# Simple Clean SQ Build -2010 VW Gti - Mosconi, Illusion Audio



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Hey guys,

I know we have been a bit quiet in posting new logs, truth is we are focusing on two big projects so haven't been taking on too many smaller builds. but I did manage to squeeze out two smaller projects while Joey was focusing on the big projects.

here is the first one, a simple sq build in a 2010 Gti.

The goals: 

1. Achieve a nice level of sound quality

2. maintain a relatively subdued and stealthy look in the interior

3. maintain maximum cargo space and usability

so...pretty typical of my builds and as you can imagine, it involves a fake floor. a design i have done quite a few times in Gtis 

so, lets get started.

the signal starts with a pioneer 80PRS unit supplied by the customer. It is installed in an AI dash kit. We blended in the three piece kit to be a single solid surface:










lets take a quick look at this process, first, the kit was assembled and bonded together permanently using CA glue:










then filler was applied and after a few coats of sanding, it was completely smoothed out:










then it was sprayed with Satin black SEM:










and the 80PRS installed:










because the system uses a mosconi DSP, all tuning can be done from the front seat via a BT enabled laptop:










the front stage consists of a set of Illusion Audio Carbon C6 components. the midbass was installed in the stock lower door location. First, two pairs of speaker wires were run into the door:










then, i fabbed up two spacer baffles for the illusion midbass, i then coated them with truck bedliner:










and secured it to the car via nuts and bolts:










then the C6 midbass was wired up and installed, and door panel around the speaker was sound proofed using STP gold damper:



















then the area around the speaker on the door card was sound proofed as well:










the same process was then repeated on the passenger side:














































For the tweeter location, having had past with several Golf/Jettas, i decided to go a different direction with this car. previously, i used A pillar mounts, but on this car, it is a trade off to space it high enough to clear the instrument cluster shroud, which means they would be moved further back. So this time, i decided to do a more on axis approach molded off the sail panels. And here is the result, a Carbon tweeter is aimed bakward, each tweeter is roughly 15 degrees shifted to the listener's right from each ear. Meaning the driver side tweeter is 15 degrees to the right of the listeners left year, and the passenger side tweeter is 15 degrees to the RIGHT of the listeners right year. The panels are finished in black texture coat:























































a few build pics of these panels. first, here are the stock sail panels:










the oem tweeters were then removed, holes cut into them and new rings for the illusion tweeters were fabricated:



















then the rings were aimed and attached:










mold cloth was then pulled:










resin was applied, and then allowed to cure, then a duraglas/resin mixture was poured into the inside to render the pods virtually solid (dark areas inside the pod)



















then filler was applied and the entire shape sanded smooth:



















then the pods were primed and texture coated:










and then painted with SEM satin black:



















and the tweeters mounted:



















a final look at the front stage:











next comes a series of wiring pics showing the wiring bundle as it travels from the front to the back of the car, zitied and organized every few inches. I laid the bundle ontop of the factory carpet to take the pictures, then they were tucked into the channel under the jute:


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

so thats it for the interior, moving to the hatch area, as mentioned before the goal was to not loose any trunk space. a new fake floor was constructed and covered in trunk liner. With a big center cutout grille for the components. Simple and straightforward. here ist he view with the cover in place, the customer has already purchased a new rubberized cargo mat to go over this:



















pop off this cover and here is what you see. three Mosconi AS amps corner a single Illusion audio Carbon C12 flat sub. A 100.4 is bridged on the midbass with 300 watts a piece, a 100.2 runs the tweeters with 100 watts per channel, and a 200.2 sends well over 600 watts to the illusion sub. everything is flush mounted and trimmed in black vinyl. Again, simplicity is the key:























































lets take a closer look at the construction of the hatch.

first, the spare tire well was fully soundproofed with STP gold damper:










then the area was taped off:










a bottom frame for the enclosure was built out of 3/4" MDF and foam was laid down on the bottom to prevent buzzing of wood on metal:



















then the shape was placed over the taped off well:










and 7 layers of fiberglass was laid down to form the subbox:










when that cured, the entire thing was pulled out of the car:










and then a back portion was added to the enclosure via a piece of 3/4" mdf:




























then, four rivet nuts were installed into the main floor, which will anchor the enclosure and everything else attached to it:










a top was then placed on the enclosure along with appropriate spacers, but i some how forgot to take a picture of that board on its own. I guess Joey is gettin to me! lol

here ist he main vinyl trim piece before and after upholstery:



















here ist he main top fake floor before and after carpet:



















and the vented grille before and after:



















then i dyed the carpet slightly lighter so they would be a lil better match to the oem finish. 



















