# 2010 Golf Mk6 OEM/Hertz/Bit Ten



## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Time to start my build log. My system will consist of a VW RNS510 (satnav unit) connected to a Bit Ten D using the speaker level inputs (just the fronts going to this). All four channels of a Hertz HDP4 will be used to biamp a set of HSK165XLs in the front. The rears are being left stock for now and still connected to the rear channels of the OEM head unit. I plan to fade it all front and see how I get on with that.

I have an old RF Punch 40.2 which will drive a sub of some sort to begin with. May change out that amp. later but I have it kicking around 
so will give it a try to get started. Still working up ideas for a sub and enclosure and asking for ideas in General Car Audio.

*Objectives*
- Balanced, natural sound on a wide range of music with better than average imaging.
- Maintaining prcaticality for every day use including boot/trunk space, spare wheel etc.
- OEM integration (steering wheel, dash display, display of climate on head unit)
- Nothing visible from outside of car
- Not too much additional weight (i.e. will deadean but won't be smothering and will try without mass loading vinyl initially) - will add extra as needed.

Here's the plan...









Kit









Progress so far...
RNS510 installed (with mic and bluetooth unit)









Installed power cable from battery to boot/trunk area
16 AWG speaker cable installed (6 runs including the 2 high level inputs for the Bit Ten D)

Preparing door for speaker install...turned into a much bigger job than expected requiring removal of window and regulator to reach door outer skin and harness. The OEM speaker and the regulator panel were riveted in place necessitating drillin out and sourcing of replacement rivets and a pop riveter gun.









Door harness connector (Molex style) after drilling









Cables installed thrugh connector









Finished door wiring bellows









Wires exiting harness in door









More soon...


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

sub, just picked up a 2012 gti.


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## f5racing (Apr 9, 2012)

Alright, another VW thread. I will be watching this one.


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## aalasley (Jun 20, 2012)

Nice so far


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## Noobdelux (Oct 20, 2011)

allthought i am abaout finished (havent updated my build log though) i will be checking this out


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

I own a '10 JSW and I would like to keep the factory HU, but I worry about it "de-equing" when the volume is turned up. Let me know if you run into this problem. 

Thank
D


Sent from my iPhone.... Beware of AutoCorrect.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

DRTHJTA said:


> I own a '10 JSW and I would like to keep the factory HU, but I worry about it "de-equing" when the volume is turned up. Let me know if you run into this problem.


i'm doing the same, RCD-315. everything i've read states that all the VW radios de-eq the bass as volume increases. either it's time for an audiocontrol lc2i/6i or full-out dsp with correction like the 3.sixty, 6to8, bitone, or ms-8.

i haven't finished amassing my gear but i should know for sure by the end of summer.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

The RNS850 in the Touareg I'm doing is supposed to de-eq the bass, but when I ran the signal directly into the RTA software I'm using, it didn't drastically change when I turned up the volume. As a matter of fact, it stayed about the same. As far as I have seen in the 6to8 software there is no correction for this. The LC2i has a feature to help overcome this, but it's a little weird to set up.

Jay


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

JayinMI said:


> The LC2i has a feature to help overcome this, but it's a little weird to set up.
> 
> Jay


I don't mind weird, but does it work well enough to retain the factory HU? Also, if I'm going to run a 6to8 or H800, does it even matter?

D

*Sorry to hijack the thread*


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Will report back on how I get on with this. I have the option to use the DRC as volume control against a particular volume on the RNS (i.e. the volume I use to set-up the Bit Ten including it's de-equing). This means not being able to use steering wheel volume controls however.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Since the thread has a few VW owner followers, some further VW/Golf-specific detail on work so far... - All at your own risk - ya da ya da.

Head unit install was relatively easy to research online so I won't go into this. I have installed the Bluetooth unit in the dash (loads of space below head unit) and run microphone to stock location in roof. All can be researched easily online. For the microphone I added a little tape to prevent rattles as it is a bit loose. The Bluetooth unit was wrapped in some foam to avoid rattles. It wedges neatly and tightly in the location suggested and I added a couple of cable ties to secure.

Power from battery required removal of airbox and battery to do properly. 

Power cable in engine bay (airbox and battery removed - you can see the engine bay side of the grommet in the pic. below.










On my UK car, the wiring grommet is accessible from inside the car without removing the glovebox (just about). 










Just remove the felt panel underneath the glovebox. A wire fish can be used to guide the cable through once a hole is made in the grommet (there are spare nipples on it). I did actually remove the glovebox in the end and would recommend this for this install. In fact, I'd recommend preparing by removing:-

- Head unit
- Aircon controls
- Gearstick surround
- Ashtray
- Forward section of centre console (or at least undo it and move it back out of the way to ease glovebox removal/replacement).
- Glovebox (I've done a vid which may help some - golf glovebox remove.wmv - YouTube)
- Kick panels
- Sill trim
- Rear quarter internal panel (mine is a 3 door)
- Rear seat base and at least one side (once one side is done the other is easy)
- Boot/trunk side trim (depends on how you're laying out boot)

- In my case I also removed the rear cupholders, vents, media interface from armrest and removed some screws to let me lift up the centre console/armrest a bit - this was to run the Bit Ten's DRC cable, but not needed if you plan something different.

