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2013 Q7, replaced B&O with a full Audison/Hertz system
Disclaimer - ya like what ya like in audio, alcohol and many other things in life. It's not my intent to bash B&O but rather compare it to what an aftermarket stereo can do and sound like. Plus, I couldn't find a complete Q7 audio install documented here, Audizine, Quattroworld or in the first ten pages or so of Google search results. The B&O was the best manufacturer sound system I'd ever heard and one of the best that the audio installers EAS had heard. But, it wasn't a match for my prior system in the allroad.
I'd previously had a full system replacement (Kenwood HU, Audison SR5 amp, bit ten processor and Hertz Energy ES250D 10" sub & Hi-Energy HSK 130 front speakers in a full active setup) installed in my '05 allroad (Elite Auto Salon in Colorado Springs). Upon buying and driving my new Q7 home over a couple days from out of state I found the bass muddy and, relative to the allroad's system, definitely lacking. The mids and highs were also inferior, lacking in fine detail on some vocals with occasional harshness and resonance not present in the allroad. (Glad I bought it used or I'd have been annoyed as the B&O is roughly an $8000 option? Definitely overpriced compared to what I'd spent and received on the allroad system to my ears.) Crap, back to EAS.
The system requirements I gave were to leave the appearance stock and that I needed all of the rear storage area left available for luggage etc on road trips. The initial plan was to keep the OEM headunit given the various functions tied into that and run the optical output from that to an Audison DMI and then to an Audison bit One. I also wanted to be able to stream music from Spotify/Pandora/DI.fm at better quality than Bluetooth and .flac files as well from a USB source. That led to an Audison bit Play HD that also outputs into the bit One.
Requiring the trunk area to remain clear of a sub/amp enclosure tied their hands more than anyone initially realized. The plan had been to install the sub and amp from my allroad into one of the areas left or right of the trunk with a custom fiberglass enclosure. However the left side is filled by the compressor and airtank for the adaptive air suspension. The right side is filled with OEM electronics. That left them with the spare tire area.
The bit One, an Audison Prima AP4D and AP1D were installed there. The B&O sub enclosure was repurposed for an 8" Hertz Mille ML2000. My original pick of the Hi-Energy line of speakers for the front were out of stock so we upgraded to Mille MPK 165 driven in a full active mode by the AP4D. There was a good deal of soundproofing installed as well in the front doors and sub enclosure.
The DRC (digital remote control) is mounted on the left side of the tray (in front of the gear shift) and is the volume and source controller. I do have to turn up the MMI's volume every time I start the car though. I haven't gotten around to looking through the Q7 manual for a way to adjust the default startup volume. The bit Play HD worked for me a few times but I've had trouble connecting with the Wifi on it. There's an update to the iPhone app due soon so I'm waiting on that and will work with EAS in the near future to get it working better for me. In the meantime I'm mostly playing my music off a couple 64GB SD cards in the MMI. Down the line I'm hoping to be using the bit Play more with a 128GB SD card. The USB ports were brought to the front edge of the large console storage area just behind the MMI controls - great placement in my mind.
Oh yeah, the sound's killer. The terrific vocal detail from Anne Sofie von Otter and Elvis Costello's "For the Stars" and the punchiness of the drums from a Sheffield Labs showcase CD - they're back. Heck, the midbass from the 6" in the door moves my pantlegs when I turn it up. I wish I still had the allroad system to do some A/B comparisons but we restored it to stock for sale sometime this summer. The Audison DRC has presets for four different equalizations and I'm settling on EAS's main tuning choice (B if the EAS folks are reading this) after liking a different one initially. Sorry for the length, but details matter and I hope someone can benefit.
05-28-2016, 07:25 AM
2013 Q7, replaced B&O with a full Audison/Hertz system
