Hiya everyone, Prestige '09 owner here - and I wanted to know if anyone has replaced/upgraded/supplemented the factory sub in the car? I had a S5 prior and was able to just remove the old sub and replace it with another higher-efficiency one. I know the factory one is located under the cargo tray in the boot, but have not looked at it yet, is it a standard dimension/size? Anyone know what the impedance or wattage of it is?

Love the B&O but as in the S5, the low end is a bit lacking for my taste...

John

It's located inside the spare wheel and actually felt kind of cheap... maybe because it was quite light and plastic. AFAIK, it only has an Audi PN on it (mine is B&O too), no impedance/wattage marked. But the connection to it clips off easily (you have to unclip it before removing spare), so the amplified signal is easy to tap.

It's located inside the spare wheel and actually felt kind of cheap... maybe because it was quite light and plastic. AFAIK, it only has an Audi PN on it (mine is B&O too), no impedance/wattage marked. But the connection to it clips off easily (you have to unclip it before removing spare), so the amplified signal is easy to tap.

Thanks - I think I will use that connection and snake it out to the right side - would like to place a powered sub in the niche by the 12v adapter..circuit should be able to hand a sub since it is connected to the lighter/adapter there. Let everyone know what I end up doing..

Just a note - took out the speaker, it is 6.5", measured it with my ohm meter, it is 6 ohms. I bought a JL 6W3V3-4, should be a direct replacement. It is 4 ohms so it should hit a little harder and pull more current. The other stock B&O amp in the S5 handled the drop in resistance fine so though should be ok.

I receive the sub later this week, let everyone know if it does improve the bottom end better...

John

Thanks for the info... does the B&O look physically inferior to the JL? Also do you have the 4-3/16" depth clearance (I am assuming you are going to use the same enclosure)?

Thanks for the info... does the B&O look physically inferior to the JL? Also do you have the 4-3/16" depth clearance (I am assuming you are going to use the same enclosure)?

Yes, the B&O (if it is really one) is pretty crummy, it has a little weight, but the driver is paper, looks like a generic driver. There is more than enough depth for the JL to be mounted in the same location.

Just a note - took out the speaker, it is 6.5", measured it with my ohm meter, it is 6 ohms. I bought a JL 6W3V3-4, should be a direct replacement. It is 4 ohms so it should hit a little harder and pull more current. The other stock B&O amp in the S5 handled the drop in resistance fine so though should be ok.

I receive the sub later this week, let everyone know if it does improve the bottom end better...

John

Hopefully the amp is fused correctly in the unlikely even of a overload causing a fire or damaging the amplifier.

Awesome... would love to hear how this works out!

A couple of challenges you may encounter - 1) no adjustment for subwoofer level in MMI which may make it difficult to blend in the sub, and 2) although the JL will draw more current since its lower impedance, the sensitivity will determine if you get more SPL out of this compared to stock.

I am copying a post from another forum below detailing the B&O setup. If everything works out your upgrade should better esp. with the 150W class-D subwoofer amp driving the JL!

Sedan Technical specifications

Front door & Front/Centre loudspeaker:
Two 25 mm tweeters
70mm full-range (centre)
80mm mid-range +200mm woofers

Rear Door & Parcel shelf:
25mm tweeters + 168mm woofers
Two 80mm full-range + 200mm "free-air" subwoofer that uses the parcel shelf as a baffle (like the A5)


Avant Technical specifications

Front door & Front/Centre loudspeaker:
Two 25 mm tweeters
70mm full-range (centre)
80mm mid-range +200mm woofers

Rear door and "D" pillar:
25mm tweeters + 165mm woofers
Two 80mm full-range

Luggage compartment:
A 165 mm subwoofer in an 11L bass reflex ported cabinet placed within the excess space of the spare tyre.


