R36 Dynaudio Retrofit Guide

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The following are the steps I took to replace the front door speakers in my R36 with the Dynaudio equivalents as part of an overall Dynaudio Retrofit

This worked plug and play for me. Absolutely no promises it'll also work for you.

Installation is identical for both front doors, other than being mirror images of each other.


Original Parts: (Blaupunkt)

Front Tweeters - 3C0 035 411 - 5 Ω, approx ?1.1 inch, ??W
Front Bass+Mid - 3C0 035 454 A - 2Ω (both wired to 4 pin plug), Bass: approx 7 inch/??W, Mid: approx 3.25 inch/??W

(Blaupunkt on the bottom)
(Blaupunkt on the right)


Dynaudio Parts:

Front Tweeters - 3C0 035 411 D (81310) - 6 Ω, approx ?2 inch, ??W
Front Bass+Mid - 3C0 035 454 B (85771/T85770) - 8Ω (both wired to 4 pin plug), Bass: approx 7 inch/??W, Mid: approx 3.25 inch/??W




Note: I'm currently investigating whether the speakers can be sourced from other VW models in the 10-speaker, 600W Dynaudio "Confidence" range (Eos, Passat, Passat CC, Touareg and Multivan). The VW part numbers vary between models, but there appear to be similarities in the size, impedance and ?Dynaudio? part numbers (eg. T85770 on the front Bass drivers) . The Passat system at least is supposed to be specifically tuned for that model, which I would expect to be done in the DSP (where tuning is usually done) and not the speakers (?? somehow). I'll post any conclusion back here - any help is appreciated (including photos of labels showing part numbers).

[nermal]

Front door trim removal is very similar to the rear door trim removal, except for the driver's side door (detailed below), the number of wiring connectors to unplug, and there being two T20 Torx screws on the bottom of the trim on each door (pictured below).



Tip: If you happen to snap off any Christmas-tree clips, they can be re-attached using a smothering of epoxy resin (ie. Araldite) - I only broke two during the whole install, which is good for me (thanks to the plastic door trim removal tool)

Steps:

The driver and passenger doors have different handle structures and therefore require slightly different steps to remove. Otherwise trim removal for each door is very similar to the rear doors.

Driver-side Door Trim Removal:

1. Using the door trim removal tool, gently remove the driver-side door control unit (with electric windows, mirrors etc).
2. Unplug the master electric window switch and the electric mirror switches and put the control unit aside.


Apologies for photo quality, by this stage in the project I was racing against (dinner) time and taking less photos to choose from.

3. Remove 3x T30 Torx screws in the handle.



4. Remove 2x T20 Torx screws in the bottom of the door (pictured below). I nearly missed the second one - seems I learnt from the first door.



5. Gently pry the trim off the door frame (using trim removal tool that has the hammer-like claw). Locate the Christmas tree clips as pictured in the photo below and use the claw tool to unlatch these - push it between the two parts of the clip and it will easily disengage. There is one really tricky clip, around 1/4 the way from the top, under the tweeter - it's a far way in and inside a cavity in the door frame... I broke this one on both doors (all other clips remained intact). do not pull the trim from the frame yet, it is still attached by wires/cables
6. You may need to gently lift the trim to disengage it from the window ?clip - do not pull the trim from the frame yet, it is still attached by wires/cables



7. Whilst juggling the door frame (less profanities required on this door), unclip the control unit plug (on the door frame itself) by opening the pink lever. There is no tweeter plug to remove on this trim.
8. Unclip the door lever cable by first unhooking the cable from the latch. I discovered it was much easier to unclip the hook while lifting the door lever (ie. 'opening the door'). Once it is unhooked, there is a plastic clip to unclip. The cable should then easily come off.
9. The door trim should now come off (be gently in case it's still attached somewhere). Put it aside on a soft surface (like in your trunk/boot) - once again, not on concrete/pavers like I did with the first door

Passenger-side Door Trim Removal

The passenger side door trim removal procedure is identical to the driver-side, except for the handle design (which is the same as the rear doors), and for the need to unclip the power window plug rather than the two control unit plugs (mirrors & master window controls).

BTW - I found on this door it was easier to unplug the electric window before unclipping the trim.

