B7 Owners W/Bose... anyone upgrade speakers, etc?

[Andrew A4]

Ok, so here is the deal. I've got a 2007 A4 2.0T with NAV, Bose, bluetooth, etc. I've been reading a lot lately about many people who simply rip out all 10 Bose speakers, the wiring, and the Bose amp and replace it all with aftermarket components. I do know that much like my previous B5 A4 which had Bose, the setup uses either 2ohm or 3ohm speakers and amplifier which was a big reason for most people completely removing the Bose system.

What i'd like to know is if any of you guys have tried any of the following, or know of people who have... and had success.

1. Many component sets and full range speakers being made these days actually do come in 2-ohm and sometimes 3-ohm versions. I've found speakers with these lower impedance being made by Infinity, Boston Acoustics, JBL, JL Audio, Polk Audio, etc... and many of them have excellent sensitivity ratings and pretty low power requirements. Have any of you guys bought some of these 2-3ohm speakers to replace the crappy Bose speakers? And if so, how were the results off the Bose amp?

2. The other option i'm considering is buying a custom wiring harness which gives 2-3 pairs of RCA line outs coming directly out of the NAV system and use that to power aftermarket amplifiers which would obviously be far superior in power and sound quality compared to trying to run newer yet lower end speakers off the factory Bose amp.

Currently in my garage, i've got a pair of Boston Acoustics Pro Series 12" subs in a sealed box, a SoundStream Reference 1000s as well as a SoundStream Reference 500s. Both are Class A amplifiers and are simply incredible.


So... if anyone out there has tried either of the options i've mentioned, please leave your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

-Andrew

[AudiWxGuy]

Why pay the extra $1000 for the bose if your going to do this??? IMO, the Bose sounds good enough and I wouldn't mess with it. But to each his own. And no, I've never heard of anyone doing this with the BOSE.

[Andrew A4]

Why pay the extra $1000 for the bose if your going to do this??? IMO, the Bose sounds good enough and I wouldn't mess with it. But to each his own. And no, I've never heard of anyone doing this with the BOSE.

When I custom ordered my Sprint Blue A4 with all the options that I wanted, Bose was pretty much mandatory since the car was loaded.

Lots of people have gutted the Bose system to replace it with an aftermarket speaker/amp setup because the Bose system IMO is not very good and being really big into high quality sound systems, I don't see any problem with trashing a bunch of inferior speakers that Bose somehow allowed their name to be stamped on them.

Have you even seen what the Bose speakers even look like? They're only slightly higher in quality than the base sound system, the paper cones produce muddy sound, and the amplifier is absolute junk.

Here is what the A6's Bose sound system looks like out of the car....

[HeymyAudi]

Lots of people have gutted the Bose system to replace it with an aftermarket speaker/amp setup because the Bose system IMO is not very good and being really big into high quality sound systems, I don't see any problem with trashing a bunch of inferior speakers that Bose somehow allowed their name to be stamped on them.

Have you even seen what the Bose speakers even look like? They're only slightly higher in quality than the base sound system, the paper cones produce muddy sound, and the amplifier is absolute junk.

I personally ripped out my bose in my Mercedes e320 and replaced everything just becuase the sound after some time did sound muddy.. But I heard a bose system in a Audi and DAMN!!! I was like this is clean! ... The Audi system sounded nice.. I personally would rock the Audi system for a while before I change it out...

[AudiWxGuy]

The Bose was not mandatory. It's a seperate option and if you ordered your car custom, you waisted $1000. But, yeah I could see there are better products out there for sure. For me though, it sounds really nice and I'll deal with it until I have the cash to change a whole bunch of things. Stereo being on the bottom of the list.

[Andrew A4]

The Bose was not mandatory. It's a seperate option and if you ordered your car custom, you waisted $1000. But, yeah I could see there are better products out there for sure. For me though, it sounds really nice and I'll deal with it until I have the cash to change a whole bunch of things. Stereo being on the bottom of the list.

