Advice on Kicker L7T - amp & wiring selection

I try to not start threads that may have already been covered but I'm not find in Ng what I need.

I am considering installing a Kicker 46L7T104 behind the seat of my CM. I have no problem building a custom box (ported or sealed) but the last time that I installed a sub in one of my vehicles was about 8 years ago. I'm not an avid audiophile nor do I have the expertise to calculate the needs. I am hoping someone can give some advice.

Being that the L7T104 requires 1000 Peak & 500 RMS I am considering matching it to one of these:
41IQ10001 (1000 peak & 500 RMS; $750)
KXA800.1 (800 peak & 400 RMS; $450)
I understand that the KX-series would not be 'underpowered' but, being that I am only hoping to build/install once, I want to get the most out of what in using without throwing money away for little to no improvement.

Once the amp has been selected, what would be an appropriate gauge copper wire kit and capacitor size for the amp/sub?

This was the last install that I did - 8 years ago - for my 2009 Mercedes C300. I doubt I'll need to make anything this custom for the Tundra.

 

I would start to answer a wire guage question by looking over the installation manual, their suggested is probably in there.

I mean compare to what everyone on here says, but don't go below the manual.

I'd do 8 guage but that's me, depending on how long a run i need to the battery or other hot source.

Luck and do enjoy the new tunes. : ^ )))

 

4ga real copper wire (not cca).

I've always been fan of having a stronger battery (Northstar 27f) as opposed to using a capacitor. But if you really want a cap, 1 farad for every 1k watts.

 

I agree with you on the late 90's to early 2000's trusted brands. Kicker is still very honest on their ratings and is a safe buy. They do make you pay for it though, but they are good amps.

All 3 of my amps are at least 12+ years old. Memphis sub amp, An audiotek chrome mean machine, and a really old Sony. All of them are still playing like champs.

OP, if you are just looking for an amp that will do the job and still sound really good there are a lot of other cheaper options.

The first amp you linked has a digital sound processor built in. A pretty nice looking one at that, but that's a lot of processing power for just sub duty. You could actually buy a proven amp and a competent DSP that will be able to handle a tweeter, mid, and sub chanbels for less, well that is depending on where and who you are getting the kicker amps from. Either way, they are good, but if you are open to some other brands there are some good options out there.

I'll post some links a little later if you're interested.

 

I agree. I would not waste my time installing anything less than copper. I'm finding that 4ga is recommended but I am more focused on choosing am amp before deciding on the wiring.

I'm not opposed to upgrading my battery later but would like to have a capacitor in place to protect the system as well.

I don't mind doing the calculations to build an appropriate enclosure. I see a minimum and maximum recommended box volume but they very 0.5-0.85 cu.ft.; should I just shoot for the middle of min. and max.?
I understand that they don't make things like they used to but there are two problems with that idea:
1) I have had plenty of issues buying used sound equipment (blown, heats up, shuts down or won't power up randomly) in the past.
2) I'm not looking for competition grade sound. I'm just wanting more base than the useless stock JBL sub. Something I can buy off the shelf somewhere easy to pair with the shallow L7T I already have.
From what I read, I was under the impression that a higher SNR (signal to noise ratio) was better and a lower; IQ was 80 and the KX was 75.

I understand it can be a bit pricey for their products but to me it's worth saving up and buying a quality reliable product. I loved the Kicker system that I had installed in my old C300 but I have been out of the audio game for too long to know which amp to match with the L7T. I understand that there may be 'better' products on the market with 'better' pricing or 'better' sound quality, I am just looking for a quality product (which I personally found in the L-series Kicker to be) that is readily available and I wouldn't have to worry about having issues.
The same could be said for the 2020 Tundra that I bought, I'm sure there are other reliable trucks at a lesser price point that I could have bought, lower trim package or 'older' models to save money but I preferred to spend the money on quality, reliability, reputation & experience. Things like fabrication, modification or installation I can do myself so that is where I prefer to save money.