Amplifiers (for both Sedan and Avant):
Five 25 watt Class-A/B amplifiers for tweeters, mid-range and centre driver
Two 40 watt Class A/B amplifiers for rear woofers
Two 75 watt Class D amplifiers for front bass drivers
One 150 watt Class D amplifier for the subwoofer



Specifically regarding the subwoofer differences:


The Limo (sedan) has a 'free-air' subwoofer that uses the parcel shelf as a baffle. The A5 uses the same principle.

The Avant does not have a parcel shelf so we opted for a subwoofer in a ported cabinet. The only difference in performance is below 30Hz where the subwoofer port starts to roll off. This will make little difference to the listening experience for 2 reasons : 1. Most music contains very little information below 30 Hz. 2. This frequency area is masked by background noise while driving. The Q5 uses the same principle.

Of course it is possible to put a subwoofer in a sealed cabinet but the loudspeaker itself needs to be very large (as in the A8 / Q7). A ported cabinet can achieve good SPL at low frequency with a relatively smaller loudspeaker.


Furthermore, B&O also told me that:


Both cars are tuned individually as each car is unique. Further there are usually two tunings per car as a car with fabric seats and no sunroof will differ from one with leather and sunroof.

Great information. Is there a way you can find how many ohms the amplifier is rated at? The sub he is proposing is drawing 50% more current than the stock sub. I would like to do this mod too, if it is viable.

Sorry, no details about the amp. I am guessing it's an ICEpower IceCar1 Class-D, maybe a 4-channel 300W unit. They probably used 2-channels (2X75W) for the front woofers and bridged remaining 2-channels for the sub. Or it might be a standalone 150W unit since it wouldn't make much sense to run a digital link all the way to the back and then send the analog sound back to the front. For sure, it isn't a conventional amp with heatsinks, so I have no idea how it would handle the decreased impedance. Since they are pretty efficient and don't product a lot of heat, I would venture it shouldn't mind the additional current draw especially since it wouldn't be driving a full-load all the time - unless ERPGURU has other ideas! :-)

I am recieving my car today. Can anyone tell me what kind of enclosure is used for the sub? Is it a free, sealed, or ported?

There is no way that I am aware of to determine the minimum impedance an amp can handle without either 1) testing it, or 2) having the info published. It also depends on how the manufacturer implements protection on a given amp. They can set the amp (or specific channels) to shut off when it hits a certain temperature or current level. Although it is possible to blow an amp from pushing too much current through it, I have not seen one in the past few years that did not have protection on it that prevented just that. The most damage probably possible is that it overheats and shuts off for a period of time. Again, just from my experience with the S5 and the B&O system in that, it handled 4ohm load of the sub just fine. The amp got warmer, but that was about it.

Hope to have the new sub put in shortly after receiving it, so will let you know how it handles it.

I am recieving my car today. Can anyone tell me what kind of enclosure is used for the sub? Is it a free, sealed, or ported?

I can't speak for the non-B&O system, but for the B&O system, it appears to be a sealed enclosure as I have not seen any ports - contained as a little ring stored inside of the spare tire wheel well. Actually a pretty neat concept in my opinion.

John

I thought it was ported? It's 11L and I remember seeing a hole and also reading that only the A8 and Q7 have sealed subs since they have the space...

I thought it was ported? It's 11L and I remember seeing a hole and also reading that only the A8 and Q7 have sealed subs since they have the space...

Well, it could be and I just didn't find the port. I will be replacing the driver in the next day or two so when I take out the enclosure at that time I will look more closely for it..

Any news on how the installation went? Did you go with the jl audio 6w3? How much did you pay for it?

Heya, inlaws with me so not too much time. I did the install, the speaker was actually a little too deep - reason being is that there are little plastic pieces in the mount - what I did was use spacers to allow for the sub to mount. The little plastic piece that used to go over the old sub will not fit - but not worried as it is still below the top of the speaker donut - will not get hit by the boot piece. If I were to do it again, would use a shallow mount sub of 4 inches or less.

I played with the settings a bit as well on the bass/treble, but it is much deeper sounding without sounding thumpy like a younger persons car. The amp is performing fine, not much warmer than it was prior.

