upgraded factory sound system??

[Tigger]

Hi All,

I am currently a Tiguan owner, but will be shortly changing over into a VRS diesel wagon. (better for work and for fun etc...)

I have not been able to get a proper answer from a dealer re the sound systems available in this range.

Is there a better system, including better speakers,amps,subwoofer etc?
I know the VW range used to have the "Dynaudio" system. What is available from Skoda?

Thanks guys.

[willow]

Skoda do not offer any factory audio upgrade for the Octavia such as VW do with Dynaudio. If you want better sound, aftermarket is the way you will have to go. There are certainly ways to easily improve upon the sound the stock stereo puts out though.

[dArK5HaD0w]

yup....as willow said no option here in oz. sux that!

there is an upgraded 12-speaker "sound system" available as a factory option, in certain countries.
the folks over in NZ get it as standard.

there is an extra speaker in each door (above the pockets), hence an additional 4 speakers. i'm not sure how the configuration (sub, tweeter, midrange etc etc) is changed.

[Jake02]

I agree, it's strange that Skoda Australia doesn't offer the upgraded sound system on the Octavia. The Superb Elegance has a 10 (but not 12???) -speaker system as standard, the Fabia gets an 8-speaker system as standard (as opposed to a 4-speaker system like the rest of the world) and the Yeti has a 12-speaker system as an option. Granted the 8-speaker Octavia system is absolutely fantastic, but I really did want the 12-speaker system and it really should be standard on the RS (like xenons really). Considering they offer it on the MY12 Yeti, maybe it'll be offered on MY13 Octavias?

[Gti Dave]

Has anyone here installed aftermarket speakers and sub?

[Tigger]

Well that is just plain annoying!!!

As much as I say I will just do an aftermarket job, I would really never get around to it...so I wanted the factory system.

What do you reckon the chances of the 2013 models having it available???

[gldgti]

thanks for those pics! I've got the front doors only setup in my baseline ambiente, going to fit out the back doors with some speakers soon but I might try and fit in the extra speakers aswell.

yup....as willow said no option here in oz. sux that!

there is an upgraded 12-speaker "sound system" available as a factory option, in certain countries.
the folks over in NZ get it as standard.

there is an extra speaker in each door (above the pockets), hence an additional 4 speakers. i'm not sure how the configuration (sub, tweeter, midrange etc etc) is changed.

[willow]

thanks for those pics! I've got the front doors only setup in my baseline ambiente, going to fit out the back doors with some speakers soon but I might try and fit in the extra speakers aswell.

Are you planning on running surround sound in your car? If so by all means upgrade the rear speakers, but if not, better to spend the money on better front speakers or sound deaden your front doors to help reduce vibrations and improve mid-bass. Rears are a waste of time unless you want surround sound for multimedia or carry passengers in the rear frequently.

I'd love to be able to go to town on my upcoming Passat in terms of sound, but I just don't have 10k to spend on it like my last car.

[gldgti]

hah - I'm thinking of spending maybe $2-300

Thanks for the deadening tip - I will add some to the front doors but I'll still put in the rear door speakers - its not that difficult and I'm not going to town on it. I just reckon the more speakers I can put in factory holes the better...

[Rambo]

I'm actually reasonably happy with the quality of the rig in the vRS (I'm an audiophile from way back). However, def looking to upgrad the front splits (I have some Boston Acoustic 6 1/2's that should do nicely) and add a smalll amp to drive them (old Alpine). And also deaden the front doors too. That should hopefully should tighten things up a bit.

Would love to have the little forward mounted mid-range speaker as shown in the photo - would improve imaging/staging heaps I reakon.

[bluefrog]

for the audiophile the entire system needs to be removed and replaced, including the head unit which is definitely pretty ordinary .. and like others have said the RS needs lots of noise insulation.

I was thinking about installing insulation but then decided that I'd rather hear more exhaust noise than less

As for upgrades, I chose the cheapest option with the most bang per buck - I bought a cheap sub/amp kit from JB and had them install it, and was very happy with the big effect this had on the sound coming out of the door speakers. Granted this is far from perfection but it made a substantial difference regardless.

[willow]

for the audiophile the entire system needs to be removed and replaced, including the head unit which is definitely pretty ordinary .. and like others have said the RS needs lots of noise insulation.

