7 replies to this topic

[bee200sx]

Hey guys,

I'm planning a SQ setup in my MkV Golf and I thought I would get some advice from you pro's out there on your thoughts and input.

So far I haven't purchased anything yet, i'm currently at the planning stage. Basically I'm after a SQ setup on budget, so no fancy installs just nice equipment that works. I have spoken to my local Audio shop in length and have the following equipment in mind.

First of all being Golf I am limited the Headunit department as i want to retain the factory look so I will be getting the Zenec NC2010 Headunit that fits in the original location. It has RCA outputs, maybe in 4 Volts, not sure though.

Front Stage Speakers:
DLS Gothia 6.3 Three ways or DLS UP36i. Now i'm not sure if there is much of a difference between these two, i have auditioned the UP36i and they sound awesome, so i'm hoping the Gothia will even be better. If anyone has opinions on these it would be much appreciated.

Front Stage Amps:
ARC KS 300.4 or Alpine PDX F6. Both will be bridged into the Front speakers. The reason why i'm after 4 channel at the moment is because I may upgrade to a active setup in the future, it will be easier with a 4 channel. I have also read some good reviews on the Focal fps4.160 but I like the smaller amps so that I can fit them under my seat.


Subwoofer:
IDMax 10 inch in a sealed enclosure. I have pretty much made up my mind on this one. A lot of good reviews.

Subwoofer Amp:
ARC audio KS 1000.1 or Alpine PDX M12. Both will be seeing 2 ohm load so i'm still undecided about this one as the power will be roughly the same. I heard that the ARC amps are underrated so they should be pretty even.

Of course the front doors will be sound deadened.

I mostly listen to R&B and dance music, i know that these aren't the best format for SQ. But I would like good sound quality and imaging that wont be harsh on the ears as I spend a lot of time on the road.

Ok that's enough of me ranting, now to you guys for your input.

Your input is much appreciated guys.

[Damo95]

firstly.. welcome to MEA..


I cant comment on the speakers, but could suggest either Dynaudio or Morel for other speakers to demo if possible..


cant go wrong with the IDMAX 10.. i've got a 12 and it plays all your music well (i listen to dance, a bit of r'n'b and who knows what else)..

for amps.. i'd go the Alpine PDX...
i'm not a fan of the Arc's, but thats just me!

[bee200sx]

Damo95, on 22 February 2011 - 12:03 PM, said:

firstly.. welcome to MEA..


I cant comment on the speakers, but could suggest either Dynaudio or Morel for other speakers to demo if possible..


cant go wrong with the IDMAX 10.. i've got a 12 and it plays all your music well (i listen to dance, a bit of r'n'b and who knows what else)..

for amps.. i'd go the Alpine PDX...
i'm not a fan of the Arc's, but thats just me!

Hey Damo,

Is there any reason why you don't like ARC amps? It's just that it's really hard for me to judge amps given that from one demo board to another they will be used on different speakers. So it's hard to compare. Ideally I would like to try different amps with the same speaker setup but it's very unlikely unless I buy all the different amps.

[Damo95]

No particular reason....

moreso, the look and price of them.. the crossovers on the tops dont do it for me (if you are looking at the mini's) whereas the PDX's hide everything...
The only reason i'd chose the Arc mini over the PDX is that its smaller...

Edited by Damo95, 22 February 2011 - 12:45 PM.

[bee200sx]

Thanks Damo, but i won't be getting the mini's they dont' have as much power and cost more than the normal KS series amps (non-mini) and surprisingly they are not that much bigger.

[Damon]

Sounds to me that for the most part you are on the right track. I'm a fan of the UP series DLS but the Gothia seem like a notable upgrade.

As for the source though? I have a current model Skoda Octavia which shares the same platform (and audio system) as the Golf. I bought a fascia panel that allows a double or single DIN source. There's no reason you cannot do the same. plus note that almost all of those Chinese aftermarket 'no name' source units do NOT have independent subwoofer level control - even if they claim to have a 'subwoofer output'.

[bee200sx]

Thanks Damon I really wanted to hear that about the DLS speakers I think i'm leaning towards the DLS Gothia. Only thing is that I would prefer a 8 inch mid instead of the 6.5, I think i will try to swap the 6.5 for the 8 inch from the U series. The doors on the golf can fit 8 inch mid bass.

I get what you mean about the cheap chinese H/U for the golf and skoda, but the zenec unit is not one of them. It's actually from Germany, not sure if it's made there though. I've read some good reviews, i know it won't be as good as alpine or pioneer in terms of output quality but it pretty much has everything I want. Especially the fact that is looks OEM in the golf's dash and has RCA output which will be better than running off the factory RNS 510 headunit.

[bee200sx]

Okay just to throw another spanner in the works I've done a little research into the Mosconi amps, not a lot of reviews out there about them but they did win the European Amp of the year awards and a few SPL awards. The specs look great and even comparable to the ARC amps and the prices are very comparable as well. Actually comparing the RRP prices I would say they are even cheaper. (Bear in mind this is based on RRP prices).

So does anyone have any experiences with these amps? Especially in the Brisbane area, as I would love to audition them.

Almost forgot to mention, in particular i was referring to the:

Mosconi AS 100.4 to run the DLS Gothia Front stage (310 watts bridged 4 ohm)
Mosconi AS 200.2 to run the IDMax 10 inch. (1000w Bridged 2 ohm)

Edited by bee200sx, 28 February 2011 - 03:13 PM.