Hi
I recently got my Leon ST Ve (VZe everywhere else) and after a Peugoet 508 SW with its Focal upgraded audio system, and being a bit of an audio snob, I really couldn’t bear the stock audio system. Weirdly the PHEV can’t get the Beats system (same speakers so would have had same issues) because of no space for the spare tyre and therefore sub due to the battery – but they could have always fitted the amp and at minimum tweeters in the rear doors for a car at this price point.
From research it seems the door speakers are generally all the same, and a tune is just loaded to the DSP/AMP that lives under the passenger seat (in OBD11 you can select no tune, Fender, Beats, Canton etc…) the tune does not make any difference to the base system with the speakers powered from the head unit. This is a good thing as its then hopefully a pretty clean unmolested feed to use.
The tweeters in the A pillars are actually not that bad, it’s the woofers however that just give bass as a general sound…. You can’t pick out different bass frequencies and it’s all very muddy. Reason is the floppy paper cone and tiny magnet $2 drivers that are used, so these had to go, and some sort of sub had to be added – initially I was going to do an under seat where the Beats amp would have been.
In the end I used the boot recess under the removable boot floor this allowed just enough volume for a Rockford Fosgate 8 inch sub while still allowing the whole boot to be used for work stock and tools. My enclosere ended up at 8.1l before the driver, within the 5.66-8.5 range and on the larger side for a touch more low end. This was the only permenant modification to the car that was needed - cutting the bottom off the polystyrene liner - but it can always be glued back together or replaced.
An Alpine OPTIM-8 DSP / 8 channel amp just fits neatly where the Beats would have been, and the front components were replaced with Alpine R2 6.5 inch, the rears S2 6.5 inch as they are just rear-fill / enlarge the soundstage. I was toying with the amp also in the boot as that’s conveniently where the battery is, but it was easier running cables to the location used instead of 4 pairs head unit to the amp, then 6 pairs all the way back, as I would bi-amping the front components to give level/frequency and time correction of the 4 front speakers individually.
Other things I was worried about – errors and parking tones not working in a modern car. With the base audio, it does record errors in OBD11 for the speakers all being open circuit, but unless you read the codes you don’t notice – no errors reported on the dash and the beeps/bongs all work as they should through the new amplifier. There was going to be a couple solutions had errors shown on the dash:
AudioControl AC-LGD | Pair of Dummy Load Generating Device | Signal Stabiliser
Audison USS4 | Universal Speakers Simulator Interface | Without Power Supply
SPEAKER SIM - Impedance simulator | Focal
Park Distance error after speaker upgrade Mk8 R | OBDeleven
The last time I did car audio must have been 20 years ago, where pulling the door cards off meant broken clips, ripped out the hardboard lining etc, but now clips are way better, everything is pretty solid, no screws unless absolutely necessary, like for the handles, and good quality clips you can take apart multiple times. Pretty much all the plastics and trip from the side/door/sill trims are clips.
Videos and links to help with all this disassembly:
Use English subtitles
https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/media-unit-location.476099/
Formentor insulation and audio upgrade | SEATCUPRA.NET
Cupra Formentor Subwoofer Install (2022 1.5 TSI) No Beats? No Problem
The stock speakers and spacers are all one unit so you have to get alternatives, the fronts are actually 8” so need bringing down a size too. I added a generic 2.2mm Butyl rubber and Ali-foil sound deadening layer to all 4 doors, outer skin, inner skin and to the door card where I could to stop resonances and any rattles, the slight increase in weight also gives a bit more ‘solid’ feel to them too.
The battery terminal has a handy open fuse post (midi AMI style)
Disconnecting ANYTHING related to the airbag even with the car off (seat wiring, passenger airbag key switch) will throw and keep an airbag SRS error light so only disconnect these if you have a tool to reset.
