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Head Unit Upgrade

2Stevo2

2Stevo2

New member
Hi all,

New member here :)
I'm looking for some advice from you fine folk.

I am in the process of purchasing a 2011 mk6 Golf GTI DSG that has been imported from Japan.

I'm loving the look/feel/drive of the car but the one part that disappoints me is the Head Unit (Picture attached I think!!). It doesn't appear to have Bluetooth streaming and feels very dated. I'm also not convinced that it is doing the speakers justice.

Do you guys/gals have any recommendations for a straight plug and play Head Unit replacement? I'm thinking that it would be great to get one with an integrated amplifier if possible?? My google searches have came back with soo much I don't even know where to start with it.

Any advice/guidance/ recommendations would be great.
 

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tdream1

tdream1

Autocross Newbie
Do a search on MIB2 PQ retrofits. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Excellent interface and is mostly plug and play. You’ll need the updated canbus and possibly a microphone. The place I purchased mine from did all the leg work first, so it was a simple swap by my installer.

The place is called Euro Zone Tuning.
 
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TimS

Go Kart Newbie
The RCD330 is a popular replacement. I don't have one so I can't speak on its quality, but a lot of people seem to like them.
 
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GIACUser

Master Wallet Mechanic
I had a the factory 510 unit in my R. Really wanted GPS, better sound, carplay and I wanted a rear view camera capable unit. The carplay allows me to use Waze, Google or Apple maps from my phone using USB cable. You can also add third party wireless devices as well but I like using it wired because it charges phone while using. Sounds much better even with the base speaker system in my Golf R. Rearview camera is a great upgraded for me since I didn't have one. And of course you get all the other stuff with carplay like Siri do this or that, the ability to hands free respond to text messages etc. And the steering wheel controls all work.

Went to website RCD330 dot com and ordered the 330 and rearview camera. To upgrade the sound I added a Pyle powered 10in sub.
I am lazy so I had a stereo shop do the install but plenty of DIY youtube info on how-to. I think this is best bang for your buck.

I paid a total of 494.00 for the headunit and the rear view flip up camera. (Sep 2021)
I paid a total of 337.00 for the Rockford Fosgate Punch P300-10 (Sep 2021)

All equipment has for worked better than expected (used daily for last 2 years). Sub is way more powerful than rest of system but is easily dialed into same level as system to avoid it being overpowering.






 
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gijoewoz

Go Kart Champion
I’m running a Joying, and for the money it’s great. It’s a bit quirky, but all of the “big brand” stereos I have used have their own quirks.
 
riceburner

riceburner

Autocross Champion
subd; my mk5 has an aftermarket sony xav head unit which is pretty great (for the Android/Carplay/Steering Controls, however it seems like it had to intercept or not use the factory amp, and is wired to some aftermarket amp. Speakers barely work half the time and when they do it is very poor quality sound - as such I would love to get rid of all that nonsense for an OEM+ plug & play solution
 
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Saabingti

Autocross Champion
riceburner said:
subd; my mk5 has an aftermarket sony xav head unit which is pretty great (for the Android/Carplay/Steering Controls, however it seems like it had to intercept or not use the factory amp, and is wired to some aftermarket amp. Speakers barely work half the time and when they do it is very poor quality sound - as such I would love to get rid of all that nonsense for an OEM+ plug & play solution
Click to expand...

https://www.rcd330.com/product/noname-187b-androidauto-rcd330-plus-rear-usb/


You'll want to try and figure out if the wiring's been fooked with, though.
 
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gijoewoz

Go Kart Champion
hb-golf r said:
Which Joying model did you get? There looks to be a 9" model make for the Golf 6.
Click to expand...
I got the one that has the factory looking bezel with physical knobs/buttons. There’s no way I’d run a stereo with only touch screen controls. Again, it has some quirks, but I’ve had just as many quirks from much more expensive stereos. I should mention, if you want the best sound quality from Joying, you should run digital output, the analog RCAs aren’t awesome.
 
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hb-golf r

New member
gijoewoz said:
I got the one that has the factory looking bezel with physical knobs/buttons. There’s no way I’d run a stereo with only touch screen controls. Again, it has some quirks, but I’ve had just as many quirks from much more expensive stereos. I should mention, if you want the best sound quality from Joying, you should run digital output, the analog RCAs aren’t awesome.
Click to expand...
I ended up getting the Joying. I worked and resolved a couple of quirks and now only have one quirk left. The Dynaudio amp turns off after a couple of seconds after the car shuts off while the head unit stays on. Do you have this same issue? Otherwise, it's a beautiful unit and the sound quality is improved.
1000006999.jpg
 
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MiteyF

Ready to race!
I have the Dynaudio package in my '12, is there any software work that needs to be done with any of these units or are they basically plug and play?

I'm trying to get Android connectivity so I can use my Spotify through the head unit, as well as google maps (as the stock nav on this car is total garbage)
 
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hb-golf r

New member
MiteyF said:
I have the Dynaudio package in my '12, is there any software work that needs to be done with any of these units or are they basically plug and play?

I'm trying to get Android connectivity so I can use my Spotify through the head unit, as well as google maps (as the stock nav on this car is total garbage)
Click to expand...
Basically plug and play. The two quirks I resolved: I cut the reverse wire so that the display wouldn't switch to the camera screen since I don't have a camera. Also had set the antenna socket power to ON to be able to get AM reception.
 
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GIACUser

Master Wallet Mechanic
JOHNDERS2586 said:
Does the rdc330 unit from the web page come with a sub RCA output?
Click to expand...
No, but most powered subs that accept line input work fine. I used a 10in Fosgate powered sub and love it.
If you are looking to go higher end with seperate amps etc. this is not the head unit for you. This is a factory head unit (from non-US market). It is a nice upgrade as the tech is about 10 years newer than what was in our cars. The screen is decent and does a good job of supporting the reverse camera if you add one, but the real reason I got it was for CarPlay to use Google Maps for navi, Apple Music, on screen text messaging etc. and I added the rear view camera which my car did not have. I then added the sub and the whole of the package is very big upgrade to the system.
 
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