GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Helix Soundbox Upgrade Information Post!

dishwab

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Detroit MI
For future reference... I have a 2019 Alltrack S and just had the programming dongle this week. I tried out a few different ones - 57, 60, 97, 98.

I landed on 97 as my final choice, and EQd the bass down by 1-2 clicks. That seemed to be a sweet spot for my tastes. The sound isn't perfect but it's a major improvement on where it was originally before the Helix install. I would've like to be able to reset it entirely as a comparison between unvrogramed and programmed, but oh well. All in all, definitely happy with the < $500 investment here
 

Dog Dad Wagon

Autocross Champion
Location
Go Birds
Car(s)
16 Touareg TDI
For future reference... I have a 2019 Alltrack S and just had the programming dongle this week. I tried out a few different ones - 57, 60, 97, 98.

I landed on 97 as my final choice, and EQd the bass down by 1-2 clicks. That seemed to be a sweet spot for my tastes. The sound isn't perfect but it's a major improvement on where it was originally before the Helix install. I would've like to be able to reset it entirely as a comparison between unvrogramed and programmed, but oh well. All in all, definitely happy with the < $500 investment here

good to know, I have a 19 Alltrack se with helix on 60 currently. It hurts my ears at relatively low volume, wayyyy too bright.
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
... I would've like to be able to reset it entirely as a comparison between unprogramed and programmed, but oh well...
https://parts.vw.com/p/Volkswagen__...-Switch---Dealer-Only/63615154/DKS051419.html

I have one of these, it's pretty neat to do the direct A/B comparison. It does say dealer only but I'm pretty sure I ordered it like I would order any other part from VW.
Edit: I don't actually know if "unprogrammed" for the Helix means direct passthrough... but that's what the demo switch allows.
 

itsjonduhh

New member
Location
Boston, MA
Car(s)
2021 GTI S

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
They pop up on eBay uk from time to time, but with shipping it always ended up around $60 which isn't worth it, to me. I don't typically order at the dealer, but rather I go to via parts.vw.com and I choose the closest dealer to me that also has the highest discount. Often they end up doing internal part transfer from the closest dealer/service center with the item in stock. But for whatever reason each service center has its own discount rate, or lack thereof.

There's also the jumper that lets you temporarily remove the Helix system, can't see any reason it would be dealer only. It effectively does the same thing as the switch, gives you an A/B comparison.
https://www.oemvwpart.com/oem-parts/volkswagen-2017-2020-volkswagen-sound-box-sub-woofer-000051727b
 

itsjonduhh

New member
Location
Boston, MA
Car(s)
2021 GTI S
Thanks! Just ordered the switch and it looks like it'll go through my local dealer.

Update: they cancelled the order. didn't get any notification or communication, had to check the order status myself. pffth.
 
Last edited:

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
Nice, I had planned to mount the switch somewhere up front. It is very cool to hear the difference back to back but that also made me less likely to ever listen to anything without the Helix doing its thing. It being a dealer part makes sense as end-users are not trying to sell the Helix or its benefits. I ended up mounting it on my amp rack because I forgot to run the wire when I had the car ripped apart 🤦‍♂️. But it's also bigger than I though it would be and I was too lazy to open it up and come up with a custom mounting solution.
 

itsjonduhh

New member
Location
Boston, MA
Car(s)
2021 GTI S
Ahh damn there's always time to pull some trim again! Saw stealthgti on YouTube wire it up to his center console which was really neat and tidy.

In my case it's just a neat 'party trick' for lack of a better term 😅 and will just run a 10ft cat6 straight through the cabin.
 

xabhax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Manchester Township, New Jersey
Car(s)
15 GTI
Am I the only one that noticed, or pedantic enough to. 2 ohm is less load than 4 ohm not the other way around. Using lower impedance speakers allow you to draw more current from the Amp. Hence louder music with lower impedance speakers.

Just a suggestion.
 

flipflp

Autocross Newbie
Location
PNW
Car(s)
'16 Golf R DSG
The lower the ohm number, the higher the load on the amp. It's easier for amps to power high (numerically) ohm speakers, but the output is lower. An amp will have a higher output to a lower ohm rated speaker, but if the amp can't sustain that output or overheats/clips that is much worse than a lower volume output.

So you don't tax the Helix more than the OEM speakers ideally you would run the same ohm rated speakers (2 ohm combined with a 4ohm tweeter and mid/woofer) but with a higher efficiency/sensitivity so that you can get more volume out of the same wattage.
 

StealthGTI

Autocross Champion
Location
Newport News, VA
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
HAHA!

Ahh damn there's always time to pull some trim again! Saw stealthgti on YouTube wire it up to his center console which was really neat and tidy. In my case it's just a neat 'party trick' for lack of a better term 😅 and will just run a 10ft cat6 straight through the cabin.
I've pulled my trim apart more times than I can recall. In fact, I rerouted my ham radio control head cables to put the displays near the center console in March. Then I decided I didn't like it and put them back yesterday. I hide my wiring in the ventilation ducts. So, it's an ordeal each time I change something. o_O I'm currently waiting for some glue to dry. Hopefully, this is it; but it's probably not. :ROFLMAO: OH - I forgot that I mounted a new bypass switch near the parking brake and then ran wires to the back of the car on Friday. It's always something!
 

flipflp

Autocross Newbie
Location
PNW
Car(s)
'16 Golf R DSG
Has anyone attempted to upgrade the amplifier? I feel like there could be some easy gains to be found especially for those with upgraded speakers/tweeters.
Jerry...

I have added a 300 watt mono amp for the sub but I'm not sure if I would want to reamp an already reamped signal. I feel like if you're wanting to go that far, you should start with a different DSP that has line level outputs.
 

HelloNewman

Go Kart Champion
Location
SoCal
Car(s)
Mk7
Jerry...

I have added a 300 watt mono amp for the sub but I'm not sure if I would want to reamp an already reamped signal. I feel like if you're wanting to go that far, you should start with a different DSP that has line level outputs.
did the amp for the sub make a big difference? which one did you use?
 

Benihana

Go Kart Champion
Location
Socal
I added a 5 channel amp and DSP to replace the helix amp because I got tired of having the low bass filtered out from the subwoofer. The helix amp seems to have a high subsonic filter which cuts out the deep bass quite a bit :( Anyway, you can improve the sound if you are savvy with tuning. I'm not sure how many filters are available per channel on the helix, but my DSP allows 10 filters per channel and upto 20 filters if you get creative with the setup. I do not recommend tapping the sub signal from the helix because it is filtered too much; the helix sub is quite capable when fed a proper signal and more power.
 
Top