Oh, and to show the difference in sub - the old sub was 45oz total, the new one is 101oz, more than double and most of it is in the magnet. Price - paid $90, see if I can remember the place, happy with the upgrade.

John

Can you post a pic of what it looks like now? I really want to see what it looks like with the new sub

Thanks for the update John. What kind of spacer did you use? DIY or available at audio shops? I think I will do the same this week sometime. Thanks again!

Thanks for the review and tip. I see that a kicker sub would work 6.5 inches by 2.5 inches. I would rather have the jl though but you right about not wanting the spacers. Are there any other "higher qaulity" subs that are 6.5" with a shallow mount?

Just a note - took out the speaker, it is 6.5", measured it with my ohm meter, it is 6 ohms. I bought a JL 6W3V3-4, should be a direct replacement. It is 4 ohms so it should hit a little harder and pull more current. The other stock B&O amp in the S5 handled the drop in resistance fine so though should be ok.

I receive the sub later this week, let everyone know if it does improve the bottom end better...

John

I was looking at this sub online... Dangggggg it has a HUGE magnet!!!! :-). I noticed they also had the same sub but 8ohms instead of 4ohms.

What is the difference? Is it better to go with 8ohms if the factory sub is 6ohms? I don't understand the Ohm thing.

Thanks!!! GREAT POST BY THE WAY!!! I was quoted $1400 USD to have a custom 10" sub installed in the wheel housing.... I am SO GLAD YOU POSTED THIS!!!!

The 8ohm sub has more resistance compared to the 4ohm sub, thus demanding less work from the amplifier. I just bought a kicker, which has a mounting depth of a little less than 3". Hopfully the box will accomadate the depth. I found that the discontinued jl6w0 has a depth requirement of 3.5" but I opted for the kicker because of less depth and also because the kicker can handle 150 watts rms vs the jl audio which handles 75 watts rms. This stock setup is not going to push it that hard though.

Hey epguru, I just attempted to install the subwoofer. I saw that the nominal imperdence of my sub was 2ohm's maybe it differes between the b&o and regular system. I wish I would have picked up a 2 ohm sub now.(too late, should have done my homework) What I do not understand is how you got the sub to fit in wierdly recessed space for the subwoofer. It resembles a trapezoid, where the space is wide at one point and narrow on the other, instead of being a perfect square. Do you cut ay plastic to make it fit? I see that your jl and my kicker has almost the same mounting diameter.

Hey epguru, I just attempted to install the subwoofer. I saw that the nominal imperdence of my sub was 2ohm's maybe it differes between the b&o and regular system. I wish I would have picked up a 2 ohm sub now.(too late, should have done my homework) What I do not understand is how you got the sub to fit in wierdly recessed space for the subwoofer. It resembles a trapezoid, where the space is wide at one point and narrow on the other, instead of being a perfect square. Do you cut ay plastic to make it fit? I see that your jl and my kicker has almost the same mounting diameter.

Do you have the B&O or the regular system? Where did you see the 2ohm marking?

i have the regular and it says on the sub itself. If you want to take out the sub from the bass box you need a star screw driver. The box is also sealed.

i have the regular and it says on the sub itself. If you want to take out the sub from the bass box you need a star screw driver. The box is also sealed.

I too have the non-B&O. Please be sure to update w/ any pics, experiences. I suppose for impedance matching purposes, this is a good 6.5" to get:

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_product_details.jsp?cid=50845

I too have the non-B&O. Please be sure to update w/ any pics, experiences. I suppose for impedance matching purposes, this is a good 6.5" to get:

http://www.hookedontronics.com/show_product_details.jsp?cid=50845

That is exactly what I am going to get. I put the 4ohm kicker on open air and it sounded better than the stock one in the bass box. I think the 2ohm version will sound great. I am kind of stuck right now on if I should cut the plastic on the bass box and putty it to make it fit. I would rather find another solution. Why don't you take a look at it and tell me what you think. 2 heads are better than one.

Well, I'm going to order the Kicker tonight. It looks like it will fit w/ little/no modification.