I believe How tos for most of this are easily available, but will help with links and stuff if asked as I've assembled loads of bookmarks.

The door work turned out to be a much bigger exercise than I anticipated from my research.

The panel removal is relatively easy and can be researched on forums. Once the panel is off however you won't have any access to the outer skin of the door for deadening nor access to the door end of the wiring bellows which sits between the door and the car.

For this reason I had to bite the bullet and remove the window and window regulator with its carrier. I could not find anything online about how to do this on a Mk6. Here's my how to...

Take a pic of the wiring in place or use mine...










Remove the two circular blanking plugs (circled below)









Position the window up/down until you can see the glass clamp screws through these holes. The screws are fitted with the heads facing the outside of the car so it's not possible to loosen them in the normal way. I don't know what the correct procedure is, but in my case I noticed that the end of the screw that you can see looks like a Torx bit (i.e. not a screw head). So I think a Torx socket could be used to loosen this. I didn't have one, but managed to improvise with a 4mm hex socket. The screw loosens clockwise. With these clamps loosened, you can pull the glass up and out of the door. Pull it up and then tilt up from the end of the window nearest the back of the car and lift out. Grippy gloves help to make this easier and safer, but consider having a helper - the glass would be easy to drop. Store safely. Note that the clamp bolts seemed to have thread lock on so may need to be replaced or at least cleaned and threalock reapplied - I'm looking into the correct procedure at the moment.

Disconnect battery. Disconnect and unclip all the wires on the door.

With all the connectors disconnected from the door, you can unclip the rubber grommet where the harness comes to the dry part of te door from the inside (wet side) or the door. It's then possible to push the grommet inside the door. Do the same for the rubber surround on the door lever pull cable.

You may wish to remove the stock speakers at this point by drilling out their rivets, but it can be done later if needed.

There are two Torx T30 bolts holding the window regulator to the door. These are behind a couple of bits of circular tape. They are the two uncovered holes at the top of the door in the pic below.









Remove these bolts. A magnetic bit helps to avoid dropping them inside the door - not a problem when removing the window regular, but a pain if it happens during refitting (on refitting - fit these first in case they drop).

The regulator is then held in place by a bunch of cream coloured nylon push clips/rivets. You can see one in the corner of the regulator panel below









Use pliers to pull the centre pin until the rivet comes out.

I think VW may have changed the approach at some point on these. On some pictures I've seen the panel is held in place with these nylon push clips all round. My panel however had three of them replaced by metal pop rivets which I needed to drill out. I've hopefully sourced replacements from my local VW dealer which I'll collect tomorrow. They are not specialist items, but you need to get the size right. Get the VW ones if you can, otherwise get something like a 6mm (thick) x 6-8mm grip rivet with a 16-18mm flange head. Sizes are just my estimates.

Drilling these out needs a drill of 6-10mm. Drill the head until the remaining head comes away and probably attaches itself to your drill bit. The remaining rivet can be punched out into the door. You may want to look this up as I'm no expert and there may be better instructions.

The regulator and it's carrier panel can now be removed by pulling out at the bottom and the sliding down and out of the door. You may need to break the seal first. Don't use anything too sharp but slide something between the carrier panel and the door to lever the panel away from the door. Take care not to damage the seal.

As you remove the panel, feed the harness through the hole and do the same with the handle release cable.

The harness is then just held in place by the end of the bellow and by two clips. Once you've done all this you have all the room in the world to work on the outer door skin and the harness.

For the end of the harness on the car body, use a trim tool to ease out the cover. It has a tab which slots in at the bottom, so start at the top where there is a clip on each side (can't be seen, but try squeezing top of the cover or inserting a thin trim tool to press in one clip at a time whilst easing the top away). Then unhook from the bottom. 









You'll then have access to the Molex-style connector which can be seen in the pic below once the harness is clear









You lift up the orange lever to disconnect (for reconnecting, make sure the lever is swung to the fully open position and that plug and socket are carefully aligned before trying to push plug in). 

The side of the Molex in the car body can be removed quite easily by squeezing it from outside the car and then pulling it into the footwell area. There is then enough space to drill for wires. Refitting it is fiddly as there is not really enough room to quite get yur hand on it whilst refitting. I end up using a trim tool to push it the last bit into place.

Once the wires are fed through the drilled Molex you need to get them through the bellows. This needs a wire fish to be fed through from the door end. Take care if using an ordinary piece of wire that it is not sharp enough to damage the wiring or the bellows.

I found that the bellows end which sits inside the door was too narrow to allow all my wires through, so I decided to make an extra hole adjacent and put the wire fish through there and pulled the wires out this way. I then taped alongside the existing wiring with PVC insulating tape (as used on the OEM loom) and then waterproof tape. Parts of the loom were also wrapped in Tesa cloth tape where the original loom had this. 

Consider at this point whether you would like your woofer wiring (if going active) to go straight to the back of the woofer rather than through the grommet with the other wires and then back into the door. I didn't think of this in time.

