Standard fit ICE

[UltraViolet]

I know this sounds like a daft question ....... but the GT comes with the 310 as standard with the 510 available as an upgrade ........ the 510 looks nice with the larger touchscreen etc, but has anyone actually compared and does it actually sound any better? Is the £300 just to get touchscreen and 6 CD rather than 1? Or is there a quality benefit?

Also - the DAB upgrade - another done this? When it says you lose the multi connect - does that mean the in centre console one and if so, do you get a more usable cubby hole?

[Griff449]

310 as standard, I added the 510 touchscreen as an extra when orderedng my GT - I believe that the speakers are enhance also. :)

[james_tiger_woo]

I'd consider just upgrading the ICE to non-OEM - I did and the sound improvement is massive....

[J400uk]

RCD210 is standard on 'S' specifcation models, RCD310 is standard on all others. RCD510 is an opitonal upgrade, and as far as I am aware unless you spec dynaudio the speakers are still the same.

[james_tiger_woo]

I thought RCD310 was the base stereo - what does the 210 (not) come with then?

[J400uk]

I thought RCD310 was the base stereo - what does the 210 (not) come with then?

210 is a single din piece of junk with just 4 front speakers and no rears

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8961/rcd2101ss2.jpg
http://www.supercar.co.uk/UsedCarImage.aspx?DefaultImage=allapprovedcars&Width=369&Height=242&Id=600603582&View=2

[dmw76]

Suppose it depends on weather u are into your ICE. Personally i think the 310 is an excellent piece of kit, but like anything there will be better aftermarket systems but i didnt feel the need to bother.

[VictorPapa]

Also - the DAB upgrade - another done this? When it says you lose the multi connect - does that mean the in centre console one and if so, do you get a more usable cubby hole?

I opted for DAB on my 510 and I have to say it was worth the £54. Yes you do lose the connection in the armrest but as you get an SD card slot in the 510, it's not really a loss.

[james_tiger_woo]

Suppose it depends on weather u are into your ICE. Personally i think the 310 is an excellent piece of kit, but like anything there will be better aftermarket systems but i didnt feel the need to bother.

I'm not, per se, but I wanted iPod control and didn't get that from my Passat's RCD300 so I upgraded the ICE (after a LOT of research). Replacing the RCD300 gave me so much better sound that I wanted to see if the change would be so marked if I replaced the RCD310 of the Golf - and it was.

I suppose the sound that you get is subjective, but me, I found the RCD310 to be lacking in depth and range - something I get from the Clarion stereo I get. I wanted proper iPod control, USB control, Aux in, MP3 - all of which you DO get from the RCD310, but what I get from my Clarion is better bass, greater control of sound and deeper, richer audio - all with the standard speakers.

Horses for courses I suppose.

ETA - The 210 there looks awful - sorry.....

[J400uk]

Without wanting to cause offence to others, I think aftermarket head units in the MK6 spoil the look of the interior, just my opinion.

[james_tiger_woo]

Without wanting to cause offence to others, I think aftermarket head units in the MK6 spoil the look of the interior, just my opinion.

I personally think that VW could have spent more time and money on the standard fit kit - otherwise there wouldn't be a need for upgrading.

As for looks - I think the standard fit kit is bland yet adequate - VW aren't going to want to fit neons as that'll alienate the market - non? Some non OEM kit is garish and some isn't. Me, I wouldn't go for garish and I think that my kit is about right - it was the sound that I wanted and, TBH, got.

My own opinion - No offence meant - you understand.

[UltraViolet]

TBH, I have a fab stereo at home, in the car I don't need something of that quality, I was only asking to gauge if the 510 was worth the extra money. It looks nicer, but if no sound benefit then I am not going to pay an extra £300+ just to get a touch screen and 6 cd instead of 1

I'm not interested in going aftermarket either as the Golf will be just my commuter tool - if I go for the Golf ....... I may choose the Leon yet.

[CharlesCourtney]

TBH, I have a fab stereo at home, in the car I don't need something of that quality, I was only asking to gauge if the 510 was worth the extra money. It looks nicer, but if no sound benefit then I am not going to pay an extra £300+ just to get a touch screen and 6 cd instead of 1

I'm not interested in going aftermarket either as the Golf will be just my commuter tool - if I go for the Golf ....... I may choose the Leon yet.

I have the RCD510 with DAB in my Golf Plus and think it was money well spent. I find the SD card gets more use than the CD's and the DAB gives CD quality radio.

You should be aware you loose the option of Ipod connectivity as well as the TIM (where the radio records the last 2 or 3 traffic announcements) with the DAB - however the SD card and DAB Traffic Radio station make up for that.

[james_tiger_woo]

Apologies as the thread got hijacked U-V....

The Golf's my commuter tool too, but I spend up to 2 hours a day in it so I wanted to be sure that I could listen to everything that I could and/or want to.

