[Padcot Prakash]

As many would know, the current year production Vento comes with RCD 320. Overall its a good HU but lacks in some aspects.

Pros:

+ Can connect CD/SD/AUX/USB. Thats pretty much everything here.
+ BT Connectivity plays Music , Calls and also supports Voice navigation through phone apps. (Though BT phone functionality is limited to taking/ending calls, last no. redial )
+ The fit and finish is good and with OE looks. A major plus IMO.
+ Integrated BT phone connectivity is really worth it and in contrary to experiences of certain BHPians' , my car's BT connects and performs flawlessly. Music and Navigation through phone also is clear and works fine.

Cons:

- The Audio playback quality though acceptable ( for stock HU+ Speakers ) but is certainly below average. I don't find much of difference in output quality when adjusted to different ranges. Bass sucks. so does midrange and treble. They are not well differentiated. I do not know if it is the speakers or the HU ??

- Navigation is a must for me. For now , my phone's navigation is doing the duty. earlier i had an vx140 from MMI which got stolen during service from an earlier car. Since then have been using phone based navigations.

- I think the present generation after market HU are doing a better job in audio files management, mainly because of being touch screen it is easier to shift between folders and albums and songs. Pls. correct if Im wrong. This is lacking in RCD320 and its cumbersome and distracts attention during driving.

Im more keen on the RCD 510 , primarily because of the OE fit and finish and being larger touch screen.

But here the problem is with the BT connectivity. I do not like the idea of adding an BT module and I like the integrated one the RCD 320 offers. I think standalone BT such as 9w2 or 9w7 can be pretty expensive and need to visit premium charging guys like Vagtune for installation.

I cannot do away with BT connectivity as this immensely helps during long drives and is a must as much as navigation.

- So apart from RCD510+9w2 ( or 9w7 ) , which other HU should I be looking at without compromising on the fit and finish ? Pioneer has an option of 8690BT and the installer I visited says its a straight swap , but Im pretty confident it is not. Anything else like Alpine or JVC ? What about Sony ?

Before upgrading the HU, I would like to upgrade the speakers very immediately. Here I need some sound advise.

Since Im a beginner with most aspects of the ICE from the previous posts I can understand that I should be looking at 6.5" component speakers for better audio quality.

- Now the question dilutes to will speaker upgrades better the audio output quality or HU also needs an upgrade at the same time ?

If its only speakers for now, which brand of speakers should I be looking at ? Budget can be upto 10K- 15K for the speakers and tweeters. JBL, Polk , Boston , Infinity or anything else ? What is the important things to keep in mind while looking out for speakers ? The wattage ? 2way , 3way , 4way ?

Is adding amplifier at this time a sound idea ? Or should I take it one step at a time ?

What should be an idle budget for amps ?

Any or all suggestions will help this new slate.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Padcot Prakash

As many would know, the current year production Vento comes with RCD 320. Overall its a good HU but lacks in some aspects.


Im more keen on the RCD 510 , primarily because of the OE fit and finish and being larger touch screen.

But here the problem is with the BT connectivity. I do not like the idea of adding an BT module and I like the integrated one the RCD 320 offers. I think standalone BT such as 9w2 or 9w7 can be pretty expensive and need to visit premium charging guys like Vagtune for installation.

I cannot do away with BT connectivity as this immensely helps during long drives and is a must as much as navigation.

- So apart from RCD510+9w2 ( or 9w7 ) , which other HU should I be looking at without compromising on the fit and finish ? Pioneer has an option of 8690BT and the installer I visited says its a straight swap , but Im pretty confident it is not. Anything else like Alpine or JVC ? What about Sony ?

You can have a look at the Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835. It is a straight swap, Has OEM finish (This unit is/was the OEM unit provided by VW in some of their cars in Europe), supports Bluetooth along with steering controls, good quality screen, comes with MMI maps, Supports the CAN Interface which enables the steering controls to work and also enables visual display of parking sensors.

There is a dedicated thread for the same, you can also see a bunch of pictures in my ownership thread

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...up-update.html

[Padcot Prakash]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

There is a dedicated thread for the same, you can also see a bunch of pictures in my ownership thread

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...up-update.html

Hi Rajeevraj,

I did read your thread and understood on the 835. Apart from this other few Bhpain experience on the 835 in detail.

One thing that comes about during the discussion is that 835 tends to hang and is a bit slow during response.

My worry is how well will the 835 hold during navigation. Over a period of time, will the ICE tend to go much slower ?

Besides this, I did check again on 835 and still trades in the price range of 50,000. That in my opinion is expensive when one can get alpine and other good ICE at the same price, but audio output will be much better.

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by Padcot Prakash

One thing that comes about during the discussion is that 835 tends to hang and is a bit slow during response.



My worry is how well will the 835 hold during navigation. Over a period of time, will the ICE tend to go much slower ?



Besides this, I did check again on 835 and still trades in the price range of 50,000. That in my opinion is expensive when one can get alpine and other good ICE at the same price, but audio output will be much better.

IMO 835 performance is pretty average and is over priced for what it delivers. It does not sound like one of those old school Blaupunkts which was not running on Win CE platform. I have faced hang up issues even after the firmware update and to get any video played on it is a pain. Box says it reads a lot of formats but it does not! I have tried HD, high res, low res and in various formats. Reads only very few specific formats when it comes to video play back. I had used it in my Yeti and swapped it for good.



There is a dilemma when it comes to aftermarket HUs for VW Skoda cars because of CAN compatibility. There is nothing to beat the RNS 510 Columbus HU and it comes at a premium price. It was still justifiable if it came with navigation for India, but without that it's not worth it. Right now im using Audiosources DNS 810 which I would rate as better overall performer than 835. But I'm still on the hunt for a HU with RNS 510 like performance with India Navigation.

