Disconnecting Bose

ST09

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Hi,

If i disconnect bose wire will it have any kind of negative effect or give an error ... In other words is it safe remove the bose wire ??

Sal
 
If you unplug the bose wire the system won't run with the bose EQ setting. You may also see DTC errors if the car is coded for bose and the wire isn't connected.
Why do you want to disconnect it?
 
If you unplug the bose wire the system won't run with the bose EQ setting. You may also see DTC errors if the car is coded for bose and the wire isn't connected.
Why do you want to disconnect it?

well i removed the wire last night and trust me the sound quality improved immensely .. now i can control the base and treble .. plus i can adjust the sound via using preset equaliser on my ipod .. oh yea no errors in dash ... According to andymac it is safe to remove the wire .. Happy days .

Thanks

SAl
 
Ive checked his build thread and i dont see anything about this wire.

Would be interesting to find out. Help anyone?
 
Courtesy of JohnS3, this image shows where the wire lives in standdard set up, and where it needs to move to in Bose set up:

Quadlock.jpg
 
Thanks Warren :icon_thumright:

Last question: Is this situated in the rear on the amp or is this somewhere behind the headunit?

thanks :)
 
OK, i searched and came up with some info form a thread about 2 weeks old :blush:

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?95071-bose-sound-system-help&highlight=BOSE

That's pretty standard for the Bose system in the A3/S3, which is particularly poor. Woolly sound, quite a bit of bass but horrible bass. Easiest upgrade you can do is pull the HU and snip the Bose EQ wire on the back. This is an earth on the HU that puts the HU into the "no highs, no lows, it must be Bose" flat EQ setting. Disconnecting this wire will give you back a smiley face EQ and you'll get a far more responsive Bass & Treble control. The wire you should snip is detailed on the top of the HU:
BosepinonSymphony.jpg

But for a huge improvement add a proper sub and disconnect the tupperware unit. This will allow you to run the HU on minus Bass settings which dramatically improves the sound from the cabin speakers as well as providing proper clean punchy bass.
 
Courtesy of JohnS3, this image shows where the wire lives in standdard set up, and where it needs to move to in Bose set up:

Quadlock.jpg

This is at the back of the head unit. Are you saying that if you have fitted an after market RNS-E and have bose, then this wire needs to be moved to benefit from the bose system?
 
This is at the back of the head unit. Are you saying that if you have fitted an after market RNS-E and have bose, then this wire needs to be moved to benefit from the bose system?

Yes, I changed Symphony with Bose to an RNS-E and had to move this wire to get the Bose settings to take effect.

To be honest I don't really like the Bose EQ. You have no control over the GALA setting which on our car seems to ramp the stereo up far too high when you start the car, then at low volumes it's and you constantly get this hiss noise from the GALA which I think may be part of the self setting volume 'white noise'. Before I did the wire conversion I didn't get this noise, and when I get 5 spare minutes I'll be changing it back!
 
You can change some of the GALA settings when in engineering mode on the RNSe. Before you change anything though write down the original values!
 
You can change some of the GALA settings when in engineering mode on the RNSe. Before you change anything though write down the original values!

I have VCDS now (thanks to NHN), so I can go and make a right hash of it. Sounds like a lunch time job for me! Nothing will work by 2pm!
 
It's in engineering mode, nothing to do with VCDS.
 
It's in engineering mode, nothing to do with VCDS.

:uhm: In that case I won't be doing anything. Just removing the Bose cable and setting the standard equalisation settings.
 
Just and update to this thread...

I managed to remove the BOSE wire yesterday.
Before doing so you, can also check on VAGCOM as to what your BOSE sound is set to.
IE: What type of car.
The highest setting can be for a Sedan with leather (2+)
Mines was already on this setting so i cannot elaborate on the comparison to normal settings.

I removed the earth wire and the sound difference is immense.
I do however miss that fact that it was electrically controlled (well just a little bit due to being spoilt by it)

I also noticed that should the levels become 'too much' for the speakers, they are cut at the speakers.

Thanks to Warren Cox for answering all my pm's and the DIY removal thread :) and to Andymac for all the clearcut diagrams :thumbsup:
 
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All the Bose wire does is provide an earth to the Bose pin, which puts the HU into a flat EQ mode, no highs no lows it must be Bose. Disconnecting it just puts the HU EQ back to a smiley face EQ and allows the Bass & Treble to actually have an effect on the sound. The Bose wire has no effect on aftermarket HU's as they all have a smiley face EQ as default, so by switching to a non Audi HU you are already effectively disconnecting the Bose flat EQ.
 
Strange thing is when i fitted my RNSE the bose wire is not connected if you have an adapter to quad lock and it sounded awful. all base, no treble and voices sounded muted as if they were talking down a pipe. I eventually swoped the wires in the connector and got bose working and its pretty amazing. the real disappointment was the RNSE radio sound quality after a symphony 2. Having lived with Audi systems i have to say that B&O in the new A4's is the best.
 
ok im a little confused after reading this thread, i have the symphony2 with Bose in my 2005 sportback, and to be honest im not really enjoying the sound quality.
So now reading this thread i am thinking by disconnecting the Bose wire in the back will make my system sound better, but...
what is this about Gala and the hissing noise? i got lost on that post? i like the idea of the gala control as i dont want to be hearing the diesel engine at high speeds and i dont want to be blasting music out as i stop at traffic lights and the gala controls it to get louder at fast speeds and quieter at lower speeds, so i want to keep the gala setting in my car, but by disconnecting the Bose wire will i be loosing the gala and gaining hissing noises?

