r88per Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 I'm now trying to finalise my spec before I order my GTI next week . Just one question though - does anyone know what the difference is between the RCD 500 and the RCD 500 with Soundpack option. Apart from a few hundred £. I have opted for the RCD500 with Soundpack in my quote from Euroimports, however would like to hear anyones opinion on what its like. I've had a look at a couple of GTis in the local dealers but none of them had this specced. I had the Bose option on my S3 and really missed the sound quality when I bought my Leon Cupra R, hence me putting it on the quotation. Just dont know what you get extra for your money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs32 Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 AFAIK the soundpack includes an Amplifier under the passenger seat and an upgrade to all 10 speakers. I have this combination and it does sound good, although you should expect some vibration from the door pods with certain bass frequencies. Am going to try to get the dealer to sort this (some carefully placed velvet strips should do the job), as rattling does not befit the rest of the setup. It's also worth mentioning you can adjust bass, mid and treble levels with the RCD500 - have never been able to adjust mid before with any OEM stereo. A worthwhile upgrade if you intend to use the sound system regularly IMO - the head unit is the cheap part of the system so it's possible to drastically improve the sound again by doing a direct replacement later on. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r88per Posted March 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Ah Ok thanks - I wasnt sure what was involved with the upgrade, thanks for clarifying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigOws Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 I've been lucky to have had the RCD300 (poor) and now I have the RCD500 with soundpack(slighly better). In my honest opinion, it's much better than the RCD300, however, I've read on here people putting in aftermarket ICE, which in my opinion will sound much better, and have more functions - MP3!!! If I was to select again, I'd have neither of the VW options, and install my own ICE, and pocket some change - RCD500 is far too expensive for what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs32 Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 [ QUOTE ] If I was to select again, I'd have neither of the VW options, and install my own ICE, and pocket some change - RCD500 is far too expensive for what it is. [/ QUOTE ] I'd agree with most of this, although I like the way the in-dash CD frees up space in the armrest, and the amp/speaker "soundpack" would be much better with a high-end head unit. The MK4 system with DSP was a better stock setup, again IMO, I think partly due to the more solid door pod construction & materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melchior Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Soundpack adds 8 channel 250W Analogue amplifier, 2X20W & 6X25W and upgraded speakers. I have the RCD500 + soundpack and think it's a significant improvement over the standard audio system. Not as good as a previous Audi A4's Bose system (which had a sub IIRC) but has good sound throughout the range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_d Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 what sound system do you get with the oem nav? I hope it's not the same as the RCD300 *goes to infinity site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petsy Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 [ QUOTE ] what sound system do you get with the oem nav? I hope it's not the same as the RCD300 [/ QUOTE ] the sound associated with the satellite navigation system is supposedly a bit better than the rcd500 head unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalex Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Does the RCD500 (without Soundpack) still come with 10 speakers? According to the UK VW pricelist it does, but I've heard some people say it now only comes with 8 speakers (like the RCD300). I'll be a bit annoyed if it doesn't come with 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutkins Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 It does - the two midrange speakers were dropped on the RCD300 only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalex Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 [ QUOTE ] It does - the two midrange speakers were dropped on the RCD300 only. [/ QUOTE ]Excellent news. I notice that the new Jetta RCD500 only comes with 8 speakers, but costs more to upgrade from RCD300. Strange... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petsy Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 VW can be a strange company when it comes to pricing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonoNZ Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 After having my RCD300 changed for the RCD500 I can confirm there is a definate difference in quality between these two units. The RCD500 also benefits from having a "mid" adjustment. I'm looking forward to doing some stealth upgrades to the audio now as the RCD500 has pre-outs (so I believe). Bear in mind that even the RCD500 is a long way from the quality you can expect from a quality aftermarket setup. But for me I want to keep the OEM look and am happy with a bit of compromise, and I'm confident now that I have the RCD500 installed I can improve things considerably (amp, speaker upgrades). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 If you prefer to keep the OEM-look, the RCD500 is def the way to go - It's a no-brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 [ QUOTE ] I'm looking forward to doing some stealth upgrades to the audio now as the RCD500 has pre-outs (so I believe). [/ QUOTE ] If you can photo the pinout diagram on the back of the RCD500 i can tell you if it does or not and what to wire to were and were to get the parts from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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