Dynaudio amp swap for VW amp (POS)

1998993C2S

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2006.5 Jetta Pkg2 DSG Navi
alnmike:
It's hard to say if your specific car has the (drivers seat, viewed from front) external VW amp model 1K6-035-456-A.

The VW 1K6 model is the amp in my MY06 Jetta TDI Pkg2 w/MFD2 DVD Navi and DSS (digital sound system) option as built in August 2006.

It was an easy plug n play swap with the new Dynaudio amp model # 3C0-035-456-C amplifier. Simply unplug the amp then rotate the two multi pin connectors 180 degrees, then connect the Dynaudio 3C0 amp. BINGO.... real HiFi in the Jetta. Made all the difference in the World.

Audio speaking:
Greater sound pressure level (SPL), Real stereo image, linear bandwith with detail, low distortion, very dynamic sound staging,,, something my optional, extra cost, ordered new VW DSS HiFi didn't have. The new Dynaudio amp alone makes the Jetta TDI stereo a pleasure to listen to. Can't wait for step 2 and source the Dynaudio drivers. Then again, why bother its now that improved. - In my case I've already started casting round for the Dyn drivers.

Do remember this optional HiFi stereo system is active, not passive. Big, huge difference!
Run don't walk if your Jetta TDI with external amp is a suitable candidate...
 
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tbailey4

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2006 Jetta, 6spd conversion. 2001 Jetta, Alh, wife's car.
I too have no amp under my seat in my 06 Jetta, bummer. Can someone tell me what the speaker arrangement is when you have an amplified system. Can I assume 2 in each door?
 

maloosheck

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Audio speaking:
Much greater sound pressure level (SPL), Forward stereo image, Full linear bandwith, low distortion, Very dynamic
I knew I am not an audiophile :D. I barely understand what this means :D :D :D.

I too have no amp under my seat in my 06 Jetta, bummer. Can someone tell me what the speaker arrangement is when you have an amplified system. Can I assume 2 in each door?
All US-spec mk5 Jettas should have 10 speakers (not sure about late ones): 3 in front doors, 2 in rear doors.
 

klrman

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2010 Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition
Question regarding speaker wiring with the Dynaudio Amp

I am one of the unfortunate ones who will have to wire this amp as an afterthought, as my car did not already have an amp.

I understand I'll have to construct a harness connecting the radio to the amp,however, shouldn't VW already have a harness in inventory that connects the amp to the speakers in the Passat? I figure this should work in a Jetta as well. Has anybody ordered this part and have a PN? I have a service appt. at my dealer next week and will try to order one.

I'm not using Dynaudio speakers, instead I have ordered a set of Focal Acess 165 A3 for the front doors, so I'm sure the speaker end connections won't work But it will be much easier to modify an existing harness than make from scratch.
 

cdutton

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Alexandria VA
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2006 Jetta TDI
I have no amp under my front seat either. Does this mean the amp is in the head unit with the SAt and 6-CD changer? Could there be one in the trunk?
I would like to in stall amp also but just want to make sure it is possible. If amp is in head unit is the external amp alot better than the internal.
Thanks everybody for your help!!
 

jharcourt

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2009 Jetta TDI Sedan, 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
klrman, I recommend the harness from naviservice.com.pl and you can find a 10-speaker version for the TDI at http://naviservice.com.pl/?item=169&lang=en
Although it was less expensive when I purchased in July 2010, it is still only $130 USD today, and much less expensive than the Kufatec harness, and you can get it in 8, 10, or 12 speaker versions. With laser-shipping, their service is A1 to US customers, and the materials and workmanship are really very good. Don’t mean to be giving Naviservice free advertising, but they make a lot of VW harnesses, and IMHO eastern European automotive electronics assembly and test is excellent; generally a cut above what comes out of China, since they've been doing it much longer. Even though that’s not the issue here, it just provides some rationale behind choosing a harness vendor. When it comes to automotive and marine electrical or avionics assembly, without a long history of products and track record in Southeast Asia, they aren’t ready to compete with better quality NA and Euro manufacture. Of course that does not explain GM, Ford or Chrysler’s universally poor electrical harness quality, so my argument seems to be falling apart here…never mind…maybe the UAW can provide an explanation.

