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Helix Soundbox Upgrade Information Post!

HOONIGAN43

New member
Location
KZ, Astana
Car(s)
VW Golf MK7 ST2
This with the Helix, right? I saw on p 1 of this thread that using non-stock speakers likely wouldn't sound good as the DSP was tuned to the factory speakers.
Which were better the JBL GTOs or the JL C1/C2s?
You need select new ones in the same parameters. And speakers will work better than stock.
 

Strange Mud

Autocross Champion
Location
Small Town CT
Car(s)
Assorted
Hey everyone, been rocking mine for almost two years now. Just ran into an interesting scenario...

I noticed on my morning commute (especially in the cold weather) the soundbox isn't active. Somewhere along the ride I'm feeling the increased bass and clearer soundstage.

Not certain why that is.

Today on my commute home (about 40 minutes) I noticed I was turning the volume up around 50%, which is usually way too loud for reasonable listening. There was also no sign of the sub working at all. I shut the car off while stuck in traffic to see if that would change anything but it didn't.

Anyone else experience this?
I have seen a handful of people mention this....cold affects the rubber surround. It looses flexibility
 

Cuzoe

Autocross Champion
Location
Los Angeles
@dub*man not exactly sure what you're asking. But if you just mean running a 10 or 12 off of the Helix output in place of the helix sub, there's no reason you couldn't do it. Helix sub output spec is going to be 160 watts at 2 ohms, so let that dictate your speaker selection.
 

miked617

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Boston, MA
Car(s)
21 VW GTI
I bought a used Helix from a forum member who turned it for his 2017 GTI. I have a 2021 GTI. Once these are programmed, do they lose the setting when unplugged? Or can i assume since he programmed it, it will keep the settings and im good to go?
 

kaleboneless

New member
Location
Charlotte Area
Car(s)
2016 GTI S 2 Door
Tried reading through this a bit but unsure if I truly understand what would need to be done. I used to have the soundbox in my 2017 Jetta since 2018 and grew accustomed to how that sounded. Was a nice upgrade, but always felt limited by the door speakers. Recently got a 2016 GTI and now have the soundbox in this too. Door speaker output is better here, but interestingly I feel like the Jetta had better sub-bass and it's lacking on the GTI. Is there an easy way to remove/lessen the sub-bass filtering without needing to change the amp? Not looking to increase power, just change filtering. Thanks in advance!
-Kyle
 

ksurl

Go Kart Champion
Location
Socal
Car(s)
18 GTI SE DSG
A write up on my install:

car: 2018 GTI SE with mib 2 in glovebox
parts:
helix $350 from fb mk7 group
long bolt for spare tire + nut from regular bolt $20 from dealer
radio removal tool $7
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018GKO6OQ
terminal pin removal tool $7
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K3TQS26

I ended up not using any trim tools for the door sill, only the side panel of the glovebox area.
I also did not fully remove the rear seat, it's enough to just pop it off the retaining clips and lift it up to get to the trim of the door sill.
None of the trim was fully removed except the kick plate below the glove box leading to the door sill. it was enough to pop it open and run the cable.
When wiring the back of mib unit, make sure to do it so it doesn't cross the existing cables so you can actually push everything back with enough room to seat the unit all the way back in. Also don't have the cables come straight across to the glove box side panel. It will get pinched between the plastic and the mib unit and it won't go all the way in. It helps when running the sub end connector through to tape it with electrical tape to some pull string or small tube as a pull cable. I did this for the glove box and also running it under the seat to the trunk (in that case, it may help to have someone in the back to grab it and pull through the slack as you lift the seat and feed it from the back seat).

Trim removal took about 5-10 min, wiring took about 20 min, running the cables and managing them neatly took another 30 min. It took a bit longer since I was stopping to go step by step with the youtube video and also taking pictures. If you have the steps down pat this could be a 30 min job. Currently still waiting for the dongle to program it.
 
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