onthebeam

It's pretty well established that the inadequate subwoofer size and location greatly diminishes bass quality on the A7. Complaints are nearly universal with any of the three stereo options, standard, Bose, or even the uber expensive B & O. All have a tiny subwoofer buried in a box in the spare tire compartment.

I drove an A7 recently that had the all weather rubber mat covering the floor of the hatch. Conventional wisdom would be that this thick rubber mat would further inhibit the bass response. However, I found that bass noticeably improved and not bad considering how hollow it typically sounds.

Can any of our resident audiophiles weigh in on this? Could my perception actually be right in that the thick rubber mat may actually truly help the A7's anemic subwoofer bass response? I'm not a fan of boomy, undefined bass. With the mat in place, and the bass control cranked up to two notches below the highest setting, I perceived that the lower end was actually more tight and solid.

Admittedly, I had a brief amount of test drive time to listen to this particular A7's audio. It had the most common Bose upgrade but I have read that all A7 audio options share the same sub. I've heard the Bose and B & O--while the highs and mids are certainly a step up in the $6K Bang and Olufsen, the lows are still disappointing and do not really sound better.

When my A7 comes in my plan has been to find a Florida shop that can place an 8 inch sub in the side pocket and an amp in the tire well, following the smart solution that Comson Chen developed so beautifully:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2845875

onthebeam

Thanks for the PM with the help you received from the dealer, Blackhawk. If you care to share it with the group, that would be great.

looking@audi

Not possible.

snagitseven

Just a point about the B&O vs. the Bose bass: With the B&O settings optimized correctly in the MMI, using high quality source material with much testing of the Bose and B&O before I placed my order last year, I was able to get a much tighter, lower frequency bass result with the B&O. This in addition to the cleaner, wider dynamic range of the mids and highs. This is especially true if using an SD card or Jukebox vs the other sources. Consequently, I forked over the dough for the option. (I have a C7 A6; it's possible the A7 might result in a different comparison result).

Keep in mind, if you have any of the audio systems and want to shake the car with bass that others around can hear with your windows rolled up, upgrades of the subwoofer and amp will be necessary.

jhebert

Mmmm 6K better stero or better performance car. I would take the money and chip it, x pel the front of the cars and a laser jammer system. I bought my Audi for the enginerring not the radio. Just my 2 cents worth.

onthebeam

Folks, this is from BLACKHAWK who asked me to post for him. A technical glitch is preventing him from posting at present:

*************

I fully agree with your assessment of the A7's bass/subwoofer. My A7 has the Bose system, and it's the only disappointing item on what I think is an outstanding automobile. The cause is a plastic subwoofer located in the spare tire well, and being a 5 door, there is no package self for rear speaker placement.

After research I was going to have a custom 8" sub and amp installed at the tune of something like $1200 to $1600. BUT....

Last week I took the car in for service, mentioned the bass issue and they did a MMI software update HN+R_US_AU_K0715_2. Results is much improved bass and overall stereo sound that is satisfying to me.
Not perfect, but don't feel the need to spend $1200 to $1600.
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