MKII 2017-2019 Q7 Bose Subwoofer Upgrade w/ No Amp!
06-16-2021, 04:03 PM
#1
AudiWorld Junior Member
Thread Starter
MKII 2017-2019 Q7 Sucessfull Bose Subwoofer Upgrade - No Amp Needed
Hi All,
There are a few threads on upgrading the stock Bose subwoofer by upgrading the amp and woofer (sometimes the speaker box too). I wanted to try/offer a very effective, much simpler alternative to my new to me q7. I used to install stereos and subs woofer systems as a kid and had a hypnosis the stock woofer was just a POS. That's what it sounded like anyway. Going from a 6" to a better made 8" would also instantly help. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel if I didn't have to. I ended up simply swapping out the Bose subwoofer with the Rockford Fosgate 8" Low Profile Woofer model# P3SD4-8 and it exceeded my expectations.
After hooking up the DVC the woofer was 2 ohms the same as the stock subwoofer. For good measure and since I had the material around, I stuffed the factory box 3/4s full of polyester stuffing (pillow/stuffed animal stuffing. I don't know how much this helped). The stuffing for those who don't know, slow down the sound waves mimicking a larger box which can get you lower lows, the ones that can linger. Sealed boxes will hit harder but requires more power to move air in a sealed box. Ported boxes are more energy efficient and and can naturally get low wavy base out, but they don't give you that crisp hit you might feel in your chest. I think you would need a custom system w/ 10" to feel hard hitting base anyway, but that is outside the scope of fixing the deficiency of the Bose system (or any other factory sound system). Someone said the stock box is ported but I couldn't feel a port in my 2019, but that isn't to say it isn't there.
The result was much more than what I expected. Deep, rich lows, no distortion and a balanced sound profile worthy of a $69k+ car. If I crank up the sub and base settings, it obviously isn't hard hitting like 2 x 10" JL woofers with dedicated amp would be, but it blows the doors off any premium factory sound system I've ever heard. The rear view mirror heavily vibrated, you could feel the hits, and there was no distortion. The low level frequencies seamlessly blended in with the rest of the music at mid point sound setting levels which was the goal. I listen to a lot of rap (do they call it that still) and I have a hard time thinking a aftermarket amp would add any more value over the factory. If I crank up the base it's embarrassing loud with no distortion so I'd save yourself the trouble and skip the amp. IMHO an amp would add no value in the purpose of rectifying the lack of base in the Bose system over using the stock amp and stock subwoofer speaker leads.
Other woofers could work too. Any shallow depth woofer with a 2ohm load and low power requirements should work. Going with Fosgate or any other "premium" name gave this experiment the best chance of working the first time. Something random of Amazon could very well work, but they'd be more for a generic application. A shallow depth speaker is engineered to work in a preexisting space with preexisting power considerations, as a retrofit. Which makes it ideal for this application without the need for an aftermarket amp.
The sub was a direct swap. Cut the terminals off the 2 factory sub wires, strip them, plug them into the Fosgate spring loaded push terminals and done. A 1 beer job, and I did it in my suit after work. No mounting ring was needed to give the woofer more space in the box. I was able to put the Bose cover back on the sub with 4 screws and the hatch closes like it should. You can't tell I swapped out the sub. No rattle whatsoever.
For the $150 or so from Crutchfield, and the 15 minutes it took to install. You won't be disappointed. It fully resolves the issue of the stock Bose subwoofer sounding cheap and disconnected from the rest of the music. It's a premium sounding system, which is really kinda impressive now.
Hope this helps and saves people money and time.
There are a few threads on upgrading the stock Bose subwoofer by upgrading the amp and woofer (sometimes the speaker box too). I wanted to try/offer a very effective, much simpler alternative to my new to me q7. I used to install stereos and subs woofer systems as a kid and had a hypnosis the stock woofer was just a POS. That's what it sounded like anyway. Going from a 6" to a better made 8" would also instantly help. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel if I didn't have to. I ended up simply swapping out the Bose subwoofer with the Rockford Fosgate 8" Low Profile Woofer model# P3SD4-8 and it exceeded my expectations.