[Padcot Prakash]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

There is a dilemma when it comes to aftermarket HUs for VW Skoda cars because of CAN compatibility.

Exactly the issue. Even after having spent 50K like for 835 or Kenwood DNF9001V, there is no satisfaction.

so I think for now, I should simply upgrade the speakers.

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by Padcot Prakash

Exactly the issue. Even after having spent 50K like for 835 or Kenwood DNF9001V, there is no satisfaction.



so I think for now, I should simply upgrade the speakers.

To an extent it could help.

There are active crossover solutions for better audio from factory stereo like Rockford Fosgate 3.sixty3 but even that is going to be a head ache with the additional wiring and components unless someone is so keen on audiophile level listening experience. And that will cost much more than 50K. May be cross 100K altogether. Unless the car needs to sound like a professional studio, that's again not an option.

All these HUs in discussion are 45K upwards which is not worth if delivering only average performance. But absence of alternatives makes them sell.

[Padcot Prakash]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

To an extent it could help.

There are active crossover solutions for better audio from factory stereo like Rockford Fosgate 3.sixty3 but even that is going to be a head ache with the additional wiring and components unless someone is so keen on audiophile level listening experience. And that will cost much more than 50K. May be cross 100K altogether. Unless the car needs to sound like a professional studio, that's again not an option.

All these HUs in discussion are 45K upwards which is not worth if delivering only average performance. But absence of alternatives makes them sell.

Oh no. That's not what I'm looking at. My music requirements are not professional but for pleasure. decent output quality will do as I'm a regular listener.

The change of hu was only if it makes sense and as such it's not that bad. I was thinking may be someone had a better solution.

[rana_kirti]

all parts in a chain make a difference. from my experience in home audio a variety of speakers will sound different with the same amplifier. it should be no different in car audio.

a better grade of speakers will for sure sound better than stock speakers with the same rcd320.

I suggest you start with the speakers first. look at some components or even regular 2ways for the front. you could retain the stock rears or maybe upgrade them too for sonic match with the fronts.

cheers :-)

[fazonater1911]

My friend has a 2013 VW vento and my guess for the ICE in his car is RCD310. His ICE setup comes with a cable in the glovebox for plugging in a USB. He would like to get a cable that has an AUX-IN too. Is this possible? If so where can he acquire such a cable?

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by Padcot Prakash

Exactly the issue. Even after having spent 50K like for 835 or Kenwood DNF9001V, there is no satisfaction.

so I think for now, I should simply upgrade the speakers.

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

all parts in a chain make a difference. from my experience in home audio a variety of speakers will sound different with the same amplifier. it should be no different in car audio.

a better grade of speakers will for sure sound better than stock speakers with the same rcd320.

I suggest you start with the speakers first. look at some components or even regular 2ways for the front. you could retain the stock rears or maybe upgrade them too for sonic match with the fronts.

cheers :-)

With the stock RCD 320 a speaker change will make a huge difference. It did in my case. I have four Focal Access 2-way co-axials in each door. They have the ability to position the tweeters, so I have them pointing towards the head rests. Can't quite match components in terms of sound stage but I didn't want to mess too much with the car while it's in warranty. The cost was under 10k if I wremember correctly. You will need to mess with the bass, treble, mids setting because the sound of the stock system is shaped for the stock speakers, which were poor (not as bad as what I've seen in Honda, but poor nonetheless.)

As far as headunits go, we've had a discussion on the Polo official review thread :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...eview-226.html

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by Padcot Prakash

Oh no. That's not what I'm looking at. My music requirements are not professional but for pleasure. decent output quality will do as I'm a regular listener.

The change of hu was only if it makes sense and as such it's not that bad. I was thinking may be someone had a better solution.

I might have a solution for your HU search, which is worth the investment, in my following thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...ml#post3519196

[Padcot Prakash]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

I might have a solution for your HU search, which is worth the investment, in my following thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...ml#post3519196

Hi, I did read your post yesterday itself and the HU looks to be good. I did see the video you posted and it looks impressive.

Firstly for now Im changing the speakers and will certainly want to also look at the HU.

[Padcot Prakash]

Originally Posted by StarScream

With the stock RCD 320 a speaker change will make a huge difference. It did in my case. I have four Focal Access 2-way co-axials in each door. They have the ability to position the tweeters, so I have them pointing towards the head rests. Can't quite match components in terms of sound stage but I didn't want to mess too much with the car while it's in warranty. The cost was under 10k if I wremember correctly. You will need to mess with the bass, treble, mids setting because the sound of the stock system is shaped for the stock speakers, which were poor (not as bad as what I've seen in Honda, but poor nonetheless.)

As far as headunits go, we've had a discussion on the Polo official review thread :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...eview-226.html

Hi,

Im looking to upgrade speakers but with components. But you said warranty can be an issue. can it be when upgrading to components ? I dont think so this is what you meant.

HU can wait until I see how much of a difference the upgrade to speakers have made.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by Padcot Prakash

Hi,

Im looking to upgrade speakers but with components. But you said warranty can be an issue. can it be when upgrading to components ? I dont think so this is what you meant.

HU can wait until I see how much of a difference the upgrade to speakers have made.

I meant I didn't want to make any obvious changes while in warranty. Components would mean making holes for the tweeters, installing crossovers and wiring the whole set up. I have a Vento TSI and I was just being cautious, especially with fears of DSG failure. I didn't want to give VW any excuse to turn down warranty.

[FireFoot]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Here you go. Hope this is what you are looking guy for.

Thank you again Rajeevraj for providing the picture of the back of the head unit. Eonon HU has power socket which looks like this (attached pic). Can anyone confirm whether this will fit?