It also has the tricky Christmas-tree clip that I managed to break even though I knew to look for it

Here's a photo of the handle with the cover removed:

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You will need:

- Drill with 4.5mm or 5 mm bit (confirm this yourself before you start drilling - don't trust my memory). You may blunted a couple of these by the time you do 4 doors.
- Vacuum cleaner for catching nasty, speaker-destroying metal shavings (don't tell my wife that I used her Dyson ... even if the shavings don't make it past any of the filters and pose no harm to the vacuum anyway)
- Two rags, one for applying Prepsol, one for removing it - "Presol on, Prepsol off"
- T20 (Torx) screwdriver
- Two small flat-head screwdrivers, or something else to gently pry clips with
- Patience

NOTE: Keep in mind that metal shavings are (literally) attracted to the magnetism of the speakers and can destroy surrounds, soft domes and short-circuit/burn-out voice coils (if they get in there).

Steps

Bass + Mid Speaker Removal

Bass + Mid speaker removal is the same as the rear doors, except for un-clipping the wires from the surround and there are 8 rivets vs 4 in the rear doors (twice the fun).

1. Un-clip the speaker wire that is attached to the side of the surround as pictured below. I bent the inside of the clips a little using this method, but they were fine going back on.



2. Unplug the bass driver and place the wire out of the way.
3. Test-fit the Dynaudio speaker plug. If it fits - Plug and Play! (if not, mutter profanities and work out how to solder it on)



4. Using a Drill and Vacuum cleaner, drill the heads off the 4 pop-rivets that are fixing the bass driver to the door. As shown below, hold the vacuum underneath the drill to catch the shavings as they fall (I'm holding drill+vacuum in one hand and my phone in the other in this example, so it's a little inaccurate).



3. Gently lever the speaker from the door.
4. Drill out the remainder of the pop-rivets.

TIP: If any metal shavings make their way onto your shiny new (err 2nd-hand) Dynaudio speakers, these can be removed using something sticky - eg. sticky tape, Dynamat etc. Just be careful not to damage the speaker - especially the mids, that love to accumulate shavings on their sticky coating. Tweezers also work well to remove larger shavings.

Unfortunately in my case, the person removing the Dynaudios from the donor car didn't seem to use the vacuum cleaner trick, so I had to spend some time removing metal shavings before they were ready to install.


Tweeter Removal

Tweeter removal is different to the rear doors. On the plus side, I found it much easier.

5. Unplug the tweeter wire. The tweeter wire is coiled around the electric mirror wire (this is usually done to reduce induction noise from the other wire). You do not have to unplug the electric mirror, in fact it is better if you don't.
6. Line up the white clips in their slots so they come out easier (bottom of the tweeter enclosure)
7. Using a trim removal tool, gently pry the tweeter, starting from the window side. Fingers also work well with this one.



8. Uncoil tweeter wire and remove tweeter.
9. Remove the round ?silicon plug from the tweeter enclosure (pictured below near the peak of the tweeter with 'teeth'). Push this back into the door frame (covers the Torx screw). This will make it easier to re-install the tweeter later.



10. If any of the white clips have come out of the tweeter enclosure, remove them from the door and put them back in the tweeter. Once again, makes re-installation easier.

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You will need:

- T20 (Torx) screwdriver
- Pop-rivets + gun, or screws or something else to fix bass drivers to door.
- Dynamat and DynaXorb pads + Superglue (optional)

I used 4.8mm x 10mm pop-rivets, they sit loose in the hole but become very firm on tightening. I chose pop-rivets over screws as they do not have sharp pointy ends or the potential to come loose inside the door sometime in the future. They are also the factory option and hold the drivers firmly onto the door frame.

I also opted to try out some DynaXorb deflector pads behind the bass speakers. Unfortunately I can only compare against the standard speakers and between the Dynamat and DynaXorb, the door is very dead/solid and bass is very firm and controlled. My conclusion is that the deflector pads certainly haven't hurt and my gut feeling is that they offer an improvement.

