JL Audio Stealth Boxes

[GT3 Tim]

Anybody tried them?

Any thoughts about them, etc?

I am no audiophile, but I had a set in my E36 and liked the bass boost they gave. Considering these for my E90 M3. Would be adding a JL amp and other equipment the tune shop recommended.

Here is what the shop recommended:

JL Audio Stealth Boxes
JL HD 750/1 amp
Audio Control LC6i output converter

Thoughts please....

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...hp?fit_id=1608

[Speedtrap]

I have heard of them, and have similar stealth boxes on the old E46 M3 but from the top down. Do you know how much are these? J

[GT3 Tim]

Originally Posted by Speedtrap

I have heard of them, and have similar stealth boxes on the old E46 M3 but from the top down. Do you know how much are these? J

I think about $1400.

[Speedtrap]

Many thanks mate. Will try to find out how much these are, as they look good and easy to fit I would think

[808MGuy]

The stealthbox JL came up with for the E92/E90 is lame. The whole concept of the stealth box was to integrate a sub while keeping the factory look and factory function of the car. That stealth box blocks the rear fold down seat and it looks like someone just slapped a pair of 12s in the trunk (I know they are 13TW5s). Totally not worth the $1000+ they want for it. Crappy effort by JL on this one.

[GT3 Tim]

Thanks for the input. Anybody else want to chime in? The other option they gave me was a custom box with one front facing woofer. They told me I should put the rear armrest down for good sound. I am inclined to go with the JL boxes because of that. I aint looking for audiophile quality or anything, just a nice bass boost.

Any other comments/experiences?

[sgar0777]

GT3 Tim,

I owned a shop for a while that sold JL Audio, and in terms of sound quality, fitment, build quality, etc. the stealthbox line is one of the very best. JL spends a lot of time getting the sound quality as well as the fitment spot on. You will pay for it, though, and the others observations are valid, the one for the M3 is huge, and is placed in a bad spot.

Pros: Sound Quality, Build Quality, Fitment.

Cons: Price, Size, Placement, Weight.

In terms of the correct amp and installation method it really depends on what you expect. There are several options and methods that will result in differing levels of quality, quantity, and adjustability. You can not go wrong with a JL Amp, they are the real deal. You are going to have to rely on a seasoned installer to direct you to the correct setup for you. Make sure you spend enough time describing your expectations so they can get you in the right product mix.

Good Luck!

PS, I had the E36 Stealthbox as well, and it was fabulous. Not particularly loud, but very smooth and accurate. It was really a completely different animal than the current E92 setup.

[GT3 Tim]

Thanks for the info!

Being as I am not an audiophile, I am going to go with the box. My installer has been around a long time and does tons of custom work, etc, etc. I have used them for quite a while and trust them. They said they have done a few in the E90 3-series (same fitment) and said it sounds very good. I was skeptical on the rear firing nature of the box, but he assured me that it would sound very good, etc, etc. So i figure, wtf, I will give it a shot. If I don't like it, I will sell it on Craigslist or something. lol. I figure I am getting a great amp, so I could always change the speakers and box later if needed...but i am pretty confident it will be a good fit, for what i am looking for.

FYI, here is a link to thier website. They don some pretty kickass stuff. http://www.acmetopsandtunes.com/audio.html

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by GT3 Tim

Thanks for the info!

Being as I am not an audiophile, I am going to go with the box. My installer has been around a long time and does tons of custom work, etc, etc. I have used them for quite a while and trust them. They said they have done a few in the E90 3-series (same fitment) and said it sounds very good. I was skeptical on the rear firing nature of the box, but he assured me that it would sound very good, etc, etc. So i figure, wtf, I will give it a shot. If I don't like it, I will sell it on Craigslist or something. lol. I figure I am getting a great amp, so I could always change the speakers and box later if needed...but i am pretty confident it will be a good fit, for what i am looking for.

FYI, here is a link to thier website. They don some pretty kickass stuff. http://www.acmetopsandtunes.com/audio.html

As long as you're okay with not being able to fold down the rear seat backs it should be good. No doubt its a good sounding sub and rear firing is typically the optimal setup in a trunk.