The stereo I have was bought to replace the RCD300 that was in the Passat which didn't even do MP3s and didn't have an Aux in so you were/are limited massively as you could only play Audio CDs - If I'd had the 310, I probably wouldn't have bothered.

Good luck with your Golf/Leon choice - Not an easy one :)

JTW

[Robbie G]

I know this sounds like a daft question ....... but the GT comes with the 310 as standard with the 510 available as an upgrade ........ the 510 looks nice with the larger touchscreen etc, but has anyone actually compared and does it actually sound any better? Is the £300 just to get touchscreen and 6 CD rather than 1? Or is there a quality benefit?

Also - the DAB upgrade - another done this? When it says you lose the multi connect - does that mean the in centre console one and if so, do you get a more usable cubby hole?

Not a daft question at all, people need to know what tangible benefits that affect the sound they're getting for their 510 over the 310. It seems that the answer is: zero, with same power output and same number of driven speakers. However the 510 does look infinitely cooler and more modern. I think I'll try and pick up a cheap one on E-bay, if it's possible to retrospectively fit one without buggering up the MFSW's functionality.

I was so tempted to go the whole hog with the 510, Sat Nav, and Dynaudio, but as James has demonstrated, you can achieve 90% of the results for 10% of the cost by going for aftermarket equipment.

Adding Xenons, Sat Nav, leather, and Dynaudio pack would have added around ~£5k to the cost of my car!

[nebw]

Pioneer have just launched a nav unit designed to be plug and play for Mk5 and Mk6 Golf:

http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=609&Itemid=88

In the shops in July I think. I think you keep steering wheel controls but I'm not sure about other aspects of integration, e.g. picking up speed data from rear ABS sensors like factory nav does.

I'm guessing it will sell for around £800 once prices settle. It's a lot, but you don't need the fascia and steering control adapters you'd normally pay extra for.

I have the factory nav and standard speakers in my car and for what it's worth I think the head unit is capable of producing quite a detailed and clean output, but the tweeters are a bit rough and make it unpleasant to listen to at higher volumes, and the door cards do make the bass a bit woolly though not as bad as in the Mk5. I'll be looking to keep the factory head unit and feed it into the high level inputs of a decent JL Audio amp I've got and run that to JL Audio C5's in the stock speaker positions, with the doors and door cards dynamatted and foamed. With 4 x 6.5" proper woofers there's no real need for a sub in such a small car once the doors are properly damped. If I'm still not happy with the sound after that I'll get the Pioneer and flog the factory unit on ebay.

[J400uk]

That Pioneer unit looks cool, will be interesting to try that out when they release it. However I get the feeling its just a standard Pioneer unit re-shaped to fit VAG cars.

[mk6_191]

310 and 510 are the exact same speaker output it is the 'Dynaudio' that makes the difference

[james_tiger_woo]

Does that mean it has new/upgraded speakers then - or an amp?

[Farvs]

Pioneer have just launched a nav unit designed to be plug and play for Mk5 and Mk6 Golf:

http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=609&Itemid=88

In the shops in July I think. I think you keep steering wheel controls but I'm not sure about other aspects of integration, e.g. picking up speed data from rear ABS sensors like factory nav does.

I'm guessing it will sell for around £800 once prices settle. It's a lot, but you don't need the fascia and steering control adapters you'd normally pay extra for.

I have the factory nav and standard speakers in my car and for what it's worth I think the head unit is capable of producing quite a detailed and clean output, but the tweeters are a bit rough and make it unpleasant to listen to at higher volumes, and the door cards do make the bass a bit woolly though not as bad as in the Mk5. I'll be looking to keep the factory head unit and feed it into the high level inputs of a decent JL Audio amp I've got and run that to JL Audio C5's in the stock speaker positions, with the doors and door cards dynamatted and foamed. With 4 x 6.5" proper woofers there's no real need for a sub in such a small car once the doors are properly damped. If I'm still not happy with the sound after that I'll get the Pioneer and flog the factory unit on ebay.

The Pioneer was reviewed on the gadget show if anyone is interested http://gadgetshow.five.tv/gadgets/audio-video/hi-fi/in-car/pioneer-avic-f900bt. It got 3G's as did a £1k Alpine whilst a £1.3k Kenwood got 4G's. At circa £750 the Pioneer appears pretty good value to me.

[Robbie G]

310 and 510 are the exact same speaker output it is the 'Dynaudio' that makes the difference

Clear as mud, but I assume he means that the power output and number of channels are the same, but that same power is driving a superior quality of speaker.

