Not happy with JL Audio stealthbox. Need advice.

[brickie]

OK here is what's going on. I bought a custom made sealed enclosure made by Tweeter about 12 years ago. It houses three 8" JL Audio w3 subs powered by a JL 500 watt slash series sub amp. I wanted 2 10" w6 subs but they would have had to cut the cab to get a big enough box behind the rear seat in my then brand new 2003 chevy 2500 crew cab. I opted for three 8's instead. Anyway, they sounded pretty good. Tight and punchy but not as dynamic as I would have liked. Over the last few years I've noticed that my system was not sounding like it used to especially the subs. Not distorting but just lacking the oomph they used to have.

After hearing my brother's two 10'' w3s which really pounded I got the itch again and figured it was time to upgrade. I bought a JL stealthbox housing two TW3-D4 slimline 10'' subs. I was concerned about whether my 500 watt amp would be enough. Was told by someone in the "biz" that it should be more than adequate. I am very disappointed with the sound. I can't get them to hit hard and they sound a little boomy when you crank them up. Starting to think I should have held on to the three 8's and upgraded to the JL 750HD sub amp to start. I've tried making adjustments with the head unit as well as the amp and just can't get the sound I want. Subs are rated 400 watt rms @ 4 ohme. My equipment is 12 years old. Can amps get "tired" over time and affect the sound? Maybe I just need more power? Thanks in advance for any input.

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[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

shallow woofers sacrifice things full size subs can do for mounting depth unfortunately, one of the largest problems is going to be with your enclosure and sub choice. a full size driver in the proper ported box will be a big improvement over the stealth box, they look like they were made to fit and look nice, not give you output.
@CSCStang should be able to give you a recommendation on an enclosure design likely using 2 8's, he can also build it and ship it to you

i highly doubt you have problems with your amp, you're likely getting accustomed to it and just wanting more

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Sub woofer suspension can get very soft or sag over a 10 year period of time along with surrounds giving out if they are foam. Voice coil can be pretty worn too if pushed hard. It takes a long time but it can happen. Amplifier, unless there's something seriously wrong, it should not degrade in output. Check the voice coil readings of your 8" subs, if they were D4 and they read 4.8 ohms or higher, then yeah the voice coils are pretty worn down. It should be under 4.2 ohms, usually in the 3.7-4.0 ohm readings on the digital multi-meter.

You just need more power or a better sub enclosure tailored to your listening preferences. You kinda got ripped off buying JL's stealth box. could have gotten a properly made enclosure tuned to fit your listening needs and vehicle acoustics for the price you paid.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

OK here is what's going on. I bought a custom made sealed enclosure made by Tweeter about 12 years ago. It houses three 8" JL Audio w3 subs powered by a JL 500 watt slash series sub amp. I wanted 2 10" w6 subs but they would have had to cut the cab to get a big enough box behind the rear seat in my then brand new 2003 chevy 2500 crew cab. I opted for three 8's instead. Anyway, they sounded pretty good. Tight and punchy but not as dynamic as I would have liked. Over the last few years I've noticed that my system was not sounding like it used to especially the subs. Not distorting but just lacking the oomph they used to have.After hearing my brother's two 10'' w3s which really pounded I got the itch again and figured it was time to upgrade. I bought a JL stealthbox housing two TW3-D4 slimline 10'' subs. I was concerned about whether my 500 watt amp would be enough. Was told by someone in the "biz" that it should be more than adequate. I am very disappointed with the sound. I can't get them to hit hard and they sound a little boomy when you crank them up. Starting to think I should have held on to the three 8's and upgraded to the JL 750HD sub amp to start. I've tried making adjustments with the head unit as well as the amp and just can't get the sound I want. Subs are rated 400 watt rms @ 4 ohme. My equipment is 12 years old. Can amps get "tired" over time and affect the sound? Maybe I just need more power? Thanks in advance for any input.

The problem is the box. You really just don't have enough space to do it right in a single cab pickup, and as others have said you sacrifice to have "shallow" subs. There's pretty much one known issue that happens with the old 500/1 and sufficed to say if yours is still working you didn't get a dud and if it's making any sound at all it's probably good for another decade (though if you ever want to sell it I may have a friend in the market for the right price).

If you want a second opinion I'm right up the road in Wilton so you could swing by and I'll give it a listen and we could do some basic troubleshooting with known good equipment. Good weather all week to play around outside.

 

[brickie]

Thanks for the response guys. Here is another thing that I noticed today. While listening to smells like teen spirit by Nirvana I noticed a significant drop in sub volume/punch when the song would get to the faster more guitar parts which are the mids and highs going to the door speakers from the 4 channel amp. When the song slowed back down to the calmer part the subs would get louder and punchier. It would take about three seconds or so after the song slowed down and was very noticeable. Tried a few other similar type songs and the same thing would happen.

It's like when the 4 channel amp needs more power it affects the base. I did have to send the 4 channel amp out last year for repair. When I got it back it had a parasitic draw on my batteries when the truck was shut off. I had to splice an off / on switch into the power lead to solve that issue. Don't think that has any relationship to the problem but maybe there is an issue with one or both of my amps? My truck is a diesel and has a large alternator and two 6 month old batteries so I don't think current supply would be a problem but I could be wrong.

 

[brickie]

The problem is the box. You really just don't have enough space to do it right in a single cab pickup, and as others have said you sacrifice to have "shallow" subs. There's pretty much one known issue that happens with the old 500/1 and sufficed to say if yours is still working you didn't get a dud and if it's making any sound at all it's probably good for another decade (though if you ever want to sell it I may have a friend in the market for the right price).
If you want a second opinion I'm right up the road in Wilton so you could swing by and I'll give it a listen and we could do some basic troubleshooting with known good equipment. Good weather all week to play around outside.

Thanks hispls. I may take you up on your offer. Busy with work right now so I'm not sure when I can get over your way. Can you pm on this site?

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Thanks hispls. I may take you up on your offer. Busy with work right now so I'm not sure when I can get over your way. Can you pm on this site?

Sure. PM works fine.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Almost sounds like voltage drop...something within your electrical trying top keep up with your amps. Have you done the big 3 yet? I would go back and check connections. Over time, some can and are able to come lose.

Also...500 watts isn't a whole lot for 3 subs. I know people that put that kind of power on mids/tweets.

 

[brickie]

Not sure what you mean by ''the big three''.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Not sure what you mean by ''the big three''.

sometimes a simple google search helps a lot



definitely hook up with hispls, he's a very knowledgeable member on here.

to PM, click the person's name.