and finally, three pics of the wiring showing everything is neatly organized and bundled, it also shows the Mosconi 4to6DSP controlling the entire system.




























so thats it, simple and quite nice sounding.

the midbass is strong as usual and the tweeter location provides REALLY REALLY good width and a decent center image. height is half a foot above the dash and depth, though not as good as an A pillar build on the MKVs (different dash shape however), is still pushing the windshield on certain songs. the carbon 12 with plenty of AS power does great and produces a lot of output and extension in this open interior. Overall, very nice to listen to. 

so thats it for now...gonna upload the second of two build logs. 

cheers,

Bing


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## Eggroll (Mar 2, 2012)

Very nice!


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

yeah..so "simple"

Very nice!

I noticed something on the car that matches what i am working on tonight in my car (elantra GT ) similar to the VW. On the front door midbass driver..the panel that you mount the wood spacer to is plastic...and i am guessing like my elantra it flexes? 

Is this flex anything you worry about? In terms of coloring the sound of the driver?

Currently my 6" morel midrange driver is just mounted to the stock plastic spacer( that has been sound deadened ) and i know it is coloring the sound, so i am cutting out mdf baffles...amd i am just wondering if it will make a difference in sound?


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

miniSQ said:


> yeah..so "simple"
> 
> Very nice!
> 
> ...


the actual part where the ring baffle attachs to is solid. as it has to be becasue it serves as the mounting point for the window rails 

front past expeience these doors dont buzz a lot, so i just focus on the part around the midbass itself. 

b


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

simplicityinsound said:


> the actual part where the ring baffle attachs to is solid. as it has to be becasue it serves as the mounting point for the window rails
> 
> front past expeience these doors dont buzz a lot, so i just focus on the part around the midbass itself.
> 
> b


true...on mine the mid is higher in the door.

I don't hear buzzing...it just sounds like if it were a more solid baffle it might be a tad punchier, or tighter. I am hoping the MDF will do the trick.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

very nice sir


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## Bluenote (Aug 29, 2008)

Bing I like seeing you push the envelope with those sail panel pods! Nice work throughout!


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## Gadget01 (Oct 20, 2008)

Super sweet! How much airspace did the sub enclosure end up being?


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## strong*I*bumpin (Oct 3, 2005)

Not surprised ,another build nicely done guys.


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## MacLeod (Aug 16, 2009)

Artwork, as always! Nicely done!


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## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

ahhhh!! refreshing to see tweeters in sail panels... been missing that since the 90's


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## [email protected] (Aug 4, 2013)

My goodness that is a beautiful install!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Gadget01 said:


> Super sweet! How much airspace did the sub enclosure end up being?


i calculated the last time i did one, and iirc right around 1 cub ft

b


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## mklett33 (Dec 7, 2009)

Beautiful build!


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## aaron_T (Sep 5, 2011)

Very nice work, and I really appreciate your effort to document with pictures and text. I have been following your builds for the past year and learned a lot from the write-ups.

What are the specs on the wire mesh used in the protective cover piece? I believe you have said its from McMaster-Carr, which part number?


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

aaron_T said:


> Very nice work, and I really appreciate your effort to document with pictures and text. I have been following your builds for the past year and learned a lot from the write-ups.
> 
> What are the specs on the wire mesh used in the protective cover piece? I believe you have said its from McMaster-Carr, which part number?


Let me look it up for u and let u know

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

9255T731 is what i have been using for 5 years or so. played with quite a few, settled on this one as a good balance.

b


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## jhunter936 (Aug 1, 2008)

Nice and clean build, as usual.

What do you use to trim that mesh?


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

i use a pair of big shears, tin snips would work as well

b


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## aaron_T (Sep 5, 2011)

simplicityinsound said:


> 9255T731 is what i have been using for 5 years or so. played with quite a few, settled on this one as a good balance.
> 
> b


Thanks! I was looking at mesh and perforated metal on McMaster the other day and was having a tough time sifting through the options. You just made my choice easier.


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## jgarcia1925 (Oct 29, 2014)

simply wonderful. im really taking my time on mine this time around. i have a 2013 and need ideas for it.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

as always bing, great work! 

but im biased to like this one more 


what did you use to interface with the OEM radio for on\off as they all use CANBUS for power functions rather than a ignition signal?


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