After hooking up the DVC the woofer was 2 ohms the same as the stock subwoofer. For good measure and since I had the material around, I stuffed the factory box 3/4s full of polyester stuffing (pillow/stuffed animal stuffing. I don't know how much this helped). The stuffing for those who don't know, slow down the sound waves mimicking a larger box which can get you lower lows, the ones that can linger. Sealed boxes will hit harder but requires more power to move air in a sealed box. Ported boxes are more energy efficient and and can naturally get low wavy base out, but they don't give you that crisp hit you might feel in your chest. I think you would need a custom system w/ 10" to feel hard hitting base anyway, but that is outside the scope of fixing the deficiency of the Bose system (or any other factory sound system). Someone said the stock box is ported but I couldn't feel a port in my 2019, but that isn't to say it isn't there.
The result was much more than what I expected. Deep, rich lows, no distortion and a balanced sound profile worthy of a $69k+ car. If I crank up the sub and base settings, it obviously isn't hard hitting like 2 x 10" JL woofers with dedicated amp would be, but it blows the doors off any premium factory sound system I've ever heard. The rear view mirror heavily vibrated, you could feel the hits, and there was no distortion. The low level frequencies seamlessly blended in with the rest of the music at mid point sound setting levels which was the goal. I listen to a lot of rap (do they call it that still) and I have a hard time thinking a aftermarket amp would add any more value over the factory. If I crank up the base it's embarrassing loud with no distortion so I'd save yourself the trouble and skip the amp. IMHO an amp would add no value in the purpose of rectifying the lack of base in the Bose system over using the stock amp and stock subwoofer speaker leads.
Other woofers could work too. Any shallow depth woofer with a 2ohm load and low power requirements should work. Going with Fosgate or any other "premium" name gave this experiment the best chance of working the first time. Something random of Amazon could very well work, but they'd be more for a generic application. A shallow depth speaker is engineered to work in a preexisting space with preexisting power considerations, as a retrofit. Which makes it ideal for this application without the need for an aftermarket amp.
The sub was a direct swap. Cut the terminals off the 2 factory sub wires, strip them, plug them into the Fosgate spring loaded push terminals and done. A 1 beer job, and I did it in my suit after work. No mounting ring was needed to give the woofer more space in the box. I was able to put the Bose cover back on the sub with 4 screws and the hatch closes like it should. You can't tell I swapped out the sub. No rattle whatsoever.
For the $150 or so from Crutchfield, and the 15 minutes it took to install. You won't be disappointed. It fully resolves the issue of the stock Bose subwoofer sounding cheap and disconnected from the rest of the music. It's a premium sounding system, which is really kinda impressive now.
Hope this helps and saves people money and time.
Last edited by Joey1566; 06-17-2021 at 02:27 AM.
The following 7 users liked this post by Joey1566:
Abidi20 (06-29-2021),
hoeflerbt (06-17-2021),
Joelamite (03-08-2023),
jrjunior31 (06-20-2021),
PsyQ7 (02-12-2023),
and 2 others liked this post.
06-17-2021, 03:34 AM
#2
AudiWorld Junior Member
Hi All,
There are a few threads on upgrading the stock Bose subwoofer by upgrading the amp and woofer (sometimes the speaker box too). I wanted to try/offer a very effective, much simpler alternative to my new to me q7. I used to install stereos and subs woofer systems as a kid and had a hypnosis the stock woofer was just a POS. That's what it sounded like anyway. Going from a 6" to a better made 8" would also instantly help. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel if I didn't have to. I ended up simply swapping out the Bose subwoofer with the Rockford Fosgate 8" Low Profile Woofer model# P3SD4-8 and it exceeded my expectations.
After hooking up the DVC the woofer was 2 ohms the same as the stock subwoofer. For good measure and since I had the material around, I stuffed the factory box 3/4s full of polyester stuffing (pillow/stuffed animal stuffing. I don't know how much this helped). The stuffing for those who don't know, slow down the sound waves mimicking a larger box which can get you lower lows, the ones that can linger. Sealed boxes will hit harder but requires more power to move air in a sealed box. Ported boxes are more energy efficient and and can naturally get low wavy base out, but they don't give you that crisp hit you might feel in your chest. I think you would need a custom system w/ 10" to feel hard hitting base anyway, but that is outside the scope of fixing the deficiency of the Bose system (or any other factory sound system). Someone said the stock box is ported but I couldn't feel a port in my 2019, but that isn't to say it isn't there.
