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  • #1

    Stereo Upgrade?

    Well I had Ryan's sony which sounded a lot better than stock, but sold it when I got the phatbox (and got my steering controls back).

    But now I'm back looking for better sound and Sat radio. I know next to nothing about stereos. :(

    I hear there is a controller/adapter to use the wheel buttons, as well as built in Sirius/XM in most decks so that should solve that issue. I also read that some decks work just fine with the VW phatbox!? This true?

    Also needs to be an OEM black looking deck with near-perfect lighting match. The sony was more than enough watts for the speakers (45/side I think) but I'm guessing I'll need an amp if I get a small sub in the back? I'm thinking a side enclosure similar to Brents but smaller and only 1 sub.

    Thoughts/recommendations?

    Khyron
    Geoff
    Fear is the element that unites all losers.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Stereo Upgrade?

    there are some steering wheel options if your deck has an infrared remote. you more or less mount a transmitter in the console, and program it to talk to your stereo, cause i think hard wiring is tricky, and not possible with most decks.

    yeah, you need an amp for sub. you will probably need something a little bigger then you would get for an equivalent sounding Golf, just because of closed of trunk.

    Panasonic decks are usually lit blue, but i think a lot of them are not black plastic.

    I went with a sub enclosure that wasn't built in. it looks acceptable, but nothing fancy. I went this way because it was cheaper then a fiberglass box, but glass would look a lot nicer.
    Last edited by stefan; 01-30-2007, 04:44 PM.
    Stefan
    -> '19 Deep Black Pearl Alltrack
    -> '05 Urban Grey Passat Wagon TDI.
    -> Past rides: '14 Allroad, 06 Mazda5, '98 Jetta K2, '01 Jetta TDI, '91 Mazda B2200, '81 Toyota Cressida
    -> FutuRe Ride...??!

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    • #3
      Re: Stereo Upgrade?

      How hard is it to fab a fiberglass shell?

      I found a pioneer shallow sub that needs less than 4 inches for mounting, so I
      should be able to get it in the back side cubby. Comes in 12 or 10 so we'll see I guess, handles up to 1200 watts. Not looking for anything bone shattering.

      The wheel control will need 2 PAC adapters, which are about 60 US each, but it's worth it to me I think.

      Khyron
      Geoff
      Fear is the element that unites all losers.

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      • #4
        Re: Stereo Upgrade?

        Id go Pioneer if I were you. Most Pioneer decks are always black and there blue lights are almost an exact match to vw interiors, plus the fact Pioneer makes great products. As far as keeping your controls on the steering wheel, dont hold your breath. Basically it comes down to whether or not you want better sound/ Sat radio or Steering wheel controls and a stock looking deck. Peripheral leads the industry in car audio installation accessories, but even their Steering wheel control adapter only works in 1 of about every 8 cars. If you find something better though please let me know!

        As far as the sub goes, fiberglass work is really very simple, but with the odd shape of the TS-SW2541D sub, the size of the box is super important! That sub sounds like ass in a box that isnt fit correctly. So its up to you, I dont think you will have any troubles building a box, but you will likely get better sound quality if you get a pro to do it.
        When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

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        • #5
          Re: Stereo Upgrade?

          Alpine decks have steering wheel control on them(most of the higher end ones) as for "perfect match" lights, im raelly not too sure if there is much out there really. I know that Pioneer new indash dvd player have options to match your light in your car, but i dont know if you want to spend the money, as for good sounding decks with TONS of features Eclipse, hands down, kinda hard to find around here, im looking to get one pretty soon(cd5000 or cd5100).

          As for subs, it really depends on how much you want to spend really. and like RedMile04 said, if the box is ****, the sound will be **** too. IDK fiberglass its lots of work and can be messy, i would say wood, easy, cheap fast and if you mess up its not a big deal.

          here a good website to do some research at http://www.caraudio.com I use it all the time. Hope that helps a bit.
          James
          mk4 wagon

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          • #6
            Re: Stereo Upgrade?

            my kenwood is a peffect match and its black and clean looking most power and they make adaptors for the factory wheel controls
            call chris shaw at vibe car audio in red deer here he is a master of all things car audio . (403) 309-3535
            Last edited by turbomeyers; 01-31-2007, 01:52 AM.
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            • #7
              Re: Stereo Upgrade?

              Ya. Kenwoods blue/red combo is a pretty close match.

              Present
              2010 Audi A4 S-Line
              2007 VW GTI 2.0T

              Past
              2003 VW Jetta GLI
              1992 VW Jetta GL
              1984 VW Rabbit GTI

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              • #8
                Re: Stereo Upgrade?

                I had a kenwood back in the UK, you could cycle what color you wanted to dispaly out of i think 4 choices. the blue display with red highlight was pretty mucha dead on match.
                Eric..

                Nobody knows everything, but everybody knows something you don't!

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                • #9
                  Re: Stereo Upgrade?

                  The blue used by eclipse decks looks super awesome in dubs:

                  http://www.eclipse-web.com/
                  KR
                  Porsche 991 Carrera S

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                  • #10
                    Re: Stereo Upgrade?

                    Blaupunkt makes vw radios, so if you want perfect match, get one of their aftermarket radios.
                    2002 VW Golf GT TDI
                    2016 VW Passat BiTDI

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                    • #11
                      Re: Stereo Upgrade?

                      Fiberglass is not all that hard to work with, you just need the right tools and time. I can give you a run down and what you can do sometime. If you are going 10" sub and are putting it on either side you will be ok with almost any sub. I have had a couple jetta plans in my head for years but have not got around to building one yet.
                      As for a deck I guess it all boils down to how much you want to spend and what features you want. Personally I have always gone pioneer but if you want all the bells and wistles a carPC is almost the only way to go
                      Name: Brent
                      His: '04 TDI Golf Mods: None If it's smoken it ain't broken
                      Family: '15 Jetta Sportwagon
                      Fun car: '92 Blue Karmann Crabby Cabby Mods: Coils, front and rear swaybars, LED interior lights and some other old things.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Stereo Upgrade?

                        I have a sony deck in mine. The colors are a close match but ive heard that the pioneer decks are a closer match...
                        The XM I have in my car is a perfect match to the dash though
                        -Drew
                        2001 "BORA" GLS 1.8T
                        1990 Lincoln Continental

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