JL Stealthbox with shallow mount 13" sub install 2016 F150 XLT Crew
05-19-2017, 05:14 PM
#1
JL Stealthbox with shallow mount 13" sub install 2016 F150 XLT Crew
I found it difficult to find good reviews on the JL stealthbox performance for the newer model F150's. I ended up biting the bullet and putting one in and thought I would leave a bit of a review for anyone in the future who considers this option.
So its a downward firing 13.5" JL 13TW5v2-2 shallow mount subwoofer in a sealed box, fits nice and neat under 2/3 of the rear seats. The fit is very nice, matches up to factory carpeting (black) almost perfectly, very impressed with the look and stealthiness of the box, they include everything in the box including mounting it as well as a wooden platform also carpeted to install and mount the amp on the remaining 1/3 of the space under the rear seat. Very clean, easy install, overall quite impressed with this part of it.
I ran a JL HD750/1 mono block amp to power it, pushing 750W RMS at either 2 or 4 ohms to the sub, keeping the factory head unit and speakers for now. I used a line converter to convert existing speaker connections to RCA to keep my factory head unit. I am not entirely sure as this is new technology to me, but I believe this is one area my system is being held back, an aftermarket head unit with proper RCA connections and more custom controls I have a feeling would perform much better, but I do not want to lose the navigation feature in my factory head unit.
Performance overall is pretty impressive, it will shake things pretty good on the deep bass notes, especially the sun roof, it will rattle the cars a few lengths ahead of me, its pretty funny watching the heads turning searching for a source not expecting that sort of bass out of a pickup. Its louder than I need to go as I get on up in my age, but also hits the higher bass really nice which is what I was looking for, sounds very clean and crisp. It will not quite compare to a ported box for loudness which I used to have in a previous F150, the sealed box is a bit different going for the cleanness and clarity over the thunderous boom of a ported box, but for the shallow mount subwoofer and not needing to raise my seat it performs excellent.
Price wise it was a lot more than I wanted to spend, its not cheap and you could probably go another route for much cheaper. I do not regret my purchase but may explore building my own box for cheaper if I was to do it again, that being said I have found this to be a very high quality upgrade, most of the money of this box is in the sub itself, very expensive but really nice sound and quality, anyone who enjoys quality audio knows that you pay too much money for very little gains after a certain point, I think the stealthbox is in this category. I would also run less power to it, 750W RMS going to it is a tad too much, I almost feel its trying too hard to hit the notes as clear and quick as possible, which can make it feel almost like its giving too much detail to a more complicated bass note. Next time I would cut back to the subs appropriate rating of 600W RMS
Anyways hope this helps for anyone who is interested in these, overall I am happy with the decision to put it in, but the money it cost made me hold back on replacing the stock speakers so if I was working on a fixed amount of money I would throw less into the subwoofer system and more on the overall upgrades. I am not a professional audio guy, just an audiophile who has a sick obsession with loud music, so take my opinions as you will
So its a downward firing 13.5" JL 13TW5v2-2 shallow mount subwoofer in a sealed box, fits nice and neat under 2/3 of the rear seats. The fit is very nice, matches up to factory carpeting (black) almost perfectly, very impressed with the look and stealthiness of the box, they include everything in the box including mounting it as well as a wooden platform also carpeted to install and mount the amp on the remaining 1/3 of the space under the rear seat. Very clean, easy install, overall quite impressed with this part of it.
I ran a JL HD750/1 mono block amp to power it, pushing 750W RMS at either 2 or 4 ohms to the sub, keeping the factory head unit and speakers for now. I used a line converter to convert existing speaker connections to RCA to keep my factory head unit. I am not entirely sure as this is new technology to me, but I believe this is one area my system is being held back, an aftermarket head unit with proper RCA connections and more custom controls I have a feeling would perform much better, but I do not want to lose the navigation feature in my factory head unit.