Achieving the right level of harness resilience, longevity and overall quality is labor-intensive and requires institutionalized skills and best practices. This probably goes without saying, but because you are undertaking a major retrofit (you should confirm with maloosheck, but I think the consensus is that this is a 2-day project, but check out how-to’s like http://www.big-partycentral.de/Bilder/Dynaudio_Passa_3C_Build.pdf) the last thing you want is to have buried connector terminals lose continuity due to improper assembly and test. This retrofit will include sensitive areas that get stressed (don’t forget to tie wrap close to connectors to unload tension at the terminations), and they are subject to wear and tear that can easily produce very subtle, intermittent, and difficult-to-trace shorts or open circuits. Think McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (or even F-14) wire chafing. Although wiring harness failures may be less consequential for automotive vs aviation applications, at least consider that audio harness faults can be hard to trace and pin down, and the decision to finally rip and replace a retrofit gone bad is going to weigh heavily, given the investment you will make in labor, let alone the harness. This install is not going to be a walk in the park…like fog lights, though the reliability issues are similar. Not that you want to overpay for this harness, it’s just that you have to draw the line between expensively overbuilt, and less expensively overbuilt.

All that said, and notwithstanding the quality of the harness assembly, the greatest risk is going to be the reliable termination of those twenty wires, and if you choose to assemble twenty individual wire terminations to various new plugs, depending on which speakers you end up using, your termination ability will come into play. Because many VW retrofitters like to cut and use repair wires due to their reliably crimped terminals, and then splice mid-harness where needed, they don’t get much practice making perfect terminal crimps. That’s ok for most retrofits, and you can certainly take that approach here, but if you do choose to terminate those twenty raw wire ends with corrosion resistant, airtight terminal crimps that are embedded in door panels you would rather not have to remove more than necessary, if you haven’t already, may I suggest you invest in the best professional crimping tool you can find, get lots of practice, and then (even if you use repair wires instead), stage the whole thing by assembling and thoroughly testing the harness using RNS and speakers outside the vehicle and on the bench, before transposing it to your TDI? You only want to do this once.
 
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1998993C2S

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klrman, I recommend the harness from naviservice.com.pl and you can find a 10-speaker version for the TDI at http://naviservice.com.pl/?item=169&lang=en
A round of applause for jharcourt!

The custom made aftermarket VW/Dynaudio wiring harness is a HUGE find. There's no stopping now for the V'dubs without an external audio amp presently installed. The active HiFI VW/Dynaudio amp 3C0-035-456-C retro enhancement just became a whole-lot-easier. labor, labor and more labor yes, and I must say not for the faint at heart this retrofit. But very doable.

Adding a first rate "active" HiFi stereo to the MkV Jetta sedan and wagon series cars just got easier.

I'm attemping to install the Dyn 3C0 amp in a non-VW vehicle and using naviservice.com resource for a wiring harness just made that prospect easier. Danke Schon.
Just need to settle a CAN Bus score....
 
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alnmike

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Alaska
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09
Uh oh. I have VW amp model 1K6-035-456-B.
Is this any difference from model 1K6-035-456-A?
I know from experience that a single digit difference can screw everything up lol.
 

1998993C2S

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2006.5 Jetta Pkg2 DSG Navi
Can't say that I know definitively; er A or B suffix.
The Devil is in the details.
My 1K6.035.456.A is an external audio amp installed at the time of vehicle production in a MY2006 Jetta pkg2 built in August 2006. The amp was built by Lear in the 30th week of 2006 having the serial number 0006299 as a Golf A5 Amp.

A wild arse speculation could be the suffix is a vendor (OEM) designation and or generation.

