Audio Upgrade Stage-2 - Vibe Micro Amplifier Plug & Play - How I Done It -

[Dellmassive]

Audio Upgrade Stage-2 - Vibe Micro Amplifier Plug & Play - How I Done It -

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Audio Upgrade Stage-1 . . . . Blam Relax 200rs Speakers From Skipton.
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Audio Upgrade Stage-2 - Vibe Micro Amplifier Plug & Play - How I Done It -
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Audio Upgrade Stage-3 - Vibe Micro Sub Amp + Jbl Sub - How I Done It -
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Audio Upgrade Stage-4 - Kicker 15" Sub + Kenwood Amps - How I Done It -
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its a bit late but here is Stage-2 - VW T6 Vibe Micro Amplifier Plug & Play

Its a Vibe POWERBOX 65.4M mini 4chnl Amp witha PNP loom for the Disc0 Nav Head unit . . . . .

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VW T6 Vibe Micro Amplifier Plug & Play

POWERBOX 65.4M

520 WATT MICRO CLASS D AMPLIFIER

4 X 65W RMS

100 % PLUG AND PLAY LOOM MADE BY US SPECIFICALLY FOR THE VW T6

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Now this has been fitted for the last nine months and working great . . . . . . . so lets look back and see - How I Done It -



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It all started after stage-1 > Audio Upgrade Stage-1 . . . . Blam Relax 200rs Speakers From Skipton.

we had the speakers, but wanted a bit more boom . . . . we have the big amps and subs in the back not wired, so for now just a small plug and play solution for a bit more power . . . . This thread Stage-2.

as it turns out Stage-3 is a Mini under seat Sub + Micro Amp . . . . . (comming soon)

So Stage-4 will be the final Big Kicker 15" Sub and Amps setup. (to be fitted)

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The kit took ages to arrive from Skipton Car Audio . . .

this is what arrived. . . .




so whats the first thing to do . . . . . . . . Take it appart =].

using so sewing tools we were able to remove the tessa tape loom wrapping and expose the full loom.

this is the Vibe micro Amp front . . .



and rear . . .




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we can see from the loom that the unit takes power from the same Radio feed and ground.

it also has a auto-switch-on function when it sees an audio signal from the Radio.

each end of the "T6" loom as the ISO block with all the wires linked, which is nice as we have the revers camera fitted.

you can see that most of the wires run direct appart from the 4x speaker wires. . . . They effectivly are cut from the Head-unit and run to the 4chl amp. then the amps 4chnl outputs are connected to the vans speakers . . . . power and ground is feed from the loom and switchon is auto . . .



all the connections were soldered and tessa taped, so being happy with that i tapped it back up . . .



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Now over to the van, with the radio surround and radio removed we needed somewhere to put the amp. . . .



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behind the glove-box seemed like a good location, so out it come . . . .



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with everything connected loosely we run a test . . . . . everything worked great, with an obvious grain is audio power/level.

no to fit it all back in . . . . . which is where the problems started . . . .



there was no way to cram the new breakout loom in any of the spaces behind the radio, we tried de-looming it and all sorts - it just wouldn't fit . . .

this was the problem - that rear of the plastic radio assembly housing . . . . there was loads of room behind it, but just couldn't get the wires there . . . . so the solution?




well three cuts with the multi-tool had that pesky rear plastic part removed and opened up a world of space behind the radio . . . =]

this was the piece we cut out . . . . .



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with everything refitted we were back to this - a fully OEM factory look, but with better speakers and small amp . . .




The above has been in for 9 months or so now, we have had no issues with the radio or amp, we have had no issues with rattles or anything from the rear plastic we removed . . .

we haven't had any fuses blow . . .

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Things to note . . .

The stock radio in the van is 4chnl - but in this PV setup you only get 2chl speakers, so by adding rear speakers will help you get more power (all 4x chls) from the stock radio.

This amp is only 4x65w which is not much more than the stock radio - this is true, but you can keep the gain low on the Amp and run the radio at lower levels - so the van radio becomes a pre-amp for the Vibe amp . . . all levels are kept low, so you are way down below any distortion levels and have more power at the speakers.

you can gain more power out by adding the 3/4th channel speakers to the amp - this was my original intention . . . . .

