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View Full Version : Polo GTI 9N Stealth Audio Upgrade Guide / Stealth Amp



flat6
30-10-2012, 09:45 PM
Finally got around to uploading my experience with this in the Polo, its one tight car to get a completely invisible sound system into.

The objective was to improve the overall experience of the system and actually have something that sounds like my setup at home and do it for under $1400

After months of research I decided to get 2 sets of Hertz HSK 165's and amp them with an alpine pdx-v9 amp, mount and install the whole thing keeping the factory look

Picked up the Hertz off ebay for $139, real deal, went to autobarn and had a look at their $499 pair, no difference what so ever in packaging, speaker build quality and materials used.
http://imageshack.us/a/img843/1927/dsc02593uo.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img560/5583/dsc02595c.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img441/5223/dsc02599e.jpg

As for sound deadening and hours of research I decided to go for car builders sound deadener, they are a local Melbourne supplier for an imitation dynamat substance that i cant imagine to be any different, ordered it online and received it exactly as i was removing the door panels, pretty decent, light weight and easy to apply.
Sound Deadener - Car Builders - Sound Deadener Heat Insulation Car heat Shields (http://www.carbuilders.com.au/)

Covered most of whole outer section of the door panels
http://imageshack.us/a/img853/7678/dsc02627b.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img152/1329/dsc02631s.jpg

This part was fun, running the wire through the door required drilling a 16awg gap through the door terminals and running it through the rubber.. little time consuming but works quite well.
pre-drilling, i used the upper plug for my choice of hole
http://imageshack.us/a/img846/1933/img3936f.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img29/2972/img3937w.jpg

Removing the rear quarter panel you find amazing speaker boxes, at first i thought about building a sealed section in this compartment and putting 2x 6 or 8" subs, would be great but its a fair bit of effort

http://imageshack.us/a/img528/6250/dsc02619s.jpg

Driving without the rear panels on i realized that nearly all the road noise in the car comes from the rear wheel well,
http://imageshack.us/a/img22/8673/dsc02610g.jpg

removed the black panels and applied a heavy duty rubber seal to them, pick it up at bunnings for $12, plenty thick to prevent any rattles from the extra vibration.
http://imageshack.us/a/img690/2962/dsc02616e.jpg

Mounted with the rubber seal provided, had to do a little modifying to make it fit but it does the job perfectly
http://imageshack.us/a/img805/1271/dsc02601c.jpg

Applied a little econo seal to the bottom of the crossovers and screwed them to the black plate, always test the sharpness of the tweeters before applying the panel to save the headache of removing it a second time to adjust the
http://imageshack.us/a/img163/4827/dsc02613k.jpg

The single hardest part about this install was the front tweeters, god dam what a nightmare!

Firstly to get the bastard of an A-piller off you need to work around the Airbag strap to the panel, if you get this bastard out twice without breaking one I salute you, remember to remove the screw by removing the airbag logo clip off the A pillar and removing the screw before unclipping the panel..
http://imageshack.us/a/img17/1389/img3940n.jpg

Single most important piece of advice i can offer, test your tweets before mounting them, I had the unfortunate luck of dealing with tweeters that were absolutely ear piercing at high volume in the stock mounting position, I needed to actually raise them on one side to point them downwards to the dash, after doing this the difference was amazing, its actually really comfortable to listen to now

Simply sat them in the stock mount and listened to it with a few sharp songs like titanium, this will destroy your ears btw
http://imageshack.us/a/img255/69/img4031f.jpg

Now as to mount the Amp in a totally stealth spot, I had thought about putting it in the boot but decided to go with the hardest option possible and mount this under the glove box

This decision has many benefits including very short RCA's and speaker wire, a lot less interferance

To devise a bracket that would be strong and small enough to mount in such a tight spot took a few weeks of thought, came up with using a 1m long aluminum off cut and forming it into the mounting shape then drilling it into the chassis using a couple self tapper screw, to my surprise it actually worked quite well and it barely even moves when driving, amp weighs about 2.5kg.