One way to find out.... The amp swap to the Dynaudio 3C0-035-456-? amplifier is night N day. All for under a $100 big ones...........
 

cdutton

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Alexandria VA
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2006 Jetta TDI
I have a 2006 ans said premium sound but no amp under front seat. Do you know if in trunk or in head unit? if in head unit is the difference with external amp still night and day? Is it a big enough improvement for the work and money of upgrade? and if Amp is in head unit, is the wiring harness work for the 6-cd changer sat radio with 10 speakers but no amp under front seat?
Thanks just want to make sure it is upgradable and if amp is in head unit was that a improvement by any chance?
 

klrman

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MN
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2010 Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition
I have a 2006 ans said premium sound but no amp under front seat. Do you know if in trunk or in head unit? if in head unit is the difference with external amp still night and day? Is it a big enough improvement for the work and money of upgrade? and if Amp is in head unit, is the wiring harness work for the 6-cd changer sat radio with 10 speakers but no amp under front seat?
Thanks just want to make sure it is upgradable and if amp is in head unit was that a improvement by any chance?
Sounds like you have the standard head unit. No amp. The harness mentioned above is intended to wire the head unit to a Dynaudio amp and the Dynaudio amp to the speakers. Basically, it facilitates a Dynaudio amplifier install if your car wasn't wired for it (like yours). It sounds like others are quite pleased with the Dynaudio amplifier upgrade, but I have no first hand knowledge of this. Any car stereo shop should be able to wire up your amp to aftermarket speakers without trouble, and this is typically the one change to make if you make only one change.
 

klrman

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2010 Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition
Just ordered the Naviservice cable with the fancy pants shipping.

Still, not cheap, but considering the cost of the amp and harness is $300, and it lets me keep my factory HU, and provided it rocks as much as others say it does, I don't think the cost is unreasonable at all. I'd rather go this route than installing line out converters/external processors etc.

What amazes me about the Dynaudio amp, is that it can make decent power while getting it's 12v input from the HU, and through one of those tiny little pin connectors. Seeing as most amplifier wiring kits use nice thick wires running directly to a battery.
 

1998993C2S

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2006.5 Jetta Pkg2 DSG Navi
cdutton -

There are several questions in your post # 42. Lemme take a stab at a few (my $.02.)

The MkV Jetta has any number of head units (HU) over the course of production be it a Radio only, Radio w/single CD, Radio w/CD changer, Radio/Navi optionally w or w/o an external CD changer and any one of these examples could have a SAT receiver; either in the HU chassis or externally mounted often in the trunks underside parcel shelve.
I would encourage anyone considering upgrading their Jetta stereo to start by determining precisely which model equipment, by number/name/description, is installed in your Jetta.
Generally speaking the idea behind an external amp is to go beyond the constraints of the HUs limited chassis space… and build a more sophisticated, robust amplifier; often greater power, better circuit cooling, etc. In the case of the Gawd awful external VW 1K6-035-456-A amp in my Jetta – it very well may have more output power than the adjacant VW HU offerings – but that’s it. Open up the 1K6 amp chassis and you’ll discover a light weight single circuit board amp w/ x-over. Marketing hype I tells ya! The VW 1K6 amp is not Hi Fidelity audio. – Period.

The Dynaudio authored, Lear built VW 3C0-035-456-A thru C thru H, is truly an automotive Hi Fidelity amplifier w/ DSP along the lines of Time Alignment, Active EQ, Active X-over, Impedence Compensation, etc.. (at $100 bucks close out pricing its a low flying Angel)
Sort out the cost for your Jetta application; 1-Dynaudio amp, $100, 1-wiring harness $150. 1- local car audio place installation $350. A bargain if there ever was for the Day N Night stereo outcome.