Steps

Install Dynamat and DynaXorb pad behind bass speaker (optional)

1. Install a piece of Dynamat onto the door skin behind the bass driver, being careful to avoid any structures that may inhibit things like windows from working properly. This will provide a smooth surface for the DynaXorb deflector pad to affix to.
3. Test-fit/align DynaXorb pad to ensure it fits and you know where to install for it to be directly behind the middle of the bass driver. If found it good to line up the four screw holes with the corners of the pad.
4. Using supplied superglue (or your own if the supplied glue has solidified, as in my case), draw an 'X' on the back (non-rippled) side of the pad and then a box around the outside of the pad. I also put a dot in each 'triangle'.
5. Re-align DynaXorb pad and firmly affix to Dynamat. Push firmly for at least 30 seconds until the super glue has set.
6. I opted to put an additional (small) piece of Dynamat on the top and bottom edges of the pad to help hold it in there - acting like a 'claw' to hold a few millimeters of the edge in place. For some reason I was picturing the pad falling off later down the track. (not shown in the photo below)




Install Bass + Mid

7. Position Dynaudio bass driver onto door frame.
8. Affix using your choice of fastener (pop-rivet, screw etc). If using pop-rivets, be careful how much pressure you are applying - I accidentally put a couple of minor cracks in the surround by trying to create too much pressure on the first couple (or maybe the pop-rivets were too big?), nothing that would impact sound or structure, just a detail worth noting.
9. Plug bass driver into door wiring - Plug and Play! (or soldering)
10. Clip the speaker wire into the square slots in the new surround


(Hurray!)


Install Tweeter

11. Ensure the white clips are all in the tweeter surround and the 'toothed' ?silicon plug is in the door frame.
12. Coil tweeter wire around electric mirror wire. In my case, I found it was best to use 1 less coil in order to be able to plug it in and have enough slack left to re-install the tweeter.
13. Plug Dynaudio tweeter into door - Plug and Play! (if not, cutting/soldering/pain ahead =S)
14. Starting from the left, line up the tweeter surround with the door frame, 'roll' the plastic ?tub/post into the 'toothed' ?silicon plug and push into place. The plastic clips should all go in easily. If not, remove and try again - making sure the white clips are aligned correctly.
15. Gently push tweeter against frame to ensure it is seated properly - otherwise remove and try again.

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This step is optional, but highly recommended. Sound Deadening improves sound quality and reduces noise/interference.

Front door sound deadening is virtually identical to rear door sound deadening - the details are copied inline below.

You will need:

- Dynamat or similar sound-deadening material. I used 1 sheet per door and applied it fairly heavily - YMMV
- Dynamat, Fibreglass or Paint roller. A professional installer told me that he uses a fibreglass roller as it's just as good, if not better than a Dynamat roller, but costs less. I couldn't find either and went with a small (unused) paint roller I had laying around.
- Scissors and/or knife

Recommended:

- Cardboard sheet. Used to cut on, The Dynamat bulk pack comes with one that the sheets are folded in.
- Gloves or Band-aids. I opted the the latter. The Dynamat has an aluminum film that isn't sharp like tin, but will give nasty paper-cuts if you're not careful.
- Time. I found this part to be most time-consuming.

Note: be careful not to apply too thick a layer of Dynamat to the door frame, or you may have trouble getting the trim to sit flush against the door. Avoid putting Dynamat on the door shell like I have in the photo below (blue part), as this also makes it hard to get the trim to sit flush and you'll have to remove the trim again to cut away the excess


Steps:

1. Roll out the Dynamat sheeting on a flat surface. Ideally, you would have done this earlier to give it time to flatten out.

Attachment 9326

Applying one piece of Dynamat at a time.
I found it easiest and most effective to apply the Dynamat in small pieces, rather than trying to apply one large piece covering the whole door (like I tried on the first door, that is pictured below). I've heard that it's better to use large pieces for sound quality, but overlapping multitple layers is also good:

2. Cut the Dynamat into a shape that will fit a section of the door. Cut away any Dynamat that will cover door mechanics, wiring etc (do not cover over the wiring and components). Test fit the piece, re-cut, test-fit, re-cut - repeat until it is a good fit, or your piece of dynamat becomes too small to use. Overlapping the pieces are good, just remember you'll need to fit the trim back on, so don't make it too thick. Note: Do not cover the Christmas-tree clip holes or screw holes (though screw holes are quite forgiving)
3. Peel back the paper covering to expose the adhesive coating.
4. Carefully align piece into place and affix from one side/corner (like a registration sticker). Try to push it into the cavities as you go along - this will help prevent tearing when you roll it out.
5. Gently smooth out the piece with your fingers before applying firm pressure with the roller. Ensure that the entire piece makes contact to the surface of the door frame. The Aluminum film will stretch to a certain point before tearing - this is ok, just apply another piece (patch) on top of the tear.

