JL Audio Prototype Vert Stealthbox & system

[Drago77]

Had this posted on my build thread, but it didn't seem to get much response, and believe me vert owners- this needs to be known!

OK, got her back from JL Audio last week! Let me tell you, above all- what a class-act company! Absolutely amazed at every aspect of my dealings with JL, including the follow up!

The deal: they get my car to design a stealth-box for the vert's, and rights to photo and use images for advertising, I get a complete "Slam-Pack" system, installed, free!

This consisted of:

-Dual Stealthbox sub-enclosures, each containing a TW5 slim 10" subwoofer (less than 2.5" thick)

-C5 replacement door speakers

-Customized capacitor for stock tweaters

-XD 700/5 amp

Complete wiring/installation/brackets/harnesses to include a custom bass level knob under the steering wheel.

All together the process took a little over 3 weeks. Extreme Performance, proud sponsors of Camaro5 (and Treasure Coast Camaro 5) arranged the deal and transported my vehicle via flatbed to JL Audio. Upon completion, I went to personally pick up my car. I was given a full tour of the facility, demonstrated how everything was made from prototype to shipped product, what a process, and what an excellent facility!

Finally- my car! (I will be adding more pix as I take them over then next few days- components are tucked away in there good, not easy to get good pix!)

FIT- Inside, everything looked completely stock, minus the absence of the Boston Acoustic logos on the speaker grilles...(lol Bill!) Trunk- at first glance, you don't see a thing. However, if you look low and deep into the trunk, under the safety tarp that seperates the trunk from the recessed top, you can see a "U" shaped box in there. The concave in the center allows for some access to what little space there is under the tarp, while the stealth boxes hold the speakers, downward firing in the apex of the curve. The amp, was mounted in the spare tire compartment, next to the battery, litterally taking up absolutely zero usable space.

SET-UP- The JL amp is running the front speakers and the subs. Meanwhile, the factory amp, is powering the rear passenger factory speakers and dash speaker, the rear factory (worthless) sub was removed.

SOUND- Let me preface this by saying I've never owned a professionally designed, installed system before. Initially, using their demo CD, I was completely speechless. The sound was crystal clear and the bass, a tight, pounding that you could feel as well as hear, a far cry from the factory "Premium" system. I noticed a very distinct "stage" presence to the system with the vocals phased toward the front center of the car, with the music on the sides in perfect stereo and the low end from behind. Took some getting used to that type of seperation in a car, but wow.

The bad... then I took out the demo and put in an MP3... I never realized how much quality is lost in compressed files until then. The bass was lacking and the highs seemed flat and muddy. I spoke with JL and they're going to custom tweak it to my liking next week.

THE GOOD- in the mean time, I did a little snooping and discovered the gain settings... the bass was set at 2.5/10, while the highs and mids were at 3.5/10. Well, a little tweak to the radio EQ and bumping the bass up one level- and magically, its a SERIOUSLY BAD ASS SYSTEM on any music format! Absolutely amazing sound!

I litterally drove around aimlessly for hours tonight listening to the music!

THANK YOU JL AUDIO!

JL updated their website in Nov to include this:
http://www.jlaudio.com/product/54216...tible_%2710-Up

(Pix- first 3 are courtesy of JL Audio during the install, and depict the custom tweeter capacitor, the replacement door speakers, and the amp placement- (mind you, none of the items are in their neatly packaged, final state) and finally the mold used to create the stealth box to give you an idea of it's shape. The remaining pix are of the installed stealth box in the trunk. Plz bare with the grainy cell-phone pix... more to come next time I have it opened up.

Overall- it is a KILLER, comlpete system! I can't begin to explain the night-and-day difference! There's a little sound level lost when retracting the top, but virtually no "muffled" sound. JL installed a custom level adjustment knob under the steering wheel to accomodate any "on the fly" or song-by-song adjustments needed. No more straining to hear it on the highway with the top down, "20" is more than adequate at 80mph cruising speeds now!

[shl4Z28]

Very cool. Free is one of my favorite four letter words!

[ToddB]

Looks cool. Looks like the box takes up alot of space. What is the rated freq response of the sub box and how many watts can it handel. Will this be for sale in the future?

[Drago77]

I DON'T have all the specs- any of them, actually... sorry.

It really DOESN'T take up usable space. The box is only about 6-8" thick and each "half" is crescent shaped so it hugs the walls of the trunk. At the closet point, it reaches about 4" from the tarp thatseperated the top and the trunk. So technically you do lose some space, but not alot. I used to store folding chairs under there for trips, meets etc... that I wont be able to do anymore. But overall, for the sound and the capability, I don't miss it! There's still a pretty large opening in the center that reaches about 14-16" deep into the trunk that you can fit bags, shoeboxes etc in, so it doesn't completely wipe out that area. I'll try to take some better pix, the above were from my phone

[ToddB]

Ok thanks. It looks factory. I bet it sounds great. Ya the factory system is weak point in this car.

[zachi3]

Nice job from JL, but i would definitely replace the stock tweeters to something nice, this increases sound quality extremely for about $80,- .....

Selecting the right woofer (freeair parameters) would give the same bass performance without loosing any trunk space. I went this way and am happy (did not believe, that a sub without a box will work)....

I am finishing my project by tomorrow:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153137

[Drago77]

Originally Posted by zachi3

Nice job from JL, but i would definitely replace the stock tweeters to something nice, this increases sound quality extremely for about $80,- .....

