JL Audio Stealthbox and Amp Install - Detailed Photos and Resources
I wanted to share my experience installing a JL Audio Stealthbox in my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with the community as my first post. There was a lot of very helpful information I found to help me along – special thanks to (dirk41mvp) and (solodogg) for their very helpful write ups.
After doing additional research I found out a few things that may help others along. Keep in mind that my application may be different since I have the base audio system, so I did not start with an existing factory sub enclosure and my system is amplified by the 8.4 NAV system head unit instead of a factory amplifier (I believe).
Depending on the amplifier you choose, you will not need a Line Output Converter (LOC). I went with the JL Audio XD600/1v2 which allowed me to tap into post amplified speaker wires. This not only provided me with an audio signal, but the amplifier also did not need a remote wire as signal sensing is built into the amp. I noticed that some individuals were hooking up a LOC with their JL Audio XD amplified which is not necessary with certain amps. The JL XD series amp also has a line out so that I can tether another amplifier off of it down the road if I wish. Since I was just installing a sub, I brought in one signal line instead of two, so it is only receiving a mono signal input.
If I want to hook up another amp for a future speaker upgrades for the rest of the system, then I will need to tap into a left speaker wire which would run off of the other side of the Jeep. In this case I may choose another location to tap into – probably closer to the center console. Likewise if you are hooking up a larger amp to power other speakers in your Jeep, you will need to tap into both left and right speaker wires to ensure that you pull in a full stereo signal to the amplifier.
My placement for the base control knob is a bit different than what I found during my research as I did not want to drill a hole anywhere in the paneling or center console. I was hoping to use one of the blank buttons available in my console for the location, but this is not possible as there is a circuit board running along the back of all buttons even if they are not actively used with the Jeep’s configuration. What is cool about that is that there is a way to enable a blank button to work by messing around with the electrical board – which I may do for something like an accessory light switch down the road: http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/switches-to-fit-factory-holes-46401-2.html
Lastly, I had some trouble aligning the brackets for the Stealthbox and there was an issue with bolting the tub back in after installing the box. It took some tweaking but still is not perfect – which may be because of how my individual stealthbox was formed. Also, I broke one of the mounting tabs behind the passenger side rear quarter panel when removing the paneling. It broke off much too easy as the plastic looked thin at the base. Because of this I would recommend that you buy a trim removal set like the one I linked below from Amazon. It will also help for future projects no doubt.
The sub produces a very impressive amount of bass for the size and sounds good with the other factory speakers. I initially bought the JL Audio XD300/1v2 to power the stealthbox, but from the advice of the place that I bought my sub I returned the XD300 and went with the XD600. The sub can handle 500 watts so the XD300 would have limited what it was capable of. I also got the amp on sale at Crutchfield for $389 which was a steal. For configuring the settings of the amp – I recommend to follow the amp manual’s suggestions for optimal performance. I used a RCA Y-Adapter to bring in a stronger signal and set the Input Voltage Range on the amp to ‘High’. The sound output was much cleaner than if I used the ‘Low’ setting, which I had previously done before I added the RCA Y-Adapter.
Anyway, I did a lot of research to set things up the way I wanted and I hope that my write up will help make the project quicker and easier for somebody else.
COMPONENTS:
JL Audio Stealthbox SB-J-GCHWK2/10W3v3/BK - $574.95 w/ free shipping to 48 states (no Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico)
JL AUDIO SB-J-GCHWK2/10W3v3/BK (94508) – Dynamic Autosound
Manual
http://mediacdn.jlaudio.com/media/mfg/9013/media_document/live_1/SB_J_GCHWK2_MAN.pdf?1305783857
JL Audio XD600/1v2 600W x 1 Subwoofer Amplifer
JL Audio XD600/1v2 Mono subwoofer amplifier — 600 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com
Manual
http://mediacdn.jlaudio.com/media/mfg/9013/media_document/live_1/XD600_1v2_MAN.pdf?1398143028
JL Audio HD-RLC HD Amplifier Remote Level Controller
JL Audio HD-RLC Remote level controller for select JL Audio amplifiers at Crutchfield.com
Rockford Fosgate RFK4 Amplifier Wiring Kit 4 gauge Power
Rockford Fosgate RFK4 4-gauge amplifier power wiring kit at Crutchfield.com
Dynamat 10425 Xtreme 4 Sq. Ft., 1 Sheet
Dynamat Xtreme Wedge Pack 1 sheet, 4 square feet at Crutchfield.com
JL Audio XD-CLRAIC2-SW 2-channel Speaker Wire to RCA Adapter
JL Audio XD-CLRAIC2-SW 2-channel speaker output converter (bare speaker wires to male RCAs) at Crutchfield.com
Stinger SPW512BK per foot 12 Gauge Speaker Wire Black
Stinger PRO Series Speaker Wire (12 Gauge) Priced per foot at Crutchfield.com
Posi-Products Connector Kit 6 pieces Posi-Tap 16-18 Gauge
