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2012 gti stereo build

nadams5755

Ready to race!
maybe check out some sql (sound quality league) events in your area to see what people are doing. there's a few golfs around, all with different approaches.

you say you're from ohio, there's an event 07/15/17, 08/13/17, and a two-day state finals 09/23 - 09/24/17. i don't think michigan has any shows but you could check the surrounding states as well.

http://mecacaraudio.com/v8/
 

nadams5755

Ready to race!
the lower midrange distortion was much better but not completely gone. so, i grew the vents another 1/2" and it's now gone.



i ran 4ch rcas up front, removed the speaker-output pins/wires from the harness, installed my own, and put on female rca ends.



while it was apart :lol: i ran a usb and director cable for a new dsp. just in case, i ran a toslink/optical cable. oh yeah, i got a new dsp.



so now it's fully active.

director is double-sided-taped down right now:



with all speakers disconnected and the HU's output set to line-level, it's much clearer.

i think i'll two-for-one sell the bit ten d in a few weeks. (get a free bit ten!)
 

nadams5755

Ready to race!
one of my goals this year was to get an 80 in meca sq modified.

i worked on a tune over the past couple weeks, mostly for tonality.

i went to a triple point event yesterday and scored an average of 79.92. so close but average of 78, 80.75, and 81.

i'll take a closer look at feedback soon and see what else i can work on tuning-wise. i got feedback from others this week as well.
 

Maloneyy

New member
At the beginning of this thread I was excited about a SQ build in a GTI and you didn't disappoint me. l just got my 2014 a couple weeks ago and so far have built my box and installed my JL XD700/5v2 on the OEM RCD310. I also agree, it works ok but does create a bit of distortion and not the cleanest signal. I have my Hertz Hi Energy's that I had in my Passat that I plan to put in, just gotta find the time to do it. Definitely going to be keeping my eye on what you do. Great work so far!

Here's my box in the drivers side area:
GTI Stealthbox by ThisGuyNamedJames, on Flickr

Are you still running the horns under the dash with the kicks and sails?
 

nadams5755

Ready to race!
thanks. no, the horns are gone. removing them made it easier for the installer to do the kickpanels, not having to fight around the horn driver/motor.

sub box looks good, could probably use some more airspace and/or a port ;)

look at installing FAST rings with mids in the doors, it'll help with some of the midbass output.
 

Maloneyy

New member
thanks. no, the horns are gone. removing them made it easier for the installer to do the kickpanels, not having to fight around the horn driver/motor.

sub box looks good, could probably use some more airspace and/or a port ;)

look at installing FAST rings with mids in the doors, it'll help with some of the midbass output.

We actually just started carrying those in our stores. Kinda late to the game, I told them to get fast rings a while ago. I purchased them for my doors once we got them in. I just got my iPad dash in and next step are my speakers.
 

jgarcia1925

Go Kart Champion
I think I commented on your thread over on diy... awesome stuff. I'll probably log on over there as I have some questions for ya. And congrats on your apr tune. I ended up going the performance route first, but now I started hoarding some stuff for the SQ build :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

nadams5755

Ready to race!
i went to the az/ca/nv tri-state finals a couple weeks ago and placed 2nd in modified. it sounded a bit worse overall but sub integration was better.

so i took a previous/better tune and combined it with this "finals tune" sub integration, pressed save and drove home. it sounded better. last week, i fed the system through the RTA and filled in some gaps where i had too much cut out. again, sounded better.

this weeknend, i went down to socal and got some help to put a polish on my tune.

reg'd for meca 2017 finals last week, making the trek out with a few others from california. :D

i updated the director firmware to 1.70, let me upload custom graphics. i put in an SQ Ramen/JT Audio logo



updating the director firmware blanks settings and presets. as i loaded presets back in, i got to hear how much this system has changed from june until now.
 

nadams5755

Ready to race!
more finals prep - my buddy helped me detail my car. removed metal flakes, cleaned up swirl marks, put a good sealant on it.


he shamed me into polishing my tips :lol:


we began the trek from socal to louisville today.
 
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nadams5755

Ready to race!
my car came w/ the rcd-310 radio+mdi (ipod/usb/etc connector). upgrading to the rns-315 and rns-510, i didn't have to do anything - just replug the radio.

while tuning this summer, i wanted to use line-in from my laptop. it sounded really distorted. poking around online, the mdi aux wires needed to be repinned for upgraded radios. so i repinned. that worked but broke my ipod.

i never did use the line-in from laptop, just bluetooth paired my laptop for signals. this worked fine.

today i repinned the connector correctly. blue harness:
pin 1: yellow
pin 2: green
pin 7: gray

yay i have proper ipod inputs again!

(i leave an ipod touch in my center console and update it over wifi)
 
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nadams5755

Ready to race!
this spring, i made plans w/ JT to do a new DSP, amps, and a sub for some bottom end. throughout the summer, i grabbed the DSP and amps but still wanted a bigger sub. the plan was an illusion c12xl in a 1.2cu ft sealed box.

i still wanted the the rebuilt hatch area to be usable since it's my daily driver

i also wanted a prettier director mount up front.

fall approached and i got the car into JT's hands. he mounted the director up front:



trying to get the sub back/center in the hatch area was really hard, so i gave JT the option of two 10s instead, for symmetry. i ended up with a pair of raven designs 10xl subwoofers. each sub is in about a 1cu ft sealed enclosure. i gained a couple inches of hatch height back too.

daily use has a vw car-go mat over everything for protection.





i "one more thing'd" him. i wanted a fuller sound up high on the sound stage. this required a stronger lower midrange sound, which meant more cone area.

i also didn't want to be "just another car with 4s in the pillars and tweeters in the sails." a year of my current setup and appreciated the width of having mids in the sails.

so i conspired with some local audio nerds :D





we figured tweeter at the top would raise the stage height.

the d3004/r3004 was a little too big but i didn't need the driver to dig low since it's right next to the midrange and on-axis.

JT was able to get scan-speak 12ms and a r2004 in the sails, tweeter on top :D





pods are about 0.018cuft and vented into the doors.

here's what the stage looks like, basically sail monitors :cool: :surprised:



how's it sound? i don't really know yet. before i drove home yesterday, i set levels and crossovers but that's about it. stage is definitely higher and still very wide. lower midrange is fuller without really any tuning. it almost sounds muddy and needs some cuts in 200-300hz. the bottom octave is where i needed the most help and that's definitely improved by doubling cone area.

i can see why these scans are so revered. the midrange and tweeter sounds are so effortless now. the high end extension is smooth. with the c3cx, i had to cut the midranges by 3-6db and boost 20k by 3db. with these, i had to cut the any tweeter boosting and set levels same as the midranges.

i'm looking forward to more seat time. :D

500w to each sub. 400w to each midbass. 150w to each midrange and each tweeter.
 
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