But then i thought about getting a small under seat Sub and running the 3/4th channels via a low pass cross over to feed the sub. . . .

But that lead onto stage-3 - coming soon =]


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[Aron]

I bought Vibe Amp and wiring direct from manufacturer. Works ok, but when it shuts off i get speaker pop.

 

[Dellmassive]

I bought Vibe Amp and wiring direct from manufacturer. Works ok, but when it shuts off i get speaker pop.

Which amp and wire kit did you get?

 

[Aron]

POWERBOX65.4MVW2: Optisound VW Plug and Play Amplifier Upgrade

Same as Skipton sells, but wiring has additional 2 plugs. Looks like Skipton joins them up to make wiring loom smaller.

 

[Dellmassive]

same amp as mine then?

I get no power up/down pops . . . . thats odd.

 

[Aron]

Yep, same amp. I will contact manufacturer on Monday.

 

[Dellmassive]

Show them this thread, so they can see the radio and the loom I used..... as mine doesn't do it.

 

[Pearltrack]

Yep, same amp. I will contact manufacturer on Monday.

hi aron
did you receive a response from manufacturer regarding speakers pop ??? I ordered the same product this week and it bothers me a little ...
@ +

 

[jimmyjames]

I'm about to fit one of these to mine but i will be using preouts not the high level inputs as i have the Kenwood DNX512DAB so will bee leaving the speaker connections from the headunit disconnected. Bit of fun and excitement for next week in lockdown, hopefully my Focal ISU 200 speakers i fitted last week will be a bit more precise and less boomy with some more power to drive them. I'm not after massive output just a nice well rounded sound without a sub.

Its interesting to know about the plastic behind the stereo, i have always struggled with the wiring and gubbins space wise on my 5.1 so might have to look and see if it can be done on mine.

 

[Dellmassive]

i had a nightmare trying to get the rear loom back in with the extra stuff.

I used the "multi-tool" to saw out part of the rear cage which gave loads of extra space . . .

this sort of thing . . .

Power Corded Oscillating Multi Tool, Hi-Spec DT30301, 220W with 37 Piece Consumable Accessory Blade & Sanding Kit Make it a Detail Sander, a Mini Saw & Grinder, Scraper and Grout Remover : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Shop Power Corded Oscillating Multi Tool, Hi-Spec DT30301, 220W with 37 Piece Consumable Accessory Blade & Sanding Kit Make it a Detail Sander, a Mini Saw & Grinder, Scraper and Grout Remover. Free delivery on eligible orders of £20 or more.

amzn.to

 

[Pewt]

How much room was there where you fitted the amp? Thinking of getting the new 4x80 watts?

VIBE POWERBOX80.4M-V0 – 4 Channel Class D Amplifier

Class D Topology Deltabox™ Connectivity OPTISOUND™ Advanced OEM integration VIBE Sound Studio™ Active crossovers Auto Sense Turn on Specification 4 x 80w @ 4 ohm 4 x 100w @2 ohm 2x 240w @4ohm Maximum Power – 960 watts Dimensions (H x W x D) – 1.9” x 9.1” x 5.3” (47x 230 x 134mm) Frequency...

www.crowncustomscaraudio.co.uk

 

[jimmyjames]

How much room was there where you fitted the amp? Thinking of getting the new 4x80 watts?

VIBE POWERBOX80.4M-V0 – 4 Channel Class D Amplifier

Class D Topology Deltabox™ Connectivity OPTISOUND™ Advanced OEM integration VIBE Sound Studio™ Active crossovers Auto Sense Turn on Specification 4 x 80w @ 4 ohm 4 x 100w @2 ohm 2x 240w @4ohm Maximum Power – 960 watts Dimensions (H x W x D) – 1.9” x 9.1” x 5.3” (47x 230 x 134mm) Frequency...

www.crowncustomscaraudio.co.uk

Looking at the 4x80 it’s not plug and play, you would need to use preouts and run heavy gauge cables to power it. Personally I would stick with the plug and play one, I love mine.

