OK I said I would report in detail on my "Altea Speaker Project" once I got it connected up. I should thank Paul on Alt54 for his advice and replies to question when I asked him stuff about what he did.
Paul said that you could replace them with 17cm ones but since I wanted Infinity speakers and they don't do 17cm, I went to 16.5cm ones. The issue is that once you take out the factory base / mid range speaker the hole is set back 1.5" back or so.
If you put it there the speaker goes back into the back of the door, the windows drop down below that area and I suspect the two would meet. Hence the need to get the speaker plain back to where it was.
Paul mentioned MDF spacers and the Pioneer accessory. I find that Pioneer's web site was up the poke and the model code wasn't correct and the one you needed they don't make now so drew a blank, fear not I found AUTOLEADS-SAK-3103 16.5cm custom replacement speaker accessory for the Golf IV. A gamble that I could use this with the Altea. It arrives with the VW connection leads thrown in so you don't have to cut the custom VW plug off.
http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Speaker_adaptors/volkswagen.htm - for a picture. If you Google "SAK-3103" you can find other companies that supply this item. They delivered quickly.
Do they fit ?. Answer is yes, but you have to hacksaw off the lip of the Autoleads item. That's just cut around to remove the flange, which gets in the way of the unit dropping back into place at the back of the door. You are suppose to get all of this stuff "airtight" else it might effect the working off the side air bags, and as well you can't put the speaker grill back on if you don't get the speaker adapter back into place.
All screw holes align with the adapter kit, the speakers in the adaptor and the existing screw retension fittings in the car for the old speaker assembly, so . My brother hacked off the lip in about two minutes each, bless him with my birthday present saw he'd just given me, what a coincidence .
I should say that before you pull off the speaker grill with a large screwdriver, use a piece of cardboard or card under the screwdriver so you don't scratch the plastic, been there, done that the first time I took of the a grill .
Now we move onto disconnecting the built in tweeter. I think part of the problem is from that tweeter and the cheap bass / mid range speakers. They are Phillips speakers, the base / mid range. The tweeter feed is looped through the custom speakers, so what you do on the AudioLeads speaker adapter lead they throw into box you cut the connections 2 and 4. The plug is labelled up. Leads 1 and 3 are connected as per the correct polarity. You cut the end closest to the spade connector on the audio leads.
The cables go back into the door, with the plug and cut cables kept at the front. At this stage you have connected up the leads to the speakers and worked out how the cable does into the speaker mount from what direction, you stand the new speakers on a chair close buy during this operation with the cables hanging. There is a rubber seal that holds the existing cable. This is pushed back into the car out of it’s place. The two cables that come forwards with the connection are brought forwards, with plug and cut cables and the rubber seal with existing cable pushed back into place on top of them at the back. Thus the rubber seal, seals off where new cables come in.
Hope your following
On speakers I used Infinity 652.5i.
<that was the Spring 2005, these are now replaced by the Infinity 652.7i>
There is an external crossover box, which I threw inside the door so it drops to the bottom. It doesn't rattle. These speakers have built in tweeters and you swivel the cone to the sweet spot. They also have extended cones, which give you good base response.
There is a cheaper version of these speaker but I decided to go for the "best". But these are the ones I bought with spec
http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/product.aspx?ProdId='KAPPA652.5I'&Ser=KAP&Cat=MEL
[old speakers lattest model
http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/product.aspx?ProdId='KAPPA652.7I'&Ser=KAP&Cat=MEL
these were used by Loadswine in February 2006 who followed this "project" and report that they work very well
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/t76991-p3-buzzy-altea-speakers-and-ice-upgrade.html
see his post dated the 10-02-2006 with pictures showing everything before and after... note you can see the rim cut off from the speaker adaptor kit that if left on leads to it not fitting flush...
]
Speakers are "personal" but if you go down this route I can say that you can use all of the black screws for assembling everything. The long black screws in the Audioleads mount kit or speaker kit is used to screw the Audioleads mount in place and the smaller black screws can be used to screw the speaker into the mount. These are Phillips screws, the original speakers are held with a TX20 screw. It's TX, pretty sure it's 20. Have a range handy. They came out very easily with a TX screwdriver. I know it's not TX10 I tried that but then moved onto using my TX set of bits. The Audioleads info on the VW for the Golf IV said TX20 so I think that's the size.
Once one had worked out what need to be done I got the passenger side speaker in, in next to no time.
What else ?. What have I missed out.
Does it sound good ?. I've done the front speakers now. Yes it sounds very good. Lovely meaty base, good voice tones and the mush of the existing sound system have gone. Next Saturday, weather being fine, I'll be doing the back ones.
Thus to do all four all you need is two sets of speakers, and two sets of Audiolead speaker mount, a hacksaw, TX and Phillips screwdrivers, soldering iron or choc block for the connections, some black tape to seal off open wires cut / soldered / choc block.
Well that's one solution and it works ..... and the sounds
Now as the speakers wear in they should deliver better tone, but now they beat the custom ones hands down and you can feel the base in your feet.
See also Loadswine post as mentioned for pics
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/t76991-p3-buzzy-altea-speakers-and-ice-upgrade.html
see post dated the 10-02-2006 with pictures showing everything before and after...
