Hey,

Have a couple questions about the JL Audio Stealth box for the MINI.

1.) Does anyone have it installed? If so hows the sound quality?
2.) Does anyone know where to purchase it online?

Thanks,
kp

 

kungpow,

Welcome to MCO. I believe Pebbles has this item. You can PM the user and I'm sure they will respond with great detail, as we MINI enthusiasts love to talk about anything MINI!

Cabbage

 

Welcome to MCO kungpow

You can use the [Search] function next to the [New Topic] box at the top right of each page.

I put in stealthbox and came up with a whole page of related threads.

Good luck,
Kim

 

thanks cabbage... i'll send him a PM.

BTW this forum kicks ***, glad to find so many MINI enthusiasts in one place!

kp

 

hey harmini,

d'oh. my bad... :smile:

thanks for the heads up,
kp

 

>>kungpow,
>>
>>Welcome to MCO. I believe Pebbles has this item. You can PM the user and I'm sure they will respond with great detail, as we MINI enthusiasts love to talk about anything MINI!
>>
>>Cabbage


I think you mean Pooky13?

 

kungpow,
Aloha and welcome to MCO,
Pooky13 and I both have JL steathbox. In a nutshell- we love it. Enough said.

You cannot buy them online. Forget about that. You must get them through a pro audio shop. It won't be cheap.
I paid $540 and $100 more for labor plus you'll need an amp- something clean and powerful. Pooky13 had two Zapco amps and one was used for the sub. I have an Xtant 4.1 four channel amp and two channels were bridged for the sub and the other two channels were used for the front doors. My Nakamichi CD-400 head unit was used to power my rear speakers. If you buy a full audio upgrade system like Pooky13 you might get a break on the Stealthbox price but the total bill might be around $2000.

The key of the Stealthbox is that it is made for the rear boot and tuned for the MINI. The enclosure is shaped like a snail's shell and fits in the boot on the extreme left taking up about 25% of the space. The enclosure is carpeted and the speaker itself faces the left rear wheel well. There are two screws that fasten down the speaker- you can slide the speaker right to access the wheel well as needed.

I would say that the stealthbox can be added to the stock audio system or to the HK audio system. Just remember the amp is also needed. A cheaper alternative esp with the stock audio system is the Infinity BassLink which is a self powered sub with about 200 Watts power and a less elegant enclosure that fits nicely into the rear boot and costs as little as about $260 at circuit city plus the cost of installation.

I can control the sub output from my Nakamichi deck while Pooky13 has installed a separate sub volume control in the center toggle switches. The sub sounds great with all styles of music. It is a good option short of making a custom enclosure which can cost bucks and take up even more space- remember the amp has to go somewhere too. Any if you race or go to the track just be forewarned that all this audio upgrade stuff adds a ton of weight- like 50 to 100 extra pounds if you include everything. The sound is fantastic though so for me I'll just add a bit more HP to balance off that weight.

 

This is minihune's JL Stealthbox...it sounds AWESOME!!!!

 

Hey pooky,

Thanks... been checking that one out, def some good information.

kp

 

Hey minihune,

Been gathering some ideas from your posts around the forums... thanks for the insight.

For now I'm going to hold off on the sub and install what I've got:

RF 501X 4 Channel Amp
MB Quart RSD 213's for the Front
MB Quart DKC 169's for the Back
* Keeping the Stock Receiver but may upgrade in the future

Just going to play with these and see what I can come up with ( I'm sure I'll want the sub to even things out ) but who knows. I'll keep you posted and try to take some pics of the install.

Thx,
kp

 

Woops, it was pooky! I do sincerely apologize for the mixup. So many people on this board.

Cabbage

 

>>For now I'm going to hold off on the sub and install what I've got:
>>
>>RF 501X 4 Channel Amp
>>MB Quart RSD 213's for the Front
>>MB Quart DKC 169's for the Back
>>* Keeping the Stock Receiver but may upgrade in the future
>>
>>Just going to play with these and see what I can come up with ( I'm sure I'll want the sub to even things out ) but who knows. I'll keep you posted and try to take some pics of the install.
Kungpow,
You have a good plan. When I had done my MB Quart speakers and added the Amp I noticed the limitations of the stock CD player. The better the equiptment the more you can hear good or bad recordings. Your CD player provides the input which is amplified to the speakers. It was fine but I could hear that the stock headunit was a weak link. Yours might be better than mine so you should try it out with lots of different music first then decide. A good CD player does make a difference to me.

Then after a month of no sub I decided I would go for the JL stealthbox and when I added the sub I could tell right away that this made alot of difference. The bass is much stronger and clearer and the regular speakers are not overworked.
Without the sub I still had bass but not to the same degree. The sub really gives you bass you can feel. It's very powerful. But it is costly and it is fine to add it later when you decide that is what you want.

Now when I go back to many of my old old CDs and I play them I hear how good or bad the recordings are. Some are really good but I never heard that clarity or that level of bass till now. It's kinda neat how much more sound can be revealed with the right equiptment. Similar to using airline headphones vs using a very high performance headset.
Good luck and have fun. It's a joy to listen to music in my MINI. Almost as fun as listening to my exhaust!