[Adonislike]

Originally Posted by GT3 Tim

Anybody tried them?

Any thoughts about them, etc?

I am no audiophile, but I had a set in my E36 and liked the bass boost they gave. Considering these for my E90 M3. Would be adding a JL amp and other equipment the tune shop recommended.

Here is what the shop recommended:

JL Audio Stealth Boxes
JL HD 750/1 amp
Audio Control LC6i output converter

Thoughts please....

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...hp?fit_id=1608

I have this installed in my M3. Absolutely AMAZING!!! This in my opinion is the best way to go if you want to preserve your trunk space. The amount of bass this puts out in this small package is incredible. I have had car stereos off and on for 15 years. This is up there with the best I have owned.

Now, I have Audison amplifiers which makes a tremendous difference. I have to give alot of credit to forum member Technic also. That guys expertise and advice is priceless

[Subw00er]

JL is GREAT stuff. Very solid/robust. I've used them for years. I am not a fan of their larger heavier woofers though - not musical, but their lighter stuff is great (favorite was a 12v4)!

Stealthboxes are known to be the best, not sure about the BMW version though. I had one in the past and it was great.

PS that setup should HAMMER. That a big amp. Why not a 500/1?

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by Subw00er

PS that setup should HAMMER. That a big amp. Why not a 500/1?

Why not when the HD750 is actually smaller in size than a 500/1.

[Subw00er]

Oh, I assumed it was 750x1. Sorry I dont know the new stuff. My old stuff is still good, so no reason to upgrade!

[dogears]

Why do a stealth box? I may add a trunk sub using JL too. My guy will build a nice enclosure that goes in the back left, over the OEM amp. That way, I get to fold my seats down and I don't lose any real trunk volume. I do use the trunk.

Although nice, the Stealth Box is expensive and compromises the trunk, greatly.

[GT3 Tim]

Originally Posted by dogears

Why do a stealth box? I may add a trunk sub using JL too. My guy will build a nice enclosure that goes in the back left, over the OEM amp. That way, I get to fold my seats down and I don't lose any real trunk volume. I do use the trunk.

Although nice, the Stealth Box is expensive and compromises the trunk, greatly.

Thanks to everybody for the replies.

I considered the custom box approach and think that would work too. It was actually a bit cheaper to do it that way. But I figured I liked the JL's before and after looking at how they mount, it wll be fairly easy to pull out the box if needed. I rarely use the fold downs, but have...so on those semi-rare ocassions, I can remove the box and use the fold downs. Also, i have a truck, so if I have something long I need to get, I can always take the truck!

[GT3 Tim]

Originally Posted by Adonislike

I have this installed in my M3. Absolutely AMAZING!!! This in my opinion is the best way to go if you want to preserve your trunk space. The amount of bass this puts out in this small package is incredible. I have had car stereos off and on for 15 years. This is up there with the best I have owned.

Now, I have Audison amplifiers which makes a tremendous difference. I have to give alot of credit to forum member Technic also. That guys expertise and advice is priceless

SWEET! Glad to hear somebody has it and likes it!

I went with the HD 750 amp as I would raher work an amp at lower load and also, it is smaller. I figure, what the hell, its only a little more money, why not? lol

[DevJ]

Tim, please let me know how it goes since i am also wanting a little more bass out of the stock stereo..

[GT3 Tim]

It is installed and kicks some ass. I like the stealth box a lot. I also had them install a bass control knob. This set up is exactly what I was looking for.

Yes, it sucks that I cannot use the fold down seats. However, there are just two nuts to take off and I can remove the box. So no big deal for those few times I would actually need the fold down seats!

[GT3 Tim]

Originally Posted by DevJ

Tim, please let me know how it goes since i am also wanting a little more bass out of the stock stereo..

If you want "a little more bass", this is overkill. This setup is loud enough to make you a bit sick to your stomach! It can really hit hard. Also, the sibs they use are more for rap-type bass, not the fast kick drums of rock, etc. Although I think it sounds pretty good anyways. That's just what they told me...he suggested a custom box with some other JL subs for kick drum type music. But being as I primarily listen to "beats", I opted for the stealth box.