*Tools*
Torx bits (T20 and T30 so far) including extension or T-bar type tool for buried screws
Torx socket ? size? 
Hand-riveter (maybe - see above)
Trim tools - I've struggled without for years - dumb - they are cheap and radically improve the ease and quality of the job that gets done.
VCDS/Vag-com - needed for coding new HU and Bluetooth. If you don't need to do this and you always remember to disconnect the battery and never forget to reconnect anything before you connect the battery up again, you should get away withut VCDS. If you make a mistake on these things you'll be left with errors which need to be cleared with a VCDS (but you could wait until all's finished and then get a garage to do it).
Telescopic magnetic pick-up tool - non-essential but very very useful.

*Supplies*
Will depend on your install. Here's what I stocked up on.

Braided shielding
Cable ties
P clips (not used yet)
Heatshrink
Tesa cloth tape (the type used by VW and BMW) - much nicer than PVC insulating tape for wrapping wires.
Cables
A couple of distribution blocks
Fuseholder and fuses
Ring terminals for power and earth
Deadening
Self adhesive closed cell foam
MDF
Spare rivets (I got these from VW dealer)

Still need to buy more stuff for boot build, but will cover that once I get there. 

More soon...


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

*Speaker adapters*

I bought some model specific speaker adapters. Mine are ones supplied in the UK (Connects2 CT25VW10). These are OK, but don't seem to maximise the available depth (caveat - I've not refitted my door panel yet!)

Anyway - my speakers would not fit with just these so I made a 6mm MDF spacer and mounted this between the door and the plastic adaptor. This gives 76mm of mounting depth.

Will let you know how I get on once I've tried to refit the door panel.

Thanks


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Noobdelux said:


> allthought i am abaout finished (havent updated my build log though) i will be checking this out


Ah - yes I remember your build log - one of the ones I researched. Stirling effort doing it under a tent! Thanks.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

JayinMI said:


> The RNS850 in the Touareg I'm doing is supposed to de-eq the bass, but when I ran the signal directly into the RTA software I'm using, it didn't drastically change when I turned up the volume. As a matter of fact, it stayed about the same. As far as I have seen in the 6to8 software there is no correction for this. The LC2i has a feature to help overcome this, but it's a little weird to set up.
> 
> Jay


i'll try to RTA my stock RCD310 at various levels on saturday, see if it's any different. it's a basic radio, no outboard amps.


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## Noobdelux (Oct 20, 2011)

stuartb said:


> Ah - yes I remember your build log - one of the ones I researched. Stirling effort doing it under a tent! Thanks.


i hope you remember it for the good parts : P


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

stuartb said:


> Will report back on how I get on with this. I have the option to use the DRC as volume control against a particular volume on the RNS (i.e. the volume I use to set-up the Bit Ten including it's de-equing). This means not being able to use steering wheel volume controls however.


That would be a great thing to add to the Audison piece the next go round, I think. If you could find the wires behind the radio (like with Metra's ASWC) and cut them so the radio doesn't see the signal too.

Jay


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

Supposedly, there's some pins for line-level out w/ this RCD-310 and many others ( Volkswagen RCD 310 pin assignments | my-gti.com connector 3, pins 2, 3, 8). They can be enabled with VAGCOM but they only work if the radio detects the factory amplifier. 

There's also something about attenuating speaker level outputs by some DB level through VAGCOM and it might negate needing the LOC.

I don't know which body controller (CBC?) these features require. Suppose I should get a VAGCOM and test.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

*Progress and a challenge to overcome*

Today I continued work on the same door. I was hopeful that I now had everything nailed and just need to quickly finish up and do the other door which would then be much easier. 6-7 hours later it's not quite worked out that way. First the progress.

Fitted the tweeter - 28mm Hertz tweeter was easy to fit in the stock location. I ground out the dabs of melted plastic/glue that holds in the stock tweeter and then just placed the Hertz one in the same place and used three dabs of hot glue.

It's marginally thicker than the stock one, but the panel goes on fine. Decided to use bullet connectors rather than solder for connection to the 16 AWG for any future maintenance in the door.

No pics - will get one of the driver's side or pop the passenger one out again.

Added some deadening to the inside of the door panel. Strategically placed following the rap test to see which bits might cause a problem.

Removed the foam strip fitted by VW around the edge of the speaker grille inside the door panel and Dremeled away the raised lip to gain as much clearance as possible.



















Mounted the woofer and sealed around its edge with Butyl sealant.



















Disassembled my hand riveter which had a rivet pin stuck in it. Collected my VW rivets for the door and promptly found that my hand riveter will not take them because their pins are too thick. Earlier turned down the opportunity to buy some more of the nylon push clips "just in case". Will have to remove panel at a later date to fit rivets.

Added 3mm Neoprene foam layer. First time I've used this. I cut roughly to shape with the upside down on the back of the removed door panel. The used masking tape to hold in place to make other cuts to allow for the door lock cable and the power windows wiring to come through as well as a few trims around the edges.

Tip 1 - take your time do all your cutting before removing the backing layer. Scissors worked well to cut this stuff until the backing layer was off at which point they just jam up of course. 

Tip 2 - once stuck, this stuff can't really be removed without destroying it, so take trouble to get everything right before sticking.










Tested that everything was connected and working by hooking up a home amp and the Hertz crossover temporarily.

*Challenge*

Refitted door panel and discovered that the woofer is hitting the door panel grille on full excursion. Used chalk on the inside of the door panel to identify where.



