 

[Dellmassive]

there should be enough space.

but as above will need to make a loom for it, to make it plug and play.

not sure . . but it might draw more power that existing radio ISO block feed . . . so you may need to give it a seperate power and ground.

looks good though . . . . . ill look into it.

that looks like a 4CHNL version . .

it has high level inputs.
it has AUTO Remote turn on,

https://y9tcq3cdcro1q62cpzt35ub2-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Powerbox-mini-amplifier-manual-011220.pdf

• Class D Topology
• Deltabox™ Connectivity
• OPTISOUND™ Advanced OEM integration
• VIBE Sound Studio™ Active crossovers
• Auto Sense Turn on

Specification

• 4 x 80w @ 4 ohm
• 4 x 100w @2 ohm
• 2x 240w @4ohm
• Maximum Power – 960 watts
• Dimensions (H x W x D) – 1.9” x 9.1” x 5.3” (47x 230 x 134mm)

• Frequency Response – 20Hz – 20kHz
• Crossover Type – LP / HP / Flat
• Crossover Range – 40Hz – 4kHz
• Crossover Range – 10Hz – 50kHz
• Class D

 

[Pewt]

I've got a Kenwood headunit so should be no need for high level inputs .......defo be a bit more faff, the question is i suppose would it be worth it over the smaller plug and play 65w version ?

Cheers @Dellmassive

 

[Howzat]

Just fitted one of these. For those of us with the non sat nav unit we have loads of space under the main unit for the wiring loom. The radio itself is only 1 DIN in a 2 DIN fitting so no cutting out behind the head unit required.

Mine came with a regular ISO harness with 2 plugs and these plug into an additional quadlock harness supplied for the VW which powers on the amp in tandem with the head unit and uses all the existing speaker wiring. It really is plug and play in this sense.

Another bonus is it also has it's own 12v remote out feed which I'm now using to control the under seat active sub. Previously the sub's remote trigger was running from a 12v piggy back fuse which meant if I removed the key the sub would power down. Now this also works in tandem with the headunit and amp combo, key or no key.

Unfortunately mine also thuds through the speakers when the unit powers off. It doesn't immediately power off with the radio but is controlled by the BCM and takes about 20 seconds to power down or will power down once you lock the doors.

Did the manufacturer get back to you about this @Aron?

Unless I can stop this thud I think mine will be going back within the 14 day window as I asked the seller if this happened and was told it didn't which is a shame because even with OEM speakers there is an improvement over stock. I was planning to change the speakers but not while it's thudding like it is now.

@Absolut5. Is the kenwood amp any better in this regard? My under seat kenwood sub doesn't thump so I'm wondering if their amp may have better circuitry for dealing with the power down cycle.

 

[Absolut5]

We have had not one person complain of speaker bump or experienced it ourselves

 

[jimmyjames]

My money is people not setting the amp gains correctly causing the pop. Mine never does it and gains set just over halfway. These amps are not just to increase the volume, the main reason is to drive the speakers more effectively across the full volume range.

 

[Absolut5]

We always inc instructions on how to set amp gain, as rightly suggested it is not a volume control..

but amp thump can still persist

 

[Howzat]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll do some more playing around over the next couple of days to see if I can get to the bottom of it.
So far I've tried the amp gain. 0 gain = thump. 50% gain = louder thump!
Cut the sub out the loop and the amp still thumped.
Don't think it's the head unit as this still happens when the headhunt is off. eg, unlock the doors and the amp powers on (no thump) then after 20 seconds the amp powers off with a thump.
My money is on the amp being the issue especially with 2 other users reporting the same issue in this thread.
If I can't solve it I'll probably have a go at the Kenwood so please PM me a price @Absolut5.

 

[Howzat]

Just read the book. "The Powerbox amplifiers feature an auto turn on feature called Autosense. (High Level Only) This allows the amp to switch on and off without a remote turn on wire" The amp is turning on and off without the head unit being on so it must have a remote wire in the loom. Gonna depin this tomorrow and see if the Autosense feature works any better.