First Attempt At An Audio Install In a '95 A4 B5!

[Bruce-1980]

Hi all!

New to the forum but have had a good look around before registering as I'm about to embark on my first audio instal!

I'll document it and post on here so hopefully by the end, there'll be a full "How To Upgrade Audio In A '95 A4 B5" article for future readers to follow! Was gona post it in the How To section but it wont be a "How To" until it's finished! When it is, could always move it!

Anyway, up to now...

Head Unit - Sony MEX-BT3100U - £110 - Halfords (Should have been £200 but they'd marked it up wrong! Woohoo! Result!)
Front Doors - Hertz DSk-130.3 Component system - £80 (eBay, NEW)
Front Doors - CT25AU03 5.25" Speaker Adaptors - £8 (eBay NEW)
Rear Shelf - JVC CS-V624 - Bought ages ago but probably get a pair of comparibles for about £30!
Amp - Alpine MRV-F340 4 Channel 55w x4 - Found a cheap second hand one on eBay for £35 (Ran out of budget!)
DEI Boom Mat Speaker Baffles 6.5" for rear shelf - £17 (eBay, NEW)
Dynamat Xtreme Deadening (pair of 10" x 10") - £10 (eBay, NEW)
Quality RCA Cables, new 322 strand speaker wire, amp power earth and remote cables - £25

Total £405 (or £315 including the £90 saved on the head unit!)

So, as you can see, this is a budget install, not expecting booming base or anything, just nice clear crisp sound which can be cranked up occasionally without distortion!

I've replaced my old Sony CDX-GT33U and fitted the new head unit. At the moment it's running on the stock fronts and unbaffled JVCs in the rear (Just dropped into the holes the old speakers came from) and TBH, doesn't sound bad... doesn't sound great either though so hoping the rest of the kit will dramatically improve it!

I wasn't planning on installing an amp as the JVCs and Hertz speakers are 40w and 60w (RMS) respectively and the Sony head unit is rated at 52w x4 (4 Ohms). Only realised later the 52w x4 is maximum power output and will be more like 20w RMS per channel. With the Alpine MRV-F340 I'll be able to power all 4 channels at 55w each.

Ordered the Hertz Components, Speaker Adaptors, rear baffles and deadening so they should be here within the next couple of days and hoping to get the front doors and rear shelf done over the weekend! The amp and new wiring will be installed at a later date. I'll let you know how it goes but in the meantime, if anyone would like to chip in with suggestions, potential problems or general advice, I'd love to hear it!

[Luis_Heineken]

good luck with the new install. remember to throw in additional RCA cables for the sub amp [:D]

[Bruce-1980]

Haha! Cheers mate but no plans for a sub just yet!

Unfortunately the cheap Alpine Amp on eBay has been snapped up so I'm on the look out for another! Needs to be 4 Channel, around 50w per channel and no more than 50 quid! Think i've got my work cut out there! Should have grabbed that Alpine when I had the chance, perfect for what I needed and a bargain! [mad]

Noticed something yesterday too. I'm streaming MP3s from my HTC One Android phone over bluetooth and the bass was rubbish.... until I switched off the integrated "Beats Audio" in the phone, turned the phones output volume down to about 60% and cranked up the head unit! Sounds a hundred times better already! Also notice the difference in quality of MP3 tracks. Unfortunately, quite a few of my older MP3s have been ripped at 160kbsp which sound awfull whereas most of my newer MP3s are 300kbps! The difference is night and day! Just thought i'd throw that in just in case anyone else has the same problem! [;)]

[Bruce-1980]

My DEi Boom Mat Speaker Baffles came earlier so I nipped out at dinner to thow them in! Not impressed! I removed the speakers that were screwed directly to the shelf, dropped the baffles into the holes, fitted the speakers back into the baffles and screwed them in. Turned on my stereo and it sounded naff! The shelf just vibrated and the bass sounded dead! I thought these were meant to have the opposite effect! Anyway, I removed them with the stereo still on and as soon as I untightened the screws there was an improvement and as I lifted the speaker out of the baffle the bass came back to life!

Now correct me if i'm wrong but the way I had them (top image) is right, right? I'm going to try mounting them to the under side of the shelf to cover the speakers without the baffles actually contacting them (bottom image), see how that sounds. If that kills it again I've just wasted fifteen quid of a tight budget! Not impressed! [mad]

http://www.our-pub.co.uk/Audizine/Baffle.jpg