Realised that the VW design of the grille gives a few mm less clearance at the bottom...










Now, the speaker as fitted has perhaps 1mm clearance behind the magnet so dropping it back is not really much of an option.

I based the fitment on a thread where someone had fitted the Hertz Milles. These has almost identical dimensions so I thought I'd be OK.

I think the issue is actually the max excursion (xmax) of this woofer. The Milles and all the other Hertz speakers in the range have xmax of 3-4mm. The HV165XLs which come in the HSK165XL kit have 8mm xmax 

Now trying to work out my options. I really wanted the door panels to remain stock for this, but may have to do some work now (either that or change to another speaker - which will cost me as I won't be able to exchange these now).

I'm thinking about trying to change just the problem area by making a custom grille piece. I did this a while back on a larger scale but need to think about how I can make this work here.


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

this is the danger of going by someone's thread on fitment. i have seen scenarios where people said they fit, and i discover later the surround has been flattened by the door panel all along...

having done one of these, i know its very tight. i had to trim the door panel's grill on the inside big time to fit an arc black series. 

b


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Did you grind behind the speaker? It weakens the window track mount a bit, but will add some clearance.

I've been able to shoehorn some HAT L6V2's into one before. The Hertz are a couple mm bigger, but I thought I had at least that much room in front of the grill. But HAT also used an inverted surround for this exact installation reason. 

Basically what I did was grind that back, held the speaker up, and made my baffle exactly the size needed.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

jtaudioacc said:


> Did you grind behind the speaker? It weakens the window track mount a bit, but will add some clearance.
> 
> I've been able to shoehorn some HAT L6V2's into one before. The Hertz are a couple mm bigger, but I thought I had at least that much room in front of the grill. But HAT also used an inverted surround for this exact installation reason.
> 
> Basically what I did was grind that back, held the speaker up, and made my baffle exactly the size needed.


Sounds like its worth a try. Not sure exactly how much extra I need to find because its not something I can check static. But I could try the grinding approach and make up a custom baffle to exact size and see how it goes I guess.

Thanks


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

no i dont usually grind anything thats part of the window structure just in case his window fails and you know what the dealer will say  

i grond down the plastic on the grille a lil...and did a chalk test too, and it was okay

but i think in the future, i will stick with skinnier speakers. 

your HAT with the inverted surround would be great for this.


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

stuartb said:


> Sounds like its worth a try. Not sure exactly how much extra I need to find because its not something I can check static. But I could try the grinding approach and make up a custom baffle to exact size and see how it goes I guess.
> 
> Thanks


Yeah, I'd measure the depth of the stock baffle. You might have too much. I never looked at it very hard. I just knew it would be close and I could make it fit. The L6V2 is over sized so I knew I couldn't use the factory baffle anyway.


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

simplicityinsound said:


> no i dont usually grind anything thats part of the window structure just in case his window fails and you know what the dealer will say
> 
> i grond down the plastic on the grille a lil...and did a chalk test too, and it was okay
> 
> ...


screw the dealer, it's all about sound! :laugh::laugh:


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## vwjmkv (Apr 23, 2011)

will stay tned to this one, im having issues with a 6.5 midbass, i havent had the tiome to trioubleshoot. may have to remove door to see if its hitting...

cc


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

vwjmkv said:


> will stay tned to this one, im having issues with a 6.5 midbass, i havent had the tiome to trioubleshoot. may have to remove door to see if its hitting...
> 
> cc


if you have MKV, with the midbass at the back of the door, iirc you should be okay. or just mold a set of door pods upfront 

b


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## Sulley (Dec 8, 2008)

Looks good buddy! Nice trick with the chalk, never thought of that.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

stockley.rod said:


> Looks good buddy! Nice trick with the chalk, never thought of that.


Thanks. Not looking good yet, but hopefully by the weekend i'll have fixed it one way or another. The chalk was the second option once I had my brain engaged; first effort was with flour :blush: Somewhat less effective


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## Noobdelux (Oct 20, 2011)

*Re: Progress and a challenge to overcome*



stuartb said:


> I based the fitment on a thread where someone had fitted the Hertz Milles. These has almost identical dimensions so I thought I'd be OK.


was that my thread? wonder if i need to do the chalk test as well : /


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

No, it was this one...

speaker size list??? - VW GTI MKVI Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVI Forum / VW GTI Forum - Golfmk6.com

Its only the XLs as far as i can tell which have quite a bit more excursion. I thought the Milles would too, but they are 4mm i believe.

Stuart


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## vwjmkv (Apr 23, 2011)

simplicityinsound said:


> if you have MKV, with the midbass at the back of the door, iirc you should be okay. or just mold a set of door pods upfront
> 
> b


im not very talented with fiberglass, saw your site though, how much do you charge to make them?

CC


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

I ran over to *docah's* place and RTA'd the Golf Mk6 (2012 4dr) w/ RCD-310, it does some bass adjustments. 

Bass, mid, and treble were flat, faded all the way forward.

Purple is about 1/3 volume. Blue is 1/2 volume. You can see where the radio pulled down the bass, centered around 50-60hz.