Posi-Products™ Wire Connectors 6 tap connectors for 16- to 18-gauge wire — tap into wire without cutting or stripping at Crutchfield.com
Mediabridge ULTRA Series RCA Y-Adapter (8 Feet) - 1-Male to 2-Male for Digital Audio or Subwoofer - Dual Shielded with RCA to RCA Gold-Plated Connectors - Black
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KCQSW3E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
TCBunny® Portable 4Pcs Auto Car Radio Door Clip Panel Trim Dash Audio Removal Installer Pry Tool
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SDFIWGS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
REFERENCES
Installation:
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/2014-gc-limited-sub-upgrade-jl-stealthbox-90868.html
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/jl-audio-stealthbox-install-58550.html
http://mediacdn.jlaudio.com/media/mfg/9013/media_document/live_1/SB_J_GCHWK2_MAN.pdf?1305783857
Audio wiring diagram and schematics:
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/wk2-audio-wiring-schematics-23231.html#post414994
http://www.wk2jeeps.com/audio/2012_WK_audio_wiring.pdf
WK2Jeeps.com - 2011-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee menu page
http://www.wk2jeeps.com/audio/2014_wk_base_audio_diagram.pdf
2014 Grand Cherokee - Interior trim removal (PDF)
http://www.wk2jeeps.com/interior/2014_wk2_interior_trim_removal_001.pdf
PROCEDURE
The purchased components:
Removal of the spare and tub in rear:
Dynamat Installed:
Stealthbox Intalled:
I had to make slight adjustments to the brackets in order to get them to slide onto the threaded studs. It took a couple times to put everything together and take back apart. Even then the tub was slightly pushed to the drivers side of the car and I had a hard time lining up the bold holes to reinstall the tub.
Line Input Signal Tap:
Since I did not have a factory amp in the rear quarter paneling of My Jeep, I chose to tap into the wiring harness running along the passenger side of the car – where the amp would be installed. The wires I used were the Rear Right speaker wires - DG/LG and DG/GY in the wiring diagram (Dark Green/Light Green and Dark Green/Gray). I removed the panel between the front and rear doors and pulled back the carpet to get to the wiring.
Signal Wires Tapped:
Continued in next post.....
I wanted to share my experience installing a JL Audio Stealthbox in my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with the community as my first post. There was a lot of very helpful information I found to help me along – special thanks to (dirk41mvp) and (solodogg) for their very helpful write ups.
After doing additional research I found out a few things that may help others along. Keep in mind that my application may be different since I have the base audio system, so I did not start with an existing factory sub enclosure and my system is amplified by the 8.4 NAV system head unit instead of a factory amplifier (I believe).
Depending on the amplifier you choose, you will not need a Line Output Converter (LOC). I went with the JL Audio XD600/1v2 which allowed me to tap into post amplified speaker wires. This not only provided me with an audio signal, but the amplifier also did not need a remote wire as signal sensing is built into the amp. I noticed that some individuals were hooking up a LOC with their JL Audio XD amplified which is not necessary with certain amps. The JL XD series amp also has a line out so that I can tether another amplifier off of it down the road if I wish. Since I was just installing a sub, I brought in one signal line instead of two, so it is only receiving a mono signal input.
If I want to hook up another amp for a future speaker upgrades for the rest of the system, then I will need to tap into a left speaker wire which would run off of the other side of the Jeep. In this case I may choose another location to tap into – probably closer to the center console. Likewise if you are hooking up a larger amp to power other speakers in your Jeep, you will need to tap into both left and right speaker wires to ensure that you pull in a full stereo signal to the amplifier.
My placement for the base control knob is a bit different than what I found during my research as I did not want to drill a hole anywhere in the paneling or center console. I was hoping to use one of the blank buttons available in my console for the location, but this is not possible as there is a circuit board running along the back of all buttons even if they are not actively used with the Jeep’s configuration. What is cool about that is that there is a way to enable a blank button to work by messing around with the electrical board – which I may do for something like an accessory light switch down the road: http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/switches-to-fit-factory-holes-46401-2.html
Lastly, I had some trouble aligning the brackets for the Stealthbox and there was an issue with bolting the tub back in after installing the box. It took some tweaking but still is not perfect – which may be because of how my individual stealthbox was formed. Also, I broke one of the mounting tabs behind the passenger side rear quarter panel when removing the paneling. It broke off much too easy as the plastic looked thin at the base. Because of this I would recommend that you buy a trim removal set like the one I linked below from Amazon. It will also help for future projects no doubt.
