j31izzle

and would I need the amplifier?

I don't think my Bose system has the subwoofer. My sister's 99 A6 has Bose also but it hits so much harder.

specialk9991

You have two 6.5-inch (I'm not sure on the size, but it's about 6 inches) Bose woofers under the parcel shelf. I believe the magnet caps on the bottoms of those say bose on them. Another way to tell is if your speaker grilles have the Bose emblems on them. Remember, it is fairly easy to put a Symphony into Bose "mode" so just because the head-unit says Bose when you turn it on, does not nescessarily mean you actually have a Bose system.

j31izzle

i don't have bose however, pop up on the symphony when i turn it on.

specialk9991

The Symphony head unit uses the same hardware whether the car has a Bose system or not. The HU needs to be calibrated to work with either the bose or the stock system (speakers, amp, etc) In essence, YOUR HU is confused. Somehow along the way, your car reverted from Bose "mode" at the HU to stock mode. So it thinks it has the factory crappy-speakers, when it really has the slightly less crappy bose speakers and amplifier. I believe there is a tech article on how to re-code the HU. If not, you will need to solicit someone else's help to get it done, as I do not know how (I have no reason to know how).

j31izzle

I read that article and changed the values and it output better and stronger after the change. still however, not close to my sister's A6 sound. My dad also has an A6 w/o Bose and his and mine sound almost identical.

that's great info you're providing, thanks a lot!

specialk9991

If you look at a B5 with or without bose, the Symphony I HU will always look the same. This is because Audi tried to simplify things by only using one HU for both systems. The difference between HUs in bose/non-bose from the factory is essentially software. Luckily the HU's are loaded with both types of software, you just need to tell the HU what kind of speakers/amps it is talking to so it can send the appropriate signals. I think the problem you are having is that your HU thinks the speakers it is talking to are not Bose when they really are, so it is sending the wrong signals to the wrong places.

You need to change the HU from non-bose mode to Bose mode, essentially switching software versions; so the bose speakers are getting the signals they are expecting. It's kind of like if you switch out a CD drive in your computer, you will need to load new software for the new drive so it will work right. The old software might work a little (like your speakers right now), but it won't work exactly the ay it is supposed to(like if the HU was properly calibrated for a Bose system).

There is another possibility. Did you purchase the car new, or did you have a good relationship with the person you brought it from? The standard speaker grilles could have been changed out for grilles with bose emblems by someone making an effort to skim an extra hundred bucks or so off their resale value. Have you seen the actual speakers themselves? Bose should be printed on the speakers themselves somewhere.

Also remember, even the Bose system is not that phenomenal when it comes to bass reproduction. What kind of bass are you looking for? If you are used to an aftermarket system, you may be disappointed with anything you get.

j31izzle

thanks for the info man, as soon as i search and find something useful i will report if there is a difference. i bought the car from a person i didn't know before, but i'm sure it's bose. even carfax confirms so. i will double check with the speaker imprint, though.

i guess i'm looking for better sound. my dad's non bose a6 sounds slightly better than mine (not bass wise), but my sisters a6 with bose blows the doors away from mine.

thanks,
Alen