FAQ: Connecting your soundcard to a Volkswagen Monsoon Amp - Page 6

leperkuan · 07-07-2008, 07:52 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Bugbyte

I replaced myVW OEM HU with a Sony Xplode aftermarket HU without knowing that you need the +5v to make it work. It still has the Monsoon amp in the back and works just fine without modification.

That may be atypical, but that's my experience.

I have also done the same but from what i get the amp can get overridden if its not turned on so therefore the HU wattage is bypassing the amp? maybe im wrong but thats what im getting from the whole experience.

Now why would i have to replace my speakers?

If i left the factory stereo in but bypassed the speaker wiring, with the stereo on the mp3 player idea should work?

Blankstar85 · 08-13-2008, 12:33 PM

http://www.vwpartsvortex.com has the parts for the Grey connector and the Wires.

EvilMonkey · 08-13-2008, 09:35 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by leperkuan

I have also done the same but from what i get the amp can get overridden if its not turned on so therefore the HU wattage is bypassing the amp? maybe im wrong but thats what im getting from the whole experience.

Now why would i have to replace my speakers?

If i left the factory stereo in but bypassed the speaker wiring, with the stereo on the mp3 player idea should work?

you would have to replace your speakers because they are meant to work on the factory monsoon amp only

VWrida03 · 09-18-2008, 06:33 PM

Is it possible to hook up subs to the stock monsoon amp?

ducati321 · 09-25-2008, 09:18 AM

I've had this setup for about a year... and it works great, but does anyone get alternator whine still? I only get it when the audio input jack is not plugged into a device that is turned on (ipod, or computer). For instance, I get in my car every morning - and i have the whine, then plug in my ipod and turn it on... the whine goes away (even without playing music). Oddly enough, if I put the stereo jack in my mouth (no jokes) it also stops. any ideas? is the isolator bad?

visenri · 10-09-2008, 09:54 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by ducati321

I've had this setup for about a year... and it works great, but does anyone get alternator whine still? I only get it when the audio input jack is not plugged into a device that is turned on (ipod, or computer). For instance, I get in my car every morning - and i have the whine, then plug in my ipod and turn it on... the whine goes away (even without playing music). Oddly enough, if I put the stereo jack in my mouth (no jokes) it also stops. any ideas? is the isolator bad?

That's because input to the GLI is left floating, you should wire a 1K-10K resistor in parallel with the inputs, this will ensure that input to the GLI is 0V and will kill your noise. This resistor will not affect the devices you plug at the input of the GLI, because those devices are perfectly capable of driving such a high value resistor.

The noise stops in your mouth or when you plug the ipod because you connect some resistance between the input terminals of the GLI, this way you short circuit the input of the GLI.

The question is, how did you get the idea of putting the input jack in your mouth

?.

ducati321 · 10-09-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by visenri

That's because input to the GLI is left floating, you should wire a 1K-10K resistor in parallel with the inputs, this will ensure that input to the GLI is 0V and will kill your noise. This resistor will not affect the devices you plug at the input of the GLI, because those devices are perfectly capable of driving such a high value resistor.

The noise stops in your mouth or when you plug the ipod because you connect some resistance between the input terminals of the GLI, this way you short circuit the input of the GLI.

The question is, how did you get the idea of putting the input jack in your mouth

?.

ok, thanks for explaining this... I had kind of given up on it. I'm going to try this soon. The reason I put it in my mouth was because I noticed that when I picked up the input jack and held it in between my fingers, the noise stopped. it seemed if I put some kind of ground/moisture to it - it would fix it. So just for the hell of it, I stuck it in my mouth to see what would happen. I was pretty confident it wouldn't fry my brains. Thanks again for the explanation...

AllThumbs · 04-17-2009, 02:39 AM

I have a different Monsoon Amp question. The car's a '99 Jetta, Wolfsburg Edition - which means, from what I've been able to find, "has the '98 body style."

Background:
The car had an OEM sound system, w/ a head that contained a cassette slot and the 6-cd changer in the trunk. No Monsoon. The radio's never worked right (we bought the car used), and I finally decided to replace the radio.

From what I found on the web, putting in an aftermarket radio tends to mess w/ the car's computer, so I went hunting for an OEM replacement. Found one at my local auto salvage yard, in a 2001 Passat. They pulled the head for me; rear connections were the same. The only two differences that I could see were that the faceplate had a separate Midrange setting (the old one had only Bass and Treble), and the connector diagram identified one of the connector blocks as "Monsoon Amp."

