Kicker Hideaway sub too LOUD?

Hi all, I treated myself to a Kicker Hideaway 8" sub for Black Friday and finally got around to installing it today. Following tips on here and YouTube, I got it installed and am pleased to say that it worked right off the bat. However, I'm finding this thing is way too loud--which runs contrary to what all the critical reviews say about it. It sounds like the bass is cranked up too high, but I have pretty much everything set low.

I have a 2016 AC and have it installed under my seat. I tapped into the L & R front speakers from the head unit using the Metra harnesses. The gain and bass boost are both turned all the way down, I have the crossover set at 70 hz or so, I think (around the 10:00 position on the dial), hi input level, bass boost turned all the way down with the remote. Additionally, I have the bass turned all the way down on my head unit (factory). The only way I've gotten it to sound close to "balanced and normal" is to adjust the fade almost all the way to the rear.

I realize it would be louder in the smaller cab space of the AC, but it just seems like it's turned up too high no matter what. Is this normal for these subs, or is there something I could have done incorrectly that can fix it?

 

Unplug the bass knob and try again. I have to ask as well, which way is “all the way down.” Right or left? Stupid question, but in car audio, the simplest answer is usually right.

 

I'll try unplugging the remote tomorrow, but yes, knobs are all turned to the left. When I turn up the gain or bass boost, it gets louder and sloppier.

 

Another question would be + to + and - to -? Those are pretty simple hookups, so it may be a defective amp as well. Reversing the input wires would be the easiest way to tell. If the sound still distorts after that, probably defective.

 

Well, I unplugged the bass knob this morning and went for a drive, the sub sounded MUCH better, like it's supposed to. I was able to set the head unit settings back to normal and was able to turn the gain up a bit to get it sounding right. So I guess the good news is that the problem is diagnosed, but annoying that it seems that the remote is defective.

 

At least it’s something small to send back. You don’t have to pull the whole unit. It may be a bad cable to the knob as well. Do you have a short Ethernet cable to plug in to test it?