Wavtech ThinPro 10 Sub, Install saga

[TyGuy81]

Hey party people! I didn’t expect this to be so long but hopefully it’s at least a fun read I’m a woodworker who’s had the opportunity to learn a handful of parallel skills. I made my own fiberglass enclosure for my old ‘19 Ranger(fit straight into the Raptor)and never got 100% satisfied. As with many of us, you start out with a $1k weekend plan and expands into a 5 year Marvel trilogy. I’m posting this in hopes that I can hopefully help at least one person going thru something similar.

From the beginning I’ve had the Wavtech Mini 500.1. I chose it for the line level input and power switching. I thought utilizing the basic harness adapter from SGS would suffice…fast forward to a couple weeks ago and realized that was a mistake. The SGS Kicker Keyloc really unlocks the potential.

I’ve had the same enclosure across my changes and tweaks. The volume is only about .33cu ft/9.7L so nothing really fit that spec. I decided to just use a JL 10TW3 and hope for the best. It was good but never great, and I understood the limitations. I also tried the RF T1S10. I installed the Keyloc thinking I would get immediate results….I was sadly mistaken. It sounded awful. I thought perhaps now that the Keyloc was doing its thing, the small enclosure was showing its true colors. I’d had my eye on the new Wavtech 10 since its ideal sealed enclosure size is .35. Pulled the trigger and installed it right away but found the same result. I tried a lot of different things to figure out what was happening, including adding dynamat to the outside. After removing the enclosure from the recess I decided to play it and see what happens. It was mind blowing! It sounded better than I could’ve imagined….but WTF did it sound like doo doo in the pocket?!? The Keyloc unlocked so much more potential it was ‘rattling’ in the recess. I’d had it bolted in years back but it never made any significant difference so I just left it “loose” and never thought about it again. So, today’s lesson is don’t be a dummy like me, secure your enclosure!

This thing is a beast! I don’t know what the Stealthbox sounds like with the TW1 but I can say this thing sounds great across multiple genre of music. It is tight against the seat bottom but seems to perform fine with it down. To note, I did angle the back side into the enclosure a little bit to help with the clearance. Hope this helps someone…or maybe I’m just a dumb dumb.
Thanks!

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[Chuck2001]

SGS dumb harness + key500.1 (dsp+amp) seems like a winning combination when going with a custom sub box.

SGS keyloc is a good solution when going with a powered sub IMO.

 

[Buellsox]

I have the Stealthtech box with a Hertz pro 10” sub powered by a Rockford Fosgate Punch 300.1 & Kicker Keyloc and after a couple weeks I ended up screwing the box into the sheet metal flange of the rear tub. Ended up using heavy 5/16” coated TEK screws (self tappers) & 3/4” stainless fender washers. Certain heavy hitting bass would create and annoying rattling/buzzing harmonic that drove me nuts. Even with the bass gain knob turned to low and the tub being sound deadened. I could reach back and under the seat and hold the box to the tub and the rattle would go away so I knew screwing it into the flange of the tub was inevitable. And yeah my volume is usually pretty high so that wasn’t helping. Worked like a charm……it frigging pounds! And the box itself is rattle free.

 

[Chuck2001]

Stealthtech box ready to go...

So reading you guys you absolutely need to bolt the box.

OP screw from the top, looks easy and non intrusive for the undercab.

Could you provide picture where di you screw? I'd like to avoid going on the exterior sheet...

 

[TyGuy81]

Ya I wasn’t a fan of drilling thru the cab. There’s a couple holes in the metal and carpet at the sides if the baffle extends far enough out. It’s a little tricky to say the least. I happen to have a custom made offset drilling device I got from an airplane tech. I was able to snake thru and drill the baffle from underneath. I used a couple socket cap Allen bolts(1/4-20 I think) and a U clip. I cut off the U and was able to use some double stick on my fingertip to get it in place while threading. Once it seats it doesn’t spin when tightening. Without the offset drill mechanism thing, it’s difficult to mark exactly where the hole is. I probably would’ve eyeballed it and drilled a slightly larger hole. I tried pulling measurements to mark it out but it didn’t seem to work for me. I’ll see if I can finagle making a video of the process.

 

[Buellsox]

You can only drill along the front and left side. That’s the only place where the flange exists with tub void underneath. Towards the back and you’re drilling through the truck. I’ll post pic later once I’m home.

 

[Buellsox]

Stealthtech box ready to go...

So reading you guys you absolutely need to bolt the box.

OP screw from the top, looks easy and non intrusive for the undercab.

Could you provide picture where di you screw? I'd like to avoid going on the exterior sheet...

Here’s how I mounted mine. I stand corrected from earlier, I used 3/8” x 2” TEK screws & 3/4” ss fenders not 5/16”.

Nothing through to the exterior. It stays put and doesn’t rattle or reverberate under heavy bass.

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