Spacers used for drivers doors: MK5 golf and needed new holes drilling
Spacers for the rear doors are same as Audi Q5 rear doors:
6.5" Speaker Mounts Adapter Spacer Horn Pad Audio Modification Bracket For Audi A4 Q3 Q5 C7 Rear Door - AliExpress 34
I used these foam pads to squish between speaker and door card:
4PCS 4/5/6.5 Inch Car Speaker Sound Insulation Ring Cotton Bass Door Trim Soundproof Auto Interior Accessories Foam Universal - AliExpress 34
These for speaker terminals:
1 Set 2 Hole AC Assembly Auto Tweeter Speaker Electric Wire Socket with Cable For VW Audi 3B0972712 1J0971972 Car Unsealed Plug - AliExpress
Tweeters I home ran new cable – but if you wanted to use stock wiring:
1 Set 2 Pin 4B0971832 / 4B0 971 832 / 4E0 972 575 Door Lamp Socket Interior LED Light Plug Speaker Connector For Audi VW Skoda - AliExpress
Then one of the best things I had never used before wasfabric tape for all the cable looms as they do on stock harness’ it wont turn to a sticky mess like insulation tape and gives a factory feel and will stop any noise tapping or knocking over bumps.
15 Meter Heat-resistant Flame Retardant Tape Coroplast Adhesive Cloth Tape For Car Cable Harness Wiring Loom Protection - AliExpress 13
The head unit is now just a faceless black box but uses VAG groups quadlock for the speakers, I bought an extension, just using the speaker block, cutting the wires in half to solder/heat shrinking the feeds to and back from the amp,
Shop 23cm 52Pin Extension Adapter Cable with Quadlock Connector Radio Wiring Harness A1 A3 A4 A5 A6 - **** Smith
Speaker cable was this 9 core, allowing for one to do the remote turn on, its just on an accessory position fuse so the car has to be on to listen to music, I may change this to signal detect so you can use the radio…. When the radio is on. I was thinking having it power on sooner may not give any errors but I don’t think it matters.
20 FT Feet 9 Multiple Conductor Speed Wire Speaker Cable 18 GA AWG Gauge Trailer : Amazon.com.au: Electronics
This weekends job – tune it, ive brought home an RTA from work so will see what the default curve is, I gave the iphone auto tune a quick go but its tune seemed pretty off.
I recently got my Leon ST Ve (VZe everywhere else) and after a Peugoet 508 SW with its Focal upgraded audio system, and being a bit of an audio snob, I really couldn’t bear the stock audio system. Weirdly the PHEV can’t get the Beats system (same speakers so would have had same issues) because of no space for the spare tyre and therefore sub due to the battery – but they could have always fitted the amp and at minimum tweeters in the rear doors for a car at this price point.
From research it seems the door speakers are generally all the same, and a tune is just loaded to the DSP/AMP that lives under the passenger seat (in OBD11 you can select no tune, Fender, Beats, Canton etc…) the tune does not make any difference to the base system with the speakers powered from the head unit. This is a good thing as its then hopefully a pretty clean unmolested feed to use.
The tweeters in the A pillars are actually not that bad, it’s the woofers however that just give bass as a general sound…. You can’t pick out different bass frequencies and it’s all very muddy. Reason is the floppy paper cone and tiny magnet $2 drivers that are used, so these had to go, and some sort of sub had to be added – initially I was going to do an under seat where the Beats amp would have been.
In the end I used the boot recess under the removable boot floor this allowed just enough volume for a Rockford Fosgate 8 inch sub while still allowing the whole boot to be used for work stock and tools. My enclosere ended up at 8.1l before the driver, within the 5.66-8.5 range and on the larger side for a touch more low end. This was the only permenant modification to the car that was needed - cutting the bottom off the polystyrene liner - but it can always be glued back together or replaced.
An Alpine OPTIM-8 DSP / 8 channel amp just fits neatly where the Beats would have been, and the front components were replaced with Alpine R2 6.5 inch, the rears S2 6.5 inch as they are just rear-fill / enlarge the soundstage. I was toying with the amp also in the boot as that’s conveniently where the battery is, but it was easier running cables to the location used instead of 4 pairs head unit to the amp, then 6 pairs all the way back, as I would bi-amping the front components to give level/frequency and time correction of the 4 front speakers individually.
