Just curious if anyone has run subs other than JL Audio Stealthboxes? I currently have the Stealthboxes and think that they are great, but I was wondering if there was anything better out there.

Amp is an Xtant 604x with the rear channels bridged to power the subs.

Thanks,
Wes
'95 M3

well....if u find a hi-excursion 8" sub with TWO voice-coils u can vary the T/S parameters of the sub so that it will produce more and possibly cleaner bass...
Kevin

I'm in the process of putting two MB Quart 10's in the rear deck. The rear deck will be molded into the top of the box. I should have some good pictures in a couple of weeks when I have more time to work on it.

Stan C.

after re-reading the post i see u never mentioned a direct replacement for the drivers in stealthboxes...my response was based on the thinking that u wouldnt put an enclosure in the car but wanted a replacement for free air applications....
Kevin

Kevin,
You are correct. I was curious if anyone has tried woofers other than the JL Audio 8IB4 which come in the stealthboxes. I've been on other lists (CarSound Forum) and people there are saying that I shouldn't stray from that JL Audio woofer.

Here is the post for what it's worth..... http://www.carsound.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=18;t=001315

Wes
'95 M3

the carsound group is usually a cut above what u will get at most other forums...the 8IB4 is a great woofer....its a free air woofer and is one of the very few subs made specifically for that application...but u can always change the parameters of another 8" DVC woofer and depending on the Q of the driver it might work well in an IB configuration after modding but u will only get about 75% of one voice coil's power handling to work with to keep it safe and not burn the driver.....so for example if there is ever a nice hi-excursion 8w7 or an adire audio 8" with 2 voice coils u may be able to use a resistor across one voice coil (depending on the drivers Q) and a nice big amp across the other voice coil and stomp the 8IB4 into oblivion in the same configuration u have now...heck i think the 8w6 will bolt right in and 'might' be a better performer than the 8IB4 after the resistor is used...i am not sure as i havent messed around with optimizing a 8w6 for free air...would be interesting to see tho...hmmm...i might play around with some simulations and see what comes of it......
Kevin

Sweet, let me know what you come up with in those simulations.

Back in the day when I was a basshead, I built a 3/4" plex box with mirrors (see pic below) with 4 Kicker 10's in an isobaric configuration. It was so much bass it was unbelievable. So when I was looking for a summer job in high school, I drove over to my local high end stereo shop and after they saw the box they offered me a job on the spot.

Anyhoo, let me know what you come up with.
Thanks,
Wes
'95 M3

how did u bend and cut the plexi? looks sweet man....i love the old kicker 10's..had a few back in the day and those things would move alot of air...
Kevin

I designed the box in AutoCad and had a plex shop cut the pieces to spec. They also cut the holes. I did all the drilling and glued the joints together with some special plexiglass glue which worked by capillary action. The acoustic properties of this box were amazing. The box and speakers weighed over 110 pounds so I was glad to get it out of my car.

Wes

cool...i am thinking of working with plexi but not sure....if i sell the M3 then i wont be doing anything that spectacular....looks very nice tho :) ...u still have that thing?
Kevin

Here's mine. Two IDQ10's.

http://images.cardomain.com/installs/193000-193999/193485_22_full.jpg

Nope, I sold it to my mechanic for $150 because I wanted to get it out of my garage. It's about 10 years old now but it still pounds!

It was made to fit in a VW GTI (36" wide) and to fit it in my M3 I had to put it in the trunk kind of sideways.

Wes

Aus -
What kind of subs are those? Looks like you mounted them onto a board that goest the whole length of the rear deck?

Wes

Damn, you guys are too fast. I just edited the post to include the subs (IDQ). The shop I got it installed at usually puts two 12's in but they would hang down a little more than I wanted and would be more central, thus taking up more usable trunk space. They would also have to drill some holes. This way, they screwed the MDF baffle in to the rear deck and sealed it off.

an aside...the 1991 escort GT fits a 36" wide box perfectly....had 2 JBL 1500GTi's in a very modded escort at one time....aus i have seen the rear of your car and others done by the same shop i think...looks nice...is the left trunk liner cutout and aftermarket carpet used or is it the shadow on the carpet thats making it look darker? if your willing to cut the e36 the sky is the limit in bass and sound quality i think....excellent car for SQ stereo if your going all the way for competition...
Kevin

I have a pair of Kicker F10C free-air subs mounted in the rear deck. Made some custom MDF mounting plates, and sealed up all the holes between the trunk and cabin (there are tons, no matter what people tell you). Works awesome for me given the efficient use of space. Perhaps not low and loud enough to drive you deaf, I'm only running 35W per side. Plenty for me though, I never need to turn it past halfway.

Haven't spent a lot of time with the stealthboxes but my friends who have told me this sounds better. Shrug.

kevin:

As I am sure you know, they have an 8w7 out...the problem is that they are single voice coil.....supposedly done for SQ reasons....according to them they tried about 25 different configurations and the single 3 ohm worked best...except for the 13 where they went with dual 1.5

-Nate

P.S. When you work something out with an 8w7 let me know..I'll get one to you for cost....and then I will replace my Stealth with those! ;-]

Originally posted by kevin7909
....aus i have seen the rear of your car and others done by the same shop i think...looks nice...is the left trunk liner cutout and aftermarket carpet used or is it the shadow on the carpet thats making it look darker? if your willing to cut the e36 the sky is the limit in bass and sound quality i think....excellent car for SQ stereo if your going all the way for competition...
Kevin

The left trunk liner is still there behind the amp, but smashed agains the metal. The amp is held in by friction fit; it's pretty f-ing tight. No cutting or screws in the metal for the amp rack. The carpet is a bit darker than the stock carpet. I'm hoping it'll fade a little but doesn't bother me much.

well...just looking at the T/S of the larger drivers i am gona guess that the Qts of the 8w7 is gonna be over 0.5 and the Fs is gonna be pretty low...this should work well in IB in the trunk of the e36 but remember that it will have lower power handling...it WILL move alot of air tho but remember that it mounts differently than the 8IB4 and a new mounting system would have to be designed...and the rear deck MUST have a few layers of mat to stop the rattles and air blowing through holes from annoying you..without a second voice coil there really is no way to 'change' the Q of the driver but an equalizer and infrasonic filter can help to change the response..and dont think of aperiodic membranes(technically semi-aperiodic since the membranes cannot be totally aperiodic)..i dont know if my info was adequate to earn a 8w7 at dealer cost but i am VERY interested :) ....i also have other plans Nate but we can talk off the board about them since it might be a business opportunity....
Kevin

aus:

ahh...gotcha...looks nice :)

Kevin

kevin7909:

PM me when you get a chance...I am interested in this opportunity....

Unfortunately the 8w7 does have an f'd up mounting system....especially for tight spots...I may look into an 8w6v2 if they create one......either that...or get custom on my rear deck...we'll see...

-Nate

Here is my set-up. 4 a/d/s 10" subs.
http://www.paddock.com/brian/trunk1.jpg