Test was done with the DIYMA PC-based RTA kit and Room EQ from Home Theatre Shack. Mic was facing forward, sticking 4-6" from between the driver headrest and seat. Signal was from a laptop, center-console line-in fed from a DAC. Radio aux-in level settings at minimum.


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## Machine7 (Nov 17, 2010)

Just since we're discussing white powders... Baby powder is great when snaking wires. It really let's them glide through anything from motorcycle handlebars to rubber door boots.


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

nadams5755 said:


> I ran over to *docah's* place and RTA'd the Golf Mk6 (2012 4dr) w/ RCD-310, it does some bass adjustments.
> 
> Bass, mid, and treble were flat, faded all the way forward.
> 
> ...


Well that sucks...


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

nadams5755 said:


> I ran over to *docah's* place and RTA'd the Golf Mk6 (2012 4dr) w/ RCD-310, it does some bass adjustments.
> 
> Bass, mid, and treble were flat, faded all the way forward.
> 
> ...


forget about using a mic, pull signal directly fromt he wire leads and feed it to the rta to see waht the signal is doing by itself? 

i definetly felt there is a limit to that stock HU...i had a chance to switch that MKV jetta i did from oem to aftermarket deck...WHAT a difference!


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

my vag-com arrived today. the rcd-310 has no options for fixing the tonality (or they haven't found the bits to change yet.) the 315, 510, etc are supposed to though. 

lame.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Nick, I had been thinking about it, and was going to suggest what Simplicityinsound said about checking signal directly. It doesn't look like there's a DRASTIC change when volume goes up, making me wonder if it isn't just the limitations of the speakers. If nothing else, I'd be curious to see a comparison anyway.

When I did my Genesis Coupe, I did this before the amp and used Fuzzmeasure on my Mac to get frequency response readings at various volume levels.

On your 310, does it actually have a number scale for volume or do you just have to guess like most VW's I see?

Jay


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

JayinMI said:


> Nick, I had been thinking about it, and was going to suggest what Simplicityinsound said about checking signal directly. It doesn't look like there's a DRASTIC change when volume goes up, making me wonder if it isn't just the limitations of the speakers. If nothing else, I'd be curious to see a comparison anyway.


I see what you guys are saying, the cut is 3db though and everything else around it is consistent. It seems like if there was an amp or speaker headroom issue, the flatness would be across a wider frequency range, even down to 20hz.

I didn't pull the dash apart to get at the wires yet for a test. I also didn't want to try too much with someone else's mic & input stuff to risk blowing it. I don't have a LOC laying around to test it with either. I'll see if I can get one to test with.

My RCD310 has no number values for volume levels. I suppose I could count them..


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I wish they'd have a stopping point for the potentiometer at least. Does it have the bar graph across the bottom of the screen?

Jay


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

There's a graph yeah.


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

nadams5755 said:


> my vag-com arrived today. the rcd-310 has no options for fixing the tonality (or they haven't found the bits to change yet.) the 315, 510, etc are supposed to though.
> 
> lame.


Can you point me to any information on the VCDS for tonality changes on the 510? More specifically the RCD-510.

D


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

here's ross tech's wiki page about the various vw nav/radios. VW Radio/Navigation System - Ross-Tech Wiki 

scrolling down to the rcd510, you can choose coding options VW Radio Systems Generation 7 - Ross-Tech Wiki

i wish i had one to play with and see the options itself, but my rcd310 doesn't have any. there may be an advanced coding option to set some of these bits, that's what i gather from reading about this radio in various places.

i haven't played around much to set bits or clear faults. sensor monitoring is kinda neat though.  http://agitated.net/pics/Screen Shot 2012-06-29 at 10.41.33 PM.png


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Will post another update very soon, but just wanted to mention that on the RNS510, there is a hidden diagnostics menu accessible through VCDS/Vagcom. Within this can be found a "Loudness" option. I don't have an RTA available, but once I've got stuff finished will have a play to see whether this setting on/off could account for the lift seen on the plots above. I'd doubt it as the freqs seem wrong, but it's worth knowing that this can be accessed and turned off. I've also checked that the response on my RNS510 is set to "Linear" rather than one of the vehicle specific eq. curves it has.

Can anyone advise if there's a way for me to make edits to my earlier posts? I want to correct and clarify some things. I think I need an upgraded membership, but I just didn't want to leave misleading info. in there.

Stuart


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Update on progress...

Did the other door and attempted to fit mid deeper to avoid clearance issues between door card and driver surround. The magnet is basically touching the obstruction (window regulator) so no more clearance without grinding (which I don't want to do).



















Unfortunately this didn't solve the clearance issue.










So I'm going back to plan B which will be to try and find some more clearance on the door panel. It was suggested that I should space out the door panel. I don't think just adding spacers would work (door card would not pop back on), so there is the option of extending the posts which hold the door poppers. I'd actually have to cut and extend quite a few of these so whilst this is still an option I'm going to hold off for now whilst I try something else.










I'm currently trying to create some very small grilles so that I can cut out the offending parts of the stock grille (see pictures earlier in thread) and replace with a grille which is further out. I have had one attempt and the approach shows promise. I created a former using some "Milliput" epoxy modelling clay and bent a grille around it. I created the former for one door from the opposite door. Will need a bit more time to do properly.










