For the MINI, space is a premium. If one wanted to add a sub there seems to two choices that fit in the boot without
having to build a custom box.
One is the JL steathbox which is not available from the internet- only through limited retail shops- it needs an amp but I think the quality is better. 10"sub. Retail price $599 or so
Then there is the Infinity Basslink which is powered (roughly 200 Watts) and as little as $269 this week plus installation at Circuit City. 10"sub. Retail $399 or less.

So besides the Basslink being much less expensive and powered. What is the difference and is there any reason to consider the JL stealthbox over the Basslink? The Basslink box may be slightly wider and look less expensive.

Any reviews out there?

 

Edmunds review of the JL steathbox AND the Infinity BassLink!
http://www.edmunds.com/news/innovati...2/article.html

Review of the Basslink by users:
http://www.epinions.com/content_83719917188
http://www.epinions.com/content_59240386180

Now how about some reviews by MINI owners.

_________________
ALOHA

 

i'm looking for the same info my friend!
c'mon people! ahahaha

 

Id like to know too!

 

I prefer custom install.
Factory systems sound good, and are usually fine for people who just want some bass and keep the space.
But a good stereo guy can build a killer amo box for a lesser price, and it will sound better.

AS for the pre-fab boxes, what kind if Hrtz are they hitting? What about the DBs?

I have a friend who is one of the top stereo builder in the nation.
He build factory demo vehicles for most Arizona based companies as well as others like Pioneer, Lightning Audio, Rockford Fosgate, and MA Audio.
One of his systems is in this months Street Truck magazine.

He is going to build a box for me, plus an amp rack, and I will still have storage. Plus, it will be the same price if not less than the JL, and look better as well.
Do some checking around first before you decide. You might be suprised.

 

Sure the custom boxes are great stuff but they are not cheap. Enclosure alone is about $250 labor in my town plus the amp plus the sub and the cables. Pretty soon the whole boot is taken up with equiptment and the weight is approaching an extra 100 pounds- even 200 pounds (total audio upgrade) in some setups.

The whole point of the Stealthbox and Basslink is that it is something that we can find (no great pro shop needed) , expense can be limited, space is conserved and it is built so to speak for the MINI's boot. The compromise is the sound/performance and the custom look.

Just from reading the reviews I can see that the higher price for the Stealthbox goes for slightly more power (possible from a separate amp), maybe better sound as a result, more tuning specifically for the MINI and more refinement. The Basslink is more of a generic design that is right at home in the MINI. For $269 plus installation it is hard to beat in bang per buck. From the review:

"Welmeyer further said that they wanted to design a "closed system" that would offer a "no-muss, no-fuss install."
The result is a box that requires only .75 cubic feet of trunk space, but still produces great bass.
Basslink consists of a 10-inch subwoofer, a 10-inch passive radiator, and a 150-watt Class D amplifier.
An important point here: the amplifier is built into the box. This eliminates the need to shop for amplifiers, since the Infinity engineers have already selected and mated the amplifier to the enclosure and the speakers. This strikes us as the best of all possible worlds, and the simplest.
As if to anticipate the purists, the Infinity Basslink boasts a number of features to fine-tune the enclosure to your specific vehicle. These include: a zero- to 180 degree phase shift, a variable low-pass filter, Bass EQ, and variable input sensitivity
Best of all, the Basslink requires no cutting and is so easy to install that even a weekend do-it-yourselfer can do it."
--------

I don't own either but I'm gonna make a choice in the next 72 hours like it or not.

_________________
ALOHA

 

personally, because of my good experience with JL audio, i'd go with JL. it is made specifically for the mini, so minor, if any, adjustments will be necessary. it probably does have better handling and sound quality. i'm assuming also that 'what you pay for is what you get'. i can't imagine paying $300-400 for box, speaker, and amp vs. $500 for box and speaker only and having comparable sound. however, infinity is a quality name in audio. but JL is nearly legendary for their subs for years now. infinity i'm not too sure about their subs, although i believe their mids and highs may be more well-known.

once again, it comes down to personal preference. convenience and price for just-drop-in-and-play vs. reputation and maybe quality for a little-more-custom-tuned-for-mini's.

 

>>personally, because of my good experience with JL audio, i'd go with JL. it is made specifically for the mini, so minor, if any, adjustments will be necessary. it probably does have better handling and sound quality.

I went with the JL audio stealthbox of course:
takes up very little space too.

 

I am installing the JL Stealthbox in my MINI today.
Full report on the results to follow later.
I'm excited.

 

>>I am installing the JL Stealthbox in my MINI today.
>>Full report on the results to follow later.
>>I'm excited.

Great Minihune,

Your Demo CD will be compiled by tonight and shipped out to you by this week.
In fact, I'm gonna make a copy for myself for the fun of it.

 

Pooky13,
Thanks so much. I will exercise my speakers once I get it. I'll let you know how it sounds.

 

I had the Infinity Bass Link installed in my MC about 4 months ago. I think that it works pretty well, but puts out much less bass then the 2 JBL 12's I had in the trunk of my previous car.
I had the bass link installed for about $500, along with the volume control for it. They installed the volume control under where the heat/ac controls are.
The only bad thing that I have experienced with it is that if it is hot out and I have the radio loud with a lot of bass for an extended period of time, it cuts out from the heat. It eventually comes back on it's just kind of annoying.

 

I have the stealthbox too. I haven't heard the basslink, but i wouldn't trade my stealthbox for anything else. It sounds great, and doesn't take up all that much space. The only thing it lacks is the really really deep bass, but I can live with that. It still hits really deep for a 10. Sounds more like a 12. One thing I did was take out the plastic cover on the side of the boot the woofer faces. Maybe it's me but I think it sounds better that way. I still gotta cut a hole in it and wrap it in grille cloth so it looks nice.