The sub produces a very impressive amount of bass for the size and sounds good with the other factory speakers. I initially bought the JL Audio XD300/1v2 to power the stealthbox, but from the advice of the place that I bought my sub I returned the XD300 and went with the XD600. The sub can handle 500 watts so the XD300 would have limited what it was capable of. I also got the amp on sale at Crutchfield for $389 which was a steal. For configuring the settings of the amp – I recommend to follow the amp manual’s suggestions for optimal performance. I used a RCA Y-Adapter to bring in a stronger signal and set the Input Voltage Range on the amp to ‘High’. The sound output was much cleaner than if I used the ‘Low’ setting, which I had previously done before I added the RCA Y-Adapter.
Anyway, I did a lot of research to set things up the way I wanted and I hope that my write up will help make the project quicker and easier for somebody else.
COMPONENTS:
JL Audio Stealthbox SB-J-GCHWK2/10W3v3/BK - $574.95 w/ free shipping to 48 states (no Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico)
JL AUDIO SB-J-GCHWK2/10W3v3/BK (94508) – Dynamic Autosound
Manual
http://mediacdn.jlaudio.com/media/mfg/9013/media_document/live_1/SB_J_GCHWK2_MAN.pdf?1305783857
JL Audio XD600/1v2 600W x 1 Subwoofer Amplifer
JL Audio XD600/1v2 Mono subwoofer amplifier — 600 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com
Manual
http://mediacdn.jlaudio.com/media/mfg/9013/media_document/live_1/XD600_1v2_MAN.pdf?1398143028
JL Audio HD-RLC HD Amplifier Remote Level Controller
JL Audio HD-RLC Remote level controller for select JL Audio amplifiers at Crutchfield.com
Rockford Fosgate RFK4 Amplifier Wiring Kit 4 gauge Power
Rockford Fosgate RFK4 4-gauge amplifier power wiring kit at Crutchfield.com
Dynamat 10425 Xtreme 4 Sq. Ft., 1 Sheet
Dynamat Xtreme Wedge Pack 1 sheet, 4 square feet at Crutchfield.com
JL Audio XD-CLRAIC2-SW 2-channel Speaker Wire to RCA Adapter
JL Audio XD-CLRAIC2-SW 2-channel speaker output converter (bare speaker wires to male RCAs) at Crutchfield.com
Stinger SPW512BK per foot 12 Gauge Speaker Wire Black
Stinger PRO Series Speaker Wire (12 Gauge) Priced per foot at Crutchfield.com
Posi-Products Connector Kit 6 pieces Posi-Tap 16-18 Gauge
Posi-Products™ Wire Connectors 6 tap connectors for 16- to 18-gauge wire — tap into wire without cutting or stripping at Crutchfield.com
Mediabridge ULTRA Series RCA Y-Adapter (8 Feet) - 1-Male to 2-Male for Digital Audio or Subwoofer - Dual Shielded with RCA to RCA Gold-Plated Connectors - Black
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KCQSW3E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
TCBunny® Portable 4Pcs Auto Car Radio Door Clip Panel Trim Dash Audio Removal Installer Pry Tool
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SDFIWGS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
REFERENCES
Installation:
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/2014-gc-limited-sub-upgrade-jl-stealthbox-90868.html
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/jl-audio-stealthbox-install-58550.html
http://mediacdn.jlaudio.com/media/mfg/9013/media_document/live_1/SB_J_GCHWK2_MAN.pdf?1305783857
Audio wiring diagram and schematics:
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f155/wk2-audio-wiring-schematics-23231.html#post414994
http://www.wk2jeeps.com/audio/2012_WK_audio_wiring.pdf
WK2Jeeps.com - 2011-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee menu page
http://www.wk2jeeps.com/audio/2014_wk_base_audio_diagram.pdf
2014 Grand Cherokee - Interior trim removal (PDF)
http://www.wk2jeeps.com/interior/2014_wk2_interior_trim_removal_001.pdf
PROCEDURE
The purchased components:
Removal of the spare and tub in rear:
Dynamat Installed:
Stealthbox Intalled:
I had to make slight adjustments to the brackets in order to get them to slide onto the threaded studs. It took a couple times to put everything together and take back apart. Even then the tub was slightly pushed to the drivers side of the car and I had a hard time lining up the bold holes to reinstall the tub.
Line Input Signal Tap:
Since I did not have a factory amp in the rear quarter paneling of My Jeep, I chose to tap into the wiring harness running along the passenger side of the car – where the amp would be installed. The wires I used were the Rear Right speaker wires - DG/LG and DG/GY in the wiring diagram (Dark Green/Light Green and Dark Green/Gray). I removed the panel between the front and rear doors and pulled back the carpet to get to the wiring.
Signal Wires Tapped:
Continued in next post.....