On hold for now whilst I did some more work on the boot/trunk build. In practice, the speakers are not hitting on normal volumes now that the high pass is active on the mid. They were hitting before when I pushed with some particular types of music with no crossover in place for a sub. Still needs to be fixed however.

A bit more info. for other Golf MK6 owners. I mentioned the window clamp screws/bolts further up and use of a 4mm socket as a passable way to loosen these. I have now found the proper tool and recommend this to avoid damaging the heads and leaving yourself a bigger problem. I think it's a size 5 (metric) Torx socket. Mine is marked VE5.


















*Mounted the DRC in the ashtray. * 



















I originally wanted it to look like this with the DRC sitting higher, but this would not have allowed the ashtray to close for stealth.










It's OK, but I will be redoing using some different thicker plastic so that I can put a chamfer on it for improved cosmetics and make it more comfortable to use the control knob. Thinking of using Foamex unles anyone has better suggestions.

*Fitted main fuseholder*










Sadly this was not my greatest success and needs to be redone also. I fitted to the existing fuse box cover (using some ABS sheet to strengthen the cover). Unfortunately I've fitted it upside down (only realised from the picture where the flash highlights the logo). Not a big issue. More of a problem is that I did not leave enough slack in the cable to allow the fuse box cover be easily removed. So I need to pull out the battery and airbox again to feed out some more cable. Doh!

*Boot/trunk*

I've been doing a lot of work on the boot/trunk build. The challenge on this install is that the Golf boot is small and I want to keep the spare wheel. So packaging of everything has to be very tight. I had originally thought that I could fit the amps at the front of the boot and have the sub enclosure hinging up to access the spare wheel. I had a go at this but there was not sufficient clearance for the spare wheel to come out with the amp rack in place. Just realised I don't have a good picture of this version.

Much head scratching and sketching later I have raised the amp rack up off the base panel a small amount. This turns out to be better in every way. It has allowed just enough clearance for the spare wheel, creates a hidden space for cabling and allows the amp rack to fit slightly closer to the rear seats by clearing the seat hinge cover. The top of the amp rack will still be the same height as before because I'd planned it to be the same height as the planned sub enclosure so that the false floor would be flat.

*Old *










*New*










Small amount of clearance just enough to get spare wheel out



















*Finished power and earth cabling.*










The amp rack will be getting a cover of some sort. I'm being inspired by lots of builds on this forum and hope to be able achieve something a bit like some of those. Possibly plexiglass cover and then a windowed trim piece on top. False floor will then fit over sub enclosure and the amp rack to hide everything.

I've bought some fans to fit to the amp rack. I see some people fitting fans and see lots of other installs where everything seems to be covered up without fans so I'm not really sure of they are needed or not. One of my amps is a Class D, but the other is an old Punch amp. which I believe may need some cooling help. That amp's in there for now but may get replaced it it's not sufficient or I find some more funds to buy something which will look better.

Next up will be to work out the sub enclosure. Worked out a design for a downward firing sub which uses some of the spare wheel space, but still looking at other ideas also.


















Feedback and suggestions appreciated.


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

stuartb said:


> Feedback and suggestions appreciated.


I think the boot looks like a winner!! I was considering something very similar in my JSW, although I have a bit more room than you... 









^^^ looks like it was made for amps!!

D


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks, I hope so. I plan to make it so that the sub can be removed. My original idea was for it to be hinged and l'll still do that if I can work it out. 


Your trunk may possibly be similar depth, but I perhaps longer? The US Golfs also have foam storage bins either side of the spare whereas my tools are in a foam insert in the wheel as you can see. Your compartment does look to possibly offer a nice option for the amps. I've never seen a picture of the JSW trunk before.


Stuart


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Correction to an earlier post. Unfortunately can't edit the original post. 

Where I talk about the door Molex and removing the bellows cover, I say that the clips in the picture hold the bellows on. This is wrong. To remove the bellows you need to release a clip which is inside the top of the rubber Molex cover on the bellows. I think you do this by pressing down on the top of the bellows where there are some ridges. 

The clips I circled in the picture are what holds the Molex in the car body.

Stuart


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

looks awesome, i can't wait to get more progress on my car..

if i got a DRC w/ my bit ten, i'd mount it in the dash pocket below the headlight switch. i'd have to buy it since the US market doesn't get 'em.


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

nadams5755 said:


> looks awesome, i can't wait to get more progress on my car..
> 
> if i got a DRC w/ my bit ten, i'd mount it in the dash pocket below the headlight switch. i'd have to buy it since the US market doesn't get 'em.


I've considered using an under the seat tray to house a processor too. http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Jetta_VI-Sportwagen-TDI/Interior/Seat/ES1866783/


Sent from my iPhone.... Beware of AutoCorrect.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

nadams5755 said:


> if i got a DRC w/ my bit ten, i'd mount it in the dash pocket below the headlight switch. i'd have to buy it since the US market doesn't get 'em.


You could although the cubby when open is quite big and opens wide so you might want to modify a little. Let me know if I can help with any measurements or pics etc.



DRTHJTA said:


> I've considered using an under the seat tray to house a processor too.


Could be a cool option for displaying it. You can also get a bracket and cover for some of the Bluetooth modules which fit under the seats. From memory the MK6s have just a foam block, but I think the MKVs and some other VAG family cars have the bracket and cover (there is a felt cover and a plastic one I think). You'd have to dig around a bit on some of the VW or Skoda forums/sites perhaps.