Selecting the right woofer (freeair parameters) would give the same bass performance without loosing any trunk space. I went this way and am happy (did not believe, that a sub without a box will work)....

I am finishing my project by tomorrow:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153137

They kept the BA tweeters but changed something with them- I really dint know alot about that stuff anymore, but they do sound pretty good.

As for replacing the sub- they said they tried simply replacing the factory sub with a JL, but the location had too many issues to allow any speaker type to function properly. I thought it was a cool central location myself, but they're the experts and had full reign to work it out w my car and choose the stealth box option. I thought the upgraded "factory" BA stereo was decent, a little quiet but decent... its AMAZING the difference I bear now in mine versus my friends Camaros. They really did a great job both optimizing space Nd putting out an incredible sound!

[CooG]

How/when will this be available to to other convertible owners??

[Drago77]

Originally Posted by CooG

How/when will this be available to to other convertible owners??

Start checkin the JL Audio website... id imagine pretty soon, if not already!

[Gibroni]

Seems odd they would use the TW5 sub. It's a 13" sub and retails for $599./ea. 6 to 8" is enough for the usual sub they use in a stealthbox, the W3. Not to call bullshit but I have to think they're using a pair of 10W3's. Then again the C5 speakers in the door also retail in the $500 range. Which makes me wonder why they wouldn't use the HD900amp which is just as small as the XD700 yet puts out almost twice as much power. Using those top of the line speakers it almost doesn't make sense to not use the better amp. I also didn't know the C5 could be converted into a coaxial like their C2 unless they are just using the C5 woofer. Boston also makes some of the best car speakers on the market so I can see why JL wouldn't bother to replace the tweeters. I still can't see them putting that stealthbox on the market @ $2000. I could very well be wrong but I was just trying to tie together what I saw as inconsistencies. Congrats to you on the system. JL Audio systems are the best of the best.

[Drago77]

Originally Posted by Gibroni

Seems odd they would use the TW5 sub. It's a 13" sub and retails for $599./ea. 6 to 8" is enough for the usual sub they use in a stealthbox, the W3. Not to call bullshit but I have to think they're using a pair of 10W3's. Then again the C5 speakers in the door also retail in the $500 range. Which makes me wonder why they wouldn't use the HD900amp which is just as small as the XD700 yet puts out almost twice as much power. Using those top of the line speakers it almost doesn't make sense to not use the better amp. I also didn't know the C5 could be converted into a coaxial like their C2 unless they are just using the C5 woofer. Boston also makes some of the best car speakers on the market so I can see why JL wouldn't bother to replace the tweeters. I still can't see them putting that stealthbox on the market @ $2000. I could very well be wrong but I was just trying to tie together what I saw as inconsistencies. Congrats to you on the system. JL Audio systems are the best of the best.

Definitely no B.S.- however the speaker type (especially the subs) could have changed, my note taking could have been bad, etc... in all honesty, I'm not 100% sure what subs are in there... basically, they took my car and after week 1, I got a call with what they were putting in, then the first set of pix posted came from JL as they were building/installing. Now, I tried taking notes on what they said was going in; that may have changed, or I may have written something wrong- my car was at their facility another 2 weeks from that call. I've been out of the stereo game for about 10 years... that being said, if you look at the 2nd pic- that clearly shows the door speaker and the 3rd, in the top right, you'll see the sub they modeled the boxes around. I know for sure they used 2- 10" subs, both were the compact, 2.5" thick which I believe they said were TW5- could be wrong, not betting my life on it...dont even know if it was a prototype sub just for this application...I know they wanted my car pretty badly to build it, and in the end, the sound is AMAZING!

So I could be wrong on some of the model #s, that's why I tried to post the best pix to illustrate everything. The stealth boxes are actually mounted into the car, so I'm not disassembling them just for pix. Keep an eye out for the updated JL catalog.....the white Vert modeling the new stealth box should look very familiar!

update: I did a little research online since I read/responded, here's the link to the 3D video rendering JL did:

http://www.hs.facebook.com/video/vid...70522&comments

And, the subs are 10W1v2's, per the video- so yeah, things may have changed, or I miswrote something, or it's changed since the vid was made... dunno. Definitely doesn;t look like what was being fitted in the pic... but the vid gives a pretty good look at the 360 tour of the box. Final product is carpeted though in black (unless that's just for my prototype) Hope that clearifys aa little

[Gibroni]

It's freakin' awesome is what it is. I think the fronts are C2's or C3's since they convert to coaxial. I found the JLAudio Slampack for the Kia Soul online that sold for about $1500. When they finally release the Camaro convertible version it should fall into that price range. I'm hoping $2000 installed at a local JL Audio dealer. If and when I get my Camaro 'vert that's what's going in it. You're one lucky dude.

[Drago77]

Originally Posted by Gibroni

It's freakin' awesome is what it is. I think the fronts are C2's or C3's since they convert to coaxial. I found the JLAudio Slampack for the Kia Soul online that sold for about $1500. When they finally release the Camaro convertible version it should fall into that price range. I'm hoping $2000 installed at a local JL Audio dealer. If and when I get my Camaro 'vert that's what's going in it. You're one lucky dude.

Thanks man, and your right-it is awesome and I am lucky! The sound is simply amazing! I'm still in awe everytime I listen to a song I hadn't heard yet!

[chopper]

I saw on facebook that the vert stealthbox is supposed to come out soon I heard its supposed t have two 10 inch w1s