# TT Audio



## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

Well, I am thinking about upgrading my audio in my car and I would love to see some ideas!!! So what are you all doing???? I know I want a flip out screen with nav and some low end....

So.... what do you all suggest?? I am old and out of the loop on cool stuff so help an old fellow out!:beer::beer:


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## Doooglasss (Aug 28, 2009)

Bluetooth headphones & an iPhone. Weight savings to the max : )

Sorry not into flip up screens or anything- I'm a cleanliness guy and would say go with Blaupunkt or Becker.


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## notoriouszig (Jun 14, 2010)

check out the alpine IVA-D series. great head-units, great sound quality too. the price is on the higher end, but then again so is the quality. they're flip out, with nav, and the touchscreen pulsates when you touch it to replicate the clicking sensation of a button.

as for speakers for the doors i personally like alpine, focal, and infiniti reference. 

subwoofers i would say go JL audio. in the TT you could get away with one 10 inch JL W7 running 500 watts of power. now if you really like your bass i would suggest two JL audio W7's with a 1000 watt amp... but hey that's just me.

you might want to check out some dampening material so your car doesn't rattle, check out dynamat. it helps reduce road noise as well. 

i could go on for days about car audio if you're interested. i'm installing a very similar system in my friend's MKV jetta in a few days. very solid system :thumbup:


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## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

DougLoBue: yeah that would work... :laugh: but I want it all!! Power, Tunes and LOW!!


notoriouszig: Thanks for the suggestions!! Do you know if the head units will fit behind the TT stereo cover plate? I would love to keep the interior as stockish as possible... 



Anyone else have suggestions?? I am all earseace:


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## PLAYED TT (Oct 17, 2010)

Personally I have no complaints about the Bose stereo. If you want you can unplug the 6 disc and plug in a iPod adapter.


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## Doooglasss (Aug 28, 2009)

Notoriouszig: Focal speakers FTW!!! Used to have a set of K2 Power's when they were newer back 2001- great speakers. Had a 10w6v2 as well w/ a 500/1 JL amp.

Right now I've been into two companies owned by Electromedia. I already have Hertz Hi Energy HSK-165's in my front doors and I was going to go with either a JL amp or an Audison (if I can afford one). Was planning on using the same 10w6v2 in the TT, that thing puts out A LOT of bass- I don't feel it's necessary to drop a W7 in this sized car...

http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm

http://www.audison.eu/

Currently rocking headphones & iPhone due to lack of funding to complete that part of the project : )


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## PLAYED TT (Oct 17, 2010)

Doug you don't need a stereo when you have a BT to listen to


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## notoriouszig (Jun 14, 2010)

DougLoBue said:


> Notoriouszig: Focal speakers FTW!!! Used to have a set of K2 Power's when they were newer back 2001- great speakers. Had a 10w6v2 as well w/ a 500/1 JL amp.
> 
> Right now I've been into two companies owned by Electromedia. I already have Hertz Hi Energy HSK-165's in my front doors and I was going to go with either a JL amp or an Audison (if I can afford one). Was planning on using the same 10w6v2 in the TT, that thing puts out A LOT of bass- I don't feel it's necessary to drop a W7 in this sized car...
> 
> ...


i am a total audiophile. i LOVE bass, of course clarity is a primary objective as well. but i am totally that guy who would drop a W7 into a TT with an extra battery... big three wiring, etc. i like loud, shake your eyeballs bass, with crystal clear highs... that's my own personal preference though.

i know you can fit the alpine deck in. however you may have to fabricate a plate for around the head unit to keep it all looking nice, perhaps there are companies who manufacture the plate. i just haven't seen any.


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## SoloGLI (Jan 20, 2005)

Morio, I'll get you great prices for whatever you need. My buddy has had an audio shop for 35 years and sells everything.

