Hi All
While I’m not any great audiophile, since purchasing my MK8 I’ve always been disappointed with the standard audio system. I came from a MK7, later fitted with the Helix DSP subwoofer upgrade, and tried to find a plug & play equivalent with no success.
I then found that in the US and Canada there were many great reviews of a centre speaker upgrade, with a company based in Canada offering a modified replacement. The feedback across Facebook and other platforms seemed to be 100% positive, with reports of this single speaker upgrade “bringing the system alive”, “better balancing the overall system”, “providing amazing clarity and crisper sound”, “better vocals”, lifted bass at all levels”, “the missing element to make complete”, etc. Clearer phone calls have also been mentioned.
I just had to try this for myself, so due postage costs and fees/duty, a few months ago I set about designing my own plug and play version. Being a former aircraft engineer I appreciate detail and wanted something truly OEM+ and which could be retrofitted easily. After much research I concluded that the Audison AV 3.0 was the best option (also chosen as the better of two versions offered by the Canada supplier) to integrate with both the standard and HK systems (while I’ve not tried this with HK, feedback suggests a noticeable improvement). The Audison speaker uses an inverted cotton fibre cone, has significantly more power and is an upgrade in all respects while maintaining the same impedance, which is important.
I therefore cut the original speaker about to create a template for an adapter plate, and had someone 3D print them, which was then riveted to the replacement speaker, picking up on the original dashboard mounting holes. Moving to the wiring, I wanted OEM quality, so created a conversion lead using new quality connectors and pins. The harness is plug and play.
To say I’m pleased with the outcome would be an understatement. It’s hard to believe that this one speaker replacement can make such a difference, even at low volume levels. I have to agree with the feedback above. I recently compared my version with the one from Canada and I am very pleased with what I have produced. This is a true plug and play modification, and the best quality and most compatible solution to blend with the OEM set ups. No change to the existing loom necessary and swapped back in minutes. After a few months I refitted the OEM speaker to take the photos for a fitting guide, and what a difference - I’d clearly got used to the improved setup!
I’ve since upgraded my door speakers and tweeters to Focal, and the centre speaker is still easily holding its own even with this set up.
Anyway, just wanted to share my project. Far from the cheapest mid speaker available, but I wanted a proven brand and after experimenting with two different cheaper speakers first, I decided that the Audison easily provided the best improvement and therefore worth the extra. There does not appear to be any off the shelf plug and play solutions available in the UK.
After checking with the Moderator, they are happy for me to make these up for forum members. They would be £143.00 plus £6.65 postage (Royal Mail Signed and Insured) if anyone is interested (I have a batch of 6 ready to go). As it worked well with the dongle loan, PayPal Friends & Family (or payment of fees), bank transfer or cash on collection please - Bromley). If I need to make up any more, it’ll be slightly more expensive. Many members will know me from the Helix thread – I’ve been a forum member for many years and assisted with Helix installations and loaning out the programming dongle. Never any issues as I’ve even made a few friends as a result!
Fitting involves lifting out the grill (trim tool works well just clips hold in place), removing 3 x T20 speaker mounting screws, disconnecting the electrical connector, and fitting the replacement. Despite it being straight forward, I’ll provide a fitting guide with photos. No dash errors or issues.
Any questions please ask. Here are some photos.
Cheers.