P.S., I'd ordered our Jetta specifically checking the "Digital HiFi" option (and all others)..... so just think of the look on my face when listening to a CD through the stereo for the first time. Man,, was I disappionted. The stereo had, that's had zero dynamics, zero imaging of anykind, loud enough sure, but always life less-dull. - the sound was sterile! What the hell,,, I checked all the options. The pkg2, Navi, etc, etc wasn't cheap. OK, the extra cost HiFi my arse stinks to high heavens. As new owners we would settle into a no image-image, under the radar, killer car to drive, and all that the Jetta TDI is. I'm just saying.
 
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1998993C2S

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Edit/ What amazes me about the Dynaudio amp, is that it can make decent power while getting it's 12v input from the HU, and through one of those tiny little pin connectors. Seeing as most amplifier wiring kits use nice thick wires running directly to a battery.
The Dynaudio VW automobile amp is a Class D switching amp with DSP. (digital signal processing) (hey its a car interior) Uber efficient Class D tailored towards a cars low frequency need. Read Cheap $.

Often the aftermarket higher end car audio systems are "passive" arrangements giving away much of there amps hi power output to the many absorbtive passive circuits; frequency dividing network (x-over), passive equalization circuit. Not so with an "Active" circuit arrangement. Lately though the competion car audio crowd is leaning towards active systems.... which requires a level of engineering not often found (marketed) in a box.
 
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maloosheck

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2K6 1K2 BRM, 2K8 7L6 BWF, 85 16 MF
What amazes me about the Dynaudio amp, is that it can make decent power while getting it's 12v input from the HU, and through one of those tiny little pin connectors. Seeing as most amplifier wiring kits use nice thick wires running directly to a battery.
Well, I would not trust the 600W amp connected this way. Is this how the harness is made? Factory wiring uses 3 pins for +12V and 3 pins for ground at the amp plugs. And pretty thick wires going to the fuse box under the hood.
 

klrman

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Well, I would not trust the 600W amp connected this way. Is this how the harness is made? Factory wiring uses 3 pins for +12V and 3 pins for ground at the amp plugs. And pretty thick wires going to the fuse box under the hood.
I took another look at the harness pic. I believe I was in error thinking the power was sourced from the HU, and It appears to use heavier wires for the power inputs.
 

jharcourt

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2009 Jetta TDI Sedan, 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
Big red wire straight out to the terminal strip on the fusebox next to the battery. By the way I still haven't found the right amp (for my 10-speaker 09 TDI sedan). Maloosheck told me awhile back but I can't find the post and there are so many model numbers and variations, and the two plugs have slightly different keyways depending on the model. I've already bought one that I thought would work but turned out not to fit the plugs on the harness. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

cdutton

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Alexandria VA
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2006 Jetta TDI
OK a couple more questions,
1) does the harness come with wires from the HU to the amp and from the amp to the speakers?
2) Do I or should I change speakers?
3) do you have to repin the connector plugs on the HU (6-cd changer, SAT, 10 speaker with the Ipod adapter installed. No amp under seat even though I thought I got the premium sound from what I am hearing on the board i guess I did not.
Would like to hear the difference that the amp makes.
i told my brother about these boards and clubs ( he has a Subaru ) and may have already saved him from getting a unnecessary valve job.
Thanks again to everybody and I will try to add my imput and things I have lerned along the way
 

maloosheck

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2K6 1K2 BRM, 2K8 7L6 BWF, 85 16 MF
Would like to hear the difference that the amp makes.
Stop by and you can hear yourself why Mike is so excited about the swap. I have Dynaudio in both Touareg and Jetta and IMHO it sounds better in Jetta. Maybe because it has smaller interior.
 

maloosheck

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Maloosheck:
The current MY Phaeton sedan uses the uber performance Dyn Esotar2 430 mid range driver. Would ETKA have any details? I'd be curious how its mounted and if with any inclosure,, The 430s Thiel/Small inclosure parameters are published on the Dyn automotive site FWIW.
PN: 3D0035453D (you can source them at ecstuning and worldimpex)
The whole thing seems to be a speaker with some kind of enclosure. It appears to be bolted to the doors. Not much else in Etka.
 

jharcourt

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2009 Jetta TDI Sedan, 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
Wow. First time I've ever heard anyone look at Theil Small numbers on automotive driver installs. If you want the best results, test the 430s with a sweep generator (there's an app for that on the iPhone) with an ohmeter attached, and plot the impedance results to double check free air resonance etc. IMHO the stick amp is so bad that I'm going to install with the existing speakers to start. If I'm not impressed I'll go for the drivers.