Good luck with those projects - will be interested to see what you come up with.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Not much news to report. Tried it a bit of tuning on what I've got in so far to make it listenable. There's so much flexibility in the Bit Ten and with it being active let alone getting to amplifier gains that it's going to take a while. 

The Bit Ten input gain setting is trickier than it sounds. The idea is to get the LEDs to just blink, but your "just blink" and my "just blink" may be different I suppose. Looking into getting a handheld scope to have a play and then perhaps do a video once they are set correctly and I know where the RNS clipping point is.

I did the whole sound meter and test disc on pink noise bands thing (don't have an RTA currently). After several iterations managed to get it eq'ued reasonably flat and it sounded pretty good. Just a test run really as I've been reading up as much as I can and know that I need to focus on crossovers and polarity etc first and leave eq. to the end.

Couple of issues got in the way. After playing a DVD, the player stopped loading CDs. I thought the laser may have gone , but after some research did a reset on the unit and fingers crossed its working again. In the meantime, I did find out in case anyone's interested that the drive is a PLDS (Philips, Lite-on) DVD-M5 unit which is also used in some BMW HUs. The laser appears to be an SF-HD88 which is a lot cheaper than the whole drive, but needs careful replacement. Hopefully I won't need one for a while!

Also having problems with distortion on some tracks playing from ipod on the VW interface (MDI) so will need to get to the bottom of that at some point. 

Not much other progress but will heopfully get stuck in again this weekend.

Stuart


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## ansuser (Dec 18, 2011)

stuartb said:


> Update on progress...
> 
> Did the other door and attempted to fit mid deeper to avoid clearance issues between door card and driver surround. The magnet is basically touching the obstruction (window regulator) so no more clearance without grinding (which I don't want to do).
> 
> ...


Looks like I can contribute to this nice forum with my first post.

stuartb, You can actually resolve you mid fitment problem. You can completely remove that plastic structure holding the bottom part of door glass guide rail. 
To hold the guide rail in this case, you'll need to put extra rivets in top joint of rail and plastic sheet. 
Second support can be placed in the middle of the rail, making sure you're not interfering the sliding mechanism on the rail.


Like that:


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## ansuser (Dec 18, 2011)

I have some "unusual" install in progress with my 2012 MkVI. 

That "bass management" issue is bugging me since I am sticking with factory RNS-310 for a while


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## ansuser (Dec 18, 2011)

Sorry, but I need 3 more messages


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## ansuser (Dec 18, 2011)

2 left


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## ansuser (Dec 18, 2011)

and one...


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## ansuser (Dec 18, 2011)

OK. Last one/

You can see my install log here.










Regards,
Andrey.


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

ansuser said:


> You can see my install log here.


Are those dash pods bulletproof? 
Nice work!


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks Andrey. Your dashpods are something else. The rest of the install is also breaking some new ground compared to what I usually see, but it looks like you have a pretty solid engineering approach. Wish I could read Russian!

I think I might need to take a few more bravery pills before attempting anything like that on my doors.

Thanks again - I'll have another look at the window regulator/guides.

Stuart


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## Auto Essentials (Aug 2, 2012)

Nice looking install.


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

stuartb said:


> Wish I could read Russian!


Google translate works great!


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

my IDQ62 midbasses are almost 3" deep with 3/8" off the front. their excursion doesn't go beyond the front.

i made 1-1/2" baffles but they were too deep. i dropped it to 1-1/4" and they're fine. i've got back clearance and front clearance too. challenge surrounds mounting them to the car now, the factory ring/basket setup is quite a pain to get a nut back there without taking the frame out. i might do a t-nut off the front and a socket screw fed from the back side.

the gaffer's tape is there for holding everything together while i play. need some fresh gaskets and more deadener. once i get everything secured...


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## remeolb (Nov 6, 2009)

So it's been a couple of years since I did this install. As I recall, I didn't have any driver clearance issues. To this day I don't hear anything that would lead me to believe that I do. Maybe I should pull the door panel off and find out! Driver is a Morel Elate SW 6. I believe the spacer is 3/4" and the driver mounting depth is 2.44". The car is a 2010 GTI 2-door.


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Not had an update for a while. Pressure of work, but also lots of activity on the install, but not necessarily progress. The activity and dead-ends may be of use to someone, one day, so I’ll cover some of that. There is also some progress and pictures to report. Now I know why people do these build logs when everything’s finished. OK – so mine’s different, you get to see all my mistakes as well 

The next major job was to get the sub enclosure done. I needed to have the enclosure line up with the top of the amp rack and wanted to take into account final trimming options also. So that delayed me for a long while. I’m not there on exactly how I’ll trim this yet, but decided to go for it on the sub enclosure.

I was also trying to figure out the best hinge mechanism. I think I have a good plan for that now but it’s not implemented yet.

Finally, I was also back and forward a little on the choice of subwoofer because I wasn’t sure how much “sub” I needed. After looking at both the JL 12w0 and the Hertz Es300, I eventually went for the latter. I also decided to go single voice coil. Dual would not have worked with my existing amp. I may end up regretting that of the existing amp. turns out not powerful enough.

