JL Stealthbox vs. BSW Sub
 

Debating between the two. Already have an Alpine subwoofer Amp (M500 - 300w RMS at 4ohm) powering a box. Just wondering what the pro/cons are of each one as pricing seems to be close (around $550 for the JL and around $550 for the BSW sans amp). JL is a 10" and BSW is a 8". Thanks for any insight you can provide!!!

Installed the BSW after looking into both myself. While I am totally satisfied with the BSW, it really depends on what you are listening for. I have a very wide range of music from quiet classical to hip-hop and speed metal and the BSW does an excellent job. If you want tight bass that matches well with the speaker layout in the X5 go for the BSW. If you want sheer ground-shaking power go for the JBL.

I looked at both as well and purchased the Stealthbox. I bought the JL product because I know that their speakers can produce great bass (in the right enclosure), and I was certain that an 8" speaker would not be able to reach as low as a 10" speaker would.

I bought the Alpine amp that comes highly recommended and had my local professional install the amp and speaker in the right rear panel. Although I am pleased overall, I was expecting more "pounding bass." This setup, though filling the low end as it should, will not rattle any windows. My local car audio professional was very unimpressed with the system. He believed that the box was insufficient for the speaker (but it does fit nicely).

I listen to many types of music and this box does a fine job of adding some punch to my non-DSP system. Yet, if you primarily listen to rap or hip-hop and want to make an impression on the car in front of you at a stop light, neither one of these setups is what you need. You will need to come up with a custom system. If you are just looking to add punch to your system, I recommend the Stealthbox.

:noadd:

I just wanna see the testimonials from both sides myself.

My system cost is around 260$ and it gives awesome result!

Check here:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bsws-mobile-e...-included.html

There ya go, adding a 3rd leg to the comparison... JL stealthbox 10" vs BSW 8" vs pioneer low profile 10"

Anyone had more than one setup? Switched from one to the other?

Well I ended up using my sealed wedge box which has a MB Quart Premium sub. It works okay but takes up space. I think I am going to build the box Essam has, as spending $500 plus is just not worth it. Thanks for the input!

One important thing to know, this box will not give good result with regular subs ... it works fine with me because the Pioneer sub does not need much enclosure volume. I think you MB Quart sub will need more volume to give the optimum result.

Gotcha...I was going to buy the Pioneer flat sub anyways and just sell my MB Quart box on Ebay or whatever...

I was getting ready to order this sub when I came across some instructions I found on the internet. It calls for cutting and trimming the cover panel. I hope these are old instructions.

Attachment 29670

I know they had to do that when the sub was first released. I thought that JL Audio changed this later. Maybe I am wrong.

Did you have to trim your panel for the sub to fit?

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.

On mine, the sub would only touch the cover upon maximum excursion.

You shouldn't worry about 'modifying' the cover. It is a 2-minute exercise to clip off a few little plastic pieces on the back side of the cover, and no one would ever notice or care about this upon trade in or resale. It does not change the look or rigidity of the cover in any way.

Thanks to Essam's detailed work I decided to pull the trigger and start this mod.........I just bought the Pioneer Sub, & Alpine Amp (Same as Essam) .... planning to build the box and install next wknd,..... this project will cost me well under $200....which includes all the MDF, wire, glue, etc. etc.,,,,,,...... Hey Essam I might be calling you for some tech support on wiring....:stickpoke

I was wondering where have you been?!

You can drop me a PM anytime but consider the time difference if I am late in replying :) (I am 9 hours ahead of US time)

\

wife had me doing a project for the home....... should be finished this week, its killing me, I have the Sub & Amp in my office staring @ me ........ but I'm too busy ...... can't wait to cut some MDF's.....

There is no doubt that the physics of a 10" JL woofer in the same-sized box as the 8" BSW design are attractive. Now, if the 8" is super-quality, then that may narrow the gap.

In any case, relatively small short-throw woofers in tiny sealed boxes are only going to go so low. Any differences will be fairly minor and you would probably have to hear them side-by-side to know the differences.

Also, some speaker designs may go lower, but not be as accurate. For non-hip-hop music, accuracy is going to be more important. You want both, of course, if possible.

All of these designs are hugely better than the OEM system of not having any bass at all.

Not that it is exactly the same comparison, but my Essam system is only a bit better than my previous 8" free-standing box. That woofer was a quality long-throw design and the box was pretty big, so it is actually impressive that a short-throw 10" in a tiny box can compete.

You can't compare the cost of these subs to those marketed for, say, Mustangs. There you get absolute thunder for less because of the high production volumes and a lot more space. I think the prices are ok for a complex, low-volume product.

I certainly recommend commercially built units for most people who do not have access to power tools and want to get the biggest and most engineered sub enclosure possible.

if I were BSW I would put in a 10 just to end the speculation, even if there was little or no actual sound advantage.

I ordered the six front speakers and we will see about that. More water in the beans for awhile.

Does anybody in this thread know if you can connect the factory dsp sub to a non dsp system with a 2 channel amp inbetween without complications?

carlgo you make very good points. I agree that BSW should make a 10" to level the playing field.

