The History of the Kicker Amp
The Kicker amp and the Kicker audio brand have nearly 30 years of history. Kicker amps are high-performance car stereo speakers popular among enthusiasts who modify their standard car stereo equipment. The Kicker amp launched the notion that a car stereo could provide a high-performance listening experience.
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Corporate Beginnings
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The Kicker brand is owned by Stillwater Designs, a Stillwater, Oklahoma, company founded by Steve Irby in 1973. Irby and a partner started out hand-building sound systems for churches, auditoriums and entertainers. Irby remains president of the company today. This remained the core of Stillwater's business throughout the 1970s.
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The First Kicker
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Stillwater Designs introduced the first Kicker speaker, a full-range speaker, in 1980. A full-range speaker is a speaker box that has both a woofer and a tweeter and perhaps a midrange speaker. These different components provide a richer and more accurate reproduction of recorded sound. The woofer produces bass and lower-register notes while the tweeter producea high-pitched sounds. Prior to 1980, most car stereo equipment was less sophisticated in how it reproduced sound. Full-range speakers were reserved for home audio equipment.
Expanding Kicker's Brand
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After the release of the original Kicker in 1980, Kicker Audio released its first woofer speaker in 1986. A standalone woofer would produce intense bass notes in the car stereo system. In 1993, the company started making amplifiers, electronic devices designed for delivering the right amount of power to high-performance speakers in the car.
Beyond Cars
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Kicker also produces stereo equipment for boats. These products are designed to be water- and weather-resistant. The hardware is made from stainless steel to guard against rust and sun damage; the products are covered with magnetic shielding to prevent them from interfering with a boat's navigation system. In 2008, Kicker branched out further with its first home audio products, specifically digital stereo systems for the iPod and Zune.
The Company Today
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The global recession of 2008 and 2009 took its toll on Kicker, which relied on the retailer Circuit City and car manufacturers to sell a large percentage of its products. With Circuit City going out of business and all the U.S. car makers struggling, Kicker and its parent Stillwater Designs laid off employees for the first time in its history in October 2009. It laid off approximately 15 percent of its 270 employees.
References
- Photo Credit "Old School" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: hundrednorth under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
