So I was wondering what options there are for "stealth" (OEM-looking, non-gaudy, preferably carpeted to match the trunk) subwoofer enclosures for the 2IS. Ideally, I'd like to have symmetric enclosures on either side of the trunk - minimalistic and clean-looking. It's a shame that neither JL Audio nor MTX have a prefabbed enclosure/sub for our car.

Anyway, after much forum searching and research I have identified the following options:

4080 Enclosures: http://www.4080enclosures.com/shop40...sp?idProduct=9

Elemental Designs: http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_...roducts_id=580

eBay 1: http://cgi.ebay.com/IS250-IS350-SUB-...item414895c074

eBay 2: http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-LEXUS-IS-...item35a53b6ff4

My question is, what's the best one? Am I missing any (aside from custom stuff that is out of my budget)? Thank you!

 

OKAY.. i was going through the EXACT same dilemma as you.. i've actually contacted both of those companies.. long story short.. go with the 4080 enclosure.. you definitely won't be disappointed.. i originally wanted 2x 4080 enclosures, one of the passenger side and one for the driver side.. 4080 does not make a driverside enclosure, as the owner returned his 2IS after his lease was up. originally i wanted to run my two 12w6v2.. after talking to 4080 they assured me that one 12w6v2 was enough.. i doubted them and figured i'd purchase it and purchase the driverside later on from somewhere else or replicate it and make my own. after installing the 4080 enclosure i was very surprised.. one 12w6v2 was enough for my liking.. maybe it's just because i'm older now that i dont need that extra bass, but i honestly feel that the 4080enclosure was a good choice. it utilizes the 1.2-1.3 cubic ft(JL spec) very well. though i'm running a jl 1000/1 amp too, i think with just the jl 500/1 you won't be disappointed

 

Thanks man. That helps a lot. A few questions for you: Do you have ML? Do pedestrians know you have a subwoofer installed? Also, did you remove the stock subwoofer? I read that it helps get more bass into the cabin, and that if you don't remove it the bass gets distorted.

It looks like Elemental Designs stopped making their 2IS enclosure anyway (according to their website) so maybe getting a 4080 box was meant to be.

Anyone else have any thoughts? Has anyone tried an eBay enclosure?

 

I have my stock sub still in place and there's no distortion.

 

i also have the 4080 enclosure, with JL 12w6, imo, best combination in terms of stealth and sound.

 

i do not have ML installed. i knew i was going to mess with my sound system right when i bought the car(audiophile) so i figured there was no point in the upgraded sound system. i did NOT remove the stock subwoofer, because i tapped my high to low converter to the factory amp. i have my bass turned to -2 on my audio control so you don't really hear it anyway. in regards to getting more bass into your cabin, you can always just fold down your rear armrest and have more bass. in my 2GS, i removed it because i tapped my high to low into the factory subwoofer wires, also there was no way to access the trunk aside from opening the actual trunk, so in that case it did get more bass in the cabin.. in terms of your ebay enclosure.. its about 40 pounds of MDF wood and unused space.. also it keeps you from being able to use your trunk access through your door

 

Very good point about the center armrest, it didn't even cross my mind. Makes total sense.

Not sure what tapping high to low converter means. Is that the same thing as an LOC whatever? I'm obviously having pros do the install for me because I'm clueless. Where did you mount the amp? Is there a **** in the cabin to adjust the sub? Thanks again.

 

i've got a 4080 enclosure installed and very happy with it. you won't even realize its there. i left the grill off and with a black sub it just blends in. this enclosures is heavy as heck though.

the amp is mounted on my back seat, since the seat doesn't fold down it's out of the way. the fun part was crawling in to the trunk to install it. i've got a bass control *** installed where the ash tray is. with the slide cover, it hides it when not in use.

i've got pics if you're interested.

 

How heavy is the 4080 enclosure? Any noticeable difference in car performance?

If you can post pictures that would be awesome. Did you do the install all by yourself?

I know it's not as sexy, but is this any good? http://mobile.jlaudio.com/jlaudio_pages.php?page_id=285

 

dont get a w0. spend the extra money and get the w6v2 a 500watt mono block amp and the 4080 enclosure. you will not be disapointed, i have had tons of setups, and jl w6v2's have been my favorite. i have 2-12" cerwin vega's in my trunk now and i like them, but defiently get a jl setup for clean bass.https://www.clublexus.com/forums/mob...enclosure.html OR https://www.clublexus.com/forums/mob...orted-box.html

 

Lot of guys reviewing the W6V2 are saying anything less than 1.5 cubic feet is too small to really let the sub shine. Thoughts? I was thinking of going with a W3V3 down the road...

 

Thanks again everyone for all your thoughts. I can't stress enough how much of a n00b I am at this stuff.

So it sounds like the consensus is to go with the 4080 enclosure, JL 12W6v2 sub, and a 500/1v2 amp. I guess whoever does the install will handle wiring and all that stuff. Just to confirm, W6v2 is the best option from JL for this application, right? I see W0v2, W1v2, W3v3, TW5, and W7 on the website, but figure these weren't mentioned because they don't fit or are sub par.

 

Yep check my sig. It is way more than enough. You won't be disappointed.

 

1.5 cubic feet is too much space.. anything more then 1.3, your bass will start to sound hollow. it's like running a w6v2 with a ported enclosure, it just doesn't sound right. the 4080enclosure for our cars were made specifically for the 12w6v2 or the polk 12".

 

The w7 is a good choice also, but overprice, and more for heavy raw bass, if u want clean sounding hard hitting bass, that sounds amazing, something u can control, and then something u can set car alarms off with. Go with a w6v2! Absolute king when it comes to great clean bass.