Amplifier, Subs, Radios, etc (vehicle, 2010, best, sell)

[superseiyan]

Any of you upgraded your systems? How much music do yo listen to when driving? What cars have good factory sound systems?


A question for me I'd like help in:

I have a 2010 Volkswagen and I want to upgrade.

But I like the touchscreen head unit, and I don't want to cut up the car. Is there any amplifier that can plug into the head unit, power the speakers, power a sub, and preserve bluetooth/steering wheel integration without having to cut up wires?

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

You can attach an aftermarket amp ( I'd do dedicated sub and speaker amps) and still preserve bluetooth/ steering controls because they are integrated into the head unit. You'll probably have to do some minorsplicing to install line out converter.

[NJGOAT]

They definitely sell modules that allow you to run everything from amps to equalizers and preserve the factory head unit so you can keep all it's functionality.

As for me, I upgraded the speakers on my GTO and went with an external amp/equalizer to help power it all. I don't really know all the specifics as the work was done by a shop that I had a business relationship with as a "hookup". All I know was it sounded great without being overpowering.

For good factory systems, both of my Audi's were fantastic, the M3 was good, but not great and the surprise of the bunch would have to be the systems in my Mustang (Mach 460) and Camaro (Monsoon).

[M3 Mitch]

Crutchfield is very good to send you adapter wiring devices such that you don't need to cut any factory-installed wires, BTW.

[Deez Nuttz]

I usually upgrade all of my cars' radios/speakers from factory to aftermarket. Because I don't believe any vehicle really comes with a good stereo system. Most of them that I've heard are mediocre at best.

[IMOGAJAD]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Crutchfield is very good to send you adapter wiring devices such that you don't need to cut any factory-installed wires, BTW.

True. I've been a Crutchfield fan since the mid-1980's. I've got all three of our cars outfitted with gear from them, the oldest being my 1995 Plymouth Neon still sporting the Infinity 6X9's installed 16 years ago. If you're a do it your self person, you can't go wrong trusting Crutchfield as they feature good tech support if you have a issue (which you likely won't). I can install components, but when it comes to running 8 gauge cables and 15 feet of speaker wire, I hire a pro, thus the $1600.00 system in my wife's Lucerne ($1000 for the Crutchfield components, the rest was labor).

[Drover]

I have subwoofers in both of my cars and in both cases I got an aftermarket head unit, among other reasons, so that I could control the subwoofer output separately from the rest of the car's volume controls through the head unit. Having low-pass/high-pass filters to direct some frequency ranges exclusively to the subwoofer and the rest directly to the other speakers was another reason. Of course a subwoofer that comes with a built-in amp will typically have its own low-pass filter or even several low-pass filters to choose from, but that still doesn't do anything to filter the lower frequencies out of the other speakers. If you don't get an all-in-one unit with the amp built in, make sure to match up your subwoofer with an amp that has an appropriate crossover to send only low frequencies to the subwoofer.

Some all-in-one subwoofers come with a wired remote that you can run into the cabin where you can control the subwoofer's output level remotely (and independently from the rest of the system's volume) in the event that you can't do it from your head unit. This Infinity Basslink sub is what I have in my Jetta. It's not designed to rattle your entire neighborhood like a tricked-out ghetto hoopty. What it does do is fill out the low end very nicely if your stock stereo is lacking good low-end punch. It's an all-in-one with its own amp, its own adjustable low-pass frequency filter, and a wired remote so you can control its output from the cabin if you wish. Another main advantage is that it takes up maybe 3% of my trunk space -- it's basically tucked away in a corner and you can barely tell it's there. If you watch the first video in the link, I have it mounted like the one shown at the 2:27 mark.

HOWEVER, if you have a Golf this might not be the right setup for you. This unit works best in a car with a conventional trunk because it basically uses the entire trunk as a resonance chamber. That doesn't work quite as well with a hatchback. For that you'd be better off getting a sub with a larger enclosure.