Sloan3

Hi All, Thanks in advance for any input/help.

I just got an 8V S3. Really enjoying driving it, but the non-B&O (I think I saw it referred to as the Audi Sound System 9VD) is not impressive to me. I have enjoyed doing a little stereo work on my previous vehicles so I talked myself out of upgrading to the B&O. Sounds like this may have been a mistake from what I have read in the forums, but, the damage is done.

I would like to add an amplifier and upgrade (add to?) the front speakers and subwoofer. After combing through several of the Audi forums and google searches, I think I have a few options that may have their own pros and cons. Could any of you familiar with upgrading Audi's in this way help me decide which option would work best for me, and any options or pros/cons I didn't think of?


A few general questions....

1. Looking at the pinouts, it looks like the front speakers get a single full-range output from the control unit. Is this true? This makes me feel like I could do this without the need for any kind of DSP/Summing device.
2. Does the Audi require a reasonable speaker impedance load to be on the internal amp without throwing errors? (I had heard of this some Cadillac's. Worked around by having a high wattage resistor between the speaker outputs and the line output converter)
3. Does anyone know what impedance the 2-way *** front speakers are together? Is there some passive crossover between the head unit and those speakers? (I'm guessing there would have to be since they are not amp'd individually?)


Options...

1. Use a MOST bridge (Mobridge) pre amplifier

a. Pros
1. Wiring is minimal
2. Sound Quality?
3. Full retention of MMI controls?
b. Cons
1. Expensive
2. Would require VCDS reprogramming to use the MOST bus? (Could the non-Ross Tech stuff do this?)

2. Use an line output converter (to go from the speaker level outputs to RCA) or amplifier that has high-level inputs

a. Pros
1. Cheaper
2. All Fader/Treble/Bass controls are retained since this is all at the speaker (high) level?
b. Cons
1. Sound Quality vs MOST?
2. More wiring
3. Will need to get a quad lock extension cable so I'm not cutting the factory harness (already done)


Thoughts on sound quality with MOST vs LOC: Even if it's true that MOST would provide the best sound quality, I'm not sure it matters enough for me to care. While not crazy about the idea, I'm getting more comfortable that I can make an LOC setup sound good. Thoughts?

The end goal I'm thinking about is a decent class D 4 channel amp (alpine pdx-f4, jl xd400), either replacing the front 2/3 way system with a mid level component set (focal 165as3, since there is already a spot for a ~4 inch mid?) or adding some nice tweeters and giving the stock speakers a try with some more power. For the subwoofer, I was thinking a JL 6w3 and making an enclosure that would drop into the existing opening in the deck.

Thanks for sticking with me through the long post. Any and all input is appreciated. Cheers.

arU4ic

A lot of this is over my head, although I implemented your Option 2 to an MDX I used to own and it was ok, but didn't have the fine-tuning ability that I wanted.

What would you have to do with VCDS and why non-Ross tech?

I'm also curious what you think the non-B&O is lacking, not that I think it's perfect, just curious what you are looking for.

Sloan3

Appreciate the reply.

Were you able to retain all the MMI bass/treble/fade settings doing this? Did you just run certain channels to the amplifier?

From reading some other forum posts, it sounded like I may need to change the coding in the system to output to the MOST optical system instead of using the internal amplifier. I am not sure if the MOST optical is active or not without doing this, but I did find some coding info to change the system to think you are using B&O (MOST) vs the Audi Sound System (internal amp). Was wondering if the non-Ross tech stuff is capable of this, because the added expense of needing a Ross tech unit would probably influence my decision.

I'm no audiophile, so I can't judge the overall quality objectively, but for my subjective ears, I feel like the mid range is a little "muddy" and the high end doesn't sound very "clear" (and maybe even non-existent in the higher frequencies), and the bass from the subwoofer is not "tight". No doubt there is distortion at high volumes and I don't hear much depth in the music.

Would the fine tuning you were lacking maybe be fixed by an EQ/DSP in the RCA path?

arU4ic

It wasn't an audi, it was an Acura, yeah, I just ran all the channels to an amp.

I'm pretty sure you'll need to get in pretty deep, I can't imagine you avoid the Ross cable purchase, I'll poke around the controls units with my vagcom this weekend and see what I can find for B&O/non-B&O bit settings.

The whole system is under-powered, the sub is too small and I agree that the mid is very muddy. I've managed to make some improvements through lossless music and a player in my iPhone that has decent equalizer controls.

But I really do want a high-end upgrade, I don't need to blow-out windows in my hood, I just want more precise sound.

Sloan3

I received this reply from a sales representative of the company that makes the Mobridge....

Hi Sloan,
Your car has MOST150 Bus which we don’t have any units at all for, and we’re unlikely to either! It’s a very complex system with lots of encryption built in, so I’m very sorry we can’t help.

Regards

Dave Williams
International Sales Manager


So this is kind of a bummer. I may be trying the line output converter route for now.

arU4ic

Sigh

nanohead2001

Old thread... Did you ever do anything?

Cory Bedell

Bavsound.com is developing new sound system for 2015 and newer Audis. The should be ready mid 2017.

949

good to know. cant wait to see what they have coming. is there a site that will tell us more?