technically you won't have to grind the ribs down, but you will get a better sound if you cut a hole+mount a speaker grille over the panel.

I built Essam's box with the Pioneer speaker. No grinding necessary. Experimenting with the cover on and off I sometimes thought there was a difference, other times I didn't. I think bass sounds go right through upholstery, seats, etc, but correct me if I am wrong.

Has anyone had more than one setup? Had one and switched to another? That would give the best comparison. I would love to be able to hear each option next to the other for a direct comparison...

I like this :cool:

Did you need to remove the padding though? If so it doesn't appear you can put it back once you do (tabs are broken off correct?).

Thanks all for the responses. I too am trying to decide which woofer to purchase. I have already decided to purchase BSW Stage 1 but I am on the fence with the woofer. I prefer the 10" but I just don't understand how a 10 can play properly in such a small compartment. semper fi's comment seems to confirm my view on this.

The other side of the coin is cost. These just seem unusually high. I am lucky, I can afford these, but I need to research more to make sure I am getting good value for the money. My big issue with BSW is that they don't tell you who makes their woofer. I am sure they don't make it themselves as they are just a retailer (but who knows).

Essam's approach seems great if you have time. I have time but I have never created a woofer box before. So I have to think that one over.

I may go Essam's route myself simply because the cost is so low comparatively and I can make the box easily, I have the tools, am quite talented with wood and have made many top quality boxes before. If I don't like it and want to try BSW or JL later on, I can simply sell it on here for a great price to someone :thumbup:

I actually cut a hole right in the center of that panel and the padding remained on afterwards.

I had the 10" woofer (custom not JL) and will be installing the 8" system soon so I will write a comparison.

One other thing about the JL box is that it seems to be made of plastic (or is it fiberglass?) and would be lighter than the wood box from BSW. If you look at some of the photos of the JL box in this thread, you will see that it's got curves that anyone would have a hard time producing in a woodworking shop. That thing is amazing.

I have been impressed with 8" subs before and I've heard them get low. I would trust that the pros at BSW know what they're doing when putting the right sub into a small amount of space. At the end of the day it all comes down to how loud/low you want to get.

I guess the JL Audio box is amazing. Here is what they have to say about it.

The fiberglass enclosure offers superior rigidity while allowing more interior volume, so the sub can turn out louder, deeper bass. JL Audio craftsmen then laminate, grind, join, and finish each Stealthbox® by hand.

So the fiberglass gives them a little more volume. I am so close to pulling the trigger on this one.

Did anyone out there install it without modifying their cover? I really don't want to make any permanent mods. That is what is holding me up on this one.

Here is an example of why I question the cost of these boxes. I went over to Crutchfield and found another JL Audio box that is not specific to the X5. This one is the CS110RG-W1v2. This box has the exact same 10 inch woofer as the Stealthbox and only costs $199.99! I should also add that you can buy the speaker by itself for $119.99!
Attachment 29762

So the custom Stealthbox has a $350 premium attached to it. I guess it cost a lot more to create car specific woofers. :( To be fair this box is made of wood while the Stealthbox is made of fiberglas. I wonder what the BSW box is made of?

Honestly.. to me? The box alone is worth $600 and the subwoofer is just a bonus.

If you're worried about destroying the panel for resale value, just buy another panel when it comes time to sell.