Other things I was worried about – errors and parking tones not working in a modern car. With the base audio, it does record errors in OBD11 for the speakers all being open circuit, but unless you read the codes you don’t notice – no errors reported on the dash and the beeps/bongs all work as they should through the new amplifier. There was going to be a couple solutions had errors shown on the dash:
AudioControl AC-LGD | Pair of Dummy Load Generating Device | Signal Stabiliser
Audison USS4 | Universal Speakers Simulator Interface | Without Power Supply
SPEAKER SIM - Impedance simulator | Focal
Park Distance error after speaker upgrade Mk8 R | OBDeleven
The last time I did car audio must have been 20 years ago, where pulling the door cards off meant broken clips, ripped out the hardboard lining etc, but now clips are way better, everything is pretty solid, no screws unless absolutely necessary, like for the handles, and good quality clips you can take apart multiple times. Pretty much all the plastics and trip from the side/door/sill trims are clips.
Videos and links to help with all this disassembly:
Use English subtitles
https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/media-unit-location.476099/
Formentor insulation and audio upgrade | SEATCUPRA.NET
Cupra Formentor Subwoofer Install (2022 1.5 TSI) No Beats? No Problem
The stock speakers and spacers are all one unit so you have to get alternatives, the fronts are actually 8” so need bringing down a size too. I added a generic 2.2mm Butyl rubber and Ali-foil sound deadening layer to all 4 doors, outer skin, inner skin and to the door card where I could to stop resonances and any rattles, the slight increase in weight also gives a bit more ‘solid’ feel to them too.
The battery terminal has a handy open fuse post (midi AMI style)
Disconnecting ANYTHING related to the airbag even with the car off (seat wiring, passenger airbag key switch) will throw and keep an airbag SRS error light so only disconnect these if you have a tool to reset.
Spacers used for drivers doors: MK5 golf and needed new holes drilling
Spacers for the rear doors are same as Audi Q5 rear doors:
6.5" Speaker Mounts Adapter Spacer Horn Pad Audio Modification Bracket For Audi A4 Q3 Q5 C7 Rear Door - AliExpress 34
I used these foam pads to squish between speaker and door card:
4PCS 4/5/6.5 Inch Car Speaker Sound Insulation Ring Cotton Bass Door Trim Soundproof Auto Interior Accessories Foam Universal - AliExpress 34
These for speaker terminals:
1 Set 2 Hole AC Assembly Auto Tweeter Speaker Electric Wire Socket with Cable For VW Audi 3B0972712 1J0971972 Car Unsealed Plug - AliExpress
Tweeters I home ran new cable – but if you wanted to use stock wiring:
1 Set 2 Pin 4B0971832 / 4B0 971 832 / 4E0 972 575 Door Lamp Socket Interior LED Light Plug Speaker Connector For Audi VW Skoda - AliExpress
Then one of the best things I had never used before wasfabric tape for all the cable looms as they do on stock harness’ it wont turn to a sticky mess like insulation tape and gives a factory feel and will stop any noise tapping or knocking over bumps.
15 Meter Heat-resistant Flame Retardant Tape Coroplast Adhesive Cloth Tape For Car Cable Harness Wiring Loom Protection - AliExpress 13
The head unit is now just a faceless black box but uses VAG groups quadlock for the speakers, I bought an extension, just using the speaker block, cutting the wires in half to solder/heat shrinking the feeds to and back from the amp,
Shop 23cm 52Pin Extension Adapter Cable with Quadlock Connector Radio Wiring Harness A1 A3 A4 A5 A6 - **** Smith
Speaker cable was this 9 core, allowing for one to do the remote turn on, its just on an accessory position fuse so the car has to be on to listen to music, I may change this to signal detect so you can use the radio…. When the radio is on. I was thinking having it power on sooner may not give any errors but I don’t think it matters.
20 FT Feet 9 Multiple Conductor Speed Wire Speaker Cable 18 GA AWG Gauge Trailer : Amazon.com.au: Electronics
This weekends job – tune it, ive brought home an RTA from work so will see what the default curve is, I gave the iphone auto tune a quick go but its tune seemed pretty off.
