Re: CD Changers

["Khan M. Klatt" <kmk@pacificrim.net>]

At 3:37 PM -0700 6/30/97, Drew Jennings wrote:
>Hey all!
>
>Just bought a new '97 GLX with the Bose system in it.  Want to buy a CD
>changer that will work with the factory controls.  Have heard several
>different stories about whether it is the Clarion or the Panasonic that
>will work.  Any input?

Here's a little (or not so little) article I wrote on the topic directly
after I got mine...

- -Khan

- ---

If you're a Jetta driver with the stock stereo installed, you might be
considering adding a 6 CD changer to your car. I did some reasearch and
with the help of a friend (thanks to Patrick Collins
<patrickc@pacificrim.net>), everything is working great. What follows is a
little article I wrote up in the hopes that it'd help some of you out there
facing the same options as I did.

DOES THIS STUFF EVEN APPLY TO ME?

Well, I really don't know. I'm not a VW nor a car audio expert, but perhaps
my experience can give you a clue about what to do. Your car may be
European made, or a different model, and things can certainly be different
on your car. I have a North American made (Puebla, Mexico) 1997 Jetta GLX.
My GLX did NOT come with the Bose premium audio system installed. (The VW
Salesperson told me they were not installed in North American Jettas
anymore). Apparently, these Jettas are installed with a VW tape deck that
is essentially an OEM'ed version of a Clarion tape deck. If you have a
Euro-made, GLS, GL, or stock Jetta, your mileage may vary (no pun intended).

My Jetta GLX was completely wired for the CD changer in the trunk, so if
you like keeping your Jetta pristine, your only option is to have it
installed in the trunk.

WHAT KIND OF TAPE DECK DO YOU HAVE?

If you have an older model or a European Jetta, you might have a Panasonic
tape deck, which may or may not make the remainder of this article apply to
your stock tape deck. You can check to see if you have a Clarion tape deck
by checking to see if it has "Premium Audio" emblazoned on the front of the
deck, *AND* if the flap that covers the tape mechanism has a little
vertical tab that extends out about 2mm on the far left hand side of the
tape flap.

This is the tape deck that I have, and the path of least resistance will
lead you down the Clarion CD changer path. From research Patrick and I did
on the 'net (thanks to the administrators of
http://www.gti-club.org/gti-vr6/problem/index.html) the CDC605 model was
the recommended model.

When we got into the store, however, the CDC605 model was not available,
nor was it listed on the Crutchfield (http://www.crutchfield.com) nor
Clarion (http://www.clarionmultimedia.com) websites. We figured "what the
hey, this is probably the same thing with a newer model, the old one is
obsolete." Our bet paid off, and the Clarion CDC635 works like a charm. All
of the controls on the tape deck operate the CD changer. There is some
noise from the changer that is audible when switching from one CD to
another, but that's certainly normal.

If you want to see stats about this changer, just go to their home page
(URL below).

Note: I do NOT know about the 12 CD changer, but the price ($350 retail)
and not knowing whether I could even use the CD slots 7-12 (there's only
radio-station select/CD disk select bottons 1-6 on the stock deck) scared
me away from that model. If anyone has a definitive answer on the 12 CD
changer, let me know and I'll update this article.

PERFORMANCE AND MOUNTING

I drove it along cobblestone, and across railroad tracks at 20mph, and it
didn't skip at all. I chose to have it installed in the trunk, right under
the rear window shelf, to the far left as possible (while facing towards
the front of the car).

My reasons for mounting it off the shelf is that it saves floor space in
the trunk, and won't get beat around if you have a suitcase moving around
in the trunk when you take that corner at 40mph, and if you have to put a
huge box like a 30" TV box or something, it'll fit nicely to the right of
the CD changer hanging off the shelf.

I chose to have it installed to the far left because if you ever need a
tall, wide, and long item put into your trunk, you can bring down the right
rear passenger seat (the 60% foldable seat) down, without having the CD
changer be in the way. Or if you've got something a little thinner and not
so tall, you can throw down the left rear seat (the 40% foldable seat), and
the CD changer only takes about two inches away from storing "tall" items.

The guy who was installing it also said that mounting it directly on the
frame might help things as far as vibration goes, because the shocks are
literally on the same frame, rather than having to mount onto the floor.

WHAT DID IT COST?

