JimmyDee

2015 Audi SQ5.
Factory Bang & Olufsen system - 14 speakers.


The criteria for the build was:

1. Pure Sound Quality
2. Stealth Install
3. Practicality - this is my daily driver

The factory B&O sound system is good... but not great. I had an Audi S4 prior to this, so I am familiar with the vehicle's electronics. Audi uses a fiber optic MOST network for almost all the electronics. The best way to tap into this fiber network is by using a mObridge unit. In my S4, I had a mObridge DA1, in conjunction with a Mosconi Digital Sound Processor. For this build, I decided to simplify the build, and use the new mObridge DA3, which combines the MOST interface and Digital Sound Processor all into one unit. I must say, it is a very slick unit. The software is fairly straightforward, and it does everything I need it to do. I was a bit of a guinea pig for mObridge, when the DA3 first came out, but after a few firmware updates, we got all the bugs worked out (for Audi), and now it works flawlessly.

Not much to show here... the unit is mounted where the factory amp was (rear corner, behind the wheel well).
MOST fiber cables plug into the back side. 8 RCA cables come of the front, and connect to the amps.
The unit needs a constant 12 volts, and uses the signal from the fiber network to switch on and off.
It also has a switched 12 volt + to trigger the amps on and off.

FYI: the two thicker 'ribbed' looking cables (mid picture, to the right) are the MOST fiber optic network cables. They loop through the entire vehicle, and almost everything electronic is run through this network.

The switch that is at the bottom right is to manually switch the mObridge unit off, when I bring the car into Audi for servicing. Audi is very **** about their vehicles, and keeps a database of any modifications made. Even for a basic oil change, they plug the vehicle into their system, and run a full diagnostic. I don't want to give them any 'ammo', in case I ever needed to bring the vehicle in for warranty work...


MOST DA3 DSP Professional | mObridge

I wish I'd taken pics of the vehicle, when it was all ripped apart... but I didn't, so here's where the 'described' part comes in:

I used KnuKonceptz for all my wiring and sound deadening. You can click on the web-links for detail on the products.

All 4 doors, as well as the rear trunk area were deadened with Kno-Knoise Kolossus deadener. It's 100mil thick butyl material, that is very heavy...
Kno Knoise Kolossus Edition Super Bulk Pack 105sq ft - Merchandise

RCA cables are Knu - Krystal Kable.
Krystal Kable 2 Channel 2M Twisted Pair RCA Cable - Merchandise



One of the nice things about Audi, is that they put the battery in the trunk. So my power runs are very short. I ran 1/0 from the battery, to a KonFUSED power distribution / fuse block. And then ran 4awg to the amplifiers.
KonFUSED 2 Way Power and Ground Distribution Block - Merchandise


The fuse block is very slick. It uses a threaded grommet to lock the power cables in place, and trust me, they are solid once threaded in. I've read a few guys complain that they had issues with this system (not being able to get the thread started), but it worked flawlessly for me. Way better than a set screw...

For the speaker wire, I used Knu - Karma twisted pair cable. 16 awg. to the door components, and 10 awg. to the subwoofer.
Karma SS 16 Gauge Speaker Wire - Merchandise

I also put a boot on each end of the cables. This serves no practical benefit... but it looks cool, and gives it a tidy appearance.


One of the challenges I had with this install, was the fact that the vehicle has LOADS of electronics. When I went to run my speaker cables through the Molex plug in the doors, I found that they were completely full of wires! There was nowhere to drill a hole... I did a bit of research, and found the proper Molex pins at Mouser Electronics. I bought a bunch of them, and soldered the speaker wires to them, then disconnected the stock Molex pins, and refitted the spots with the new pins. I wish I'd taken pics of the Molex door plugs, but I didn't. Here's a shot of the Molex pins, fitted onto the speaker cables. I had to use a special pointed tool to get the old Molex pins out of the socket. The new pins just snapped in (they have a wire barb that holds them in the socket)

1-968851-3 TE Connectivity / AMP | Mouser
2-964296-1 TE Connectivity / AMP | Mouser


With all the power and speaker cables run, it was time to move onto the components. Again, I didn't take any pics of the actual install, but I do have a couple shots of the actual components:

The front stage is an active 2-way, crossed-over at 2600Hz, and consisting of:

Sinfoni Tempo 10 tweeter. This is the newer version of the Maestoso tweeter, and it might be the best tweeter I've ever heard. It is definitely the best small format (1") tweeter I've ever heard.
Prior to this, I was running a ScanSpeak D3004/6020 tweeter... and yes, the Sinfoni sounds better than the Scan. Way better... but it's also twice the price.
The entire grille and bezel is brushed aluminum. I painted the honeycomb grille black, to better match the interior of the vehicle (and give it a bit more blended/stealth appearance).


The driver is a Dynaudio Esotar E650... considered by many to be the ultimate 6.5" driver.
I know there are drivers that will play lower, and there are drivers that are probably better for a 3-way system - but in a 2-way setup, I doubt there is a better overall speaker.
The Esotar will take anything you throw at it, and deliver clean sound every time. I'm running it from 80Hz to 2600Hz.