Paul said that you could replace them with 17cm ones but since I wanted Infinity speakers and they don't do 17cm, I went to 16.5cm ones. The issue is that once you take out the factory base / mid range speaker the hole is set back 1.5" back or so.
If you put it there the speaker goes back into the back of the door, the windows drop down below that area and I suspect the two would meet. Hence the need to get the speaker plain back to where it was.
Paul mentioned MDF spacers and the Pioneer accessory. I find that Pioneer's web site was up the poke and the model code wasn't correct and the one you needed they don't make now so drew a blank, fear not I found AUTOLEADS-SAK-3103 16.5cm custom replacement speaker accessory for the Golf IV. A gamble that I could use this with the Altea. It arrives with the VW connection leads thrown in so you don't have to cut the custom VW plug off.
http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Speaker_adaptors/volkswagen.htm - for a picture. If you Google "SAK-3103" you can find other companies that supply this item. They delivered quickly.
Do they fit ?. Answer is yes, but you have to hacksaw off the lip of the Autoleads item. That's just cut around to remove the flange, which gets in the way of the unit dropping back into place at the back of the door. You are suppose to get all of this stuff "airtight" else it might effect the working off the side air bags, and as well you can't put the speaker grill back on if you don't get the speaker adapter back into place.
All screw holes align with the adapter kit, the speakers in the adaptor and the existing screw retension fittings in the car for the old speaker assembly, so . My brother hacked off the lip in about two minutes each, bless him with my birthday present saw he'd just given me, what a coincidence .
I should say that before you pull off the speaker grill with a large screwdriver, use a piece of cardboard or card under the screwdriver so you don't scratch the plastic, been there, done that the first time I took of the a grill .
Now we move onto disconnecting the built in tweeter. I think part of the problem is from that tweeter and the cheap bass / mid range speakers. They are Phillips speakers, the base / mid range. The tweeter feed is looped through the custom speakers, so what you do on the AudioLeads speaker adapter lead they throw into box you cut the connections 2 and 4. The plug is labelled up. Leads 1 and 3 are connected as per the correct polarity. You cut the end closest to the spade connector on the audio leads.
The cables go back into the door, with the plug and cut cables kept at the front. At this stage you have connected up the leads to the speakers and worked out how the cable does into the speaker mount from what direction, you stand the new speakers on a chair close buy during this operation with the cables hanging. There is a rubber seal that holds the existing cable. This is pushed back into the car out of it’s place. The two cables that come forwards with the connection are brought forwards, with plug and cut cables and the rubber seal with existing cable pushed back into place on top of them at the back. Thus the rubber seal, seals off where new cables come in.
Hope your following
On speakers I used Infinity 652.5i.
<that was the Spring 2005, these are now replaced by the Infinity 652.7i>
There is an external crossover box, which I threw inside the door so it drops to the bottom. It doesn't rattle. These speakers have built in tweeters and you swivel the cone to the sweet spot. They also have extended cones, which give you good base response.
There is a cheaper version of these speaker but I decided to go for the "best". But these are the ones I bought with spec
http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/product.aspx?ProdId='KAPPA652.5I'&Ser=KAP&Cat=MEL
[old speakers lattest model
http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/product.aspx?ProdId='KAPPA652.7I'&Ser=KAP&Cat=MEL
these were used by Loadswine in February 2006 who followed this "project" and report that they work very well
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/t76991-p3-buzzy-altea-speakers-and-ice-upgrade.html
see his post dated the 10-02-2006 with pictures showing everything before and after... note you can see the rim cut off from the speaker adaptor kit that if left on leads to it not fitting flush...
]
Speakers are "personal" but if you go down this route I can say that you can use all of the black screws for assembling everything. The long black screws in the Audioleads mount kit or speaker kit is used to screw the Audioleads mount in place and the smaller black screws can be used to screw the speaker into the mount. These are Phillips screws, the original speakers are held with a TX20 screw. It's TX, pretty sure it's 20. Have a range handy. They came out very easily with a TX screwdriver. I know it's not TX10 I tried that but then moved onto using my TX set of bits. The Audioleads info on the VW for the Golf IV said TX20 so I think that's the size.
Once one had worked out what need to be done I got the passenger side speaker in, in next to no time.
What else ?. What have I missed out.
Does it sound good ?. I've done the front speakers now. Yes it sounds very good. Lovely meaty base, good voice tones and the mush of the existing sound system have gone. Next Saturday, weather being fine, I'll be doing the back ones.
Thus to do all four all you need is two sets of speakers, and two sets of Audiolead speaker mount, a hacksaw, TX and Phillips screwdrivers, soldering iron or choc block for the connections, some black tape to seal off open wires cut / soldered / choc block.
Well that's one solution and it works ..... and the sounds
Now as the speakers wear in they should deliver better tone, but now they beat the custom ones hands down and you can feel the base in your feet.
See also Loadswine post as mentioned for pics
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/t76991-p3-buzzy-altea-speakers-and-ice-upgrade.html
see post dated the 10-02-2006 with pictures showing everything before and after...
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