The result was much more than what I expected. Deep, rich lows, no distortion and a balanced sound profile worthy of a $69k+ car. If I crank up the sub and base settings, it obviously isn't hard hitting like 2 x 10" JL woofers with dedicated amp would be, but it blows the doors off any premium factory sound system I've ever heard. The rear view mirror heavily vibrated, you could feel the hits, and there was no distortion. The low level frequencies seamlessly blended in with the rest of the music at mid point sound setting levels which was the goal. I listen to a lot of rap (do they call it that still) and I have a hard time thinking a aftermarket amp would add any more value over the factory. If I crank up the base it's embarrassing loud with no distortion so I'd save yourself the trouble and skip the amp. IMHO an amp would add no value in the purpose of rectifying the lack of base in the Bose system over using the stock amp and stock subwoofer speaker leads.
Other woofers could work too. Any shallow depth woofer with a 2ohm load and low power requirements should work. Going with Fosgate or any other "premium" name gave this experiment the best chance of working the first time. Something random of Amazon could very well work, but they'd be more for a generic application. A shallow depth speaker is engineered to work in a preexisting space with preexisting power considerations, as a retrofit. Which makes it ideal for this application without the need for an aftermarket amp.
The sub was a direct swap. Cut the terminals off the 2 factory sub wires, strip them, plug them into the Fosgate spring loaded push terminals and done. A 1 beer job, and I did it in my suit after work. No mounting ring was needed to give the woofer more space in the box. I was able to put the Bose cover back on the sub with 4 screws and the hatch closes like it should. You can't tell I swapped out the sub. No rattle whatsoever.
For the $150 or so from Crutchfield, and the 15 minutes it took to install. You won't be disappointed. It fully resolves the issue of the stock Bose subwoofer sounding cheap and disconnected from the rest of the music. It's a premium sounding system, which is really kinda impressive now.
Hope this helps and saves people money and time.
There are a few threads on upgrading the stock Bose subwoofer by upgrading the amp and woofer (sometimes the speaker box too). I wanted to try/offer a very effective, much simpler alternative to my new to me q7. I used to install stereos and subs woofer systems as a kid and had a hypnosis the stock woofer was just a POS. That's what it sounded like anyway. Going from a 6" to a better made 8" would also instantly help. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel if I didn't have to. I ended up simply swapping out the Bose subwoofer with the Rockford Fosgate 8" Low Profile Woofer model# P3SD4-8 and it exceeded my expectations.
After hooking up the DVC the woofer was 2 ohms the same as the stock subwoofer. For good measure and since I had the material around, I stuffed the factory box 3/4s full of polyester stuffing (pillow/stuffed animal stuffing. I don't know how much this helped). The stuffing for those who don't know, slow down the sound waves mimicking a larger box which can get you lower lows, the ones that can linger. Sealed boxes will hit harder but requires more power to move air in a sealed box. Ported boxes are more energy efficient and and can naturally get low wavy base out, but they don't give you that crisp hit you might feel in your chest. I think you would need a custom system w/ 10" to feel hard hitting base anyway, but that is outside the scope of fixing the deficiency of the Bose system (or any other factory sound system). Someone said the stock box is ported but I couldn't feel a port in my 2019, but that isn't to say it isn't there.
The result was much more than what I expected. Deep, rich lows, no distortion and a balanced sound profile worthy of a $69k+ car. If I crank up the sub and base settings, it obviously isn't hard hitting like 2 x 10" JL woofers with dedicated amp would be, but it blows the doors off any premium factory sound system I've ever heard. The rear view mirror heavily vibrated, you could feel the hits, and there was no distortion. The low level frequencies seamlessly blended in with the rest of the music at mid point sound setting levels which was the goal. I listen to a lot of rap (do they call it that still) and I have a hard time thinking a aftermarket amp would add any more value over the factory. If I crank up the base it's embarrassing loud with no distortion so I'd save yourself the trouble and skip the amp. IMHO an amp would add no value in the purpose of rectifying the lack of base in the Bose system over using the stock amp and stock subwoofer speaker leads.
Other woofers could work too. Any shallow depth woofer with a 2ohm load and low power requirements should work. Going with Fosgate or any other "premium" name gave this experiment the best chance of working the first time. Something random of Amazon could very well work, but they'd be more for a generic application. A shallow depth speaker is engineered to work in a preexisting space with preexisting power considerations, as a retrofit. Which makes it ideal for this application without the need for an aftermarket amp.