 

So- I got the JL stealthbox installed. Cost me $540 plus $100 installation (2 hours) with one year warranty.
The thing about the Basslink and Stealthbox is that it is an easy install, it tends to cost less in general, it takes up less space, and in the case of the Basslink it comes powered by it's own amp. On the downside they both have a single 10 inch subwoofer, take up about 0.75 to 0.8 cubic feet which means you loose about a quarter of the boot space, and once installed you cannot easily get to the battery, remove the rubber boot mat or fully use the cargo net. If you have an amp then that takes up space and if you have the CD changer that takes up more space. Also both these subs will block the access panel to the rear light on the left once the subs are installed so if you do the light mod, do it before installing either sub.

In my case the sub volume control is built in to my aftermarket CD player headunit so I don't have to mount that control elsewhere (on the toggle switch). The sub volume is linked to my total volume. So adjust total volume first then readjust from negative to +10 on the sub. It all works well.

It will take about 2 to 3 weeks of use to breakin the sub. So immediately it is noticable that now I have BASS. A lot of bass. Enough to really shake you and the car if you want. Not thundering bass to rattle other cars but nice clean bass. And it sounds like it is coming from the speakers but it is not harsh. The fronts have a little push of air but the bass sound is definitely there. I think the front speakers sound much better. It is hard to believe these are the same speakers I had been using with the stock radio back in the beginning. I had earlier toyed with the idea to replace the MB Quarts I have in the front but the manager at the Pro audio shop that I have been using looked very puzzled at me- like you want to do what??? So I will just keep everything and use it for at least 6 months as is.

My early impression is that the overall balance of the system is much improved with the bass being very strong and controllable much more than before. The front speakers are now not overworked and everything is cleaner and tighter. You can dial in more or less bass at will. It is very tunable and the results are always good. It doesn't run hot for me. It will be checking for that in the coming weeks. I can still fold down my seats and no one can see into the back unless I put up the hatch. If you need super strong bass then get a custom box with two 10" subs and a big amp.

He did tell me about some other projects at his shop. Seems like some crazy comes in all the time asking for some really insane audio/video upgrade. This month the shop is working on an H2 with the 550HP ferrari upgrade and H2 chrome 20 inch wheels and lowered springs. There is planned a massive redo of the interior with a huge custom aluminum rack in the back to hold 2 pairs (total of 4) of 12" subwoofers, 4 amps, 4 extra PC1200 car batteries (each one costs $250 and weighs 50 pounds), alumapro 15 farad CAP, upgraded Boston acoustics 6.5" speakers in each door and a new headunit. After two months of labor the planned cost is as much as the total cost of the H2!

 

Oops- I got a problem with my stealthbox. It was installed as far left in the boot as can be but now it blocks the access door of my rear fender which means I cannot get to my tools for changing my tire and my jack storage area is now moved to the far right. If I need to do the rear tail light swap or mod to the lights then I cannot reach back there. Got to take off the stealthbox to access that area -it is bolted in with a mounting plate on the far low left side.
To rescue my tire changing tools I will have the shop help me access the door area- another person mentioned leaving the door off completely- might make the bass sound more deep? I was going to try this except I cannot remove the rear side access door at all.

 

Once you have the tools out, move them to the passenger side. It also has a metal protruding bolt to attach it to, same location. Then you can bolt down the sub and leave it.

Personally I would not advocate opening up that panel. Instead, reinforce it. I've lined the edges of both side of mine with felt tape to eliminate any rattling. You really don't want the bass "shoved" into that area as it has nowhere to go. Instead, let it fire off the cubby hole door as it was designed to, allowing maximum reflection to propagate the sound waves before they reach your ears.

R

 

minihune...
did you take any pics of the install?

 

Sorry I did not get a chance to take pictures for several reasons.
One- I had a meeting to attend at the same time as the install.
Two- I didn't want to intrude on the install- usually two techs are working at the same time-one doing the bracket and one doing the wiring which is common for this shop
Three- I didn't want to get in the way and be a pest (I don't want to be a pushy customer)
Four-My wife had the camera due to my son's music class.
Oh well, there was not that much to see.
The stealthbox sits on the far left of the rear boot bolted to a metal bracket hear the base of the folding rear left seat, it is very hard to reach to get to the screw.
the woofer is exposed on the far left as it faces the inside of the boot wall but the rest of the case is covered with black carpet that matches the boot carpet.
Pooky13 has some photos that look the same as mine. after installation.
I'll have to rescue my tools and move them to the right cubby.

 

I got the instructions on how to adjust the mounting on my JL Stealthbox.
If you need to get into the left rear fender well. There are tools and the mounting to the tail light.
1. Open the boot and find the small hex bolt in the center rear of the base of the two rear seats, This fastens the rear seats in place. Remove the bolt you can remove the left rear seat to access the two mounting bolts for the stealthbox.
2. Remove the torque screw from under the bracket area very low- this is why you needed to remove the seat.
3. Remove the larger screw on the mounting bracket more visible from above.
4. Slide the subwoofer enclosure to the right up to 12 inches or all the way to the left where it hits the fender well.
5. Tighten the two screws down where you want the speakers to be.
6. The stealthbox takes up quite a bit of space. From the left inner wheel well-11.5 inches, 12 inches deep into the boot- the whole way, 16.5 inches tall, shaped like a snail shell. The speaker faces the wheel well access door.

The subwoofer is still doing really well.