I mainly listen to hip-hop and pop. I don't require the bass to crack the concrete. I am not an audiophile. I have to admit that I am somewhat satisfied with the factory speakers and sub. If they put out just a little more treble then I may have just put up with them. So with that in mind I'll bet I'll be more than happy with any of these woofer solutions.

I understand that removing the foam from the cover is easy, my point was I want to limit the number of permanent mods to the X. I went out to realoem and they show $140.62 for one of these trunk flaps. So these are not exactly cheap to replace.

A hip-hop fan who is happy with the factory bass? Any bass?

I am not going to alter the panels. There just is no need to do so. No difference, really, in the sound. BSW says the same thing.

I didn't say "happy" just "somewhat satisfied".:nanana: I have the DSP system with the factory woofer. If I turn the volume up in my X I can hear the subwoofer. Even though some of my music is hip hop I really just need the bass to round out the sound not overpower it.

carlgo you said that you are not going to alter the panel. Are you installing JL Audio? Maybe I am misunderstanding something here. I thought JL Audio required that the panel be modified or you would not be able to close it.

The panel closes perfectly fine without altering it. The JL, under full excursion, can touch the back of the cover and you will hear it. That is why they recommend getting rid of the unnecessary plastic ribs. If you never push the sub really hard you would never need to make the change to the panel. This little plastic removal task is WAY overblown here... it is a very quick easy change that no one, even the dealer, would ever know about or care about. It is tiny plastic pieces that you remove or shave down 1/4" on the back (unseen) side of the panel - if you choose to - and should not have anything to do with your decision between a JL, BSW, or home made sub.

I used the Pioneer and did not need to alter the cover, or anything actually, using the Essam design. There are a lot of posts here!

I agree, shaving down the ribs is a no brainer for me. I am more concerned about removing the padding. It appears to me that once you cut the connectors that hold the padding in place that you cannot put it back. Is that correct?

That's not correct ... you do not have to cut them, they are like "shirt buttons" if you know what I mean. Try to release the padding from the back and it will go out with you while the connectors will remain there. That's what I did.

I never removed any padding. Just removed some of the plastic ribs.

I'll be darned, you are right! The padding removes without cutting the tabs.
Attachment 29811

Just so I am totally clear on this. You are telling me that all I need to do is remove the ribs and I can keep the tabs in place and I can put the padding back on and that will give the Stealthbox the added space that it needs?

If necessary I don't have a problem leaving the padding off. But it seems that if the tabs stay in place that they might be a problem as they extend out much further than the ribs. It appears that the middle tab and the bottom tabs may come in contact with the woofer if left in place.

You seem to be confirming the question I just posted. You left your padding and tabs in place and it works fine. I suspect the tabs must be in enough to miss the cone.

Hey guys, here are some detailed shots of the BSW subwoofer box. I must say that it is of very good build quality, with an attractive finish.

I will be installing the Memphis M-Series 8" Sub (sorry BSW :p:) with a Memphis PR 16-70.2 Amp. I imagine it will sound very similar to my 10" S-Class Memphis. Will let you know.
http://giftandphoto.com/X5/bsw1.jpg http://giftandphoto.com/X5/bsw2.jpg http://giftandphoto.com/X5/bsw3.jpg http://giftandphoto.com/X5/bsw4.jpg

Dang that enclosure is HOT!!!


Let us know the results!

Is this box the same external size as Essam's? Mine is and fits without interference, but I did take measures to keep it back, close as possible to the quarter panel. It will tend to drift out it you don't secure it well (in one of my first posts on this, I said that the box would kind of hold itself in with friction, but in time that proved to be wrong and later I posted a pic of a bracket).

What I am leading up to is that if you don't use a bracket, and also a means to hold the bottom of the box back, it will drift out, and out some more and may in time contact the cover even with the ribs cut out.

My advice is to try the bracket first as I believe you will have to anyway, and then if your box is bigger than the specs and still hits the ribs, go ahead and cut them off.

My bracket has proven its worth. No rattles at all, even on the loudest and deepest bass I have. All very nice and solid.

It really is nice.

Remind me if I ever design a car to make sure there is a nice big rectangle back there someplace for a sub. We have had customers who chose a vehicle strictly for the potential of adding an enormous sound system. One guy had a Tercel, the loss-leader very cheapest one with a 4-speed manual and such (the ones they used to advertise for $4999 or something, but which nobody really wanted). He just wanted a clean new car so he could enter sound contests.

It was kind of funny because it was such a small car with the entry level little tires and the stereo stuff was so heavy that it was lowered in back and that isn't the look at all these days.

His car got into a modest wreck which totaled it out because it had no value. He had to remove thousands of dollars worth of stuff.

He left behind lots of really thick and expensive wiring. On my time, I actually removed most of it and gave him a call to get it because he wasn't a rich kid and this wiring cost him a fortune. He never came to pick it up. was so p******!

I have a friend that would seriously buy a car just to install a stereo :)


Always nice to have a spot to add a stealth subwoofer!