Here's a link to the woofer's manual:
http://www.kicker.com/sites/default/files/2008CompVT6.5.pdf

I'll update once it arrives and I've worked w/ it.

The bass box does need to be modified. Did you read my post above? Did you take the box out and look at where the sub is going to mount?

The bass box does need to be modified. Did you read my post above? Did you take the box out and look at where the sub is going to mount?

Yes, I have the OEM speaker out and have examined the box. The opening appears very close to circular to me?

Well, the Kicker is shipped in transit. Once I have it in hand, I'll figure out what mod needs to happen. I'm also considering sealing the port and filling the box 50% with loose poly-fill, per Kicker's recommendation.

Also, I did a little math and calculated the volume of the box at 0.68 ft^3. This fits within Kicker's volume spec of 0.2 to 3.0 ft^3 for a sealed enclosure. I will use a silicon sealant around the speaker's edge for air-tightness. Can't wait to hear the difference.

Maybe you and I have diferent enclosures then. The mounting on mines is trapezoid shaped and also my box is sealed not ported. I would also not recommend you using silicone on the subwoofers edge. This topic has been discused on many popular car audio forums saying silicone fumes are bad for speaker's rubber surounds.

On the MMI if you unlock the 'secret menu' in the menu option 'RU' you can get to the amplifier temperature, fan speed of the cooling fan, etc. Now I never looked at this before I put in the 4-ohm JL so I can't tell how much the temperature has increased, but it is well below the listed maximum on the display, even when played hard. Based on the temperature of the amp, I think a 2-ohm load may be fine. I may actually even move to the 2-ohm kicker that the other user wrote about to get a little more punch out of it..

BTW - still playing around, am still under the belief that there is a way to unlock the subwoofer level control. So far, have not found anything in the secret car menu. When I have time, I am going to play with my VAG more, bet there is something hidden..would LOVE a sub level control from the MMI....

John

Hey epguru how did u mount that sub with the wierd mounting trapezoid shape of the stock bassbox? please let me know.

No, I 'nipped' it out with a pair of plyers type thing that I had for cutting wire. After I cut that out, the bottom of the enclosure was flat where the sub was mounted.

I better post pictures of my situation and then maybe I can explain it better.

I finally shot some pics to explain my dilemna and give people an idea of what I am talking about.

Picture of Bass Box

http://forums.audiworld.com/album.php?albumid=160762&pictureid=219033


Picture of stock subwoofer exposed. Notice the trapazoid shape that I am speaking of causing my problems when tring to mount the kicker subwoofer.


http://forums.audiworld.com/picture.php?albumid=160762&pictureid=219034

Stock sub compared to kicker

http://forums.audiworld.com/picture.php?albumid=160762&pictureid=219036

Kicker will not fit because of od shaped trapezoid mounting location

http://forums.audiworld.com/picture.php?albumid=160762&pictureid=219037

Side view of problem

http://forums.audiworld.com/picture.php?albumid=160762&pictureid=219038


Can someone give me an idea of how to get that subwoofer to mount. I racked my brain and cannot think of an idea that is easy and fast.

Hmmm...have you ever worked with fibrglass? You might could get creative with some epoxy.

The best but not fastest solution would be to use the factory box as a template for a fiberglass mold, then build a new box off the mold. Good luck.

Did the JL have this same fitment issue? When you figure it out let us know. I want to do the same thing.... :)


How did EPGURU sp??? get to the secret menu?

Did the JL have this same fitment issue? When you figure it out let us know. I want to do the same thing.... :)


How did EPGURU sp??? get to the secret menu?

No the JL just 'dropped' right in, cleared the sides without issue..

No the JL just 'dropped' right in, cleared the sides without issue..

Your box looks different from mine, I have the B&O system, do you? I ask because I don't have a hole/port where you do on your enclosure..

John

Your box looks different from mine, I have the B&O system, do you? I ask because I don't have a hole/port where you do on your enclosure..

