Should I upgrade my radio?

Ok.. so as the topic suggests, I'm mulling over whether to make some changes to my stereo system.. so I'm hoping to pick some of your brains for opinions.

Current set-up:
Stock 2004 Monsoon double-din cd player w/stock monsoon amp.
Phatbox (20gb; connected through the cd changer port)
(I also have a sirius tuner which is set up to use the crappy FM modulator).


Here's where the decision gets slightly complicated (to me anyway..). In the Dakota I had before I bought my Golf in 04, I had a relatively sweet system in it - which I have all the components (in great condition) from..

Alternate set-up:
Eclipse 55040
2 sets of Boston 6.5 pro components (total of 4 6.5" 2-way speakers and 4 tweeters with external crossovers)
JL Audio 300W 4/2/1 amp
Eclipse 6-disc cd changer (compatible to the 55040)

Pros I see to switching the systems out :
(1) Duh, look at the components.. lol
(2) Would go from a double-din unit to a single-din unit, allowing me to install a triple gauge panel and get rid of the a-pillar pod and the dual gauge pod I currently have on the steering column.

Cons I see to switching the systems out :
(1) I'd lose the Phatbox capability (big), unless there is a way to somehow reflash the phatbox to work with a 4-5 year old Eclipse head unit (extremely doubtful).
(2) the amp is at least twice as big as the current monsoon unit, which means I may lose a crapload of space in the hatch unless someone knows of a way to get *really* creative with an amp install.
(3) Not sure I want to rip out every wire in the car myself, and Tweeter wants about $500 ( ) to re-install everything.
(4) No more OEM radio - I have an FIS cluster coming and it might have been cool to set up the cluster to show radio info. Not a huge deal, I suppose, since I don't have the cluster in yet and therefore am not used to having it there anyway.

Neutral items:
(1) Sirius would still have to use the crappy FM modulator, since I don't think the Eclipse has an aux input to directly wire into. (That being said, the amp might, but I'd have to dig it out of the box and check on that, and then I would have to try to rig something up so that I could switch the amp inputs from the driver's seat)


What I'm trying to decide is if it's worth the expense (or hours of work if I do it myself) to switch everything out and try to sell the stock monsoon, or if I should say F it and just sell the components I have and consider upgrading with newer stuff... The Monsoon isn't a bad unit at all, *especially* for a stock radio..

ARRGH.

Thoughts / Opinions / Stuff that I'm being oblivious about?

Even some comments on what some of your setups are might give me some more ideas about my own..

thanks
-mike

Get the VW Navi and be able to keep your phatbox, volume controls and display in the cluster.

then, get this to display vehicle diagnosits http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1256258&postcount=1

I'm not 100% sure of this, but I think if you buy any Kenwood head unit that is CD-changer compatible, you won't lose the Phatbox capability. It might be worth selling the Eclipse and picking up a good Kenwood.

tongsli said:

Get the VW Navi and be able to keep your phatbox, volume controls and display in the cluster.

then, get this to display vehicle diagnosits [URL="http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1256258&postcount=1"]http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1256258&postcount=1[/URL]

Click to expand...

LOL.. you already know I'm itching to do that too.. throw yet another wrench into the mix..

Although.. I could sell the eclipse and put the $$ towards the navi, and still swap out the speakers.. hmm..

Can the navi unit hook up to a 3rd party amp? (and for that matter, how's the sound quality with the navi head unit?)


nuke.. that's a good point too.. I do recall seeing something on the phatnoise website about that. If I went that route, I could also get a head unit with Sirius built-in...

BlueCTTDi said:

LOL.. you already know I'm itching to do that too.. throw yet another wrench into the mix..

Although.. I could sell the eclipse and put the $$ towards the navi, and still swap out the speakers.. hmm..

Can the navi unit hook up to a 3rd party amp? (and for that matter, how's the sound quality with the navi head unit?)


nuke.. that's a good point too.. I do recall seeing something on the phatnoise website about that. If I went that route, I could also get a head unit with Sirius built-in...

Click to expand...

Yes it can. There are pre-amp outputs. It is already amplified(Navi) for 40W per channel IIRC.



http://www.continentalimports.com/f00e500014.html

L

tongsli said:

Yes it can. There are pre-amp outputs. It is already amplified(Navi) for 40W per channel IIRC.