As for what to get, I get that everyone says to get a W7... but none of them have air ride. You know as well as I do, there is little to no space left, even with your setup which is in place of the rear seat. I know you don't want to lose the rest of your trunk for the sub an amp. So here's my suggestion, although I don't know your budget.

For the speakers, anything mentioned in this thread will be just fine. Just depends on how much you want to spend.

For the subwoofer, go with a shallow mount sub because the box will can be EXTREMELY small. Alpine makes an incredible sub that they just released about a month ago (I'll have to get back to you with the model #). I'm going to be switching to this sub when I redo my trunk. Because I thought I didn't want mind numbing bass, I originally went with a Boston Acoustic G12 12" shallow mount sub. It hits hard, but its really clean. It's more for SQ than SPL.

For the amp, there are really only 2 options for us. It's between the JL HD900 and the Alpine PDX5. The JL HD900 is super expensive, but probably one of the best amplifiers on the market (JL's second best amp they sell). The Alpine is significantly cheaper, but also a great amp for the price. Both are 5 channel amps, so you can run the sub and speakers with the one amp. But these were both very recently released and even though most people will tell you to run a mono amp for the sub and a 4 or 5 channel amp for the speakers, these new amps are essentially a mono channel amp and a 4 channel amp combined into one. Also, these amps are SO DAMN SMALL! I went with the JL amp because I know how important it is to have a good power source for the speakers, and making sure they perform to the best of their capabilities. 

I'll send you some pics of how my trunk looks right now, so you can see the size of this stuff in the hatch.


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## Mantvis (Jan 1, 2010)

Heres my set up


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## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

SoloGLI: That would be great!!! Pics of your setup and pricing.. I am wanting to redo my air setup and thought that now would be the best time to incorporate some audio. Since I won't be at a show until May, I might as well change things up a bit... and the shows I plan on doing next year are all a bit of a drive for me I want to enjoy the tripopcorn: You are right about not having room with the air setup and with audio so I am eager to see different layouts!!!


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## notoriouszig (Jun 14, 2010)

Mantvis said:


> Heres my set up


sick setup dude.


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## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

notoriouszig said:


> sick setup dude.


x2!!!


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## Forty-six and 2 (Jan 21, 2007)

Any hidden or nicely tucked away enclosures?


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## Mantvis (Jan 1, 2010)

THANKS!!  Need any info? or is it alittle too much? 

And isnt mine tucked and hidden!


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## Neb (Jan 25, 2005)

for sound deadening you can get rolls of roofing 'tar' for way cheap instead of overpriced dynomat. I think a 50x4' (or 100') was like $40 or something. It's very easy to conform to the shape of metal and it doubles up super easy too :beer:


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## Mantvis (Jan 1, 2010)

exactly what i used! 
but then a week later everything fell of and started to rattle 
so you gotta find some gooood glue for that!


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## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

awesome!!! Keep it coming!!!!!:thumbup:


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## BeasTToftheEast (Sep 20, 2007)

The only way to go with the flip out head unit is with a Kenwood, they aren't too pricey, and they are the best made, along with having a crazy amount of add-ons you can put into it, plus they fit behind the cover perfectly, what else do you need lol


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## Suture (Sep 15, 2000)

I cannot recommend AGAINST the Alpine IVA-D106 enough. I owned one for quite some time. My setup was the IVA-D106, PMD-DOK2, and the NVE-P1 (Nav/BT combo). In addition I had a Boyo backup camera.

The IVA-D106 has decent sound quality. I will give it that much. However, the interface is from the 1990s. It's a VERY low-res screen with ugly graphics. It's a shame considering how expensive it is. It will fit in the TT fine, but there is no way you are going to get the audio door flap to close. In fact, IIRC, you can't even have the door in the open position -- it will not fit. The 106 is a deep sucker.