Performance overall is pretty impressive, it will shake things pretty good on the deep bass notes, especially the sun roof, it will rattle the cars a few lengths ahead of me, its pretty funny watching the heads turning searching for a source not expecting that sort of bass out of a pickup. Its louder than I need to go as I get on up in my age, but also hits the higher bass really nice which is what I was looking for, sounds very clean and crisp. It will not quite compare to a ported box for loudness which I used to have in a previous F150, the sealed box is a bit different going for the cleanness and clarity over the thunderous boom of a ported box, but for the shallow mount subwoofer and not needing to raise my seat it performs excellent.
Price wise it was a lot more than I wanted to spend, its not cheap and you could probably go another route for much cheaper. I do not regret my purchase but may explore building my own box for cheaper if I was to do it again, that being said I have found this to be a very high quality upgrade, most of the money of this box is in the sub itself, very expensive but really nice sound and quality, anyone who enjoys quality audio knows that you pay too much money for very little gains after a certain point, I think the stealthbox is in this category. I would also run less power to it, 750W RMS going to it is a tad too much, I almost feel its trying too hard to hit the notes as clear and quick as possible, which can make it feel almost like its giving too much detail to a more complicated bass note. Next time I would cut back to the subs appropriate rating of 600W RMS
Anyways hope this helps for anyone who is interested in these, overall I am happy with the decision to put it in, but the money it cost made me hold back on replacing the stock speakers so if I was working on a fixed amount of money I would throw less into the subwoofer system and more on the overall upgrades. I am not a professional audio guy, just an audiophile who has a sick obsession with loud music, so take my opinions as you will
The following 8 users liked this post by SummitX:
alyster (10-10-2017),
Axemanbrill (11-01-2017),
drkvnm (06-01-2018),
nibrwr (03-21-2019),
T-Locster (11-02-2017),
and 3 others liked this post.
11-01-2017, 05:55 PM
#2
Thank you for the post. I am looking into checking out a JL Stealthbox for my 2017 Lariat SCrew. On paper, the specs look great of the Stealthbox, but I have been curious what they are like in person. I want a good sub that can hit lows, a 13" should be able to do that, but also want that good "feel it" punch! A sealed box should always help with that, cause they are tighter. You sound happy with it, you would recommend it to someone else?
Your head unit is fine, I'm running basically the same thing in my 2017. Yes, it's nicer to have RCA pre-outs, but you're not going to get that with a factory head unit. Most vehicles these days, you need to keep the factory head unit, cause it integrates with so much of the rest of the vehicle. I used a JL FiX-86 to give me RCA outs to use to my amp. This works great. I also tried a Zapco Z8 processor. The Zapco doesn't like the start/stop feature of the truck, but the JL works great. The JL has an automated calibration disc to use too. Play it in your CD player, and run the calibration from the FiX-86, and it auto-calibrates your EQ to give you a flat EQ again, to run into your system. Even have RCA outs. Works great!
Your head unit is fine, I'm running basically the same thing in my 2017. Yes, it's nicer to have RCA pre-outs, but you're not going to get that with a factory head unit. Most vehicles these days, you need to keep the factory head unit, cause it integrates with so much of the rest of the vehicle. I used a JL FiX-86 to give me RCA outs to use to my amp. This works great. I also tried a Zapco Z8 processor. The Zapco doesn't like the start/stop feature of the truck, but the JL works great. The JL has an automated calibration disc to use too. Play it in your CD player, and run the calibration from the FiX-86, and it auto-calibrates your EQ to give you a flat EQ again, to run into your system. Even have RCA outs. Works great!
03-11-2019, 01:50 AM
#3
Anyone know if JL can build the stealth box with 10" subs instead?
03-11-2019, 09:28 AM
#5
Papermaker24
I got mine for 550 shipped from ebay.....couldnt pass it up. Installing when it warms up! I have one in my Smart Fortwo as well....love it.
03-11-2019, 10:04 AM
#6
03-11-2019, 07:00 PM
#7
Papermaker24
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_13694661/JL-Audio-Stealthbox.html
12's
12's
Trending Topics
03-11-2019, 07:51 PM
#8
03-11-2019, 07:52 PM
#9
03-13-2019, 08:05 PM
#10
Papermaker24
The following users liked this post:
chrisingrassia (03-13-2019)