Actually I didn't pay a penny extra for Bose or for my car being Sprint Blue. I had worked a deal with Audi because at the time I was the Oettinger Brand Manager @ CEC and we were going to use my car as the B7 Oettinger show car for SEMA. My car unfortunately came a week too late and the Oettinger B7 body kit, exhaust, suspension, and wheels went to my friend and co-worker who owns the full Oettinger whte S4 Avant many of you guys have probably seen photos of. :)

[AudiWxGuy]

You like that oettinger chip? You don't really hear much about that. I don't know even know where I could get one or for how much.

[80sGuy]

When I custom ordered my Sprint Blue A4 with all the options that I wanted, Bose was pretty much mandatory since the car was loaded.

Lots of people have gutted the Bose system to replace it with an aftermarket speaker/amp setup because the Bose system IMO is not very good and being really big into high quality sound systems, I don't see any problem with trashing a bunch of inferior speakers that Bose somehow allowed their name to be stamped on them.

Have you even seen what the Bose speakers even look like? They're only slightly higher in quality than the base sound system, the paper cones produce muddy sound, and the amplifier is absolute junk.

Here is what the A6's Bose sound system looks like out of the car....

In my opinion, Bose systems are more than adequate for their sound. Too bad the option was absent at the time of purchasing my my A4. Although I use them at home, but I've never seen Bose speakers for cars before, does the speakers actually say 'Bose' on them? If so, I wonder why they were never made available for retail purchase.

[enigma1406]

In my opinion, Bose systems are more than adequate for their sound. Too bad the option was absent at the time of purchasing my my A4. Although I use them at home, but I've never seen Bose speakers for cars before, does the speakers actually say 'Bose' on them? If so, I wonder why they were never made available for retail purchase.

Yes they say bose on the grilles. Their home speakers are not good either.

[80sGuy]

...Their home speakers are not good either.

I have a pair of 301 Series II (circa '83 and reconed it myself about 8 years ago) I thought they're still one of the best sounding speakers money can buy to date.

[Postman]

Ok, so here is the deal. I've got a 2007 A4 2.0T with NAV, Bose, bluetooth, etc. I've been reading a lot lately about many people who simply rip out all 10 Bose speakers, the wiring, and the Bose amp and replace it all with aftermarket components. I do know that much like my previous B5 A4 which had Bose, the setup uses either 2ohm or 3ohm speakers and amplifier which was a big reason for most people completely removing the Bose system.

What i'd like to know is if any of you guys have tried any of the following, or know of people who have... and had success.

1. Many component sets and full range speakers being made these days actually do come in 2-ohm and sometimes 3-ohm versions. I've found speakers with these lower impedance being made by Infinity, Boston Acoustics, JBL, JL Audio, Polk Audio, etc... and many of them have excellent sensitivity ratings and pretty low power requirements. Have any of you guys bought some of these 2-3ohm speakers to replace the crappy Bose speakers? And if so, how were the results off the Bose amp?

2. The other option i'm considering is buying a custom wiring harness which gives 2-3 pairs of RCA line outs coming directly out of the NAV system and use that to power aftermarket amplifiers which would obviously be far superior in power and sound quality compared to trying to run newer yet lower end speakers off the factory Bose amp.

Currently in my garage, i've got a pair of Boston Acoustics Pro Series 12" subs in a sealed box, a SoundStream Reference 1000s as well as a SoundStream Reference 500s. Both are Class A amplifiers and are simply incredible.


So... if anyone out there has tried either of the options i've mentioned, please leave your feedback.

Thanks in advance!

-Andrew

Read TJHUB's posts on the subject. He's done quite a bit.

I swapped my fronts for a two way active system with CDT HD's, (no rear fill), 10" Polk MM10 and an Alpine H701 8 Channel DSP fed from the stock head unit via RCA and optical input via SPDIF from my laptop (with a RF remote) for trips.

I've had a ground loop problem since day one. Two different Symphony 2 HU's, different RCA's. Four different ground points. First system I've ever done that had a GL problem out of maybe 30 installs. Nigthmare actaully and I wish I had never touched it. Sounds great via laptop (the Alpine DSP breaks the ground loop when it goes into digital input).