Got the 4-digit safe code from VW, and connected the radio. (As a precaution, I pulled the radio's 15-amp fuse from the block before pulling the old radio or installing the new one.) The red security light blinks properly when the ignition key's removed (old one had not, I realized.)

The radio works fine, the thing controls the cds properly, and so forth. But here's the thing: when I turn on the unit, the first thing that comes up on the display is MONSOON AMP. Then it switches to the radio frequency display.

So here's the question set:
1. Does it come up w/ MONSOON AMP on the display because it thinks it's got one? Or is it complaining that it can't find it? (Remember, everything *appears* to be working fine - including Balance and Fade controls.)

2. Since this head unit was apparently designed to work in conjunction w/ a Monsoon Amp, is it overloading the speakers since it doesn't have one? Or is it going to overheat the head unit? (The heat sink is WAY bigger on this one, than on the head I removed.)

3. Do I need to find a Monsoon Amp and put one in? (Interestingly, I went back to look over the donor car. Saw the place in the trunk where the cd changer had stood, but did not find any evidence of a trunk mount for the Monsoon Amp [as described in the earlier posts here].) Or should I just shrug and enjoy the fact that the radio's working well?

I appreciate the help, because I am... AllThumbs.

archimense · 04-17-2009, 12:15 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by AllThumbs

So here's the question set:
1. Does it come up w/ MONSOON AMP on the display because it thinks it's got one? Or is it complaining that it can't find it? (Remember, everything *appears* to be working fine - including Balance and Fade controls.)

I have a 2000 Jetta with Monsoon. My headunit displays Monsoon everytime I turn it on.

Not sure about the answers to your other questions.

visenri · 04-18-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by AllThumbs

So here's the question set:
1. Does it come up w/ MONSOON AMP on the display because it thinks it's got one? Or is it complaining that it can't find it? (Remember, everything *appears* to be working fine - including Balance and Fade controls.)

2. Since this head unit was apparently designed to work in conjunction w/ a Monsoon Amp, is it overloading the speakers since it doesn't have one? Or is it going to overheat the head unit? (The heat sink is WAY bigger on this one, than on the head I removed.)

3. Do I need to find a Monsoon Amp and put one in? (Interestingly, I went back to look over the donor car. Saw the place in the trunk where the cd changer had stood, but did not find any evidence of a trunk mount for the Monsoon Amp [as described in the earlier posts here].) Or should I just shrug and enjoy the fact that the radio's working well?

1-Already answered.

2-As far as i know, there are units without amplifier and units with amplifier, if the unit has no amplifier it is not capable of driving loudspeakers directly, if the one you've got has a big heatsink and is already driving your loudspeakers, it has, without doubt, a built-in amplifier, so, you have nothing to worry about.

3-As i said, i am pretty sure you can forget about the MONSOON AMP.

AllThumbs · 04-18-2009, 08:28 PM

@archimense and @visenri - Thanks very much to both of you. I'll set my worrying aside - everything's working well [as he knocks wood...] and the sound is pretty good as well.

From reading more of the posting threads, though, I gather that other auto manufacturers have stuck Monsoons into some of their audio systems. I'll stay aware!

Thanks again,
AllThumbs.

austingina · 09-02-2009, 08:52 PM

what color wires stand for what audio like the radio what color wires goign into that imput harness are for the radieo which is for the cd changer so on and so forth

Bugbyte · 09-03-2009, 09:25 AM

You'll need to google for "monsoon radio adaptor" for your car. I had one of the aftermarket repair manuals for my car and the diagram was in it but I'm sure you can find it online.

AllThumbs · 09-04-2009, 12:32 AM

Augustina -

On an OEM VW radio, the audio wiring harness snaps into the radio as a single plug-in. When you buy a replacement harness - it costs between $15 and $30, depending on brand, etc. - it has a color code sheet to match the original [e.g., OEM] wire colors, to the wire colors on the harness, and the list includes the function for each wire. (Example: color x is for right rear speaker; color x with white stripe is ground for right rear speaker.)

Now, the CD changer harness is a completely discrete harness that also plugs into the back of the radio. However, I have NEVER been able to find a pin-out for each of the CD changer wires. From the info I gathered, it's important to remember that the VW's OEM CD changer is wired differently from an aftermarket CD changer. This is why you can't mate an aftermarket CD changer to an OEM VW radio (and you can't mate the VW's OEM CD changer to an aftermarket radio, either).

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