# How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System?



## PJStyles (Mar 7, 2001)

May be a stupid question I dunno...but how do I tell if I have the Monsoon system in my car. I recently purchased my 2000 VW Jetta VR6 and it has a single-din with tape deck and cd changer harness in the trunk but the sound ain't the greatest but I do see quite a few speakers and tweeters.... 
PJStyles


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## Semper_Dad (Apr 11, 2006)

Try looking in your owners manual. There should be a seperate booklet describing the sound system. Should also have the 4 digit security code for the radio also (although dealers were supposed to remove the card from the book when the card was sold.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (PJStyles)*

two ways. look on the screen when you start your car. if it says monsoon, you hve the monsoon system. or, you can look in your trunk, if there is a box hanging from the top on the passenger side, you have the monsoon system.


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## PJStyles (Mar 7, 2001)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (afinley)*

I don't believe the radio says MONSOON when I turn it on... but I do see a separate booklet for the radio and a code in the manual. I'll have to check the trunk for that box you speak of... Thanks
PJStyles


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## PJStyles (Mar 7, 2001)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (PJStyles)*

Turns out I do not have the Monsoon system because I don't see any box in the trunk as described by a previous poster. That said, what are my best options for improving the sound as far as getting more power out of the speakers etc etc... any low-cost solutions?
PJStyles


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## der_mossman (Mar 23, 2006)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (PJStyles)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PJStyles* »_Turns out I do not have the Monsoon system because I don't see any box in the trunk as described by a previous poster. That said, what are my best options for improving the sound as far as getting more power out of the speakers etc etc... any low-cost solutions?
PJStyles

Just by changing the head unit will improve the sound a lot!! From there you can think about upgrading your front components for the future


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## jaybong (Jun 11, 2005)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (PJStyles)*

best bet is a cheap LOC ($15), and a sub and amp from ebay.
then you could eventually replace the fronts- at thtat point even with the stock deck i bet youll be happy.
this would be the economical choice, but honestly. if youre gonna be serious about decent sound the first thing youll do is swap the HU and spend some real money to get a good one. 
a head swap is the most important thing about car audio it says iin many books. cant say i disagree- unless the car is a lease or a mint car that really strives for the OEM look, the HU is the first thing to go.
besides, a decent alpine or even eclipse deck can be had new for under $400 or ebay'd for $150. not a big cost, but if you consider that the base signal you are goin g to play will be driven by this unit, so any distortion or equalization will then be amped and driven by the speakers you chose. 
Point is, doesnt matter if you have $400brahma subs,$600 a pair Focal components and a $1000 amp to push all of this if you run it off a stock HU. its still gonna sound like ****. 
most modern HUs that come stock from the big manufacturers are heavily equilized to make up for physics models known as cabin loss or cabin gain. Im sure at this point several others more knowledgeable in the physics or sounds will now chime in.
so for the price of the cleansweep or other BS equalization scheme you will need to make a decent ssound, you may as well just do it right the first time. Spend your money and get a GOOD deck appropriate to how much $$ you plan on spending on the entire system.
cause until you do, you may as well be running sony xplod, off a pyramid amp with the wicked 80s blaupunkt speakers- its all gonna sound the same off that Head unit.
if you dont have the monsoon system, you will save mad $$ on component speakers because the (correct me if Im wrong someone?) speakers will be of nominal impedance to hook up to a stock HU or amp.- in a MONSOON system, the speakers are not anywhere close to the ideal 4 or 2 ohm load desired for practical car audio. i bet if you think it sounds OK now, it will be awesome with a new HU, and just a single sub and amp in the back to start with.but dont expect that from your stock deck.if your set on keeping the stock deck just cheap it out wherever possible - it isnt gonna matter. even low end car audio can sound decent-it is almost always an improvement on stock so Im not trying to knock on the audiobahn and pyramid crowd, just saying you wont get what your paying for outta good stuff with the stock HU