My IVA-D106 was replaced twice. It would often not boot, and would hang on the Alpine logo. The PMD-DOK2 was replaced twice. The NVE-P1 was replaced six or seven times. That is not an exaggeration. After the last one, they sent me an M300 instead, so I was out the Bluetooth -- but by then I had everything pulled, and sold it all on eBay. iPod/iPhone connectivity was fine, no complaints there. I used a 16GB iPod Nano for a while, and then eventually an iPhone 3GS for some time. Neither had any issues.

Here are the issues I ran into:

- IVA-D106 would lock-up often on boot. In order to fix it, I had to actually shutdown the car -- simply powering down the IVA did not work. This happened WAY too often.
- Navigation worked about 50% of the time on the NVE-P1. It would often lose it's crap in the middle of a drive, which sucked. Bluetooth was fine, quality was great. Nav was so bad I had to start carrying a backup Garmin.

The reason I bring up the nav is because most people that go for the Alpine go for their nav as well. Look on DIYMA forums. NOBODY likes this stuff. Even the newer M300 is VERY limited in what it can do -- ugly graphics, hardly any POI, no traffic still (seriously?)

I could go on and on about the issues, but just trust me when I say Alpine makes alright HUs but the IVA and their nav is GARBAGE. Stay away, far away.

The Kenwood units fit with the door and utilize Garmin for nav. I wish I had done that.

FWIW, I am now using a Kenwood KIV-BT900. Using my iPhone 4 with Navigon for navigation instead. No issues with the Kenwood, except the sound quality is "average" at best. It works at least.


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## notoriouszig (Jun 14, 2010)

suture said:


> i cannot recommend against the alpine iva-d106 enough. I owned one for quite some time. My setup was the iva-d106, pmd-dok2, and the nve-p1 (nav/bt combo). In addition i had a boyo backup camera.
> 
> The iva-d106 has decent sound quality. I will give it that much. However, the interface is from the 1990s. It's a very low-res screen with ugly graphics. It's a shame considering how expensive it is. It will fit in the tt fine, but there is no way you are going to get the audio door flap to close. In fact, iirc, you can't even have the door in the open position -- it will not fit. The 106 is a deep sucker.
> 
> ...


iva-d300 ftw!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

TTguy30 said:


> The only way to go with the flip out head unit is with a Kenwood, they aren't too pricey, and they are the best made, along with having a crazy amount of add-ons you can put into it, plus they fit behind the cover perfectly, what else do you need lol



will look into the kenwoods........ :thumbup: I really want to keep a "as stock" as possible look with my TT:thumbup:


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## BeasTToftheEast (Sep 20, 2007)

I'm getting a kenwood flip out for sure, I just need to finish my motor build first lol


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## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

no more pics???? really???:wave:


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## dogger (Jul 29, 2005)

I worked in car audio off and on for over 20 years and have a lot of experience with different cars and products. 

As much as I love Alpine I would go with Pioneer when it comes to a flip out. Their user interface and iPod control is much better. Most important you can add navigation and their nav is better than Alpines. Pioneer has been more aggressive in their product development on AV receivers for the past few years than anyone else and it shows in the products. Their graphics and UI is better than Kenwoods too. I've never been a fan of Kenwood. 

If you like bass and want a good shallow mount subwoofer check out the JL 13W5. Very impressive woofer and better than the Alpine or any other shallow mount. I just did one in a friends Mk6 Gti and it sounded great. Its only 2 1/2" deep too.

For component speakers I would also recommend Focal or my favorite are Dynaudio. 

If you're a audiophile and like good sound I would stay away from JL amps. I've used them numerous times over the years on a variety of high end speakers and they can make even the best speakers sound a bit harsh. Alpine PDX are better, but if you want great sound I would go with Audison. They are my favorite amplifier and would be my choice for my personal car. 

I was curious to see what people have done for audio in TT's since I am going to put something together for mine. I don't want to take up much of the trunk and want to leave it as functional as possible so its going to be a challenge.


