Planning a nice audio upgrade for RNS510 in Octavia

[wfdTamar]

More:



The new Polk Audio tweeter (and all the optional mounting hardware) and at right the original one. Once I dug the Polk tweeter out of its grill it fit on easy with hot melt glue.


The Polk tweeter in and out of its grill and the factory one.





The factory and Polk front door speakers. The new speakers a bit smaller which required spacers (also to mount them out from the door like the factory ones).

[wfdTamar]

More:



Factory and Polk Audio speakers.


The Polk Audio crossover.




The Polk Audio 8" sub.

[wfdTamar]

More:

Polk Audio sub.


This is the drivers door showing the MDF mount made from 3 x 16mm layers. I left the speaker grill on so it shows through the door panel a bit. The Polk crossover is mounted to the left of the speaker near where the red wire hangs down. You can either use the factory speaker wiring (you can get adapters online - just search for VW speaker wire adaptor), or if you want better wiring you can get it through the door bellows.




What it looks like after a door is done.

[wfdTamar]

The rear door and a close up of it (above). The front door (below). Those spots are about the only place you can mount a crossover and not hit something inside the door and have enough room between door and trim panel.



Speaker wire for the doors runs through the factory bellows, then out the bung just near the bellows to run to the crossover, then the red wires go to the two speakers.


The two amps - sub woofer one on the left - it's huge compared to the one for the door speakers. Lots of thick wires for all this lot.

4 gauge power (the thick blue) and ground wires (thick white) for each amp. I attached the power cables in the engine compartment to the factory terminal block just to the left of the battery. I used the fuses that came with the amp wiring kits I got. Might also need to add an additional power cable from battery to that terminal block.

The wiring goes from the RNS510 head unit speaker wires, via the bypass wiring unit I got off ebay ($28 - bargain!). I soldered the 8 pin speaker connecter cut from that bypass unit to the 3sixty.3 speaker input connector. This turned out very neat, plugs into the 3sixty.3 and also into the bypass wiring units connector.

Then RCA cables run line level signals from the 3sixty.3 back to the two amps. From the amps wires run to the speakers and sub.

Each amp has a dirty great fat fused power cable run straght from the battery (or a terminal block close to it) - and a ground wire. There may also be sensing wires to turn each device on and off automatically (not sure if I need to use those yet).

There is also a remote sub amp volume knob, and a remote two knob thing for the 3sixty.3 that can be used for whatever you want. These are dash, or similar, mounted so I need to work out if I want to use them and where to mount them.



The Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.3 will go here under passenger seat.

[wfdTamar]

This is the rear left wheel arch chocka with wiring now.




Complete Dynamat and Dynalayer. More detail on this in the Octavia wagon sound deadening thread.

http://www.vwwatercooled.com/forums/f149/octavia-wagon-sound-deadening-57421-9.html#post1035329

[wfdTamar]

What with the Bluetooth adaptor, MDI adaptor, now the audio bypass adaptor I have three of them stuffed under the dash now. If I'd thought about it I would have modified the MDI one with the bits needed for the audio. As it is it works like this:

car connector - comes in on the left of the RNS510, ran it straight across the back and it ends on the right side.
audio bypass - connects to the above then runs down the right and back across behind the climate knobs.
MDI, then Bluetooth - these two connect in series and flip across behind the climate knobs too, then up the left to the
RNS510.

[wfdTamar]

Here's the mount for the amps that goes in the left boot pocket. I put a metal drawer pull between the two amps so stuff in the boot that hits them will hopefully hit it first, though I have the option of putting the door back on too.

[wfdTamar]

When I first turned it on the PA D4000.4 promptly burned out some components inside it. No fuses blew. I'm sure I wired it up correctly.

I was sure there would be problems dealing with the seller in the US. They tried to fob me off to Polk for warranty who said because the seller wasn't an authorised dealer they wouldn't handle it. Why they let them sell their stuff I do not know.

So I bought a second one from Amazon and I'm getting it sent via comGateway US shopping/shipping service - actually a bit cheaper and faster shipping than the first one.

Put in a PayPal claim expecting to have to ship it back tracked (that'd cost a fortune) to the US. Result - PayPal reckon the shipping company damaged it and I'm getting a full refund, shipping included.

[wfdTamar]

Just an update on this. Been running it without the sub and sub amp because I'm too lazy to make the sub enclosure. I haven't 'tuned' the Fosgate thing properly or fiddled with the settings on the amp. Pretty much can turn it up as loud as your ears can stand without any noticeable distortion. With the full Dynamat of the interior it's quite a good setup. I really don't feel the need for the sub and could have saved the money and bother, though since I have it I will one day put it in. Get plenty of bass from the normal Polk speakers.

[DrFragnasty]

A belated "thanks for sharing". Kudos for providing detailed commentary and photos on this.