similar frequency response, although the unit starts at 20 and not 25. Also, the Infinity BassLink has an amplifier power (RMS) of 200 Watts, whereas the Kicker only has 150 watts.
In the end, both units offer a really good performance, and it’s up to you to make the right pick. Each one of these stealth subwoofer systems iarevery easy to use and adjust, not to mention the differences are minimal.
So you have to figure out what features are important to you. Either way, any of these two devices will make a very good pick!
Hey, Im Dane, Im an MECP Certified Technician and the Author and editor here at 4AudioGeeks and I have been certified since my first audio job in 2013. Me and a few technicians came up with an idea to start a website that discussed mobile audio components, vehicle detailing and mobile security products. Due to Business needs, I took over. Audio Is Life!!