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## M-Power M3 (Oct 15, 2007)

Anyone listen to those little JL 6" subs? Those things HIT and hit clean! I wanna do a setup with a few of those. :beer:


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## dogger (Jul 29, 2005)

They are pretty cool but they are same depth as the 8" W3's. 1/4" difference. I would rather have the cone area of 8's over 6's. Guess it depends on where you plan to use them since they will fit into smaller enclosure.


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## Nihuel (Mar 31, 2010)

*Not the best quality pictures but u get the idea*

I love my setup though I did add about 70lbs in the trunk. IMO its worth it, it just means i need more power :laugh: its a pioneer deck with ipod hookup AND control, so I browse songs on the deck itself. The ipod plug runs to the coin compartment? lol i dunno whats its called but you can see it here. The JL setup in the back is perfect for all ocassions. Aside from the weight, the only negative factor is the aluminum "TT" cover for the deck doesnt shut anymore, unless I pull off the volume knob :sly: Oh and I bolted the sub box to the frame using the bolt holes for the hooks behind the seats, its doesnt budge.


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## notoriouszig (Jun 14, 2010)

^^^ i like that a lot man.

is that a jl 500.1? 

bet it knocks!


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## Nihuel (Mar 31, 2010)

Yeah, a 500/1, I had a 12w7 before but i sold it to buy this 10W7 in a sealed box, it sounds awesome now! it has a much flatter response curve, and now that I took out the rear seat backs, it sounds even better!


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## warranty225cpe (Dec 3, 2008)

Not "baller", but highly functional and user friendly. not to mention it tucks out of the way. I hate how most ipod/iphone docks are ugly and stick out. So far, this is the only mod to the audio in mine. Cd changer is GONE!


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## dogger (Jul 29, 2005)

That's pretty cool. Nice install! So are you controlling your iPhone through its controls or the radio? 

I plan on swapping my Alpine radio and Bluetooth over from my other car into the TT. Its nice to stream music via Bluetooth and control everything through the radio. No docking is needed.


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## warranty225cpe (Dec 3, 2008)

I can control from the head unit or the phone. its not plugged in in the picture, but it charges as well which was a main concern. also, I dont even use the ipod mode. i just use Pandora radio.


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## Adam D (Nov 17, 2010)

Im currently running an alpine head unit with ipod, Focal K2 front components with custom a-pillar builds and a custom boot build housing a 6 channel JL Audio amp and 2 10" focal subs. Pretty plain and simple but does the job. Thinking about custom door builds for the mids next year 





























Also got a custom boot mat to hide it and kep it clean


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## notoriouszig (Jun 14, 2010)

Adam D said:


> Im currently running an alpine head unit with ipod, Focal K2 front components with custom a-pillar builds and a custom boot build housing a 6 channel JL Audio amp and 2 10" focal subs. Pretty plain and simple but does the job. Thinking about custom door builds for the mids next year
> 
> Also got a custom boot mat to hide it and kep it clean


 that's a really nice setup man. i'm sure it sounds so clean.


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## dogger (Jul 29, 2005)

Clean install. Especially the false floor in the trunk. What protects the subwoofers when the floor mat is in place? Is there any kind of grill? So I'm guessing your spare tire well must be different from mine. 

The battery is back there on my car. How do the trunks differ on the 1.8T's and do the fwd cars have more room in the spare tire well? Was a spare tire a option on certain cars too? Sorry I'm not familiar with this stuff. Noob. 

I bet you those K2's would sound a lot better with a different amp than JL. K2's are awesome speakers but JL amps don't do them justice. Also as nice as the tweeter mounts look, they are way too far from the mid bass and would be better mounted closer to the mid in the door. Really nice choice in speakers and install work too. :thumbup:


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## IDP FTW (Jul 25, 2006)

warranty225cpe said:


> Not "baller", but highly functional and user friendly. not to mention it tucks out of the way. I hate how most ipod/iphone docks are ugly and stick out. So far, this is the only mod to the audio in mine. Cd changer is GONE!


