Performance
As the name implies, the Kicker ZK500 is designed to be loud--very loud. With two 5-inch woofers and 0.75-inch tweeters powered by a total of 40 watts of power, the Kicker ZK500 will have no problem fueling your next house party. To put the Kicker ZK500's volume in perspective, the dial goes up to 40, but we had to start shouting over the music about 20.
The Kicker ZK500 also impressed us with its sound quality, although it's obviously engineered to be a party machine--not a hi-fi. To get the best sound quality from the Kicker ZK500, the system volume needs to be up above background music levels to let its 6-inch backward-facing bass port fill in the lower frequencies. We were a little disappointed with the Kicker ZK500's stereo separation, however, we find that most compact stereo systems suffer in this respect.
Classical and acoustic music lovers should steer clear of the Kicker ZK500's unapologetically bombastic sound, but genres that beg to be heard loud (rock, electronic) sound fantastic. With the volume pegged at around 15, the horns and drums of Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up" sound crisp without being harsh. To really flex the Kicker ZK500's muscle we ran the dense dub techno of Deadbeat's "Loneliness and Revelry" through at full volume, causing system to rattle on our desk and send our co-workers running for the exit. Even while pushed to its limits, the Kicker ZK500 maintained a relatively clean sound with a forgivable amount of low-end distortion.
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Where to buy
Kicker ZK500:
$171.99 - $239.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amazon.com Marketplace
|
$188.63 | Yes |
|
|
CrispDeals.com
|
$189.00 | No |
|
|
$219.95 | No |
|
|
$171.99 | Yes |
|
|
$239.99 | Yes |
|
