# Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it?



## lancelotlink (Jan 15, 2008)

Anyone ever replace the speakers in their Eos (or other VW for that matter)?
I find the Stock Stereo too bright/harsh for my taste.
Also, looking at the Speaker Grills, it seems like they could be changed without removing the door panels, true or wishful thinking?
Thanks for any help!
Lancelotlink :^>


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## jgermuga (Jan 11, 2007)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (lancelotlink)*

I was trying to remove the speaker grate to do some wiring and couldn't figure out how to do it without damage. There's a post over int eh passat formums though which shows how to remove a door skin. Seemed a bit more than I wanted to tackle, but should work as a last resort.


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## lancelotlink (Jan 15, 2008)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (jgermuga)*

jgermuga,
Could you post a link to that Passat Door-Skin post?
I've tried many search parameters, but no luck.


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## just-jean (Sep 14, 2006)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (lancelotlink)*

my brother removed the interior of a passat door to fix the rail that the power window rides in..........A LOT OF WORK.......the outside door handle has to be removed.....then a lot of pulling to break the gasket/glue/seal that keeps the what used to be sheet plastic rain barrier and is now a full sheet aluminum off the inside door side.....the speakers/wires have all little brackets that could break easily once you do get it off so be careful.....he just used the diagram in the bentley to show which screws held what.....it was the "suction/stuck on there good part" that you say a little prayer doing








this was the bracket on the window regulator that was recalled on i believe the golfs and jetta's.....you might want to do a search for window regulator repairs.


_Modified by just-jean at 4:26 PM 1-15-2008_


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## lancelotlink (Jan 15, 2008)

Not much luck with the search in either Passat forum.
One thread in the B5 forum and one post in the B6 that mentions he had his window regulator replaced.
Still no luck finding anything on "door panel" removal.


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## lancelotlink (Jan 15, 2008)

Oops! Using the Google complete forum search I found this:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1015107
Which linked to this full tutorial on removing front door parts from a Jetta:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=961163
Thanks just-jean for the search terms.
The whole process looks a little involved for a newb like me. I'm the type that would get the door back together and have a bunch of parts left over.
I suppose if I'm serious about speaker replacement I'll need to find a good aftermarket shop.
Still interested to know if anyone's gone thru this (themselves or with a shop) and what speaker components they went with.


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## TSCAD (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (lancelotlink)*

I know this question is old, but if you still need help with the speakers let me know. I've replaced them. It's a real pain in the #$% because there's very few options due to a depth issue. It is possible and if done right, it comes out awesome. 
Michael


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## justme97 (May 23, 2006)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (lancelotlink)*

Just a side note...I didn't like the stock sound either but instead of replacing the speakers I replaced the head unit with a nice alpine with lots of sound customization options. The instalation was reletively quick and easy.
Now the "brighness" is tweaked and sound is clearer and smoother, but the biggest surprise is that with some tayloring and as long as you don't go TOO loud, the stock speaker base is very rich and deep for a system with no sub. It sounds great now...I'm convinced the stock head unit hinders otherwise great stock speakers. 
Ps- I do not have they dynaudio system.


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## PaulZooms (Dec 16, 2006)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (justme97)*

So glad I got the DynAudio! Booming bass, clear mid-range, crisp high end... Stands up to a lot of volumne withou distorting.
I've been test driving a lot of small SUV's lately. I have a standard CD I bring along to test the upgraded and sometimes base audio systems on each of them. The only upgraded systems I've found that compare to the Eos DynAudio are the X3 and Land Rover LR2 premium systems. The Tiguan DynAudio is not even as good as that in the Eos.


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## Topper8888 (Jul 15, 2008)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (PaulZooms)*

I second that by 100 %


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## manualmaniac (Mar 7, 2008)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (Topper8888)*

I agree on the stock sound system. It's the thing I like the least about the Eos. I have the bass turned up much more than I ever have in any car I have owned, have the treble lowered and the midrange boosted, but while it's better, it's still tinny. How much does it cost to replace the head unit with an Alpine? What is the brand/model of the speakers that fit and how much do they cost?


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## TSCAD (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (manualmaniac)*

I don't know if you really want to know








I just got done replacing the factory EOS system with all aftermarket. So here goes. I replaced the head unit with a Pioneer Z3 with bluetooth, xm radio, hd radio, ipod adapter and modules to retain steering wheel controls at a cost of $2200. I installed a T600-4 Rockford Fosgate amp in the trunk for a cost of $600. The ONLY speakers that would fit in the front are made by Dynaudio. It's their Esotec 342 series at a cost of $1200. I replaced the back speakers with JL Audio ZR-650's at a cost of $900. Now to top it all off, I installed everything myself, so if you wanted a pro to install it, well that will be a bit more. The front panel requires special speaker sizes and depths that I could only find from Dynaudio. The tweeters in the front and back are molded into the panels. They have to be removed by cutting them out and the aftermarkets have to be either hot-glued to the panel or have a specialty bracket made. Because you'll be replacing the factory speakers with something that requires more power and amp is necessary. 
Another thing. When removing factory speakers note that you will lose some of the bass that you observantly mentioned is terrible. When installing good quality audio products the sounds are crisp and they hold to their true values. A sub is almost necessary to receive any lows as the component speakers will generate less bass than factory. 
If you need anymore info on the install and/or wiring tips let me know.
Michael


_Modified by TSCAD at 12:10 PM 7-24-2008_


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## manualmaniac (Mar 7, 2008)

Wow, I will appreciate the stock system a lot more when I drive off tomorrow morning.


