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VW Aktiv Upgrade Recommendations:
Dash and Door Speakers:
VW put good quality (for OEM) 4" Euro-fit speakers in the door and dash of the Aktiv. The speaker in the Aktiv door amp is a Euro-fit 4", but the Aktiv amp itself has a normal 5 1/4" mounting. The dash speakers are two-way Nokias with butyl rubber surrounds, and the door speakers are single phase Nokias, also with rubber surrounds.
Euro-fit speakers, which include all Aktiv
speakers, are slightly smaller and of a slightly different design than
their normal counterparts. I bought some Polk Audio EX402 4" non-Euro speakers
which fit in my dash with simple modification (just cut two of the corner
tabs off).
5 1/4" speakers fit perfectly in the door
locations with virtualy no modifications.
Just remove the Aktiv amps and drill out the holes on the new speaker a
little since the factory mounting has a slightly larger diameter than the
normal 5 1/4" speaker mounting holes. Use the hardware from the Aktiv to
fasten them.
Rear Speakers:
VW chose horribly cheap rear deck speakers that sound awful even with the original stereo. My recommendation is find a shop that sells Eclipse and ask for Eclipse model 8462E. They handle 30 Watts RMS each. Make sure you get the "E" model as this stands for Euro-fit. They (and other Euro 4x6's) are installed as follows:
Look under the rear deck where the speakers are mounted. On the side of the speakers are two phillips screws holding the speaker mounting assembly in place. Remove the two screws and the speaker assembly will easily pry out of its hole.
Pay attention to how the speakers are mounted and mount the new speakers in the exact same way. Unscrew the self tapping screws and use them to mount the new speakers. Use the factory rubber bushings too. Then replace the speaker assembly back in its hole. If you are not using the Eclipse 8462E speakers, the speakers may not fit in the basket. Then you will have to cut the baskets out. The Eclipses are a tight fit in the factory baskets, and it takes some playing and little bit of force to get them seated in the basket.
But once there they sound excellent and don't touch anything. They even sound good with the original Aktiv stereo. Oh yeah, and they should cost between $79 and $89 at an Eclipse dealer. Unfortunately, Eclipse dealers are still pretty rare and they do not yet have a website. Calling 1-800-553-2547 will automatically connect you with your nearest dealer. Other 4x6 Euro-fit models may fit as well. Let me know if anyone has problems installing the Eclipses or any other Euro-fit 4x6.
Head Unit:
The Heidelberg that came with the Aktiv cannot support a CD changer by itself, but any add-on changers that operate through an FM station will work. A very few Aktiv systems in '92 came with an in-dash CD player with the name "Gama" on it instead of "Heidelberg". If you could find one, this would be an easy upgrade for your stock Aktiv.
Sometime during the '93 model year the Heidelberg was upgraded to a "Premium" system which does not utilize the Aktiv system. This system is easier to replace and requires no re-wire. It also has built-in CD changer controls. A Panasonic CD changer ($299 Crutchfield) can be added to this unit. Adding a CD changer to each of these units is discussed in my FAQ/Letters page.
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