Since you have a 2014 model, your car is compatible with the mObridge DA1, which is also rebadged and sold as the Audison bit DMI.
The mObridge will take the digital audio signal from the MOST network and convert it to a standard optical toslink out, which you can then feed into a DSP of your choice.
From the DSP, you can add whatever amps and speakers you like.
The mObridge does not prevent use of any of the MMI functions. Your bluetooth will still work, as will your phone calls and navigation.
Also, depending on which DSP you get, there might be a Bluetooth audio streaming option on the DSP which is superior to the MMI.
The OEM volume control still works, too. You will never know from the MMI side of things that the stereo has been altered.
Best of all, the mObridge does not harm any of the factory equipment. If you sell the car, you simply plug the Bose amp back into the MOST cable and it's back to stock condition.
As for the factory speaker locations.... they are not very good and are not easy to use for aftermarket speakers.
The Bose midbass in the door comes in a plastic, ported enclosure that houses a small bass driver. It's like 4 inches. You will not find another speaker that can drop into that location.
I suggest you remove the Bose enclosure entirely and save it for when you sell the car. Have a custom audio shop fabricate a new baffle to close the hole in the door that is left when you remove the Bose enclosure, and then add a trim ring for your new midbass speaker.
The door is plenty deep enough to allow up to an 8" midbass speaker, although you might decide that a 6.5" is sufficient.
The Bose midrange is located in the center of the door, and it will be next to impossible to install an aftermarket speaker there unless you get out the hole cutter and cut out the metal of the door.
I do not suggest putting a midrange there.
The factory tweeter location is in the corners of the dash, and that is a good location and fairly easy to add new speakers there.
If you want to do a simple, 2-way front speaker setup (tweeter + midbass) then I would suggest doing the midbass in the door like I describe above, and the tweeter in the factory location.
If you want a 3-way front speaker set, then I think you will need to consider some custom fiberglass fabrication of the A pillars similar to what I have done in my car, picture below.
You will also notice in my picture that my midbass drivers are in the kick panels and not the doors. This is because my system is a competition system for sound quality, and those locations have sonic advantages over the doors.
But, obviously, the fabrication of such speaker pods is not cheap or easy. Your goals and budget will dictate a lot of what is possible for you.
IMG_6346.jpg
I do not use rear speakers in my car at all, because it is a competition system. There are no rear speakers in 2 channel home audio, and we typically do not use rears in high-end car audio either.
A few guys dod play around with rear fill, but it's very limited in what they do. Proper rear fill just needs to be midrange, no midbass or tweeters needed. It also needs to be differentially mixed to cancel out the center-stage vocal sounds. Only the far left and right sides of the soundstage will be playing from the rears when this is done, which prevents the speakers from drawing attention to the rear. We want the soundstage to be realistic, which means in front of the listener.
Subwoofers will be relatively easy since you have an A7. Hatchbacks are very subwoofer-friendly. You can pretty much stick a sealed box in the back and it's going to sound good. If you are concerned about keeping trunk space, then you might consider a custom fiberglass enclosure in the corner of the trunk, or possibly in the tire well. One thing to keep in mind is that the further toward the back of the car you put the subwoofer, the louder and smoother the response is going to be.
For DSP, I personally use the Helix DSP Pro MK2, and that is the only car audio DSP I will own right now. The JL Audio TWK is also very good if you want a simpler and more affordable option. I wouldn't get anything else but those two, however.
DSPs are fantastic, but they are only as good as the person tuning them. You must find a shop that can install AND tune the DSP for you, or it's going to be a waste. Better yet, learn how to tune yourself... although that is an entire hobby in itself.
It takes a lot of time to learn how to tune well, but it's so worth it once you can.
Anyway, I know the Bose system inside and out so if you need any info just let me know. I'll be happy to chat by phone about it, which is a lot easier than typing everything.
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Originally Posted by OlyS6
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