Rich H's 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
Calming the storm
Rich H. from Plainfield, IL, had it up to here with the Monsoon factory sound system in his 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe crossover. It "was terrible quality," he says, and he wanted to get more power and better sound from his ride, so he contacted Crutchfield for some recommendations.

Rich H. and his 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Items installed:
- JVC KW-R500 CD receiver
- Rockford Fosgate Prime R1652-S 6-3/4" component speakers for the front doors
- Sony XS-V6930 6"x9" 3-way speakers for the hatch
- Kenwood KAC-746 35w 4-channel amplifier
- Kicker PSR-100 powered subwoofer
He didn't come to us unprepared though — he had some 6"x9" Sony 3-way speakers which he fit into the rear stock locations. He also had a Kenwood amplifier to power his speakers, plus an older Kicker powered sub for some low end to fill out the sound.

The hatch of Rich's Santa Fe with Kicker powered sub and Sony speakers installed.
He also spent some time trying to decipher the factory Monsoon system's wiring, because it featured an amplifier that would have to be bypassed in order to install the new amp, receiver, speakers, and powered sub. Rich reiterates: "The Santa Fe factory system was a complete waste of wiring and the amp was useless," so he was more than happy to get on the road to better sound.
Gearing up the ride
Rich chose the JVC KW-R500 CD receiver to replace the factory head unit in his Santa Fe. He liked it because it was reasonably priced and would fit in his dash, which has a double-sized (4") opening. Its sleek design and bold illumination certainly has made an impression on a large number of Crutchfield customers, not to mention the added convenience of USB and auxiliary inputs.
Once he had the Monsoon wiring figured out, Rich installed the JVC KW-R500 receiver and its Crutchfield-supplied wiring harness, connecting it to the Kenwood amp, which he placed under the passenger seat. He ran a power cable from the battery through the firewall on the passenger side to a terminal block under the passenger seat, feeding the amp as well as the powered sub located in the hatch. He also ran wiring under the seats to the sub from the receiver.

The JVC KW-R500 fit in the Santa Fe's dash perfectly.
Adding the front speakers
With the rear of his Santa Fe taken care of, Rich went to work on his front speakers. He removed the old factory speakers from the doors and added the 6-3/4" woofers in their old locations. He then added the tweeters to the panels near the rear-view mirrors by dremeling some tabs off so they would fit.

The tweeter (left) and woofer of the Rockford Fosgate Prime R1652-S 6-3/4" component speaker system before final installation.
The result? It "sounds a million times more full," says Rich, who shows off his system by "crank[ing] up the volume" and letting his passengers be the judge. He's also considering adding a Bluetooth® adapter from JVC to make hands-free phone calls with his compatible phone.

The finall front-door installation of the Rockford Fosgate Prime R1652-S speakers.
Vehicles in the Custom Car Showroom are submitted by customers and fans, and edited by Crutchfield writing staff. You can find more of these articles on the Showroom main page.
Mike M from Utica NY
Posted on 11/26/2018
What did you figure out for the Monsoon wiring? I'm bypassing the factory amp and haven't been able to find any help elsewhere.
Alexander H. from Crutchfield
on 11/28/2018
Dominic DeVito from Crutchfield
Posted on 1/31/2018
Trenton, while the items Rich installed in his Santa Fe are discontinued, I'm sure we have some wonderful equivalent items in stock that'll fit your ride. I've sent your question to our sales team for the best answer, and they'll be contacting you via email soon. For immediate help, you can contact them via phone or chat.
Trenton Stone from Rockwall
Posted on 1/30/2018
I have the exact same car and want to do a very similar install, what do i need to do to get help?
Dominic Devito from Crutchfield
Posted on 8/1/2016
Chris, if you don't hear anything from Rich here, you can always check our online Knowledge Base for wiring information or spend $30 for our tech support service (of course, if you bought your gear from Crutchfield, that tech support is free!).
Chris from south amherst
Posted on 7/31/2016
How do I contact rich h?! I'm currently working on getting around my monsoon amp in my 04 Santa Fe!
Alexander Hrabe from Crutchfield
Posted on 11/22/2015
Abraham, we'd need to know the year of your Santa Fe to be of any help. You may be able to find the information you're looking for in our online Knowledge Base. If you bought your gear from Crutchfield, you can call Tech Support for free help troubleshooting your system. If you purchased your equipment elsewhere, you can still get expert Crutchfield Tech Support - 90 days-worth for only $30. Check out our tech support page for details.
abraham from Boston
Posted on 11/21/2015
Hello, we should by-passing factory amp of Santa Fe, ok. Front amplifiers are just screwed on the front speakers, but I cannot find the rear amps. There is no amp near the rear speakers. can you tell the location of the rear amps? pls.
Alexander Hrabe from Crutchfield
Posted on 7/14/2015
Ikotun, check your Sonata's manual for a guide to error codes. If you no longer have it, you may be able to find a copy of it online or on Hyundai-related forums. Good luck!
Ikotun olu from Lagos, Nigeria
Posted on 7/14/2015
what is error 6 in hyundai santa fe 2002 model. The system cannot play CD it would reject it and display error 6