 
Info on this^^


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## Morio (Feb 16, 1999)

looking good!!! Keep this going!!!:thumbup:


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## Adam D (Nov 17, 2010)

The battery is in the engine bay in my 1.8t so just had to ditch the spare wheel for the subs to go in, im not sure about the tyre well being different as mine is a quattro but the false floor is about 2inches higher. Ive never bothered getting any to protect the subs when the mat is in because i dont really put anything in the boot and if i do it isnt heavy anyway. 

Have thought a few times about changing the amp for a focal one more for looks than anything else. 

As for the tweeter position it was down to the guys who built the install and set it up for me, one of which was a sound off judge at one time. The sound cant be that bad as it has one a few bits of silver and glassware since it was built  

Would love to go up to the K2 3 ways aswell but will need to save a bit first.


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## warranty225cpe (Dec 3, 2008)

IDP FTW said:


> Info on this^^


 This is one of the first mods I did after I got chipped. I had the same 6 CDs in my changer since I bought it. So tired of hearing the same ****. I run free Pandora radio now and love it. I stalked peripheral electronics until they had an updated harness that I could charge from (The old one could only charge the gen 1 iphone). So it's just a wiring harness, with a long charging/docking cable going up the pillar and through the mount on the visor. The mount itself I made out of abs plastic. I used a ceramic flat iron to get my curves right. The 2 long ends slide in where your mirror door goes. The smaller 2 lips hold the phone in and are pretty much invisible. I've sold like 10 or 15 of these for $20 a pop (kinda a PITA to make). By FAR the most rewarding of my DIY mods. It's awesome to be able to flip the visor down to check email (at a light) or answer the phone without having to look down.


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## dogger (Jul 29, 2005)

Adam D;68930936
Have thought a few times about changing the amp for a focal one more for looks than anything else.
As for the tweeter position it was down to the guys who built the install and set it up for me said:


> What I said about tweeter placement isn't my opinion but basic audio/car audio fact. All speaker manufacturers say to install the tweeter within certain distances to the midbass and on axis with each other. That way the tweeter and mibass work together as one and not against each. You can run into cancellation, phasing, and interference problems when the tweeter is mounted that far away, off axis to the midbass, and pointing off the windshield. Also you have major time alignment issues as well.
> 
> If you had some cheap or lower quality components I wouldn't have bothered saying anything but with K2's you should get your monies worth and install them properly. That and a better sound quality amp and your car would sound even better.
> 
> Unfortunately very few manufacturers publish good information on these subjects anymore so many installers and salesman don't understand how to install components properly. Even ones who judge sound offs. :facepalm:


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## Adam D (Nov 17, 2010)

I understand what you're saying dogger i had a mk4 golf previous to my TT and had rainbow components with mids and tweeters both in the door panel. I then bought the K2s and was gifted a set of a pillar builds made to for the K2s in the mk4 and they sounded so much better as it seemed to lift the sound better. 

When it came to the TT i was quite happy to go with their judgement as id heard a few where the mids and tweeters were in the factory position and they didnt sound quite right. I suppose everyones taste is different  

I also know what you mean about the manufacturers not giving clear guidelines, ive heard several people tell me different thing regarding speaker placement :banghead:


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## NaudifreakTT (Jan 22, 2010)

resurrection!
ok so im getting ready to do a system in my car. I work for a company that gets be a huge discount on kicker so i know there is better stuff out there but thats what i am going with.

i plan on doing the dx1000.1 amp and 2 kicker comp vx 10" (600rms) OR 2 kicker comp vr 10" (400rms), still deciding on ported vs sealed.

either set up would be wired to 1 ohm as the amp is 1ohm stable. so it should pound hard and still be tight

big question is how bad do you guys think my lights will dim if at all. I used to have a volvo s60 with a similar set up and i noticed my headlights dimming when it was on "moderately". I dont know what kind of power the TT can supply

thanks


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