Monster Subwoofers at SEMA: Suppliers Push Boundaries

Kicker's new SoloX L7 has a massive magnet

By James Chevrette

Car audio manufacturers are investing in big woofers again based on the showing at the recent 2025 SEMA Show.

Kicker’s Viral Square Sub

Kicker unveiled its new square 18-inch subwoofer at the recent SEMA show, and the response has been extraordinary. The Kicker SoloX L7XSS18 has generated over 4.5 million views on Instagram in 7-days, showing the cult following of the square woofer. Key specifications include 4,000-watt RMS power handling, 4.5 inches of peak-to-peak excursion, and customizable impedance. At 130 pounds, “This is a beast!” said Jacob Luckey of Kicker. Additional details and specs will be released within the next 90 days.

Orion Enters the Arena

Orion has entered the monster subwoofer market with its HCCA181SPLX 18-inch subwoofer, rated at 7,500 watts with dual 1-ohm voice coils. Sporting a mounting depth of 19 inches, this subwoofer may not be practical for daily drivers, but it’s an ideal solution for the bass demo scene. Full specifications are available at www.orioncaraudio.com.

Sundown Audio’s XV4

Not quite “the beasts” in the 18-inch category, Sundown Audio showed at SEMA 2025 a new 15-inch XV4 subwoofer, handling up to 3,000 watts RMS and 6,000 watts peak power. The XV4 features 30mm Xmax for strong linear excursion and a 9.25-inch diameter motor, optimized for ported enclosures. It uses a paper cone, or optional carbon fiber cone and foam surround, said Jacob Fuller.

Industry Collaboration

While these products may have limited applications due to size and enclosure requirements, they represent the importance of pushing the limits beyond traditional car audio. The engineering that goes into these monster subwoofers, has a trickle down effect throughout the industry. It was encouraging to see Sundown acknowledging the innovation in Kicker’s 18-inch subwoofer on social media (see below).