Each of those changes and lots of others meant me going through a loop of calculating the box dimensions and ensuring it all would fit right. I got there in the end. So here’s the sub in its packaging. Not the most interesting pic.










Here’s the box with its lid off with the sub in for a quick test. 










Temporary wiring at this point. The box later got sealant and will be getting some deadening. Size is basically to Hertz recommendations plus a bit at the moment. The extra bit was to allow some flexibility to reduce volume if needed, but WinISD modelling shows little difference between the actual size and the recommended size.

I decided to go with a Speakon connector on the box for if it needs to be removed. I used these on my last box for years and they never gave any issues so confident it will be good here. Quick pic of inside of Speakon plug.










And the whole cable...










This is roughly how the boot looks at the moment...










The two metal strips are temporary. The sub box has a foam gasket at the moment for the top, but once it’s completely finished that may be replaced by just glue/screws or whatever.

I don’t have a picture of the sub side of the box at the moment, but will get one up shortly. The whole thing needs some filler and finishing and will likely then get wrapped with carpet or vinyl (depending on how brave I feel and what finish I get on the box).

Here’s the plug in the box. It may need to be relocated to allow the hinging solution, but we'll see.










Other stuff I’ve been dealing with relates to setup and tuning. I’ve been trying to learn about tuning and each time I have a play the sound is getting better. Issues I hit...

*Bit Ten turn on *– I’ve now hooked up a feed from the power socket in the boot (which is switched with the ignition). Can’t remember whether it’s to the Key Mem or Remote In connection on the Bit Ten (doh!), but its working better. Before, the Bit Ten was switched by detecting the speaker ins, but would come on as soon as the car was unlocked. That meant a crack/bump noise when I started the car. It also wouldn’t turn off until several minutes after leaving and locking the car – all seems to be to do with the RNS510 which stays active so that you don’t have to wait for it to boot up if you’ve just stopped briefly. Now it comes on and off with the ignition and there are no noises. It does mean the Bit Ten and amps go off as soon as I switch the engine off, but if I want to listen, I can switch it back on again with the DRC (as long as I then remember to turn off manually again). Come to think of it, it sounds like I’ve hooked up to the Key Mem.

I’ve not sorted the door card clearance on the mids yet. I have made some moulds to make small grilles, but actually with the mid/sub crossover in place on the Bit Ten, I’ve not had issues with the driver hitting. So I’ve been able to leave it whilst finishing the boot.

*Distortion on iPod* – really very bad. Managed to isolate it to the iPod and then found that there is a gain setting of sorts on the VW RNS510 HU. There is a setting for Aux level which was on Medium. Changed to Low, distortion gone.

*Hiss * - this was due to the HU volume being lower than it could be – the Bit Ten instructions call this out in troubleshooting. I had set it up with a lower HU volume because I thought it might have been the source of the distortion. Currently set up now at a max volume of 22 out of 30. Tip for other VW owners – the RNS510 only shows a bar for volume with no numbers, but the dash display shows a volume number when volume is changed. 

I plan to try going higher. As I can’t justify an oscilloscope at present, I’m just in the process of making an attenuator cable so that I can try using my laptop soundcard to look at the max volume level for the HU before distortion creeps in. Will post up when I’ve tried it. If I can, I’m also going to use this for direct testing to see whether the HU applies a volume dependent equalisation curve (see earlier in the thread). 

In general, I’m a bit wary of tuning because of the complexity. I’m also conscious that one false click of a mouse could destroy my tweeters (although hopefully my parachute is the physical crossover I’ve set on the amp). 

That’s about it for now. Can’t quite believe just how much work its taking. On the whole it’s coming out as planned (eventually). Sound shows potential to be very good and will certainly meet my objectives on imaging (I think the extra effort of active has been worthwhile). Don’t know yet whether I’ll have enough power on the sub. It’s got plenty on some music and seems not to be there on other stuff, but I haven’t even tried tuning and gain is just a conservative setting. It can handle 300 RMS, but my current amp. is only 175. 

I’m going to get it all finished, but can already see ways to possibly achieve the same and use less boot space, so it might get re-worked at some stage.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

I set up the speaker turn on with my bit ten and RCD310. I also set the delay to 0 since the amps have their own delays. 

My stuff goes on and off with the radio, didnt need to use the remote in (two red wires on the connector).


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## stuartb (Jan 30, 2011)

Yeah - its the RNS510 not the Bit Ten. It boots up and goes through a "system starting" phase for all the nav and other stuff. That's why it has the early turn on and long delay before shutting down. Although I have pretty much the latest fastest version I reckon its still a bit slower than my wife's 3 year older Kenwood DNX startup.

Not a big issue though and the Bit Ten has enough flexibility to get it all to work. 

Overall very pleased I decided to stick with an OEM unit on this install. The feature set and integration is nice. Might take back those words if I ultimately find the sound quality limited once I've done all the tuning, but I think its going to be fine.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

Jayinmi had an issue with the starting thump that he sorted out with a relay. Check out his touareg install for details.


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## 1998993C2S (Feb 2, 2011)

Subscribed....

MY06.5 MkV Jetta TDI w/OE Navi - Dynaudio mod.


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