Project thread for full audio upgrade of 2012 Seat Alhambra

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jronnquist

CarAudio.com Newbie
Thought I would document my efforts here for posterity in case anyone else ever gets it into their heads to attempt a similar installation on the VW/Audi Group's recently-discontinued 7-seater MPV. It's going to be a little tricky as the rear doors are sliding ones and there isn't much boot space for a sub behind the third row of seats, but there you have it.

Hardware:

- Grundig GX-3800 head unit.
- Focal Auditor ASE 165 2-way components for the front doors.
- Focal Auditor ASE 130 2-way components for the rear doors.
- Custom-made compact sub from my Volvo XC60 containing 2 x Earthquake Sound SWS-6.5 drivers paired with a Rockford Fostgate PBR300X1 mono amplifier.
- Enough Noico 2mm Butyl Sound Deadener to do outer and inner skins for all four doors + foam padding for panels.

Initial Plan:

- Fit head unit.
- Mount the amp in the glove box and splice the speaker wiring directly into the adapter harness behind the head unit. The main reason I've opted for this setup is that running new speaker cable through the rubber trunking of the rear doors would require taking them off the car and that just isn't going to happen.
- Modify the plastic molding at the back of the boot to allow the sub to fit so the rear seats can fold down. I need about another 10mm of room.
- Create adapter brackets for the rear doors by fusing together the existing speaker mold to the mounting base that came with the speakers. As the rear OEM speakers are a non-standard size (about 140mm), I have been unable to find adapter brackets that work. Connects2 do a generic 130mm bracket, but this is not big enough to match up with the holes in the door.
- Fully insulate rear doors and mount speakers.
- Fully insulate front doors and mount speakers.
- Insulate boot floor and door and install sub.

Will post some pictures in my next update.
 
Is that your install? That 4th order looks fairly slick considering it's an isobaric design using shallow mounts.

I'm not going to pretend I understand the intricate science behind the design, but I can certainly vouch for it. The guy who came up with it definitely knew his stuff. I was going to sell it on to another Volvo XC60 owner when I got rid of the car, but the enclosure turned out to be exactly what I needed in the Alhambra as the trunk is tiny. Because I'm taking the audio signal straight from the head unit via RCA cable this time, the install is going to be considerably more straightforward too.
 
So, I've completed the install.
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The Grundig head unit was the cheapest one I could find new with Android Auto, but the price definitely reflects the overall quality of the product. Setting aside the fact that it has a horrible chrome frame around the screen and takes about 30 seconds to boot up (with an insanely annoying splash screen that you cannot change), the sound processing is not great. I've also been unable to confirm the claim that the RCA outputs are 4 volts as my meter doesn't seem to register any voltage on them at all. Going to sell it and replace with a Kenwood DMX5020DABS as soon as possible. Will wait for this to arrive before I attempt any fine tuning.
 
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jronnquist

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