John

Sorry, can't seem to edit my post - daa - the hole is the place for the wheel mount. I will have to take a picture of mine and send, I just don't seem to remember my sub enclosure looking like yours. Also, my car is an '09, is yours a '10? Could have had some subtle changes between the years. Let me look when I get home and take a picture..

John

Ok, finally figured out to get the pictures up - I actually changed out the JL to the kicker - was a direct drop in replacement, took all of five minutes. Attached are pictures - as you can see, the cut out around the speaker is round and not the shape that you had, so there is some type of difference between years, equipment level, etc.

John

Here's what I'm doing. I have yet to get the Kicker (in transit via UPS), but will post pics once the sub is in and the box is carpeted. Can't wait to hear the sound improvement.

Box dimensions (outer) are 19"w X 7.75"h X 5" deep. The internal volume is 0.22 ft^3 (within the Kicker's spec for a sealed enclosure). I left plenty of clearance from the cargo flap to the box top; I may eventually mount and amp on the top of the box.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii215/mccaskey/DSC_0973.jpg

I wish I had the box you have, would have made life allot easier. Lefty your box idea gave me another idea though. Back to the drawing board. Does anyone know there the factory amplifier is located?

In the cargo area, driver side panel.

Hi ERPGURU Was relieved you resurfaced since I and judging by the number of inquisitive views, would like to know the outcome of your sub replacement project,if completed ??Was there any amp overheating or did you encounter other issues that made it difficult ??? The same kicker arrived yesterday ... Not having any experience with complicated systems{ besides red on red, black on black etc...} would you recommend a pro shop install or could i handle the task without any major modifications or tools ?? By the way Thanx for the detailed info ,especially the pics for clarity...The B$O is on its way

No, I have had no issues at all with the kicker, even though it is 2ohm. I have played it hard for 2+ hours, the temp on the amp gets to 52degrees (assume C), the fan kicks in and then it stays around 50 (max is 65c), so no issues..

As far as the installing, you would have no issues at all. You just unscrew the cover that was over the old driver, the driver and install the new ones. The kicker is nice too in that uses nice push clips, no soldering required.

Basically, if you can use a screwdriver, I think you will be fine!

John

Thanx for the worthwhile information Erpguru... Any success unlocking the sublevel control as mentioned on earlier subject conversations??? I'm contemplating purchasing the very valuable VAG software as the q5 will sitting in the driveway till it or I drops... Happy Driving

Hello John Forgot to ask you what you think about putting 50% poly-fill stuffing with your enclosed box , as recommended ?? Would it really make a difference??Thanx Again

Thanx for the worthwhile information Erpguru... Any success unlocking the sublevel control as mentioned on earlier subject conversations??? I'm contemplating purchasing the very valuable VAG software as the q5 will sitting in the driveway till it or I drops... Happy Driving

I have been playing around in the software but haven't found anything yet. I am starting to think it is a bit that is related to the B&O system - IE, if the B&O system is a 'yes' then a new menu comes up, may not be able to turn just that function itself, depends on the logic of the software - will keep looking though and post anything that I find.

John

Hello John Forgot to ask you what you think about putting 50% poly-fill stuffing with your enclosed box , as recommended ?? Would it really make a difference??Thanx Again

Are you talking about the standard enclosure/OEM? If so, it probably cannot hurt, I didn't myself as the volume of the cabinet was within spec of the speaker. I did use a little dynamat on the bottom/sides of the enclosure to cut down on possible vibrations between it and the wheel..

John

Upon further reasearch there is a nicer subwoofer you can go with. An elemental design 6". The mounting depth is perfect for our stock enclosure and has great sq. They are on sale right now too almost 50% off.

Upon further reasearch there is a nicer subwoofer you can go with. An elemental design 6". The mounting depth is perfect for our stock enclosure and has great sq. They are on sale right now too almost 50% off.

would this work on a stock q5 without b&o?

supahan would you please post a link. Thank you in advance.

http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_21&products_id=33

supahan, is model e3.6 Subwoofer the one you are speaking about?