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (manualmaniac)*

I wasn't gonna comment on this thread because audiophiles are a , well, special breed, but I have to disagree with the bass response comment. I too usually have the bass knob pegged in every car that I've owned except the Eos. The bass response is very impressive from the stock system. I'm not talkin dynaudio and not base but the upgraded system. I'm not sure what a Komfort has. Could the sound be better, sure, but $5k to get there







and in the relatively noisy interior of the Eos


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## justme97 (May 23, 2006)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (manualmaniac)*

A decent alpine head unit with ipod intergration costs from 250-400, 1k for a double din. If you can live without a cd this one has full color ipod display with album art for 270: http://www.crutchfield.com/App...=5684 The control knob kinda echos the look of the climate control knobs. 
Install cost $50 for the faceplate, (the schoche one has a storage bin you can put 3 cds in), like $15 for the wiring harness, and I'm not sure about prof instalation because it's pretty easy to diy. 
I donno...I'm no audiophile but I am picky when it comes to sound...and I think the stock eos sound system sounds fine when you can taylor the bass/treble a little more. Plus you can't beat alpine's ipod intergration with a stick and the blues of the alpine buttons match the eos interior blue perfectly











_Modified by justme97 at 8:34 AM 7-24-2008_


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## TSCAD (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (justme97)*

I have to disagree with some of what's been said. First of all, if I were to replace my factory radio (which I've done) I would most definitely go with a double din. It's a known fact that many potential buyers (if you plan on reselling in the future) want a factory look. By putting a single din radio in a double din slot you make it very obvious that it's not factory. I don't think it matters what brand of radio you install as long as it fills the entire space and the fewer buttons the better, meaning go touch-screen if you can. Any decent DD radio on the market will be better than factory and put out more power and offer more control, meaning better sound. 
In regards to the stock EOS system. With an after market radio it does sounds better. In my case I installed a Pioneer Z3 and their was a noticeable improvement. However, stock speaker systems are designed to "multi-task". Additionally (don't know if you've noticed) there are only 8 speakers in a factory EOS non-dynaudio system. YES, there are 10 speaker grills however the front middle 3" speaker is not there. There's a reason dynaudio has a 3 component set which consists of a tweeter, a mid and a woofer (which is not a sub-woofer). The stock non-dynaudio system comes with 4 tweeters and 4 woofer/mid combo's. The woofer/mid combos are the "multi-taskers". If you where to listen to the JL Audio ZR-650's which are component speakers (like you have in the back of your EOS) you would notice that they put out little to no bass. That's not their job! You would also notice that the sound is extremely crisp and clear. Every detail can be heard. This is where the factory system cannot compete. When speakers "multi-task" they lose quality and become "tinny". The 3 system dynaudio speakers separate the basic components of music; highs, mids and lows. Because however, they use a woofer in place of a sub-woofer you will never experience the deep bass often found in rap, however there will be some (enough for me) bass. 
I love music and this is a great car to listen to music in, with the top down or up. It's a fun car to drive and music can make the drive all that much better.
I've taken my EOS apart many times, to the dismay of my better half







. I've played with a variety of sound options, rear view camera installs and much more. My goal is always to make it look factory and NEVER cut a factory installed wire (it voids the 50000 mile warranty). Here's a link to some pictures of a recent radio install I did.
Click Here!!!
Michael


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## TSCAD (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Replace Factory Speakers... ever done it? (TSCAD)*

This doesn't go with this forum, but it appears that everyone here is an EOS owner so here's something I did today;
My EOS came with some crappy (in my opinion) 17" wheels. Like I mentioned in the above post, I like to keep the car as factory looking as possible, so I purchased 18" VW Velos Black Diamond Wheels. I put some Toyo Proxes 4's on them. Factory EOS 18" wheels call for 235/40R18's I wanted to get something a little more aggressive so I opted to try out some 245/40R18's at 40psi (wider than factory specs). I used the valve stems from the 17's as they have the TPMS built in. I was worried (1) that they might rub on sharp cornering and (2) that they might stick out past the wheel well. The other issue is that they are a little bit taller.
Everything works great! No rubbing, they look awesome and no error codes. Maybe I'll post a picture ?!?!?! Only one issue, my speedometer is 1.7% slow because of the hight difference, which equates to 60.7 when I'm really going 60. My spedo was fast to begin with, so now it's almost dead on!








Don't kill me for posting in the wrong forum ... please !!!
Michael


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