New member - looking for advice
 

Hi - new to this site and thought I'd start with search before posting my questions. I'm also new to car audio, but have been (religiously) reading up on the subject for almost a month now. So I hope I'm ready to ask intelligent questions and not be a total :retard:.

My primary objective is to improve the sound in a 2008 VW Hatchback equipped with 10-speakers and Premium VII system. Mostly, I find the midrange is lacking. Female pop tracks are fine, but alternative and rock artists (e.g. , Incubus, Rush, Live, Creed) just don't cut it on the stock setup. Sound quality is more important to me than volume or thump, and I want to try to improve the sound using an amp (and perhaps speakers) before I replace the head unit, as I want to keep the look as stock as possible.

I've bought an Alpine MRP-F250 as a first step. I figured that it might be effective as some has suggested and would be a valuable addition moving forward. Am waiting on the 70-9003 and 71-9003 harnesses before I start the install, as I don't want to cut/tap/splice any factory wires. Will be using the speaker level inputs from the HU.

The bass in the back doors is acceptable for me, so I was thinking that to start, I could just amp all four doors, or just the fronts, leaving chan 3/4 unplugged on the amp and power the rears off the head unit. HP/LP would be disabled on the amp and then if I want more, to look into a small sub for the back and wouldn't have to crack the dash open again.

Does all this sound feasible so far?

I could use some suggestions for future bass. The cargo space is very important to me, so am looking for a relatively easy solution that I can do myself and won't take up very much room. Once again, I've looked at other posts, but I just don't want to overthink it, overspend or out-fit the car.

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

-ljr

Welcome!
A MUST read for n00bs in the Car Audio realm Car Audio Book - Free Car Audio Information Read every page!

The golf is a fantastic car, and i've heard some really good systems in a golf.


With 10 speakers in a car, using a crossover/passband filters is very important. Getting the right staging and phasing is difficult with so many speakers in such a small space.

The Alpine you bought is a fantastic amp. I have the F550 myself. You will notice an immediate improvement in audio quality by simply substituting your headunit with the amp when powering the speakers.


With space in mind, a good 10" or 8" sub woofer would be ideal, and perhaps in a sealed box. Look at the Solo Baric LS7, and the Alpine Type R both fantastic and will give you the perfect response to all your bass needs.
Or better still Infinity have something called the Basslink, which is perfect for you. Look at Bazooka too. An active sub might just be the perfect solution for your car.

I would agree, I would personally go with either a alpine type x or R 10" sub personally.. i think the amp will make huge improvement. It will bring your speakers to life LOL.

Thanks for the feedback.

I've read the caraudiobook many times....an invaluable start for noobs, agreed.

The sub suggestions are appreciated. Would the Alpine/Kicker subs be adequately powered off the bridged rear connection, or would I be looking at another (mono) amp?

For free air installs, I've seen some who have built a new shelf and mounted the sub in it. I don't intend to run the stereo with the hatch open, so I thought free air might work. Others have fiberglassed makeshift enclosures on the side of the trunk for a stealthier install. That would definitely require a shallow mount sub though if I want to minimize the invasion on the cargo space. However, I have yet to delve into learning more about building enclosures.

I considered the Basslink for a short while, but think I'd like to go even smaller / more stealth if possible. I've also looked at Bazooka tubes, but have heard mixed reviews.

You will need to read the specs on your amp to see if it is powerful enough for your sub.

A good rule of thumb is, your amp should have a 25% higher nominal RMS rating than your sub. Eg, if your sub woofer was rated 100RMS, your amp should be rated 125RMS at least (all nominal). The chemistry behind this rule is rather simple and has to do with MOSFET technology. And if your worried that your amp is say 500RMS, and your woofer is 100RMS, dont worry, it is easier to burn a voice coil by under powering your speaker than by overpowering it.

Fiberglass work is messy if you have never done it before. But you got to start somewhere, so do it with your younger brother's car instead of your new golf.

Personally, if i was in your position, i would get an alpine mono amp, a 10" alpine type S, and make a very small but HEAVY double sheeted box out of 1" MDF sheets (therefore each wall is 2" thick, except for the joins) with thick foam padding inside. Completely sealed.

Alpine SWS-1043D - Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. - SWS-1043D $56.50 from IndoAudio
Alpine MRP-M650 Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. - MRP-M650 - $168.15 from AudioClub
4m2 of 1" mdf - about $20 from Home Depot
+ find some old blankets for the padding.
and your done at $250

The speakers in your system are already amplified with an external amplifier in that car more than likely. If you want bass, you oviously can install an amp and subs only but I don't think you can effectively change the stock speakers from one amp to another. My $0.02 is that if you're not happy with your front stage when you're done, start it over from scratch.

Welcome to the most expensive hobby you'll ever have :smokin:

Thanks, tonez735 - I've confirmed that there is no external amp. Only powered by the 20W Max Head Unit (probably only around 8W RMS). 3-way components are rumoured to have in-line filters to block undesireable frequencies. But many say the speakers are actually ok once they are given enough power.

By the summer, I expect to have completed the following:

- Amp to four doors
- Add mono amp and sub
- Deaden doors and possibly hatch

Changing speakers up front for some nice components could be done any time, and head unit entirely depends on finding a double din unit I like.

I'm anticipating this will be expensive (but fun). The only problem I expect is denying my wife access to the car while I'm working on it :)