True or Not True re. the Monsoon Audio

Blue_Thunder

Veteran Member
Joined
May 22, 2004
Location
Beetle Nation
I visited a local electronics store to investigate getting a new head unit for my 2004 Beetle with the Monsoon system in it. The technician looked at it and said, "Oh, well, that's a Monsoon system, so I'll basically have to rewire the whole car since it has a remote amp on it. That will cost an additional $60 bucks." True? Not true? Thoughts?
 

ufoguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2004
Location
Plano, Texas
TDI
2005 Passat, Shadow Blue, gray leather
i don't have an answer to your question. in fact, i have another question about the monsoon system in my 04 NB.

i would like to augment the rear speakers (add some speakers to increase sound from the rear). all of the sound comes from the dash and front panels.

is this going to be difficult and expensive to accomplish with the monsoon head unit? what do others think about the adequacy of sound from the rear speakers?

btw blue - how are you liking your DSG? wait until you get about 6k on your PD - the benefits of the PD/DSG combination will really start to show then.



cp
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
I visited a local electronics store to investigate getting a new head unit for my 2004 Beetle with the Monsoon system in it. The technician looked at it and said, "Oh, well, that's a Monsoon system, so I'll basically have to rewire the whole car since it has a remote amp on it. That will cost an additional $60 bucks." True? Not true? Thoughts?
I think it would depend on whether you want the drive the speakers with the new HU or with the old Monsoon amp.
 

dzlchef

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
Redondo Beach, CA
TDI
Previously 02 Jetta TDI
I visited a local electronics store to investigate getting a new head unit for my 2004 Beetle with the Monsoon system in it. The technician looked at it and said, "Oh, well, that's a Monsoon system, so I'll basically have to rewire the whole car since it has a remote amp on it. That will cost an additional $60 bucks." True? Not true? Thoughts?
I don't know the difference between your 2004 monsoon compared to my 2002, but I had the same problems when I went to a regular audio shop. They wanted to rewire all of the speakers to my new Pioneer head unit. I finally found a tech that owned VW's and he explained that the monsoon amp takes high level inputs and the 22 watts/rms that the Pioneer deck puts out was a perfect match for the monsoon amp. He installed my system, replacing the monsoon head unit and wiring the pioneer to run the monsoon amp and speakers. It has been 2 1/2 years and the system still works and sounds great. If your not comfortable doing this on your own, then find a qualified person that has experience with our cars, don't rely on the advice from Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. It's kinda like letting a Jiffy Lube change your oil. Not a good idea.

Good luck.
 

MileageDude

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2003
original quote by ufoguy
... i have another question about the monsoon system in my 04 NB.

cp
cp, there is a factory setting that can be changed via VAG-COM for your head unit. The system on many factory Monsoon units are programmed with surround/sound leaving the rear speakers as an echo as if hearing live music at a concert.

That's what was explained to me at the dealership before he hooked up his vag-com and changed the equalizer settings. These settings are once adjusted helped the sound a lot.

There are 3 equalizer settings I believe through VAG-COM. Also make certain that the amp/wiring is hooked up correctly. There was a thread on this board that explained the brown wiring as switched on many models giving mono-sound to all speakers.

I ripped my head unit out, tossed the speakers too and went Kappa-Infinity speakers, Infinity-amp and Alpine as a head unit.

Costly but worth it.

As for installation? Watch out seriously. I have had many friends go to pro shops for installations and the majority are total bullsh*tters. They ask to run a power directly off the battery to the amp. The wire stretches across the engine bay hap-hazardly. They ask to run fuses. They ask to run filtres and all sorts of stuff that's costly. They run wires under your door sills and many break more contact pins on door panels and on trim and trunk pieces which leaves your car rattling with leftover debris to vibrate as you drive down the roadways. In truth, the only people I'd trust to do an installation on a radio [speakers and amp] would be a tech at VW. But in that case it would cost thousands of dollars labour and weeks to get the car back.

Speak to the head dude at the audio shop, always speak to the owner or top manager. Ask the exact experience the STAFF has because I've seen just transferred staff from the check-out registers working on BMWs. Hackers.

Best Buy, Circuit City and those outfits.

-M.D.
 

ufoguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2004
Location
Plano, Texas
TDI
2005 Passat, Shadow Blue, gray leather
UFO guy, start your own thread. It is rude to hijack a thread as you have. Thanks.
excuse the hell outta me. i had no intention of hijacking your beloved thread.


i was trying to be friendly and join in the discussion. sorry if i breached some sacred protocol in your book - i am new to these forums. it is too bad people like you have to gripe about how others use the forums.

those kind of responses aren't going to get much feedback from a fellow NB PD DSGer.
 

billmn

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2003
Location
Minneapolis MN USA
TDI
2010 JSW stock:Totaled 2000 black Golf gls 315K : retired
I added a Kenwood Excelon (their high end systems) to my 2000 golf with NO problems. I tend to drive fairly fast with the windows open, so extra volume is a good thing



Bill
 

madrean

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Location
Victoria, TX
TDI
02 Golf
i don't have an answer to your question. in fact, i have another question about the monsoon system in my 04 NB.

i would like to augment the rear speakers (add some speakers to increase sound from the rear). all of the sound comes from the dash and front panels.

is this going to be difficult and expensive to accomplish with the monsoon head unit? what do others think about the adequacy of sound from the rear speakers?

btw blue - how are you liking your DSG? wait until you get about 6k on your PD - the benefits of the PD/DSG combination will really start to show then.



cp
I think you are best off installing a small sub-woofer (10in).

I'm not overly impressed with the bass coming from the monsoon system.

With an additional amp and sub you can lower the bass of the factory speakers and use them for the mid and high range freq's and get much better bass.

I'm not talking thumping, just something to fill in the bass nicely...

It's really easy to install your own amp. Just drill a hole in the firewall and run a lead off your battery harness, ground the amp onto something metal, and connect a "remote" wire from one of your fuses to the amp.

With the sub, you won't even be concerned with the "adequacy" of your rear speakers.

Just my 2 cents.....
 
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