I did have an old MTX 801 Class D amp running that same Polk MM10 direct fed from the amp for two months and it actually sounded pretty good. Not sure what your idea of good sound is, but I recommend trying a sub and amp first, play with your settings on the stock Nav HU and see how it sounds. I would say just adding a good sub and minimal tuning makes it sound about 40% better then stock.

[Postman]

In my opinion, Bose systems are more than adequate for their sound. Too bad the option was absent at the time of purchasing my my A4. Although I use them at home, but I've never seen Bose speakers for cars before, does the speakers actually say 'Bose' on them? If so, I wonder why they were never made available for retail purchase.

I doubt Bose actually builds any of it with the exception of the subwoofer housing. They pretty much just do the sound tuning of the car is my understanding.

The Symphony 2 HU is identical in Bose and Non-Bose cars, the only difference is Bose has one pin grounded which means that the "Bose" amp gets a direct, supposedly unaltered signal in, whereas the "Non-Bose" cars actually have the deck power the center speaker and I believe the front tweeters or even the whole front stage, while the "non-Bose" amp powers the sub and rear, or something close to that IIR.

[80sGuy]

^^My thoughts are the same. I remembered years ago (back in the 80's ) my uncle had a Grand Am equipped with Delco/Bose, or a collaboration between the two because I've always thought it was more of a "technolgy licensed to" with the name stamped on - than the actual product being mfg by the brand.
That probably solved the mystery as to why Bose speakers are non existent to the automotive audio 'retail' industry.

[Kid Red]

I'd never waste money on Bose again. Look at those cheap made in China paper cones! You wonder why you can never see any of Bose's speakers? They are hiding the cheap woofers in their tuned boxes.

[swoardrider]

My car had the same options as yours from the factory. Upgraded last year. What a difference! The problem is not just the Bose speakers. The problem is mainly due to the tiny bose amp. I replaced the front door speakers with DLS's, added a stealth 10" IDQ, powered by a 4 channel Zapco, disconnected the center channel, and kept the stock rear door speakers and stock amp for rear fill.
You don't need to buy a harness to get RCA's out of the RNS-E unit. It produces a flat clean .5 to .75 volt signal. Just wire up a set of RCA's either from the output of the back of the RNS-E or right before the input of the Bose amp.

[Andrew A4]

Hmm.... I think i'm going to start out with installing my two 12" boston acoustics pro series subs and the soundstream reference 1000s amplifier. The bose systems lack of bass is just killing me.

[Postman]

Hmm.... I think i'm going to start out with installing my two 12" boston acoustics pro series subs and the soundstream reference 1000s amplifier. The bose systems lack of bass is just killing me.

That's probably the best place to start. I didn't even hack the preout, just off the output of the sub channel from the Bose amp and was shocked at how decent it actually sounded.

I used to use those old Soundstream References! Great amps with stupid power. I loved my 705s. Notorious power supply problems though which is what finally put mine away.

[typerlover]

That's probably the best place to start. I didn't even hack the preout, just off the output of the sub channel from the Bose amp and was shocked at how decent it actually sounded.

I used to use those old Soundstream References! Great amps with stupid power. I loved my 705s. Notorious power supply problems though which is what finally put mine away.

Could you elaborate a bit on tapping into the Bose amp to wire up a new amp/sub.

Thats about all I'm looking to do in the car and would like to be as minimally invasive as possible. Thanks.

[Postman]

Could you elaborate a bit on tapping into the Bose amp to wire up a new amp/sub.

Thats about all I'm looking to do in the car and would like to be as minimally invasive as possible. Thanks.

Sorry....little late on this!

If you haven't done it already just take the actual output from the Bose amp for the sub. You will need a hi-lo converter or an amp that can handle that high of an input (many newer amps have line level in). I used an old MTX class D 801 and was shocked it actually sounded great. Basically just needed to run a power wire. Didn't even need to pull the deck.

The best way is to get a harness from the deck that uses the line out (low level) which is what I'm doing now (feeding it into an Alpine h701 DSP). A lot more work though. It's a bitch to run the RCA's in these cars.

[gpxluke]

Bose sucks, so Audi is now using Bang & Olufsen on the A8