And to answer your question this harness has all wires (in all the right gauges and colors), and they're tagged to go to the tight speakers and connectors. Nothing else needed except the connections to the speakers. I'm using repair wires for terminals into the existing plug assemblies. Any one know which amp and where I can get a good deal?
 

1998993C2S

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Hey jharcourt -
Good to hear first hand of the aftermarket “Dyn Wiring” harness specifics. A Dyn harness for my non-VW project is on its way. Can’t wait.

What’s it been?? Gotta be several decades since I was immersed in the HiFi “building speaker boxes” hobby. Thiel/Small parameters don’t leave home without it. The Dynaudio/TC Electronic (DSP) guys are tier one. This 3C0 amp/dsp module sounds great,,, and running through the stock drivers. How lucky is that.... As for the Dyn Esotar 430 mid... it appears to include an enclosure as installed in the current MY11 Phaeton sedan. And why couldn't this fit the Jetta door - right?

Good luck with your install of the 3C0-035-456-A amp.... I take it you will build from there. The VW OEM's paper cone speakers are truely motivated by the Dyn amp instruction. The mid driver gets a work out,,, actually all the drivers do.... Good Luck.

PS, Maloosheck - Thanks for the Dyn 430 details. I'd removed the post, on second thought not wanting to bug you for such details. - Thanks again!
 
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klrman

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MN
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2010 Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition
Try this PN?

Big red wire straight out to the terminal strip on the fusebox next to the battery. By the way I still haven't found the right amp (for my 10-speaker 09 TDI sedan). Maloosheck told me awhile back but I can't find the post and there are so many model numbers and variations, and the two plugs have slightly different keyways depending on the model. I've already bought one that I thought would work but turned out not to fit the plugs on the harness. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

VW PN 3C0035456C. Haven't installed yet. Got mine at ECS but a search no longer brings up the part. They might be gone...
 

jharcourt

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2009 Jetta TDI Sedan, 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
I looked on http://www.vwparts.com/parts-outlet-center/index.php and it was showing 29 units left, so I called my local VW dealer and he found 2 3C0-035-456C units in LA (1 for my sedan, and for the wife's sportwagen) and, just as 1998993C2S said, $99 a pop($822 previous MSRP!) The parts guy at my dealership was in awe since he'd never seen an 88% discount on anything from VWoA before. Now I can unload the 1K6 035 456B I bought on eBay that doesn't match the harness plugs I got from Naviservice. Can't wait to get them installed...thanks guys!
 

dgreenbluet

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Apr 25, 2010
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Bozeman, MT
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2006 Jetta
i too just went to the dealer to order this amp and he told me there were only two left and that he couldnt order mine till monday so i am prolly screwed! stupid front desk person needed the manager's password to order it!!! and of course the manager doesnt work on the weekends
 

jharcourt

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California
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2009 Jetta TDI Sedan, 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen
klrman, ECS has the 3C0 035 456 C in stock for $93.77 according to this page http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Passat_B6-FWD-2.0T/Search/New_Items/Fluid/ES489489/
The 3C0 035 456 C is the right amp, but from the ECS Tuning pictures below, it seems I may have the wrong plugs.
I know those plugs on the harness do not fit I the 1K6 035 456 B that I bought by mistake.
I can re-terminate the harness with the right plugs if anyone knows where to find them? Or maybe just ask Naviservice to send the right version...

 
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