 

>>Woops, it was pooky! I do sincerely apologize for the mixup. So many people on this board.
>>
>>Cabbage


It's okay Cabbagetoe, no biggie at all. :smile:

Jeez...it took two installers the whole day to complete (from Monday 10 am to 6:30p.m.). Now along with my first audio mod of the JL stealthbox, and the 350 and 360 ZAPCO AMPS (cost $1,900) + yesterday's upgrade (cost $1,526) the total cost of my complete audio system upgrade is at a crazy $3,426. I didn't think I would go so far to put together such an expensive system, but I will surely keep it for any future car I may get. :smile:

I will post pics tomorrow when I get the chance. Thanks again to Minihune for all his support and suggestions

 

Hi minihune,

I'm assuming the stock receiver won't perform that well... will have to run high level inputs to it which will not provide the best signal. I've been searching for a nice replacement but haven't found anything that really stands out. The Rockford Fosgate RFX9120G and the Clarion ProAudio DXZ635MP seem to fit what I'm going for but not 100% sure, heard anything good/bad about them?

Also, the only place I found that supplies a radio fitting kit is in the UK... know a place in the States I can get the facia plate, wire harness, SWI-X interface & aerial adaptor?

Thanks!
kp

 

Pooky13- Wow

 

>>I'm assuming the stock receiver won't perform that well... will have to run high level inputs to it which will not provide the best signal. I've been searching for a nice replacement but haven't found anything that really stands out. The Rockford Fosgate RFX9120G and the Clarion ProAudio DXZ635MP seem to fit what I'm going for but not 100% sure, heard anything good/bad about them?

I think the stock in dash receiver is OK. Yes, you are looking for the cleanest signal possible. Most aftermarket CD players are also good but you just have to listen to them to see if you have hear the difference. Call around and see if any of your local pro audio shops have the RF or Clarion to listen to with the same set of speakers and amp. Remember that in your car the background noise will be much higher. It's not like a quiet showroom.

>>Also, the only place I found that supplies a radio fitting kit is in the UK... know a place in the States I can get the facia plate, wire harness, SWI-X interface & aerial adaptor?
I got help from my pro audio shop with all of the face plates, cables, adapters etc. They have done many MINI installs and know where to order the parts from. Maybe if you have a local shop that has done MINIs they can help you order or you can get the source from them. If you are still stuck then send me a PM.

I'd say, do your upgrades then listen to what you have before going further. Stop if you like the results.
The advantage of doing a huge upgrade is sometimes you can save a little with a package deal but don't faint when you get the bill. $$$$$$$$ It's like a John Cooper Works Audio upgrade.

 

>>It's okay Cabbagetoe, no biggie at all. :smile:

I still don't have anything in my open toggle. I have mute built into my headunit- I switch to aux input.
I have a stereo jack input cable that runs via RCA to my headunit that serves as aux input so I can play from whatever source (portable DVD, CD, MD,MP3, ipod, etc) and into my audio system. Works great. The cable is five feet long and is coiled up on my euro parcel shelf under the steering wheel.

>>Jeez...it took two installers the whole day to complete (from Monday 10 am to 6:30p.m.). Now along with my first audio mod of the JL stealthbox, and the 350 and 360 ZAPCO AMPS (cost $1,900) + yesterday's upgrade (cost $1,526) the total cost of my complete audio system upgrade is at a crazy $3,426. I didn't think I would go so far to put together such an expensive system, but I will surely keep it for any future car I may get. :smile:

It takes time to install. Some of the MINIs that my shop has done take WEEKS with up to three techs. It's like a heart transplant going on. Literally everything is torn out and replaced. Very labor intensive. $3,426? No problem. You're worth it. BING BING. Just go to Las Vegas and win a jackpot or two to cover the cost.

>>[b]I will post pics tomorrow when I get the chance.
Great- I like pictures. Thanks very much for keeping us up to date. The saga continues. This is like Pooky13 part 3.

 

>>I also replaced the head unit to complete the audio upgrade once and for all. I went with the ALPINE CDA-7897 MP3 CD deck with motorized retraction/angle features. Minihune was right about the clarity of the music produced with a high-end CD player versus the stock HK head unit. The cost $599.95 and the SWI-X interface module (enables use of steering wheel radio controls) cost $79.99.
>>
>>You guys remember that one of the buttons on the steering wheel is "dead" doesn't do anything, well my installer got it to work whatever I wanted. I chose to use it as a "MUTE" button.

Nice choice on the head unit! Of course I'm biased - I have the CDA-7998 which is the 7897's big brother. They're so similar they share an owners manual. I think the fantom face looks great in the MINI dash. The black matches the aircon and toggle bank nearly perfectly, but one thing I love is that the buttons can be changed to amber and they match the orange of the dash lights at night perfectly. I think you can change the buttons to amber on the 7897, but I'm not sure.

