Subwoofer upgrade for B7

[ibiski]

I have the Bose system on my Avant and although the sub output of the Bose is adequate at higher volume, the bass is barely present at normal (lower) listening level. The bass is turned all the way up on the 2 band EQ, so I presume there's nothing more that could be tweaked internally. I decided to look into an aftermarket sub (8" or 10") installed in the stock location, not losing any trunk real estate and after a visit to a very good shop, it turns out that there isn't enough room behind the panels on either side for a flush sealed enclosure. I've been told by the installer that the only 2 choices I have is to build a free-standing enclosure (approx. 1 cubic foot) and put it behind the rear seats firing backward or relocate the sirius unit (located behind the panel on the drivers side) and fabricate an enclosure that would stick out 4-6 inches. None of these 2 options seem very attractive to me. I've searched a bit on this and haven't found any other solutions for B7.

[CZA420tAvant]

I was thinking that a box or boxes on either side of the trunk spanning from the seat to the hatch and extending out to about the spare tire well/lid would not be too bad if you contoured it to match the interior and layed black fabric over it. Sort of like just extending the sides of the trunk area out to the spare well so you can still access it and hiding small subs in the enclosure. Would be over 1 cubic foot...

[Erocko]

hehe, I just burned a quarter of my trunk space... ghetto style:



You could try and do some magic like one of the guys over here:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...t=42999&page=5

It's some awesome B5 goodness.

[Latin Audi]

Here is a write up of a sub install.

http://www.a4mods.com/index.php?page...es/stereo.html

I remember reading one where the sub is installed where the nav/sat radio is presently located and relocating the previous parts. This was by far the best set up I saw but cannot seem to find the thread.

[vtracer20]

have you looked into a infinity basslink? it's a pretty small package ranging from a 200w 1st gen to 250watt 2nd gen. i've heard great things about it.

[B7A4Sport]

This is a project I just got finished with about a month ago, although I more just thought of the design and took it to professionals to do the actual work; I was a DIY'er with my previous car, but it was older and much easier to work with/harder to mess up. The sub is a JL 10W7, and the amp is a JL 500/1; quite possibly one of the best sub/amp pairings out there, imo! Here's pics:



Here's another angle showing how much airspace you can get out of the area between the sheet metal and trunk trim:



Amp mount (view from back seat w/ left section folded down facing towards the trunk):



I know, as far as space goes, that I am VERY glad I spent the extra money to get it mounted in the side compartment. I dealt with that nonsense of sacrificing your trunk, and it's kinda like having roommates; yea, you can live with them, but it's a hell of a lot better not to!

You could mount in the same place, but a woofer that would be more cost-effective and easier to fit than mine is the new JL TW5 Series. They're designed specifically to be thin, yet powerful, and with low airspace-volume demands. Definitely check 'em out!

[A4RingPimp]

any rattle????

[B7A4Sport]

any rattle????

You talkin' to me...? Are you talkin' to ME...? I don't see anyone else here...



Nah, if you mean me, I do have a few interior rattles, but as far as from the outside goes its totally solid. The work on the enclosure was top-notch; they lined the sheet-metal behind the box with two layers of dynamat before installing it, which helps both the sound quality and the rattling. All in all, I wouldn't change a thing about this setup.

[A4RingPimp]

Nice! Yeah I was talking about on the outside. Like the license plate and whatever else. I remember your first thread about this. Very very SHARP setup!

[Mtepete]

did you leave the rest of the system stock...? i want to add bass but i dont want to have to upgrade everything i like the look of stock

[CaptDistraction]

I'll cross post in the avant forum, but anyone running a sub in an avant?

[B7A4Sport]

did you leave the rest of the system stock...? i want to add bass but i dont want to have to upgrade everything i like the look of stock

This is all hooked to the stock Symphony (non-Bose) head unit - I can't stand the chinsy look of almost every after-market unit that isn't a $1,000+ screen.

If you want, PM me and I can give you the e-mail of a guy who can build you an adaptor to basically let you hook whatever you want to the stock head unit, including an AUX input that will give you a standard 3.5mm male-ended headphone cable to plug in to an iPod or other mp3 player; I have that for my portable Sirius player, and it rocks.

[99PanozAIV]

...I've searched a bit on this and haven't found any other solutions for B7.

Here ya go; this should fit right in the dash...

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products...jackHammer.cfm


jk, obviously

[ibiski]

Here ya go; this should fit right in the dash...

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products...jackHammer.cfm


jk, obviously

6,000 RMS, 12,000 peak music power
23" tall
369 lbs.

well, coming in at almost 400 pounds, lowering the car won't be necessary with two of these babies, but I'm sure your 0-60 will suffer dramatically

[B7A4Sport]

Wow, MTX actually tried to copy/replicate the W7............hilarious!

[617 Bones]

I'll cross post in the avant forum, but anyone running a sub in an avant?

B6 Avant with Custom Subwoofer Located on floor under Glove Box

[Erocko]

wow, that's trippy. How does it sound?

[AWDCRAZY]

In the Wagons you can do two things.

Replaced the Bose Driver with a JL audio 6w0 subwoofer, it has more output and more deep base produced with the same amplifier.

The second is to use a "Flat" subwoofer and put it in your spare tire well.

This sounds pretty good too! There is lots of air space, so you can also port the enclosure to get even more output!

[617 Bones]

wow, that's trippy. How does it sound?

I also have JL components in the doors and the package sounds good. I'm really happy with it.

[ibiski]

In the Wagons you can do two things.

Replaced the Bose Driver with a JL audio 6w0 subwoofer, it has more output and more deep base produced with the same amplifier.

The second is to use a "Flat" subwoofer and put it in your spare tire well.

This sounds pretty good too! There is lots of air space, so you can also port the enclosure to get even more output!

Hmm, the Bose enclosure was probably designed specifically for their driver, so i'm not sure how it would work with a JL. Does it have the same impedance as Bose? Anyway, I went to ABT in Glenview and according to them, my only options are: a 1 cubic foot box in the cargo area (not the way I'd like to go) OR a custom built fiberglass enclosure (that would replace the Bose plastic box and the amp) with a JL W3 8 inch sub. It would be powered by JL 250/1 amp. The second option would look the best, however it comes with $1800 pricetag. They're saying it would require a lot of labor to do the custom enclosure.

[B7A4Sport]

Hmm, the Bose enclosure was probably designed specifically for their driver, so i'm not sure how it would work with a JL. Does it have the same impedance as Bose? Anyway, I went to ABT in Glenview and according to them, my only options are: a 1 cubic foot box in the cargo area (not the way I'd like to go) OR a custom built fiberglass enclosure (that would replace the Bose plastic box and the amp) with a JL W3 8 inch sub. It would be powered by JL 250/1 amp. The second option would look the best, however it comes with $1800 pricetag. They're saying it would require a lot of labor to do the custom enclosure.

Just so you know, that's actually a very good price including the equipment; I paid a bit more than that for my work, and I already owned my stuff.

I'd go fiberglass; you'll be pleasantly surprised at the sound quality, cuz for me it's the most crisp my sub has ever sounded!