http://imageshack.us/a/img94/1134/img3962fv.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img27/517/dsc02625li.jpg

Amp is also completely invisible from outside, the carpet is the most you see from the passenger seat.
http://imageshack.us/a/img844/799/img3976w.jpg

Picked up the PDX-9 for about $450, retail for about a $800 and currently just running a cheapie clarion 12"

Hope this helps anyone else who suddeny has the itch to torture themselves for 2 weeks straight installing an absolutely amazing system

To be honest i was disappointed at first but after a week or two of burn-in, the speakers have settled in nicely and sound simply awesome, HSK's rock

Stay tuned for my new subwoofer install, im designing a down firing low profile sub that will be stealth mounted in the boot, be light weight and removable, still trying to decide on alpine or hertz for the brand but im thinking the type r will do nicely.

Pat

Masker
30-10-2012, 11:07 PM
Hertz HSK 165's

More info on the official website
hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm

Hope that is a helpful extra to move the thread on to attract more interest and posts.

kaanage
31-10-2012, 05:53 AM
When I pick up my Ultra Racing braces, I'd love to compare the sound from our 2 different approaches to ICE for the Polo.

flat6
31-10-2012, 06:34 AM
Looking forward to getting that brace, believe they arrive this Friday, feels like its been forever!

Wished more people did these sort of audio upgrades now days, should be good to compare :)

nightphotographer
31-10-2012, 07:48 AM
WOW! I really want to spend a heap of money on my stock sound system now! Ahhhh need more monies :(

kaanage
31-10-2012, 08:11 AM
I've actually spent relatively little and I'm very happy with the result (even vs my full on component system with floorstanders at home) which is why I want to hear how flat6's sounds with the driver upgrades. Allegiance did all this in his 6R and, IMNSHO, it didn't sound as good as my system.

Allegiance
31-10-2012, 08:40 AM
Got a link for the eBay HSKs? I've had a set of those before and liked them.

flat6
31-10-2012, 10:55 AM
These are the speakers, you can make an offer of $139 and still get them :)
eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/190478829223?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)

Kaanage, yep the stock system is pretty awesome and very comfortable to listen to, but once you compare it with this you see where it lacks in clarity, warmth and sound stage

Unfortunately its rather difficult to tame a loud audio system in such a small car thus you get the idea that it doesn't sound as good at first, it took about 2 weeks of tuning the amp to nail it perfectly with crossovers and gain, quite trivial unfortunately.

kaanage
31-10-2012, 11:01 AM
That's why I want to compare - to see how much there is to be gained.

Allegiance
31-10-2012, 11:12 AM
FYI:

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1684603

HERTZ HSK-165 - Page 5 - Beginners Discussion - Forums - Mobile Electronics AU - Page 5 (http://www.mobileelectronics.com.au/forums/index.php/topic/562552-hertz-hsk-165/page__st__60)

flat6
31-10-2012, 12:01 PM
Haha allegiance, read through all that, most are talking about the original HSK 165s which were fake, the new series are the real deal, you'll notice most users who purchased them couldn't tell the difference apart from different components in the crossover, yet are still the same components ect.. you see this a lot in all electronics.

They are genuine hertz one way or another, either factory seconds ect... but for $130 you really cant go wrong and they sound better than most of the crap you pickup for that price at jb :)

flat6
10-01-2013, 09:03 PM
A few months passed and I learned a hell of a lot

Had an Eonon head unit that was driving me mad, It had all the features, gps, usb, Bluetooth, ect.. only problem was I didn't realize how crap the sound quality actually was until I replaced it with a Kenwood DPX-U6120, what a difference, this thing single headedly improved the whole setup and it looks great, keeps the interior more focussed
http://imageshack.us/a/img853/2220/img4436t.jpg

Picked up the Din Ring from JB Hifi for $30, simple universal mount, the unit actually mounts and screws into it

Replaced The Hertz Fronts to Morel Virtus 602's, these things are insanely good, the mid bass and soft clarity is their strong point where the hertz tend to be a lot more sensitive to highs.

