Sound System

You may want to check out the audiworld A4 forums, there is always discussion on sound systems there.... Do a search and you'll probably come up with what you're looking for....

Dan D '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 Central NJ USA

Make sure you don't short the K-line to the aftermarket head unit.

Mechanics will blow their VAGtool if you do that. A lot of wiring adapter looms are miswired.

I'm sure you know this, but if you're planning to keep the original head unit, its output impedance is not the standard 4 Ohms. I seem to remember it was 2 Ohms.

"TCCdestroy" escribió en el mensaje news:1_602231 snipped-for-privacy@autoforumz.com...

Huh? These days, any solid-state amp that costs over two bucks oughta have an output impedance measured in tenths or even hundredths of an ohm. If you mean that the Audi head unit is designed to drive a 2 ohm

*input* impedance, well, that's a good thing, not a bad thing, and should pose no problem when driving 4-ohm speakers. Meanwhile, if you're talking about the line-level output impedance, rather than the speaker-level output, then 2 vs. 4 ohms ain't gonna mean a thing - the input impedances of today's separate amps tend to be up in the tens of thousands of ohms.

-- Mike Smith

Obviously talking about input impedance. In practical terms what this means is that if you fit a pair of 4 Ohm speakers, you're only just going to get half the desired output (read volume), which is a real pain.

"Mike Smith" escribió en el mensaje news: snipped-for-privacy@news.supernews.com...

"JP Roberts" wrote

What's the point? - I'm assuming you already have the Gamma setup, in which case it *really* isn't worth changing it.

"SteveH" wrote

It's not worth it to replace the crappy OEM HU and speakers??? Maybe not for someone who only listens to AM radio, but for an average audiophile there's a lot of room for improvement.

Pete

Well, speaking as what you'd call an 'audiophile', the OEM setup in B5 chassis VAGs is pretty damned good. A car is a pretty crap environment to listen to music, so it's not really worth spending silly amounts of money on 'improvements'. You'll only actually get more volume, not better quality.

"SteveH" wrote

Well, the B5 in itself does not isolate outside noise too well and after a few years of ownership it can be a real rattle cage, but it doesn't mean it can't be fixed with proper sound deadning materials.

I have the OEM Symphony setup in my B5 and I find it lacking in power, clear treble and bass. The sound is very distorted when you crank it up - either the stock amps are very weak or the speakers can't take the power, or both. As a quick fix, I threw a self-powered sub in the trunk, but it was really a half-assed solution as I hooked it up to rear speakers for input. I also didn't want to replace the OEM head unit as nothing aftermarket that I've seen looks as good as the OEM. But I did hear aftermarket setups in my friends' B5s - night and day.

I think many will argue with that, but it's really personal preference as to what it's worth or what it's not. :)

Cheers,

Pete

There's something wrong with your B5, then.... my B5 Passat (yeah, OK, I bought the cheap version of the A6....) is showing 145k miles so far and drives as well as a new one, with no rattles etc.

I suppose it depends on how loud you consider loud to be. If I turn up my Gamma system, my ears hurt before it distorts.

"SteveH" wrote

I suppose it's the crappy pot-hole infested roads here in Poland that are responsible. 17" rims and sport suspension don't exactly help either. The interior was relatively rattle-free back in the US.

FYI, B5 Passat is the same platform as B5 A4, not A6.

Pete

B5 platform produced the A4, A6, Skoda Superb and Passat.

HTH.

"SteveH" wrote

I thought A6 had it's own platform (C5)?

Pete

The 2nd generation A6 (ie. not the one that was just the old Audi 100 facelifted) was the same platform as the Passat, A4 and Superb.

Not sure about the new A6, though.

"SteveH" wrote

B5 (A4) and C5 (A6) are different platforms, AFAIK.

Pete

"SteveH" wrote

Forgot to add, the front speakers in the Passat (and Jetta too) are bigger (5.25" or 6.5" even). A4 has 4" speakers up front which are a joke.

Pete

"Mike Smith" wrote: > JP Roberts wrote: > > I'm sure you know this, but if you're planning to keep the > original head > > unit, its output impedance is not the standard 4 Ohms. I > seem to remember it > > was 2 Ohms. > > Huh? These days, any solid-state amp that costs over two > bucks oughta > have an output impedance measured in tenths or even hundredths > of an > ohm. If you mean that the Audi head unit is designed to drive > a 2 ohm > *input* impedance, well, that's a good thing, not a bad thing, > and > should pose no problem when driving 4-ohm speakers. > Meanwhile, if > you're talking about the line-level output impedance, rather > than the > speaker-level output, then 2 vs. 4 ohms ain't gonna mean a > thing - the > input impedances of today's separate amps tend to be up in the > tens of > thousands of ohms. > > -- > Mike Smith

Thanks for the advice...keep it coming.

In case there is any confusion about the ohm load on the factory deck, it doesn?t matter to me because I am switching it out for an Eclipse

5423 and later something even better than that. More specifically, what about taking off the front door panels to install the front components, anything about that I should know about that?

-TCCdestroy

I've got the Concert head unit, coupled with BOSE. Well, if that's pretty damned good, then I must be looking pretty damn close to Mr Universe!

The bass speakers are the crappiest I've ever seen/heard in just any car that would like to boast about sound. Not only are they clearly lacking in power - both loudspeakers and amp at fault here, but they also deteriorate in exactly two summer seasons - the paper is burnt out of its supple properties by the sun. The rest of speakers and head unit output distortion are only just acceptable.

The BOSE A3s on the other hand have some extra 100 Watt bass power - boot subwoofer, which is exactly what the A4 stock BOSE would need in order for it to be addressed as remotely acceptable by someone moderately exacting like me.