caseyfriday
Veteran Member
I bought my 02 Golf about 2 months ago, and the main thing I miss from my 06 NB is the Monsoon system. The Golf appears to have come with a Monsoon system originally, but the amp is not in the hatch cubby any more, and the previous owner installed a Kenwood head unit.
I've always been an Alpine fan, and when I used to own a Volvo S70, I had a CDA-7892 head unit that provided sweet, sweet sounds to that car. Since I missed the old-school Alpine sound so much, I picked up an Alpine CDA-9835 on ebay for $200.
I purchased the 9835 specifically for its V-Drive 60W x 4 (26W RMS x 4) internal amplifier. I ran a 10-gauge wire to the battery, to make sure it has ample current. I wanted to build a low-powered sound system, with as few external components a possible.
I installed the head unit - and thankfully the PAC C2R-VW2 unit was already installed in the car ($100 saved). It sounds much, much better than the Kenwood unit did (KDC-MP345U), but the original 02 Monsoon speakers are still holding it back.
Today I pulled the trigger on a pair of factory refurbished Polk DB6501 component speakers on ebay. ($100) I already cut my MDF spacer baffles, and the speakers I originally planned on installing needed 4 15/16" of cutout diameter. The Polks need 5" cutout diameter, so I figured it's close enough, and I can sand the baffles down if need be.
At first I wanted 2 pairs of Kenwood KFC-P709PS component speakers. Then I realized their sensitivity rating was only 86dB, whereas the Polk speakers (for $30 more) have a sensitivity of 92dB. This means that I will get more output per watt with the Polks. Since I only plan to run head unit power to the speakers (and I only plan on listening at low-to-mid volumes), it makes sense to get a more efficient speaker.
The 9835 has a 2-Way and 3-Way mode. This means you can flip a switch on the bottom of the unit to change its operation. I'm going to be running the front speakers only, in 3-Way mode. What this does is change the unit from producing "Front + Rear" into producing "Highs + Mids". It also has subwoofer output, but I don't have subwoofers yet.
I'll re-wire the front output to the DB6501 tweeters, and I'll wire the rear outputs to the DB6501 midrange speakers. I'll then set up the crossover frequencies on the Alpine 9835. This will give me much more control than just hooking the speakers up to the included passive crossover. It also provides 26W x 2 to each front door. 26W to the tweeter and 26W to the midrange. Perfect for my needs. (No rear speaker output.)
What's Next?
Well, quite literally, I need to install the speakers and speaker wire next; but after that, I plan on putting some 6" mid-bass drivers in the rear doors and adding a very small amp to power them. I don't want pounding bass in the car; I want a very warm, rich, full-bodied sound at low volumes.
My plans at this point (and I haven't done enough research yet) are to use the Tang Band W6 midbass driver with possibly the Alpine MRV-M250 to power two of those Tang Band drivers. They take 50W RMS, and I think the Alpine is low-powered enough to not top that. I'm hoping that using these in the rear doors (with the MDF baffles I've made) will create a nice, resonant mid-low end sound.
I'll report back here as soon as I install the Polk DB6501 components to let you know how they sound!
Note: I should also mention that I'm actually fine with the sound insulation in the Golf currently. It's much quieter than the Beetle was, and I don't want a competition-sounding setup - just something that sounds quite nice. So I don't have any plans to use sound deadening material.
I've always been an Alpine fan, and when I used to own a Volvo S70, I had a CDA-7892 head unit that provided sweet, sweet sounds to that car. Since I missed the old-school Alpine sound so much, I picked up an Alpine CDA-9835 on ebay for $200.
I purchased the 9835 specifically for its V-Drive 60W x 4 (26W RMS x 4) internal amplifier. I ran a 10-gauge wire to the battery, to make sure it has ample current. I wanted to build a low-powered sound system, with as few external components a possible.
I installed the head unit - and thankfully the PAC C2R-VW2 unit was already installed in the car ($100 saved). It sounds much, much better than the Kenwood unit did (KDC-MP345U), but the original 02 Monsoon speakers are still holding it back.
Today I pulled the trigger on a pair of factory refurbished Polk DB6501 component speakers on ebay. ($100) I already cut my MDF spacer baffles, and the speakers I originally planned on installing needed 4 15/16" of cutout diameter. The Polks need 5" cutout diameter, so I figured it's close enough, and I can sand the baffles down if need be.
At first I wanted 2 pairs of Kenwood KFC-P709PS component speakers. Then I realized their sensitivity rating was only 86dB, whereas the Polk speakers (for $30 more) have a sensitivity of 92dB. This means that I will get more output per watt with the Polks. Since I only plan to run head unit power to the speakers (and I only plan on listening at low-to-mid volumes), it makes sense to get a more efficient speaker.
The 9835 has a 2-Way and 3-Way mode. This means you can flip a switch on the bottom of the unit to change its operation. I'm going to be running the front speakers only, in 3-Way mode. What this does is change the unit from producing "Front + Rear" into producing "Highs + Mids". It also has subwoofer output, but I don't have subwoofers yet.
I'll re-wire the front output to the DB6501 tweeters, and I'll wire the rear outputs to the DB6501 midrange speakers. I'll then set up the crossover frequencies on the Alpine 9835. This will give me much more control than just hooking the speakers up to the included passive crossover. It also provides 26W x 2 to each front door. 26W to the tweeter and 26W to the midrange. Perfect for my needs. (No rear speaker output.)
What's Next?
Well, quite literally, I need to install the speakers and speaker wire next; but after that, I plan on putting some 6" mid-bass drivers in the rear doors and adding a very small amp to power them. I don't want pounding bass in the car; I want a very warm, rich, full-bodied sound at low volumes.
My plans at this point (and I haven't done enough research yet) are to use the Tang Band W6 midbass driver with possibly the Alpine MRV-M250 to power two of those Tang Band drivers. They take 50W RMS, and I think the Alpine is low-powered enough to not top that. I'm hoping that using these in the rear doors (with the MDF baffles I've made) will create a nice, resonant mid-low end sound.
I'll report back here as soon as I install the Polk DB6501 components to let you know how they sound!
Note: I should also mention that I'm actually fine with the sound insulation in the Golf currently. It's much quieter than the Beetle was, and I don't want a competition-sounding setup - just something that sounds quite nice. So I don't have any plans to use sound deadening material.