Check the sound-deadening

6. Gently tap on parts of the door frame to ensure they are 'dead'. If you hear a 'thudding' sound, that is good. Otherwise, you may need to apply another piece to achieve the right 'thud' - overlapping is good (as long as you can still get the trim back on).

Here's what my finished door looks like:


By the 3rd door, I was getting the hang of Dynamatting. Though on the fourth door I got cocky and sliced my finger (Aluminum film paper-cut)

UPDATE: I later found it was also worthwhile to put a couple pieces of dynamat on the inside of the door trim also (had one rattle on the driver door that was easy to get rid off). Just use the tap/add/tap/add method, and once again avoid the mechanics and electronics in the door trim.

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Front trim replacement is virtually identical to rear trim replacement with small variations on plugs that need re-connection - the details are copied inline below.

Steps:

1. Make sure all the Christmas-tree clips are open and in the door trim (not in the door frame, or on the ground). If any are closed, use the door trim removal tool that has a fork (like on a hammer) and pop them open. If any have broken off the trim, epoxy resin (Araldite) is good for gluing then back on.
2. Connect the wiring and door handle cable back to the door trim
3. Line up the window ?channel/seal and sit the trim in the ?channel/seal. the trim should sit snug up against the window with a small gap.
4. Apply gentle pressure to push the trim into the ?channel/seal.. I gave it a couple gentle palm thumps once I knew it was aligned.
5. Apply gentle pressure to clip the Christmas tree clips back into place.
6. Check for gaps along the edges of the trim. A small gap is ok, but if the trim is buldging out or Dynamat is clearly visible, I recommend removing the trim and removing excess Dynamat and/or opening/fixing Christmas-tree clips until you get a good fit (it's better to do this now).
7. Replace and tighten T30 Torx screws into handle.
8. Replace and tighten T20 Torx screw into bottom of door.
9. Replace handle cover.

Testing:
Note: you may be placing unbalanced load on your amplifier by having unbalanced impedance while using a mixture of Blaupunkt and Dynaudio speakers. It worked out ok for me, but you have been warned.

10. Turn on your head unit and make sure the volume is off, or at the lowest setting.
11. Adjust the balance fader all the way into the corner that the speaker has been installed to.

Attachment 9557
Testing the driver seat speakers

11. Slowly increase the volume until you are satisfied that the Dynaudio components are working as expected. I simply put my ear up against each speaker to ensure they worked (at low volume).
12. Celebrate! The install is (functionally) complete and you can now think about re-coding, door trim labels and subwoofas =)
- (or facepalm if you don't get good sound - time to pull the trim back off and troubleshoot).

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In order to bring up the "Sound By Dynaudio..." splashscreen (pictured below), you need to use VCDS to recode the sound system.



Booba kindly did the coding for me. Once I find a reference to (or remember) the code numbering, I'll post details here.

There were also a couple of options around active speaker monitoring that we didn't enable - does anyone know what this does and if it provides any improvement?

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I'm currently considering options for the chrome Dynaudio labels that were on the speaker grills.

You can buy the plastic grills online, but they need to be melted in =S ..

The other (more expensive) option is to replace the door trims - these are available on ebay.de, with some options containing integrated window shades. Unfortunately, German cars are LHD, so the front trims would be back to front (and potentially a different style).

[kamold]

Thanks for the writeup nermal.
I'm looking to do this upgrade soon, have parts inbound will need to see how I go as far as plug n pray is concerned.
Parts from a Mk6 Golf wreck so could be a bit of a lottery.

Will look to get some of these grills to complete the look once I get around to it:
Dynaudio audio speaker cover interior decoration cover For VW Passat B7 CC R36-in Stickers from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

[nermal]

No problem kamold, I hope it works out for you.

Those door grills look good, got me thinking again - let me know how you go.