I've finally decided to have a go at installing some better sound in the Octavia. Its already got a better head unit, an Alpine ida-X001 which improved the sound quite dramatically, but i've just bought a 2nd hand amp and sub. I've always put my own head units and speakers in, but this is the 1st time with an amp and sub, so there's lots of questions i need some help with. I've included various pics and links to try and help.

Set up:

Octavia Mk2 4x4.

Alpine ida-x001

Ghost GCA4150 4 channel 600w amp (i can't find any info on this anywhere....)

JBL GT4 10" 1000W sub

Pioneer TS-A171Ci Speakers (still to be purchased)

I use the car for hauling bikes around so i need the sub to be removeable and the amp to be out of the way. I'm thinking of putting the amp in the rear side pockets of the boot, or on the outer cover, as i've read of the need for cooling??

Something like this:

For installing the speakers and soundproofing i'll be following Matt@theforces guide.

These are the amp connections:

Untitled by ritcheyp20, on Flickr

Untitled by ritcheyp20, on Flickr

I'm not entirely sure how to wire them to the speakers and the sub :think:

The rear of the Alpine:

So any thoughts, help, guides, etc will be more than welcome. The guides i've found the amp power cable have been for the Mk1, is the Mk2 that much different?

I presume i need to run the cables from the head unit to the sub and then back to the speakers, how then do the tweeters connect up?

Sorry for the questions, but this is the 1st time playing with amps and a sub.

Anyone?

Hi Mate,

Ive installed subs and amps before but not on my skoda yet. What I did before was had rca cables go from audio out (headunit) to audio in (amp) making sure u connect up correct left/right channels. I then used the Amp to connect to everything. So I had the 6x9's connected to speaker channels on the amplifier and the sub was connected there too. You can connect the sub and speaker wires into the same amp channels at the same time. So you could connect right speaker to channel 1 (+ to + and - to -) and left speaker to channel 2. Then have the sub connect to either channel 3 or both channel 3+4 (sub + connector to channel 3 + and - to amp channel 4 -) see if this works. regards to speakers in door cards you can just leave them connected to the headunit as you want most of the amp power going to the subwoofer and pioneer speakers. Make sure the amp is connected to battery using the red live wire 12v and make sure at the battery source is has a fuse connected. then get black ground cable into grnd on amp and lift up the carpet in the boot and connect anywhere on the chassis preferbly where there is a screw u can remove and tighten onto it. Then connect rem from headunit to amp. normally a thin blue cable. I woould keep the amp in the boot as you have pictured as thats a good spot with lots of access to the speakers and sub in boot. with the sub i have mine in a big mdf box covered with black carpet, u can grab them from halfors if you dont have one and stick it behind rear seats. it shouldnt move but u can reinforce it with a sticky velcro fix to the back of the seats so it can be removed easily when hauling bikes.

Hope this helps.

Cheers for that.

Theres been a delay in getting this together as the speakers were on back order for 5 days. I chased the order today, 17 days later to find they've been discountinued! I'm wondering when the useless idiots were going to bother telling me

So the order has been cancelled and i've bought some Alpine SPG-17CS instead. So i should hopefully have a crack at this week. The Alpines do have an added complication of a crossover, but we'll see how it goes

I've screwed up somewhere. It works, well sort of. Theres interference on the front speakers, which alters with the engine revs. There's also the passenger airbag light on the dash. I've spent ages on this and i'm well hacked off

Check all your ground connections, ie the negative connection on the amp to bodywork, make sure its bolted tight on bare metal, also check the headunit cables are hooked up tightly and check for splits in your rca cables.

On a side note did you by any chance run your power cable beside your rca cables.

Can you explain how you have everything connected, even a drawing in paint or something stating what cables are what etc, it will help understand where the problem is coming from.

I will be carrying out a sub install soon after getting my MKII vRS, would like to know where you ran your power cable and how easy the trims are to take off to run it etc

I used this guide for power cable installation, it's fairly easy to find the grommet in the engine bay: http://www.pimpmyskoda.co.uk/Amp%20Cable.htm

Both rca,s, the power cable, amp remote and left front door speaker are run down the left sill under the plastic trims. Not too bad to remove, but the b pillar is stubborn. The right front door speaker runs down the right sill and then under rear seat carpets to the meet the rest at the rear door where the go into the boot, emerging through the space vacated by the former cd multichanger. The earth is on the rear light cluster bolt, which I may give another quick rub down in the hope it's just that contact.

Might be the fact you have used the rear light cluster as the earth, also make earth cable as short as possible.

Also the reason I asked about where you had run your cables, especially with the speaker cables running next to the power, you could get electrical interference, the RCA leads should be shielded but even then I run them seperate sides, might be worth doing, I know its a pain but maybe get another set and just run them through your car first to test?

Maybe worth digging your HU out and grounding it directly to the chassis as the HU loop is connecting to a whole bunch of other stuff which might be where the noise is coming from, your HU manual should have the wiring diagram.

Thanks for the link. will help me out later on.