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (PJStyles)*

i would recommend just getting a new cd player for now. nakamichi makes one that plays mp3s, matches your dash perfect, and only costs a bit over $200. you can get it at http://www.onlinecarstereo.com
you can get an amp, but until you get a cd player it will amplify alot of noise from the fact that you will either have to run speaker wire to the amp, or a converter for RCAs. i personally would recommend an amp eventually, but that costs money and i think that a new cd player would make you happy for now.
if you had more money to spend, i would suggest new speakers after a cd player. most people would say get an amp first, but i think you would be more limited and less happy with an amp first. i have 1200w going to 5 speakers, and it is only marginally louder than your stock system. 1,000,000 times clearer, but only marginally louder.
most stereos run with so much distortion, which your ear percieves as loudness, that an amp running 4 times as much power but as little distortion as possible sounds about as loud. so unless you are ready to get a big amp, or run a little one pretty distorted, you probably wont be that happy with an amp as your first audio purchase.


_Modified by afinley at 7:23 AM 4-28-2006_


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## PJStyles (Mar 7, 2001)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (jaybong)*

I did want to keep the stock hu because I like the look of oem and wanted to keep the car as oem as possible... in this case, what do you suggest? I'll be installing the trunk cd changer this coming week and wanted to improve the sound a little bit but not sure where to start as I'm not overly familiar with these things.
PJStyles


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (PJStyles)*

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2581282 check it out.
well, did you already buy the factory changer? if you have not, DO NOT! you can get alpine's 6 disc MP3 changer and adapter for less than the price of the factory changer.
but seriously. the nakamichi deck looks factory. sounds great and gets you RCA pre-outs for an amp in the future.
I totally understand wanting to keep the stock look. i did the same thing. however, i flush a couple hundy down the drain trying to make up for my mistakes. the history of my stereo.
purchase 1. infinity reference components for the front doors. good step. paid $210 at circuit city. ouch! this is before i learned of online retailers.
purchase 2. infinity reference 7410a 1144/4 amp. sucked noodles. loud as all get out. however, tried to install it myself. wouldnt turn on. took it back to CC, they installed it for a total of $300 more than the $250 i paid for the amp. the first one was busted (i knew i didnt install it wrong!) and it need line out converters for it to even recognize the signal from my stock deck. at the time, after i had it installed, i thought i had a pretty decent system.
purchase 3. alpine cha-s634 MP3 changer in the glovebox. now we're in the right direction. worked perfect. still paid retail. ($224)
purchase 4. Silver Flute 6.5"'s from http://www.madisound.com after i accidently ripped one of the infinitys in half. oops. $100 total. these things are HUGE! good purchase. these are now going in my roommates beetle.
purchase 5. Alpine CDA-9855. $399 from best buy. i had learnt my lesson about online purchases, but i was worried that the slide bar would wear, so i wanted a warranty. sure enough, i shorted the pre-outs installing it.
purchase 6. Alpine MRV-F545 140w/4 amp ($300) much better amp! quieter, cleaner, digital. however, way quieter than the infintity one, because of the lack of distortion.
purchase 7. Alpine SWX-1044d 10" sub. wired it to channel 3 on my amp. good buy. kind of expensive ~$250. filled out the sound nicely.
purchase 8. Alpine SPX-177R components. EXCELLENT! paid as much online as i paid at CC for my bottom line infinitys.
everything before the cd player was overpriced and eventually replaced. everything after fit great. start at step 5 and save yourself some money and time.


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## PJStyles (Mar 7, 2001)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (afinley)*

Unfortunately I have already purchased the factory cd changer... I paid $145 CDN for it which included shipping costs. Given that I'll be now installing this, would upgrading the speakers have any impact at all and where would an amp fit into the equation?
PJStyles


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## jaybong (Jun 11, 2005)

yes you can benefit from new speakers, but you need a good amp for em to make the investment noticeable


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (jaybong)*

new speakers will sound better either way, only more so with an amp. _and something other than the factory deck._


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## itschuck2c (Sep 12, 2005)

*Re: How To Tell If I Have Monsoon System? (PJStyles)*

Go to a junkyard, look for a wrecked jetta that has the monsoon system. Grab the bracket and the monsoon amp. I believe in addition to the plug for the changer in the trunk..you will probably find a plug for the monsoon amp.


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