The sub was a direct swap. Cut the terminals off the 2 factory sub wires, strip them, plug them into the Fosgate spring loaded push terminals and done. A 1 beer job, and I did it in my suit after work. No mounting ring was needed to give the woofer more space in the box. I was able to put the Bose cover back on the sub with 4 screws and the hatch closes like it should. You can't tell I swapped out the sub. No rattle whatsoever.
For the $150 or so from Crutchfield, and the 15 minutes it took to install. You won't be disappointed. It fully resolves the issue of the stock Bose subwoofer sounding cheap and disconnected from the rest of the music. It's a premium sounding system, which is really kinda impressive now.
Hope this helps and saves people money and time.
06-17-2021, 09:35 AM
#3
AudiWorld Super User
06-17-2021, 09:56 AM
#4
AudiWorld Junior Member
The Rockford Fosgate product page has wiring diagram that shows how to wire to get it into 2 ohm. Click “Wiring Wizard” at this link. If there is really that much of a difference, I may order from Amazon and give it a whirl this weekend. Worst case scenario is that I return the sub if the results are marginal.
06-17-2021, 10:56 AM
#5
AudiWorld Junior Member
Thread Starter
What they said. If you find a shallow depth 2 ohm sub with the same power rating and a reputable brand that should work too.
I wish the MMI had a more easily accessible bass or subwoofer setting. Going through the menu to crank it up or down is getting old.
The only thing I forgot to mention is you need is 2 x 8" pieces of speaker wire to hook up the dual voice coils. The car's factory wiring is fairly thin, 18 gauge maybe, so you don't need anything crazy. You don't need to extend the factory speaker leads or anything like that. there was plenty of slack for me.
It is a little tricky putting the Bose cover back on, but it indeed will go back on with 4 screws. These same screws secure the cover and the subwoofer to the box. Don't accidently poke a hole in your new subwoofer trying to get the cover back on.
I wish the MMI had a more easily accessible bass or subwoofer setting. Going through the menu to crank it up or down is getting old.
The only thing I forgot to mention is you need is 2 x 8" pieces of speaker wire to hook up the dual voice coils. The car's factory wiring is fairly thin, 18 gauge maybe, so you don't need anything crazy. You don't need to extend the factory speaker leads or anything like that. there was plenty of slack for me.
It is a little tricky putting the Bose cover back on, but it indeed will go back on with 4 screws. These same screws secure the cover and the subwoofer to the box. Don't accidently poke a hole in your new subwoofer trying to get the cover back on.
Last edited by Joey1566; 06-17-2021 at 11:07 AM.
06-17-2021, 11:46 AM
#7
AudiWorld Super User
What they said. If you find a shallow depth 2 ohm sub with the same power rating and a reputable brand that should work too.
I wish the MMI had a more easily accessible bass or subwoofer setting. Going through the menu to crank it up or down is getting old.
The only thing I forgot to mention is you need is 2 x 8" pieces of speaker wire to hook up the dual voice coils. The car's factory wiring is fairly thin, 18 gauge maybe, so you don't need anything crazy. You don't need to extend the factory speaker leads or anything like that. there was plenty of slack for me.
It is a little tricky putting the Bose cover back on, but it indeed will go back on with 4 screws. These same screws secure the cover and the subwoofer to the box. Don't accidently poke a hole in your new subwoofer trying to get the cover back on.
I wish the MMI had a more easily accessible bass or subwoofer setting. Going through the menu to crank it up or down is getting old.
The only thing I forgot to mention is you need is 2 x 8" pieces of speaker wire to hook up the dual voice coils. The car's factory wiring is fairly thin, 18 gauge maybe, so you don't need anything crazy. You don't need to extend the factory speaker leads or anything like that. there was plenty of slack for me.
It is a little tricky putting the Bose cover back on, but it indeed will go back on with 4 screws. These same screws secure the cover and the subwoofer to the box. Don't accidently poke a hole in your new subwoofer trying to get the cover back on.
Trending Topics
06-17-2021, 01:23 PM
#9
AudiWorld Senior Member
Admittedly, I know nothing about car audio, but when I looked up that specific subwoofer it lists a 2-ohm version as well P3SD2-8. Wouldn't that be a simpler solution?
06-17-2021, 01:41 PM
#10
AudiWorld Junior Member
Thread Starter
I have little kids and thought the simplest best solution was to reinstall the cover. Figured it's better for resale/protection but you don't need it.