L

Click to expand...

ooo.. good to know.. then I could still keep the Bostons and the good amp along with the Phatbox, and could put a good dent in the navi with what i could get for the stock monsoon w/speakers and my eclipse.

http://www.continentalimports.com/f00e500014.html

It's $20 plus shipping for the adapter. It has the remote turn-on lead in this harness

good stuff

I guess it all comes down to the level of quality you want to listen to your music at. For me, it was much higher than what the stock system (or any stock system for that matter) can offer.

I was not impressed by the Monsoon head unit at all, but then again I'm kind of snooty when it comes to audio stuff. For me, the work to get aftermarket stuff into the car was well worth it. I truly enjoy my stereo now.

And ya, a decent sized amp + capacitor will take away quite a bit of hatch space unless you're savy enough or have the $$ to invest in building a custom floor to hide your stuff. There's always the option of using the spare tire well, but then you don't have a spare tire.

I don't know about your current eclipse Head unit, but do you have the possibility of adding an eclipse DSP? I have an eclipse head unit which has the DSP. my DSP has 3 fiber inputs (one for the head unit, one for the CD changer and a spare) I also have the other inputs in the DSP i.e. my touch screen and sat radio input. probably no help, but thought I would throw it up there.

I love my system, false floor, sub in the middle of my spare so I won't get stranded, and two amps hidden. Only thing I hate is having to remove the face of my radio everywhere I go. I'd like to have a motorized brushed aluminum plate to come out from the upper cup holder area and cover the gauges and radio when I shut off the car.

The sound is much better than stock, but I miss the stealth of the stock HU.

I have a similar situation:

Currently
Stock 2001 Golf GLS with Monsoon and 6-disc changer

Potentially going in:
Eclipse 55060 (copper chasis)
Eclipse 2301 DSP
Eclipse 5060? CD changer
Eclipse 9902 GPS/Commander
Xtant ??? 4-channel amp

I haven't settled on speakers but I'll see if I can get a cheap set of Focal or Boston Acoustics. All of the above is second-hand (much much cheaper this way) and was going to go in 97 Maxima. I drive my TDI literally 10X as often and use it for road trips, so I think all the goodies are going in the Golf. I haven't decided if I want a sub in the spare or not. Space is very important to me and I have no idea where I can hide all of this stuff. I'll check out under the front seats or a false trunk floor if I have to.

I agree with Lito, go Navi. It sounds great.

All a bunch of excellent info... thanks guys - I appreciate the suggestions, keep em coming!

mtltdi said:

I love my system, false floor, sub in the middle of my spare so I won't get stranded, and two amps hidden..

Click to expand...

mtltdi: I (and maybe others) would be interested in seeing some pics or a quick little write up on how you did your false floor. It's definetly something I would like to do.

Kwong: Go with a set of Focals. I have a pair of the Polyglass 165v2 and they are excellent!!

There are some pics in my sig. Let me know if you're interested in particular items, I can take others.

hey if either of you guys want to sell me your factory double din decks please pm me! they are going for around 80 usd on ebay. if i could support someone on the forum i'd rather do it that way!

Will definitely let you know. i'm still on the fence between the two.. part of me really would like to go navi, but the other option is also somewhat appealing... (hence my original thread lol)

I suppose either way that would mean taking out the double-din unit though..

GlsBill said:

hey if either of you guys want to sell me your factory double din decks please pm me! they are going for around 80 usd on ebay. if i could support someone on the forum i'd rather do it that way!

Click to expand...

If you go aftermarket head unit, definatley get one that is SAT ready. I have an Alpine and love it. Also have the boston pro 6.5 componenets. Love them too. I'd go with the JL 500.5 amp. That way you can add a sub down the road. The JL stealthbox is a great solution.

oldpoopie said:

If you go aftermarket head unit, definatley get one that is SAT ready. I have an Alpine and love it. Also have the boston pro 6.5 componenets. Love them too. I'd go with the JL 500.5 amp. That way you can add a sub down the road. The JL stealthbox is a great solution.

Click to expand...

