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Cindy Callinsky's 1998 Volkswagen Beetle



Items installed:
  • Kenwood KDC-316V CD receiver
  • Blaupunkt ODca650 6-1/2" component system — front doors, rear side panels
  • Cerwin Vega HED-12SVC 12" subwoofer
  • Q-Logic QLT-.8512sx 12" truck-style subwoofer enclosure
  • US acoustics USX-4065 (4 x 65 watts RMS)
  • US acoustics USX-2080 (2 x 80 watts RMS)
  • Rockford Fosgate RP1732 dual amp wiring kit
  • Lightning Audio LS10TB Strike 1-farad capacitor
Cindy Callinsky caught the "bug" the first time she drove her 1998 Volkswagen Beetle, and she soon made the decision to assemble a sound system every bit as awesome as her car. She kicked things off by replacing the factory radio with Kenwood's KDC-316V CD receiver, whose blue display is a perfect match for the Beetle's dash illumination. The Kenwood uses four 1-bit D/A converters (two per channel) for superior CD sound quality, while its System Q Sound Control adjusts the sonics with six EQ curves and 3-band equalization.

Since the factory front and rear speakers were relatively low in the vehicle, Cindy elected to install Blaupunkt's ODca650 6-1/2" Overdrive Series component systems in both locations. The custom-installed 1" silk dome tweeters deliver a powerful front soundstage from the VW's sail panels, while back seat passengers enjoy strong imaging from the second pair of tweeters mounted high on the rear side panels. The 6-1/2" component woofers, mounted in all four factory locations, employ aluminum-injected plastic cones and rubber surrounds to deliver forceful bass and accurate midrange response.

The low frequencies are handled by a Cerwin-Vega HED-12SVC 12" subwoofer housed in a Q-Logic truck-style enclosure in the VW's rear cargo area. This bass bruiser (with its titanium-coated poly cone and 7-pound magnet structure) is fed 280 watts by a US acoustics USX-2080 amplifier (bridged to mono operation) with its low-pass crossover set at 100 Hz. A US acoustics USX-4065 4-channel amp (with front and rear high-pass crossovers set at 100 Hz) sends 65 watts RMS to each Blaupunkt woofer/tweeter pair.

Both amplifiers are mounted on the back of the Q-Logic enclosure, along with the four Blaupunkt Overdrive crossovers (switched to the 6,000 Hz setting). Rockford Fosgate's RP1732 dual amp wiring kit supplies power to the two US acoustics amplifiers — Cindy ran 4-gauge power wire from the Volkswagen's battery to the distribution block, and 8-gauge power leads from the block to the amps. A Lightning Audio 1-farad capacitor keeps the current flow to the amps steady when it's party time in the VW.

Cindy and her friend Laura installed all the equipment and wiring themselves, completing the entire job (including custom-fitting the tweeters) in one 11 hour stretch. Great-looking car with a very cool system — Cindy, thanks for the voyage through your Volkswagen!


Cindy Callinsky with her 1998 Volkswagen Beetle.


Kenwood's KDC-316V's blue illumination makes it a natural in the VW's dash — its user-friendly controls offer extensive control over the system's sound.


Laura cuts a hole in the Beetle's rear side panel for the Blaupunkt Overdrive 1" silk dome tweeter.


Right: The Blaupunkt Overdrive 6-1/2" woofer with its aluminum-coated plastic cone in the rear factory speaker opening.
Left: With the side panel back on, the Blaupunkt component system looks like it was installed in the factory.


The Overdrive silk tweeter creates a powerful soundstage from the VW's front sail panel.


The Q-Logic truck enclosure houses the Cerwin-Vega 12" sub in the Beetle's rear cargo area. The US acoustics amplifiers and Blaupunkt crossovers are mounted on the back side of the box, invisible to passersby when the hatch is down.

  • Cindy Callinsky from Wise, VA

    Posted on 1/24/2016

    It actually came from the dealer like that Amanda. Carbon Fiber was the design.

  • Commenter image

    Alexander Hrabe from Crutchfield

    Posted on 12/7/2015

    Amanda, this installation profile was submitted quite a few years ago, and we no longer have a way of contacting this customer. You might have luck on related forums by linking to this article and asking if anyone can identify the source of the dash panel. You might also try your local VW dealership.

  • Amanda from GREENSBORO

    Posted on 12/5/2015

    Is there any way I can get in touch with her to see where she bought her audio system cover. (The red plate surrounding the radio)

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