Added Subwoofer to my Mk7.5 Golf R

[frostywinter]

Just thought I would post my experience of adding a subwoofer to my new Golf R mk 7.5 Golf in case it helps others wanting to do the same/similar.

I love my new Golf R but I wanted some more bass and the wait to get a Wolfsburg R and the extra $ the dealers wanted for one to get the Dyna Audio IMO was not worth the wait or the cost.

So I added a separate amp and sub myself.

Here is what I purchased for the install:

Pioneer GM-D8601 (600watt single chan)
Focal SBP30 12" 600watt Bass Enclosure
Aerpro APHL2 2 chan line output converter
Aerpro 4AWG 650Watt wiring kit
Add A fuse
VW Radio removal keys


So first job and one of the hardest I thought was getting the 4AWG + power cord direct from the battery to the back of the hatch area - we disconnected and removed the battery first up and found a small boot/grommet directly behind and below where the battery is located and cut a slot in it and managed to get the 4AWG cable through into inside the car and after much work of removing various parts of the trim got this wire into the back of the car running it down the passenger side of the car.

Next job was to tap into the speaker wires coming out of the cars radio - the radio for those that dont know is the unit in the glove box (the unit that has the CD drive slot and SD card slots in it) I purchased a universal radio removal kit from my local auto store that had the right VW Golf removal keys in it that let me remove the head unit - using a guide I found online (attached) I tapped into the the rear right and left speaker wires with some speaker cable which I also ran down to the rear of the car.
Another wire that is needed from the front of the car is the remote on 12V+ - I used an "Add A Fuse" to tap into fuse number 40 for this - you can get easy access to this fuse from the fuse box that is located behind the glove box - this fuse is the one used for the cigarette lighter and tells the amp when to come on - e.g. once accessories/ignition is turned on - you need to drop the glove box down by pushing very hard on the 2 lugs one either side of the opened glove box and it drops down giving access to the cars internal fuse panel.
With this wire now also now in the back area of the car there was one more cable to do from the front to back or back to front and that is the Pioneer Base control cable which has a small box on the end of it with a bass adjustment knob - I just routed this cable so as this knob is just in the glove box for easy adjustment of the bass level of the amp.

So now with all these wires/cables now in the back of the hatch area (I lifted the rear seat a little to let me get them all under the seat) I can work on the amp placement and wiring needed back there.

This all takes place under the lift up rear hatch floor panel.

Luckily the Pioneer amp fits nicely in the back left hand corner of the hatch, I just needed to trim about 100mm off the foam used to hold the spare wheel removal jack which is easily done with a sharp knife. you can see this in one of the attached pics. I had to make another spot for the wheel locking nut and some spring thing in another part of the foam for those 2 bits but no dramas doing that. The amp then then fits nice and snug in that corner and wont move around as the foam and spare wheel stop it from moving anywhere.
For the earth cable I actually drilled a small hole in the rear right corner of the floor pan and screwed a large screw into this hole with the 4AWG earth cable which you cant see in any of my pics.

Now to find a spot for the APHL2 line output converter - this is where the speaker wires tapped into the front head unit need to go to - as you can see from my pics there in a nice little spot for it to live in the spare wheel jack foam on the right hand side - I just cut a smallish hole into the foam in that spot and ran all the needed wires for the line converter underneath and up into this spot. With the RCA wires needed in place going back to the amp and power for the line converter (which I just got from the 12v+ 4AWG wire at the amp) and placed all the wires in place and taped them up with that grey automotive cloth tape to give it that OEM look...

With everything in place when opening the rear hatch floor panel you dont see much of the wiring anyhow as all the wires are placed under the foam of the rear wheel tool kit so looks nice and clean. and of course with the rear hatch floor panel closed you dont see any of it at all.

The Focal SBP30 box is pretty big but still fits nicely under the rear hatch panel (the one thats stops anyone looking through the window so see what you have in the hatch area) I cant also still use the larger driver side drop down seat if I need to use that. I have not actually mounted the Sub box to the floor in any way as it is nicely wedged into it spot but is easy to remove if I want some extra hatch space, which I rarely do.

So how does it sound...

Fantastic - the bass levels are now massive and the cars normal speakers now sound so much better since they dont have to do the bass work and having the bass control knob for the Pioneer amp in the glove box is easy to adjust if more less bass in needed. All this for around $550 - much cheaper than a Wolfsburg and no waiting, in fact I think it sounds better than a Dyna Audio equiped Golf Mk 7.5 which I have tried out at a dealer.

Bunch of photos below showing the various stages of the install.

Hope this helps anyone out thinking of doing something similar.

Frosty

[ozmale]

Frosty,

Thanks heaps for the Sub DIY. My 7.5 R arrives in Feb and this is one of the first mods I want to do. Basically be transferring my sub unit from my current MY11 "R".

I am a little curious about the VW radio removal tools, but I guess it will become obvious when I actually have my car in my hands to look at.
It appears my "R" is the same as yours. Blue, 6 sp.

Chris

[AndrewEsno]

Sooooo I have a mk7.5 Highline with Dynaudio system and have come across a problem

I don’t have those speaker outs, instead I have a fibre optic cable for the amp 🤦🏻*♂️

Is there a way around this to install another amp for a sub?

[frostywinter]

Sorry cant help you there...
Someone else might be able to given time..

Frosty

[AndrewEsno]

Sooooo I have a mk7.5 Highline with Dynaudio system and have come across a problem

I don’t have those speaker outs, instead I have a fibre optic cable for the amp 🤦🏻*♂️

Is there a way around this to install another amp for a sub?

This is the problem im having, Below is the pictures of my unit, i dont have the speaker out plug.



Would the stock speaker outs still have signal?
Would i be able to get a harness and still use them or have to find the cbales coming out of the stock amp?

[ozmale]

This is the problem im having, Below is the pictures of my unit, i dont have the speaker out plug.



Would the stock speaker outs still have signal?
Would i be able to get a harness and still use them or have to find the cbales coming out of the stock amp?

At worst you can simply connect directly to the wires on the back of the rear speakers. But at some point you amp must have speaker out somewhere on the back of your dynaudio amp.

[AndrewEsno]

At worst you can simply connect directly to the wires on the back of the rear speakers. But at some point you amp must have speaker out somewhere on the back of your dynaudio amp.

Yea that’s my next plan I juts need to find a wiring diagram of the amp and what wires are which

[glee]

well done!

[Nayz]

Nice write up mate.
I'm in the process of a similar install on my wife's EOS and am installing an LC7i.