(i know i can go on a bit so sorry for going on but its the only way it makes sense to me) :)
 
Bose uses AudioPilot, not GALA. GALA was the old system. It has nothing to do with the Bose EQ wire, which simply controls the HU's EQ. You can set the GALA setting via VAGCOM/VCDS:
Channel 8 is what you are looking for:
000 - GALA off
001 - level 1
002 - level 2
003 - level 3
004 - level 4
005 - level 5
255 - GALA via external microphone (Bose AudioPilot)
 
Bose uses AudioPilot, not GALA. GALA was the old system. It has nothing to do with the Bose EQ wire, which simply controls the HU's EQ. You can set the GALA setting via VAGCOM/VCDS:
Channel 8 is what you are looking for:
000 - GALA off
001 - level 1
002 - level 2
003 - level 3
004 - level 4
005 - level 5
255 - GALA via external microphone (Bose AudioPilot)

I have all these 7 settings in my Concert HU - Setup - Gala (Off, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Auto)
Though, when I select Auto, the sound experience gets bad, I guess it is due to the fact that auto tries to compensate for the noise inside the car using the available sound from the HU. If you make some kind of lasting noise inside the car, the volume is boosted. I never use Auto due to the hissing sound and the bad sound quality.

Speed dependent Gala works fine in my car, with the Concert 6cd HU and Bose.
I would be very interested to see is there are other Gala or Bose settings currently set in my car, but I don't have VCDS.

The A3 bose system: http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/Images/Audi_A3_EN_tcm6-3000.pdf
 
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on the bose system where is the sub and amp ????
 
The sub is behind the passenger side panel in the boot, the amp on the other side:
BoseSub.jpg

Boseamp.jpg
 
Yep me too a3kjorer, all the Bose issues were ironed out for the latest HUs, you can control all eq settings and Gala perfectly from the HU without needing to do anything like disconnecting wires.

Can somebody specify which HU this thread relates to please or you may end up with people cutting wires on new cars when there is no need, cheers
 
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I did it for Audi Concert HU with oem ipod dock ... Now ive got rns-e (chrome version) and yes i left the bose wire disconnected .

Sal
 
Is there anyone here that lives close to south east london that has the radio removal keys? i want to get my symphony out and try the bose disconnecting to see the difference.
 
Is there anyone here that lives close to south east london that has the radio removal keys? i want to get my symphony out and try the bose disconnecting to see the difference.

You can easily get removal keys of ebay for £2-£3 .
 
So let me get this right. I have just gone from a Symphony 2 with Bose to a retrofitted RNSE which has had the BOSE pin moved and fully coded.

I think it sounds pants ! My non Bose setup in the other A3 sounds miles better. The BOSE just seems too flat to me.

So if I pull out the brown BOSE pin, will it still use the BOSE amps and Sub but allow the Bass and Treble to spring to life.

I really need to know as I am quite unhappy with the whole set up and I don't think the Bose is worth all the hype at the moment.
 
To me, as a new BOSE user, I find the thing that ruins it is a lack of midrange adjustment (I have the AMI/Nav screen). Sorry but how can a premium sound system only have bass and treble adjustment?! I like the power and punch but it's either too tinny or too flat.
 
I think there could be something wrong with either my ears or your guys bose setups? Mine sounds perfect! A nice balance of bass and very clear. I was really thinking about upgrading the sub but I really don't think it needs it.

Cheers,
Si
 
To me, as a new BOSE user, I find the thing that ruins it is a lack of midrange adjustment (I have the AMI/Nav screen). Sorry but how can a premium sound system only have bass and treble adjustment?! I like the power and punch but it's either too tinny or too flat.

What car / year / HU have you got as I have bass, mid and treble adjustment on mine??
 
Nav/display screen = RNS-E

Yours will be a MK2 unit too :)
 
I've got BOSE with RNS-E which I upgraded from Concert III. I'd say the sound quality was better now and the level of bass has increased.

Before this A3 I had another A3 with no BOSE and the same Concert III head unit and if I was honest the bass level in this was higher than what I've got now.

Having said all that, Bass isn't the be-all and end-all of a sound system, in my eyes (ears) anyway, it's about the quality of sound and the BOSE definatly sounds crisper and sharper than my previous setup without BOSE.

That's my 2 pennies' worth anyway
 
Is it me then that it appears to be an issue with retro fit ones then? Mine was factory and it sounds fantastic. I was worried before I got it as read a few posts saying it's not very good etc but I find it's fine with a good crisp sound with a decent bass to it.

It isn't like my first ever saxo with a big 12 in the boot, but I wasn't looking for that sort of sound or car!

Edit, I see there is a couple of posts that look like they aren't retro fit. I like the sound of mine and this is just my 2p's worth.

Cheers,
Si
 
I am with A3 Kent. I think the non BOSE setup is better.

I am ripping the BOSE wire out on the RNSe on Friday and seeing if it works/sounds better
 
I've retro fitted RNS-e in mine and have Bose and mine sounds as good now as it did with the Symphony unit I removed. My car is a 06 build so I had to use a Quadlock adaptor. If people are running Bose on this age car and have swapped pin 5 to 7 then this is wrong as it's actually pin 3 to 7. Pin 5 to 7 is for cars that came with quad lock from the factory which are on mid 07 cars onwards.

I don't have the Audiopilot issues that others have had either or the high volume on start up....
 

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