You're right, those Boston's and the JL amp rock - that is why I couldn't bear to part with them after I sold my truck

After reading up on all this stuff.. it looks like I might be able to hook up my Sirius receiver through the aux input (10-pin cable on the back of the MFD).. which would also be much better than the crappy FM modulator..

So.. as far as I can tell (hopefully someone will correct me if I'm mistaken), If I go navi version G.. I'll be able to

(1) keep the sat radio through the aux input (and allow me to have a direct connection instead of the FM crap noted above),
(2) keep the Phatnoise through the CD changer connector (and I can do the mod to the phatnoise box that I've seen here to eliminate the intermittent cut-out issue),
(3) Send all the radio and nav data to the FIS cluster so long as I source a TMC unit, and
(4) thanks to Lito's link, get a preout adapter to drive my JL amp (and switching the speakers out to the Boston's should be the easy part.)

Sound right?

Sounds like an excellent plan

BlueCTTDi said:

You're right, those Boston's and the JL amp rock - that is why I couldn't bear to part with them after I sold my truck

After reading up on all this stuff.. it looks like I might be able to hook up my Sirius receiver through the aux input (10-pin cable on the back of the MFD).. which would also be much better than the crappy FM modulator..

So.. as far as I can tell (hopefully someone will correct me if I'm mistaken), If I go navi version G.. I'll be able to

(1) keep the sat radio through the aux input (and allow me to have a direct connection instead of the FM crap noted above),
(2) keep the Phatnoise through the CD changer connector (and I can do the mod to the phatnoise box that I've seen here to eliminate the intermittent cut-out issue),
(3) Send all the radio and nav data to the FIS cluster so long as I source a TMC unit, and
(4) thanks to Lito's link, get a preout adapter to drive my JL amp (and switching the speakers out to the Boston's should be the easy part.)

Sound right?

Click to expand...

Where are you gonna get the Aux adapter for the XM? I know they are out there.

I just finished installing my Alpine Amp to my MFD. It sounds very clean and quiet.

Does the JL amp have pre-amp outputs?

You can set up the amp with your OEM head unit until you have a chance to get the Navi. Everything will transfer over to the Navi. This way, you can phase in the parts when you have money.

OK I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I have a few related questions.

I am getting an MFD Navi system for my 2003 Jetta. I have the Monsoon system, and I have read that this can be a problem becuase the stock DD head unit sends unamplified signal to the Monsoon Amp whereas the MFD sends 4 x 20W. Apparently this makes music sound really bad on the stock monsoon speakers.

What are my amp/speaker options with the Navi?

The major difference with the MFD Navi vs your OEM Double Din is that the OEM double din does not have a low-level (preamp) signal. The "unamplified" signal which it sends back to the Monsoon is not low-level. It's unamplified high level output.

As you know, the MFD's speaker-level output is amplified. This is what causes the problems. This is the exact configuration in my wife's MFD.

So, what are your options? More than if you kept the OEM double din. You can go with an aftermarket Amp like the Alpine MRP-F250 (what I installed) from crutchfield or Bestbuy. 50W RMS X 4.

I also purchased the OEM Votex speaker upgrade. Impex sells it for $200 for (4) woofers and (4) tweeters. I don't have the part number here at home. I'm sure 1st VW parts has them as well. Very good sound and they come with the thick plastic ring which most aftermarkets don't come with.

The Alpine amp is designed to run the woofer and tweeter on the same set of wires. So, the cross-over control needs to be at the door or at the speaker. It does allow some configuration at the amp, but not between the tweeter and the woofer. It's between a sub and woofer/tweeter. If you get the Votex speakers the capacitors for the cross-over is built in the wiring harness.

If you use any aftermarket amp, you need the blaupunkt low-level output adapter which I posted a link to in this thread. This will allow you to run wires back to where the Monsoon amp used to be.

You'll need to runa remote-turn on wire or use the one which goes to the OEM monsoon.

You will also not need to use all the monsoon speaker wires because the woofer and tweeter in each door runs back to the monsoon amp. 16 total wires. You can re-wire the speakers in the door panel, or at the back where the monsoon amp is located.

HTH,

Lito

what you might what to look into is alpine they have a factory integration unit out now http://www.alpine-usa.com/en/products/product.php?model=VPA-B222 this will allow you to add amps and keep the phatbox its worth a look into .