For the rear doors, I used a set of Focal Polyglass components. These were leftover from my previous 2012 Audi S4 build. Again, didn't take pics of the install.

When I did the Audi S4 build (about 4 years ago), I used MDF to make spacer rings for the speakers. When I removed the equipment, I found that the MDF had absorbed water over the years, and had deformed at the bottoms.


This time around, I went out and bought a sheet of 3/4" thick HDPE plastic.


And made the speaker rings out of it.

Again, no pics of the installed speakers, but the HDPE was a good decision. It's a lot more solid than MDF (keeps the speaker baskets straight and solid), and it's impervious to moisture.


The sub is a JL Audio 13TW5... but I've been experimenting with the JL 12TW3. It is considered to be the 'little brother' of the two, but I think I like the sound of the 12TW3 better. Anyways, here's a shot of the 12TW3 installed in a sealed enclosure, that I built myself. It's made of 3/4" MDF, with the left-hand side molded to the shape of the wheel well and finished with fiberglass. It is bolted to the rear seat. The rear seats are 60/40 split, and they fold down. So I built the sub enclosure to be the width of the larger (60) split seat, this takes advantage of the width, and keeps my enclosure as shallow as possible. It is exactly .80 ft. in volume, and is filled with acoustic poly fill. Each seat can still fold down independently (practicality - daily driver).



Finally, the amplifiers:

I've always been a sucker for Zapco amps. They were my first real quality pieces of equipment (back when they were big surfboards in the 90's). I've had a number of different amps since then... but when Zapco released the new Z-LX Series of amps, I knew I wanted them. These are pure sound quality amplifiers. No fancy add-ons. Not even a crossover. Just quality components, straightforward design, and built like a tank.

LX Series

I got a Z150-6LX for the doors. Channels 1 through 4 run the active front doors, and channels 5 & 6 run the passive rear doors. I got a Zapco ST1-KD mono amp for the subwoofer.


The rear tire-well of my vehicle has a lot of extra room for storage. So, I built an amp rack, that fits in there. I made the rack out of perforated board, with a couple 12 volt muffin fans underneath, to allow the amps a bit of extra 'breathing room'.


The 6-channel sits on the top, and the mono sits underneath.


Here it is, mounted in the car. It is totally stealth, and can only be seen by lifting the rear cargo area floor. The 6-channel is a monster. It almost straddles the full width of the vehicle!

There's a bit of a rats-nest of extra wire on the right hand side, but that extra wire was done on purpose (extra slack), in case I need to access the battery compartment or jack/tools, which are below the amp rack. If I get a flat tire, I don't want to be unhooking the amplifiers, just to get to the vehicle jack...

As with any system, the install took about 20 hours. Then the tuning took another 20 hours! Sitting in the front seat with a laptop plugged into the mObridge, and listening. Picking crossover points that sound best. Time aligning all the speakers. Trying different EQ adjustments to compensate for the huge dip I had at 500Hz, etc... Pink Noise can get tiresome after many hours.

In the end, it is totally worth it. I've accomplished what I wanted:

1. Pure Sound Quality - this is a VERY clean system, with amazing sound at any volume level.

2. Stealth Installation - with the exception of the Sinfoni tweeters (which blend nicely with the interior), you can't see any part of the install.

3. Practicality - I use this vehicle as my daily driver, and other than the shallow sub enclosure, I have retained full use of every part of the vehicle.

Hugg727

Nice write up Jimmy! Great install too!

Nice work on the Molex pins, I never thought of that....I went right in there with a Dremel and was nervous the entire time.

JimmyDee

The Molex plug on my drivers door was absolutely full. Jam packed with wires. There was ZERO room to add anything more.
On the other three doors there was room to drill holes, but I figured since I had the pins, I might as well do all 4 doors.

To be honest; replacing the Molex pins was probably easier than drilling/Dremeling holes in the Molex plug...

jsilas

This is an absolutely outstanding build and one which I would like to duplicate. If my wife and I decide to buy her SQ5 at the end of the lease, I'll be mimicking much of this build. Thanks for sharing - it must sound epic! One of my home systems is a small kit of Dynaudio speakers with a Rotel integrated amp. It sounds stellar for such a small and basic setup. A tribute to how good Dynaudio speakers really are.

JimmyDee

Sounds like we have the same taste in equipment... (and cars)

My home setup consists of:

Rega-Planar 3 turntable
Rotel RCD-02 cd player
Rotel RA10 amplifier (almost 30 years old, but still amazing sound)
Dynaudio Focus 160 bookshelf speakers

jsilas

Excellent choices! You've got great taste!