[nebw]

From VW's Mk6 press release:

"
Dynaudio sound system
The sound system developed for the Golf by Volkswagen and the Scandinavian hi-fi specialist Dynaudio can be paired with any of the 300 or 500 series units. The Dynaudio sound system offers pure high-tech sound: the four 168 millimeter woofers – made of a magnesium-silicate membrane, a very light 74 millimeter voice coil and an internal magnet design in a stiff plastic basket – provide for precise and powerful bass with high pulse fidelity in the doors and in the rear side panels. The 50 millimeter and 60 millimeter tweeters in the door and side trim supplement this sound with exceptionally clear transparency and complex sound impressions.
The loudspeaker system is supplied by a newly developed, digital 300 Watt amplifier; it consists of eight Class AB output amplifiers. The capabilities offered by the digital sound processor (DSP) for so-called propagation time correction (goal: to make a correction so that sound waves from all loudspeakers reach listeners’ ears simultaneously, regardless of their locations in the vehicle) and frequency equalization guarantee a sound experience of the highest level."

So the Dynaudio option gives you better speakers and a separate amplifier to drive them, with time alignment.

I heard it in a demo Mk6 and thought it was quite impressive, apart from having an overly "in your face" presentation that would be a bit fatiguing long term. Worth having as an option at outset, but not worth the hassle and expense of retrofitting, all IMHO.

[james_tiger_woo]

I can't comment on retrofitting the Dynaudio, but it might be worth going to an ICE specialist to see if they can put an inline amp to drive the standard speakers - The standard speakers aren't actually that bad, they just need something good to drive them.

[mk6_191]

Does that mean it has new/upgraded speakers then - or an amp?

as far as i no its ungraded speakers but im not 100% sure

[VictorPapa]

I have the RCD510 with DAB in my Golf Plus and think it was money well spent. I find the SD card gets more use than the CD's and the DAB gives CD quality radio.

What size SD cards do you use? I was using a standard Transcend 2GB with no problem but I just got a Toshiba 8GB and it's so slow to move around the directories, it's not really useable:(. The message 'Processing...please wait' appears and stays for what seems like an eternity, even when moving up just one level. It's a Class 2 card but AFAIK that's only for the write speed, not the read speed. Looks like I may have to get a couple more 2GB cards.

[nebw]

I'd be tempted to have 3 or 4 separate 2gb cards in the car, each one for a different mood: "B-road blasting music", "late night urban cruise" "long motorway slog" etc.

I think with high capacity cards it gets to the point where it's less convenient, not more, to have it all on one card.

[james_tiger_woo]

I'd be tempted to have 3 or 4 separate 2gb cards in the car, each one for a different mood: "B-road blasting music", "late night urban cruise" "long motorway slog" etc.

I think with high capacity cards it gets to the point where it's less convenient, not more, to have it all on one card.

Surely having everything on, say, an 8Gb card would be better as then you're not changing over cards depending on the mood/weather/etc?

Or, more to the point, right up until you lose one....

[CharlesCourtney]

What size SD cards do you use? I was using a standard Transcend 2GB with no problem but I just got a Toshiba 8GB and it's so slow to move around the directories, it's not really useable:(. The message 'Processing...please wait' appears and stays for what seems like an eternity, even when moving up just one level. It's a Class 2 card but AFAIK that's only for the write speed, not the read speed. Looks like I may have to get a couple more 2GB cards.

I have a 8 GB card - I did when I first got the car I did have one folder per music album (like Itunes) but found that it could be a little distracting looking for the one I wanted.

So I have kept the number of items in each directory to a minimum, at the top level I have 3 folders , Audio (for my audio books), Music (I forget what goes in there :biglaugh:) and Nursery Rhymes (for when my 20 month old son is not enjoying the trip!).

Then in the Audio folder I have about 8 sub-folders, one for each book, and in that I put all the parts of the book - some up to 6 CD's worth.

in the Music folder I have done something similar to nebw suggested and got about 4 folders with a selection of genre for the type of driving or mood I am in.

Hope that helps.

Charles

[Robbie G]

I'd be tempted to have 3 or 4 separate 2gb cards in the car, each one for a different mood: "B-road blasting music", "late night urban cruise" "long motorway slog" etc.

I think with high capacity cards it gets to the point where it's less convenient, not more, to have it all on one card.

Surely that's what file folders are for?

How many directory levels can the 310 / 510 handle, just one or several?

[chockymonster]

Clear as mud, but I assume he means that the power output and number of channels are the same, but that same power is driving a superior quality of speaker.

The 310 and the 510 have the same output power and speakers.
The big upgrade for sound quality is the dynaudio option pack

[autobrake3]

Not quite on subject but this looks quite a good alternative to the 510.

http://www.zenec.com/index.php?id=1&L=1

[Brianmgnns]

I bought a new Mark 6 in September and changed the RCD 310 to a Zenec MC-2000 which is specifically made for VW models and is a direct fit. It runs a Focal amp through Focal speakers, and sounds superb. My only problem now is that it doesn't work so well my my new iPhone so I have to change it to the new Zenec unit!