This is the way I configured my SW buttons with the SWI-X:
Left side - Track Up, Track Down and Change Source on the middle button.
Right side - Vol Up, Vol Down with Mute on the middle button.

Seemed intuitive to me that way.

If you feel like trashing your OEM head unit or you find one cheap on ebay, check out the fake faceplate I made. It fits over the fantom face quite nicely and should fool anyone taking a quick peek into your car.

This isn't my pic, but it's the same deck I have:

 

>>>>I also replaced the head unit to complete the audio upgrade once and for all. I went with the ALPINE CDA-7897 MP3 CD deck with motorized retraction/angle features. Minihune was right about the clarity of the music produced with a high-end CD player versus the stock HK head unit. The cost $599.95 and the SWI-X interface module (enables use of steering wheel radio controls) cost $79.99.
>>>>
>>>>You guys remember that one of the buttons on the steering wheel is "dead" doesn't do anything, well my installer got it to work whatever I wanted. I chose to use it as a "MUTE" button.
>>
>>Nice choice on the head unit! Of course I'm biased - I have the CDA-7998 which is the 7897's big brother. They're so similar they share an owners manual. I think the fantom face looks great in the MINI dash. The black matches the aircon and toggle bank nearly perfectly, but one thing I love is that the buttons can be changed to amber and they match the orange of the dash lights at night perfectly. I think you can change the buttons to amber on the 7897, but I'm not sure.
>>
>>This is the way I configured my SW buttons with the SWI-X:
>>Left side - Track Up, Track Down and Change Source on the middle button.
>>Right side - Vol Up, Vol Down with Mute on the middle button.
>>
>>Seemed intuitive to me that way.
>>
>>If you feel like trashing your OEM head unit or you find one cheap on ebay, check out the fake faceplate I made. It fits over the fantom face quite nicely and should fool anyone taking a quick peek into your car.
>>

Hi Scooter,

We share an owner's manual, yes this is true!


I was able to change the face to amber or blue as well. But what are the main differences between our models besides your $799.00 price tag...ouch!

 

>>I was able to change the face to amber or blue as well. But what are the main differences between our models besides your $799.00 price tag...ouch!

From memory, the main differences are:

The display - the 7998 has a high-res display (with lots of animations that I care nothing about). The text is very smooth though.

The 7897 has a built-in amp - the 7998 does not.

The 7998 has a calendar in addition to the clock, and wished me a Happy Birthday when I powered it up on 8/11 (wipes away tear).

The 7998 has the I-Personalize feature. I can log on to Alpine's website and configure some things like Power-up messages/Crossover settings/Equalizer settings/Time Correction settings, and then it will encode that config into an mp3 file which I download, burn, and put in the head unit. It then reads my settings from the mp3 and applies them to the unit. Sounds gimmicky, but it's actually kind of handy because I find setting those features using the head unit quite cumbersome. Plus if I get those things set just the way I want them and have to disconnect the battery for some reason, I just put that configuration CD back in and I'm golden.

But I think the main difference is the display. To be honest, I had every intention of getting the same one you got because none of the above was that important to me. But I happened upon a used 7998 in like-new condition on ebay and I snagged it for $400.

I installed Infinity Kappas in the rear and Infinity References in the front. They do work well with the Alpine. I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.

_________________
IB/Blk Cooper, Fogs, Xenons, Spoiler, Chrome Inserts, Blk/Blk/Anthracite Int, Sport Seats, Auto Wipers, Premium & Cold Weather pkgs.

 

Hey scooterboy,

Just wondering... did you do your own install or did you have a shop do it? Know where I could get a MC Install Kit?

Thanks,
kp

 

scooterboy...that is definitely cool and a good idea. i fully believe in a stealth setup to prevent potential thieves from even thinking there's a killer system in there to steal. that's how i got away with my $5000 setup in my surf p/u. still, i got starlocks and an alarm just in case they do try anyways to see what's inside.

pooky13...that is now definitely a killer system. you've pretty much done all the upgrades. i too plan on doing a similar audio overhaul on my incoming mcs, once i've got the $$$$ saved up. and that's pretty much my price range right now, up to $4k. but i think this may be partway into '04, since i've got some other mods in mind first. hopefully, you've got an alarm already in or soon to come - a definite must. i've heard stories of how guys get their stereo first, then intend on getting the alarm the next day, only to have their brand new equipment ripped off that night. OUCH! I fully believe no matter how stealth your setup is, you gotta get an alarm, preferably before the stereo.

 

>>Hey scooterboy,
>>
>>Just wondering... did you do your own install or did you have a shop do it? Know where I could get a MC Install Kit?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>kp

I did it myself. I ordered the facia adapter, aerial adapter, and SWI-X Steering Wheel adapter from newministuff.co.uk. Many details and pics of my install on my webpage - it's in my sig below.

 

Awesome system! I got a question, how did they put the amp on the back of the seat like that? Drilled it on? Is it pretty strudy on there? Space is limited in the minis boot and I think I'll put my amp in the same location. Thanks guys.

 

pics!


Audio system complete, time to party!