Middle America

Sorry to resurrect an old thread (especially for my first post) but I had to commend you on your install and thank you for bringing this amazing piece of hardware to my attention. I've been playing around with active setups at home for a while, but was hesitant to rip into my new SQ5 and screw with the electronics. This solves all problems. Before I jump in, I wanted to make sure you're still happy with the system. I also wanted to see if you lost any of your factory controls or functionality. Again, thanks for taking the time to post this.

JimmyDee

Yes. The system sounds amazing. It's fairly simple, signal is clean as glass, and it's wicked loud.

The mObridge DA3 works flawlessly. I lost none of my factory controls. Everything works as it did, when the system was stock.

Middle America

Thanks for your response, JimmyDee. This may be the most simple and straight forward aftermarket stereo integration in many years. Now, if I could just find a dealer in Colorado. I guess I'll have to reach out to the distributor.

JimmyDee

So, I've spent the past few weeks (and thousands of dollars) doing a number of changes to my system...

It all started on March 9th, when I saw the 20% off deal on eBay - so I bought a Helix DSP Pro MkII, for $648.00
I had no idea what I was going to do with the Helix, but I couldn't resist the deal... that purchase sparked the fever.

After that, I bought a set of Audiofrog GB25 mids, Audiofrog GB60 midwoofers (I've always wanted to do a 3-way active front), and a pair of Audiofrog GB10D2 subs.

My initial plan was to use both of my 6-channel Zapco Z-LX amps for this project... but I've been eyeing the MMATS amplifiers for a number of years, and curiosity got the best of me.
I talked directly with David Thompson of MMATS, and he sold me a pair of HiFi-6150d amplifiers for a fair price - still expensive, but fair.

Here's what I did:

Took out the spare tire and built a sub box out of fibreglass (molded to the floor of my vehicle)
The enclosure has 4 layers of fibreglass, and a 3/4" MDF top, with the interior of the box fully lined with Dynamat.

Built an amp rack for the MMATS, and mounted the Helix DSP below (also stashed the extra RCA cable under there)

I also installed Audiofrog GB25 mids in the dash, and GB60 woofers in the front doors (factory locations). No pictures to show... sorry.

Sub box finished, with a rats nest of wires, ready for amps to be installed.
I also bought a pair of JL Audio 10" speaker grilles, to protect the sub cones (they fit the Frogs perfectly):

Started running the power cables to the amps:
I flipped one of the amps around, so the power cables were on the outsides of each amp. I didn't want any interference.
I also took the cover off one, and flipped it, so the both nameplates face forward. Just details...

Tinned all the speaker wires with solder... more details.


Here’s how it looks after I finished the carpeting and wiring.


Here’s the stealth shot… I built a false floor to keep all the gear protected and hidden:

I have each amp running as: independent left and independent right.
• Channel 1 – left tweeter (Sinfoni Tempo 10)
• Channel 2- left midrange (Audiofrog GB25)
• Channel 3 – left woofer (Audiofrog GB60)
• Channel 4 – left rear door (Dynaudio Esotar 650 / MD102)
• Channel 5 & 6 bridged – left sub (Audiofrog GB10D2)
• Channel 7 – right tweeter (Sinfoni Tempo 10)
• Channel 8- right midrange (Audiofrog GB25)
• Channel 9 – right woofer (Audiofrog GB60)
• Channel 10 – right rear door (Dynaudio Esotar 650 / MD102)
• Channel 11 & 12 bridged – right sub (Audiofrog GB10D2)

Spent a few hours doing tuning and time alignment. Sounds pretty good (actually, it sounds friggen amazing!)

Here's my thoughts:

The Audiofrog GB25 mids are amazing for their size.
I wanted to use the factory location, which allowed for a 2.75" max sized speaker.
I have an active 3-way front stage, paired with Sinfoni Tempo 10 tweeters (crossed at 4500Hz), and Audiofrog GB60 woofers (crossed at 500Hz)

The Audiofrog GB10D2 subs are also amazing. I'm running them at 4ohm, and they absolutely pound!
I needed to turn the gain right down, as they were overpowering the rest of the system.
I build my systems for SQ, not SPL...

The Helix DSP Pro MkII... what else needs to be said about this unit.
It's world class. Best of the best. Super intuitive software, and built like a tank.
I am still using my mObridge DA3 to tap into the Audi's MOST network, and from the mObridge I am running a single Toslink optical cable into the Helix.

The MMATS HiFi-6150d amplifiers. These were the 'x-factor' items.
I already had premium SQ amplifiers on hand, and wasn't really excited about spending a couple grand more on new amps...
But I've wanted to try these for about 3 years now. So, I decided to go for it.
And... HOLY **** are they ever nice!
Do they sound better than the Zaps? I wouldn't say they sound better, but they definitely sound every bit as good, and produce similar power output.
The advantage is their compact size, and they don't get hot. Actually, they don't even get warm.
Not kidding... I had them cranked (fully cranked) for about 40 minutes, and then went back to check on them... and they were STONE COLD!
It was almost creepy, considering they are each driving 6 speakers, which includes a 10" sub @ 4ohm!

I'm pretty pleased with my new setup.