I was thinking about installing insulation but then decided that I'd rather hear more exhaust noise than less

As for upgrades, I chose the cheapest option with the most bang per buck - I bought a cheap sub/amp kit from JB and had them install it, and was very happy with the big effect this had on the sound coming out of the door speakers. Granted this is far from perfection but it made a substantial difference regardless.

The factory head unit doesn't necessarily need to be replaced. If I had the cash for a half decent install, I'd keep the factory unit and connect an Audison BitOne processor to control the system. The stock head unit would only be used to adjust volume, skip tracks etc.

If you were going to go the whole 9 yards, I'd advise anyone who is keen on music and sound to do the following:

1. Sound deaden the car - A car is basically a big vibrating tin can on wheels and when it moves it vibrates, which equals noise frequencies which detract from listening to music accurately. Deadening the doors will make a noticeable improvement to clarity.

2. Upgrade the speakers.

3. Add amp to power the speakers effectively. No stock head unit regardless of make will allow a speaker to reach its full potential, they just don't put out enough grunt.

4. Add a sub and another amp to power it for that low-end oomph to really fill out the sound.

5. Add a decent headunit that has a decent EQ, otherwise go down the path of running a sound processor off your stock head unit and then you can really tweak the sound with the EQ, crossover points, phase, time alignment.

6. Deep cycle battery and upgraded earthing kit for the car and you're pretty much set (in a perfect world of course).

God I miss car audio...

[Rambo]

Had an repuatable installer replace front speakers and drive them with an external amp. Soon as I picked it up and got up the road things did not sound right. After I dug under the passenger seat where the amp is I find he has the L+R RCA's with only the R channel connected to a Y- splitter feeding the L+R input to my amp. So only mono! WTF! The L channel RCA was taped up. Tried connecting this and no output on this channel. mmmm. Called the guy (who co. will remain nameless for now), he started crapping on about the phase of the output from the head unit, and that he had to do this to get any bass. And that he has ordered in some sort of phase shift device to fix it. So he BS'd me at the shop, let me drive away and ordered this componant like he was gonna call me later or something. My arse.

I said why not take L+R pre-outs from the HU into the amp, no problem. More crap about phasing. So I said I come back for in and sort it out. BTW I am an electrical engineer that has tinkered with Hifi-car stereo for a long time, so none of this is stacking up. To me it sounds like h e's shorted the Front left channel and he's trying a band-aid. Am I missing something re the out-put capability from the HU? It the std Columbus. I would have assumed that there is some sort of iso connector with speaker level or line level outputs, both of which my amp can take.

any advice gratefully recieved before I get back in there.

[kaanage]

WTF would be my reaction too!!
Did he wire the speakers out of phase when he had both channels feeding the amp? That's the only reason that the bass would be killed.

As for willow's list, I would do steps 4 & 5 together using the crossovers to strip out the bass going to the existing speakers, then step 1 if needed and leave it at that.
Sure, you won't be able to sound off vs the doof-doof crowd (well you could but it'd be just a monotone thump - hang on....) but it will IMMENSELY improve the sound quality for a fairly small outlay and not much effort.

[Gti Dave]

Had an repuatable installer replace front speakers and drive them with an external amp. Soon as I picked it up and got up the road things did not sound right. After I dug under the passenger seat where the amp is I find he has the L+R RCA's with only the R channel connected to a Y- splitter feeding the L+R input to my amp. So only mono! WTF! The L channel RCA was taped up. Tried connecting this and no output on this channel. mmmm. Called the guy (who co. will remain nameless for now), he started crapping on about the phase of the output from the head unit, and that he had to do this to get any bass. And that he has ordered in some sort of phase shift device to fix it. So he BS'd me at the shop, let me drive away and ordered this componant like he was gonna call me later or something. My arse.

I said why not take L+R pre-outs from the HU into the amp, no problem. More crap about phasing. So I said I come back for in and sort it out. BTW I am an electrical engineer that has tinkered with Hifi-car stereo for a long time, so none of this is stacking up. To me it sounds like h e's shorted the Front left channel and he's trying a band-aid. Am I missing something re the out-put capability from the HU? It the std Columbus. I would have assumed that there is some sort of iso connector with speaker level or line level outputs, both of which my amp can take.

any advice gratefully recieved before I get back in there.

I've had a bad experience and still hearing about it now long after I've sold my car. Don't have any faith in the so called "professionals" who claim they have been in the field for 15+ years. Its all BS!!!!! Either that, or they picked up really poor habits from their mentors.