At 53 years of age I have owned may cars over the years from compact cars to sports and luxury cars. My driving experience including the sound system is very important to me. I recently purchased a set of Soumatrix Inspirit speakers to upgrade the stereo system of my 2012 CC Lux. I have been adding some mods to this car as of late beginning with its appearance (body Kit, window tint, wheels, clear turn signals, euro cup holder, etc.) and performance (cat-back exhaust and intake). When I installed the rear emblem back-up camera, I realized that the RNS-315 head unit was lacking both in the size of the screen and in power/sound. I then installed the RNS-510. While the overall sound and power of the unit was better I knew it that it still had a "way to go." Well, let me just say that the Soumatrix speaker upgrade that I chose was the perfect complement to the RNS-510! The Inspirit speakers are equal to if not better than any speakers I have ever heard in a car (Bose, Dynaudio, JBL, Infinity, Kenwood, etc.)!
As far as the quality of the speakers, they are extremely well made. From the material of the speakers, to the plastics chosen, to the felt used to insulate the unit, magnates, crossovers, etc. - all top notch! The speakers fit my CC as well as the stock VW speakers. The connections were perfect, no retrofitting of connections or wires was necessary. And because the speakers have built in tweeters, all I had to do to the factory tweeters was to disconnect them. Soumatrix provided insulating pads for behind the speakers, vibration hampering material for the doors and rivets to secure the speakers. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that my speakers were secured to the doors with screws and not rivets. This made the installation of the speakers even easier.
Removing the door panels is pretty easy as long as you have some trim removal tools and the proper torx bits/drivers. There are several tutorials on VWVortex for this as well as Youtube videos and I checked out a few before attempting this. I started with the driver's side door and ended with the passenger's side rear door. The entire installation process took less than two hours with my 16 year old son's help. While he was putting one door together, I was taking one door apart. I used the insulating pads for the inside of the door directly behind the speakers (see photos); however, because the CC has such well made doors and a large heavy plastic covering to shield the inner workings of the door, I felt that there really was no area where the vibration hampering material could be used. Everything on this car is solid.
As far as the sound experience is concerned, myself and everyone who witnessed the installation could immediately tell the difference. Simply put - the sound was amazing!!! Clear, focused sound throughout the entire range from the bass through the treble. While I did not crank up the sound more than 60% of what the RNS-510 is capable of (due to the 20 hour break-in period), I could immediately tell that these speakers would not crack and would be able to handle all of the power of the unit. No need for an amplifier here! Listening to my tunes now is going to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience! While I listen to and enjoy all kinds of music, I am a classical violinist so fidelity is very important to me. These speakers are as close to high fidelity as you will find anywhere. While the Inspirit speakers are 100% better than the factory ones, I can only imagine how good the Xtase speakers are?!
VW speaker removed
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Area for sound pad
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With sound pad installed
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Comparison of stock vs. Soumatrix speaker front
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Comparison of stock vs. Soumatrix speaker rear
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As far as the quality of the speakers, they are extremely well made. From the material of the speakers, to the plastics chosen, to the felt used to insulate the unit, magnates, crossovers, etc. - all top notch! The speakers fit my CC as well as the stock VW speakers. The connections were perfect, no retrofitting of connections or wires was necessary. And because the speakers have built in tweeters, all I had to do to the factory tweeters was to disconnect them. Soumatrix provided insulating pads for behind the speakers, vibration hampering material for the doors and rivets to secure the speakers. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that my speakers were secured to the doors with screws and not rivets. This made the installation of the speakers even easier.
Removing the door panels is pretty easy as long as you have some trim removal tools and the proper torx bits/drivers. There are several tutorials on VWVortex for this as well as Youtube videos and I checked out a few before attempting this. I started with the driver's side door and ended with the passenger's side rear door. The entire installation process took less than two hours with my 16 year old son's help. While he was putting one door together, I was taking one door apart. I used the insulating pads for the inside of the door directly behind the speakers (see photos); however, because the CC has such well made doors and a large heavy plastic covering to shield the inner workings of the door, I felt that there really was no area where the vibration hampering material could be used. Everything on this car is solid.
As far as the sound experience is concerned, myself and everyone who witnessed the installation could immediately tell the difference. Simply put - the sound was amazing!!! Clear, focused sound throughout the entire range from the bass through the treble. While I did not crank up the sound more than 60% of what the RNS-510 is capable of (due to the 20 hour break-in period), I could immediately tell that these speakers would not crack and would be able to handle all of the power of the unit. No need for an amplifier here! Listening to my tunes now is going to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience! While I listen to and enjoy all kinds of music, I am a classical violinist so fidelity is very important to me. These speakers are as close to high fidelity as you will find anywhere. While the Inspirit speakers are 100% better than the factory ones, I can only imagine how good the Xtase speakers are?!
VW speaker removed
Area for sound pad
With sound pad installed
Comparison of stock vs. Soumatrix speaker front
Comparison of stock vs. Soumatrix speaker rear
