Check my logic/sanity...

[Paranoid69]

I've been considering upgrading my non-Bose B7 A4 Avant, want to stick with the stock head unit (my local specialist just couldn't understand the desire to keep the stock look).

So I'm thinking I 'just' need to:
Run power from the battery through the ecu box to the boot.
Run a front pre-out from the head unit to the boot.
Run a pair of speaker wires back to the head unit to splice onto the feeds to the front door speakers (avoiding messing with running wires through to the doors)
Replace speakers in all the doors (cannibalise or buy speaker rings)
Find a sub, I'd like to build it into the rear near side boot side panel, looks like that will be a DIY project as I can't find any premade like there are for the A3.
Find head unit wiring adapters to give access to the pre-outs and speakers without interfering with the cd changer in the glove box.

My questions:
Will the stock speaker wiring be good enough to run upgraded speakers from a decent amp?
Any recommendations on speakers?
Anyone already done an mdf enclosure and still got the plans?

All pointers gratefully accepted

 

[AndyMac]

Yes the stock speaker wiring is fine for amping.
I upgraded my A4 B6 saloon with JL Audio TR650csi's in the front with MDF adapters, amped using a Genesis Series 3 four channel amp, with 2 channels powering a JL Audio 8" sub in a custom enclosure, all from the stock HU and it sounds very good. It is limited by the stock HU but only really by the lack of control, I have had to use the rear pre-outs for the sub so that I can use the fader to control it. I ran an extra RCA as I will be upgrading the HU at some point and will then amp the rears as well. You need the BLAU RCA adapter combined with a PIE AA3-HAR pass through adapter to retain the CANBUS and CD changer connections.
I will post some pics later tonight.

 

[Paranoid69]

Thanks Andy,
I've found a handy eBay seller who has the HAR adapter and speaker rings, I believe you might know him have to find the other bits.
Pictures would be great.

Iain.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.468347,0.185872

 

[AndyMac]

Pics

 

[Paranoid69]

Began the job today, I have to say running the power cable through the ecu box defeated me. Is it just a case of push it down through box and it can be grabbed in the footwell?
Round two tomorrow, erm today...

 

[AndyMac]

I found putting a torch in the footwell shining up let me see exactly where I was aiming for under the ECU cover, IIRC the hole is at the back of the ECU.

 

[Paranoid69]

Ok, so I tried again with the ECU box and was still defeated, so had a hunt around and found a gromet just to the right of the battery, on a little investigation I found that it emerges inside the car just above some of the blower ducting behind the glovebox (I had to remove the glovebox).

Pull the gromet from the engine bay side, push something in through the hole in the firewall and an assistant should see the insuation just above the ducting inside the car move, they can then push a screwdriver through to make a hole in the insulation and push the cable through. A small hole in the gromet and a little petroleum jelly or similar and thread the gromet onto the cable and replace it in the firewall.

A picture below with the pollen filter cover removed, you can see the heater pipes running through to the right of the gromet, they're a good way to locate the inside of it.

Then I routed the cable away from the hot pipes, mounted the fuse holder and connected it up (without the fuse for now).