VW Transporter T-5 Upgrade Guide

VW Transporters are easily one of the best vans on the market. They are so well designed and have a plethora of aftermarket application. Headlights, interior, engine, body, the list is endless. For audio, there is a massive selections of upgrades to suit. This blog will go through these for you and what we would recommend for set budgets.

Audio, what can you get?

For audio upgrades, it is easy to pick products for your vehicle, but you need to make sure your vehicle has the right ground work done. So this would include a headunit and sound proofing. A head unit is an important element as that is what processes your media file and projects the audio into a signal which transfers to the amp inside the stereo or an external amp, which then relays that to the speakers. When putting a stereo in the vehicle, avoid cheap headunits. Cheap headunits will not have the processing power nor the configurations to tune your sound system to an optimum level.

The ranges to look into for audio quality!

Kenwood KDCX, DMX7 or 8 series, DDX or DNX ranges. These are highly recommended as they excel in car connectivity as well as audio processing power. Pioneer DEHS80PRS, AVHZ, SPH-DA or AVIC ranges. Pioneer are well renowned for this audio quality, reliability and attractive pricing

For under £500 we would recommend the following system

In Phase Professional SPX17C Component Kit- For the front doors, the In Phase SPX17C are a highly recommend speakers from us. The silk dome tweeters are fantastically designed but you may require slight modification to the aperture of the slot you're fitting in.  The sound quality is exceptional for the price and are easy to fit. You may have read our blog about them before! Connects2 CT25VW05 Speaker Adapters- A much needed adapter for installation aftermarket speakers. The alternative to using this is making MDF baffles which will extend your install time. CTK DQONES1.8 Standard 1.8mm Foiled Sound Deadening (X8) & DQONETF4 Silencing and Noise Insulating Foam Single Sheet - 4mm (X2)- We have said this before, a very over looked item that should be on your shopping basket. These sheets of sound deadening will allow a much better sound in the vehicle. In Phase USW10 300W active underseat subwoofer- This is another item from the In Phase range. This sub is encased in a die case aluminium structure allowing sturdiness and weight, to keep firmly in position. The sub cone itself is made from aluminium with a rubber surround which allows rigidity in the cone and flexibility with the rubber surround. Pioneer GM-D1004 Compact 4 Channel Amp- a small yet powerful amplifier. This is a plug and play solution for you to double the power in your headunit. Offering 45W RMS power from 4 channels. (can be switched into 2 channel mode). If you are fitting this onto a factory headunit, you will need a T-Harness for the VW Transporter. CTK DQSS Anticreak Tape- this falls under the sound deadening bracket. However, this has a more universal application. Fill in those creaking crevices with this tape and terminate those vibrations!

For under £1000 we would recommend the following system!

Alpine RS65C.2 Performance Speakers with Hi-Res Audio Compatibility- Absolute beastly speakers with very high power and frequency response. These provide a much better sound than the SPX17C speakers. Connects2 CT25VW05 Speaker Adapters- MDF Baffles will benefit you more than the standard plastic adapters but MDF price varies. So, for pricing context, we will use the CT25VW05. CTK DQONES1.8 Standard 1.8mm Foiled Sound Deadening (X8) & DQONETF4 Silencing and Noise Insulating Foam Single Sheet - 4mm (X2)- Like we have mentioned above! Sound deadening is a must have in this upgrade. CTK DQSS Anticreak Tape- this falls under the sound deadening bracket. However, this has a more universal application. Fill in those creaking crevices with this tape and terminate those vibrations! Pioneer GM-DX874 4 Channel D Class Hi-Res Audio 1200W Amplifier- Well, then... this is a much-needed amplifier by Pioneer to match their Hi-Res range. We have found for this amp to work amazingly with the R-Type Alpine Speakers. The remaining two channels will be bridged to power the sub. Juice JWTRU81 8 Gauge 2 Channel or Mono Amplifier Wiring Kit + IP5R RCA Cables- this kit will allow you to fit the amplifier in the vehicle. In Phase XT-8 1000 Watts 8" Subwoofer- this little beast kicks out 300w RMS needing very little amplification for a big bass output. You will need an enclosure for this, we recommend building a custom enclosure to fit under the front seats.

For over £1000 we would recommend the following system!

FOCAL ES165KX2 ELITE K2 Power 6.5" Speakers- These will be a killer addition to your Transporter. Offering a lot of power, high sensitivity and all-round reliability. These come with a heavy price tag, but there is a reason for that. Pioneer GM-DX874 4 Channel D Class Hi-Res Audio 1200W Amplifier- This amp is being brought back for this set up. Focal P20F Performance Flax Cone Subwoofer with custom enclosure- This neat little sub will offer fantastic bass response and power on Focal Flax cone technology. This will surely move some sub frequencies. IP5T phono cables for Amplifier- The IP5T uses higher quality copper with a triple shielding technology. This allows supreme signal transfer, flattening out interference and signal delay. Custom speaker baffles- these will be needed for the Focal speakers. They will perform much better as they are sturdier. CTK DQONEP4.0 Premium 4mm Foiled Sound Deadening (X10) & DQONETF4 Silencing and Noise Insulating Foam Single Sheet - 4mm (X2)- Like we have mentioned before! Sound deadening is a must have in this upgrade. CTK DQSS (x2) Anticreak Tape- this falls under the sound deadening bracket. However, this has a more universal application. Fill in those creaking crevices with this tape and terminate those vibrations! This bundle would cost you between £1149.99-£1499.99 (depending on the MDF used and how much) If you are interested in getting this upgrade or interested in a speaker upgrade in general, our stores can do that for you for a very competitive price. Also if you are in need of any help, let us know.