http://imageshack.us/a/img42/7861/dsc02896rh.jpg

The hertz didn't like running lower than 80htz on the high pass but the morels will happily run at full pass and sound amazing no matter what music you listen to, hell for $430 compared to $130 thats what you expect, left the hertz in the rear running on band pass for rear fill which worked out great.

http://imageshack.us/a/img845/2923/dsc02894li.jpg

Installed a Rear Reflex Plate, guy tried charging me $50 for a pair then ended up just throwing them in, are they worth it, couldn't really say, They may improve mid bass a fraction and everyone raves about them, all i can say is the system sounds great...

http://imageshack.us/a/img585/6828/dsc02891y.jpg

The Tweeters on the Virtus are the smoothest ive ever seen, even with the crappy head unit the highs were not ear piercing as experienced with the hertz HT25's

http://imageshack.us/a/img217/4413/dsc02911oa.jpg

Over the course of a few weekends I decided to custom build a sub box into the cervature of the rear seats to maximize boot space, decided against down firing as it just wasnt optimal for the space I had

Have to say building your own if you don't have the tools is way more expensive but a great way to figure out what tools you aint got, yet Aldi have some great value on cheapie tools, they do the job well and haven't let me down yet.

Cut, measured and sealed the box, total inside box size is 28.9 litres sealed, about 4L larger than the manufacturer recommends, bigger box = deeper bass
http://imageshack.us/a/img145/9215/img4197d.jpg
YouTube'd a few videos about box carpeting, the half moon trick is where the moneys at, this video is a life saver
Carpet a speaker box - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHKOtUPKwME)

The final product is amazing, perfectly seamed box, looks better than a bought one with thick quality carpet
http://imageshack.us/a/img40/646/img4222r.jpg


Filled the Interior with some thick Dacron, you can pick this stuff up at any linnen store.

Chose the Polk Audio MM1240dvc for 2 reasons
At 425w RMS its perfectly matched to the Alpine PDX-V9 and its one of the smallest 12"s available that doesn't fall into the compact sub category, its still a full sized sub with a mounting depth of about 14cm
I have it wired to 2 ohms, on the PDX-V9 it makes no difference so wire it as low as you can.
http://imageshack.us/a/img28/8281/img4225gw.jpg


Final Product, strapped it to the back seats with a short strap from autobarn, doesn't move an inch
http://imageshack.us/a/img809/2889/dsc03024mc.jpg
Even with this thing in the back I can still load a trolley full of shopping into the back, box total was 28.9 litres


Conclusion

Over all this system cost me about $1400, and probably $600 in tools, I needed a tool shed anyway haha

How does it sound?

After a few weeks of getting it tuned right it is very satisfying, haven't touched it in over a month and am very happy with the end result

Midbass is insane, the Morels perform delightfully and the hertz play rear fill nicely

All up its a complete sound and with this guide can be had for under $1200

noone
11-01-2013, 07:45 AM
Nice work. WI hope you're not inspiring me to spend more money on my toy...

flat6
11-01-2013, 09:39 PM
Yeh it can get quite expensive if you let it, even though it was quite a tiresome job, its quite satisfying in the end, once you've done it once, the same principal applies to any car..

The car builders sound deadened worked out quite well, it stops a lot of the resonance you get from the sub, you don't realize how much **** rattles until you hit the cabin with bass!

Ended up using the rest on the boot, the 12 sheet box was plenty for the polo

One thing you'll notice is a rattle in the rear bumper, there's a cabin pressure vent that rattles like mad, I used a bit of deadener to keep the vent open a few mm which sorted it out.

flat6
26-08-2013, 07:48 AM
Quick update this

When it comes to setting the gains on the amp, use test tones, you'll get a more accurate result every time
Realm of Excursion (http://www.realmofexcursion.com/downloads.htm)

Using 40htz, 70htz, and 100htz, start at 100, with the volume on the loudest you'd listen to it, turn the gain up until the humm turns into a buzz, then back it off a bit, actually found having the gain too low was the cause of the sharpness in the tweeters, strange huh.