Total cost was about $360, (compare to at least $500 + installation on the
VW changer) $270 for the changer, $20 for the adaptor (the VW (OEM Clarion)
unit has a different pinout than the standard Clarions), $60 for the
install, and $10 in tax (all rough figures). You might want to spend
another $20 to buy and preload an additional 6 CD cartridge just so you
have some more tunes to toss in  when you want it. I don't know if the
retail cartridges are any good, but the cartridge that comes with the unit
feels "flimsy" compared to standard home CD changer cartridges. An
aftermarket cartridge may be a little more sturdy (I don't know, I didn't
bother to pick one up).

WHAT ABOUT INSTALLATION?

I'm sure the install isn't that complicated, and you could do it yourself,
but it'd take you a little longer to do than a "pro". If you've got a
car-audio buddy, you might consider doing the install with your buddy for a
meal, but I just didn't want to spend the time, and had the techs install
it where I bought the changer. Installation time shouldn't take any more
than 15 minutes, since the car is all wired up anyway.

The salespeople didn't really know much about VW GLX's, so if they try to
tell you it might take an hour, convince them it's already wired, all it
takes is mounting, plugging, and testing to make sure it's all happy.

HOW ABOUT UPGRADES?

I can't speak from experience here, but your options are certainly open.
The easiest upgrade path looks like upgrading the stock tape deck to a
Clarion model. If you go for a high end deck (recommended -- otherwise,
replacing your current deck is pointless) such as the Clarion ARX7370,
you'll get about 35W per channel, plenty of power for the stock speakers in
your car. If you want to add a subwoofer to round out the frequency range,
then you'll want a separate power amplifier.

One such amp is the Clarion APA4101 with 40W per channel. Going much higher
than that power rating will probably blow out the stock speakers. I'm not a
car audio expert, nor do I have any of this equipment, so caveat emptor!

The point is, if you have a limited budget, buy the changer first. Your VW
tape deck will run it fine. When you're ready to take the next step,
install a better Clarion tape deck with more power. The final step to round
out your stereo is to buy an amp and subwoofer. Of course, if you're
financially prepared to do all of this (or more than one portion) at once,
you're not limited to the Clarion line.

CLOSING NOTES

It's clear that adding a CDC635 is by no means going to win you any car
audio awards, but it's the easiest way to add a CD changer to your car. If
you want to add subwoofers, or get more power to your speakers, you'll need
a power amp, and perhaps a different tape deck. In that case, you're
certainly not limited to the Clarion line of CD changers, and your options
are certainly open.

Note-- you may very well have other options than a Clarion CDC635 that will
work with your stock tape deck, with different adaptors and so on, but the
Clarion CDC635 is apparently identical to the VW changer, and I didn't want
to be on the bleeding edge.

I have *NO* affiliation with Clarion. Their products are listed here
because they are the "path of least resistance" with the stock VW tape deck
that I have, and I have had no problems with their product (admittedly
having owned it less than 24 hours at the writing of this article). This is
intended to be a journal of my results which may or may not help you make
your own decisions.

Happy listening!

URLS:

Clarion ARX7370 tape deck: (approx. $450)
http://www.clarionmultimedia.com/Clarion/prodcat.nsf/c1c99155372c8e848725648a006
55e02/e1bd679ca42a13408825648200642e9a?OpenDocument

Clarion CDC635 CD changer: (approx. $280)
http://www.clarionmultimedia.com/Clarion/prodcat.nsf/76f667d50d7dc9458725648a006
588fe/94d62059eda3669b8825648200638f9f?OpenDocument

Clarion CDC1235 CD changer: (approx. $330)
http://www.clarionmultimedia.com/Clarion/prodcat.nsf/76f667d50d7dc9458725648a006
588fe/4937cd71e220d72d8825648200628fdb?OpenDocument

Clarion APA4101 Amplifier: (approx. $250)
http://www.clarionmultimedia.com/Clarion/prodcat.nsf/21a4ae9ea86ce6458725648a006
5b785/6cbdb33c4e272c148825648200677062?OpenDocument

(Information in this article is public domain, feel free to forward, post,
copy, redistribute, and publish, all info, just keep my address on it so
people can write me back if they have questions)

Khan Klatt					   khan@pacificrim.net
Applications Director,				    (360) 650-0442 x13
Pacific Rim Network, Inc.		     http://www.pacificrim.net
                                                   http://www.khan.org

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