A3 boot sub change

mjepson

mjepson

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I pulled out my subwoofer today as it was making to much noise at high volumes. I run my front component set with my 4 channel amp, so i was thinking of fitting an aftermarket sub either in 6.5" or 8".

I unscrewed the sub and there seems to be enough space for an 8" if i cut out the existing frame which the 6.5" was on.

But the main sound problem is ofcourse the sidewall which vibrates. So it would probably be best to cut out the part which covers the sub.

Anybody done something like this? Will the original sub housing be ok for this?
 
No, it's garbage and the main reason the sub sounds dreadful. The Bose upgrade uses the same flimsy enclosure and vibrates like anything.
This is the reason I built a replacement enclosure from 18mm MDF which replaces the tupperware Audi sub. This does need a seperate amp as the feeble 50w amp inside the Audi box is totally unsuitable for anything outside Toys-R-Us.
Sub2Collage.jpg

SubInstallS3Bosemid.jpg
 
very nice setup...

i guess that's the best solution
 
Andy Do you make these to sell if so can you PM me a price as i would be very intersted Failing that do you have the Dimentions as i have access to a full wood shop to make one up
 
What do you do about the sidewall? Have you cut out anything to stop it vibrating, or does the position of the sub stop the vibrating?

Is that a 10" sub?
 
No the boot trim does not vibrate at all, it's the stock enclosure that causes all the problems.
10" sub? I don't think so, have you seen the space you have to work with behind the trim?
It's a JL Audio 6W0-4 which is a 6.5" sub and is just incredible for the size.
 
I've just ordered a 8" L7 Kicker 900W Square sub, going to have a crack at making the box like AndyMacs one but with the sub facing into the bootspace to accomodate the larger size.

Thanks for the idea Andy! wouldnt of come up with it myself.. probably would of made a boot hogger again :ohmy:

Will post back how I get on this weekend :)
 
Hi AndyMac,

what car boot are them pictures taken from? A3 8P?

Thanks.
 
I presume there will be little difference between this and the sport back model, whats the chances of squeezing an 8" sub in there ?
 
Bash_A3 said:
I've just ordered a 8" L7 Kicker 900W Square sub, going to have a crack at making the box like AndyMacs one but with the sub facing into the bootspace to accomodate the larger size.

Thanks for the idea Andy! wouldnt of come up with it myself.. probably would of made a boot hogger again :ohmy:

Will post back how I get on this weekend :)
Click to expand...

GL...I would like to know how you get on. Andy has spent ages getting the best from the tiny space and his choice of sub combined with the enclosure is spot on.
 
i like that my subs are really starting to fart and flap sounds really bad did you change the amp if so how did you wire it up ?? cheers mate jeff..
 
The amp is hidden behind the rear speaker panel, and wired to the original Audi sub loom for the pre-out feeds from the HU. The only additional wiring is the 40 amp power cable straight to the battery.
Amp-1.jpg
 
I've got one of Andy's subs in my old A3 and having just bought a new A3 with factory fitted sub I can really hear the difference. They are superb. If you can spare the cash buy one of andy's you won't regret it.
 
Can you control or adjust the frequncies of the sub from the stock HU or are you relying on the amp ? I have an Alpine MRD300 and 10" Diamond sub that I want to fit into the A3 but like the stealth look.
 
No the stock HU doesn't even have a sub pre-out, let alone any control. Once setup you can adjust the level of sub using just the bass control to some extent. An amp with a remote control would be the only solution, or alternatively use a 5ch amp and run the front & rears off the front pre-out, and use the fader to adjust the sub level.
I usually set the rears lower than the fronts, so you can fade to rear to get more sub without the rears overpowering the fronts.
 
How much for a sub and a box on its own ? does the sub run dual 2 ohm ?
 
No, single 4 ohm. The enclosure is £95, the sub £85 + £15 P&P
 
Is there any chance a 8" sub could fit in ? looking at JL's website 125 rms is about the max for the 6.5" sub, I need to find out if my amp will run 4 ohm and at what power.
 
I've fitted an 8" unit in the past, but the enclosure is way too small, and the sides of the sub actually stick out either side of the enclosure.
The 6.5" unit is very tough, I've been pushing 300wrms through mine for over 5 years. The cone cannot over extend as the enclosure is airtight, so the only danger is cooking the VC. This has only happened on one occasion (and that's one out of over 40 customers currently running the upgrade). Yes you can burn out the VC, but you'd have to listen to a horrible racket for quite a while in order to do so. You can hear when the sub has reached it's limit.
There's no benefit to fitting a bigger unit as it cannot take advantage of the size increase due to the confines of the enclosure. Believe me I've tried quite a few different configs and the JL unit is the best given the limitations.
 
having spoke to andy my self this is a great set up if you like your bass, but not to over the top
 
No it's just a hobby. Did it originally for our own A3TS when we needed the boot space back (baby). Posted the results on here and have built over 40 now for various members.
If I did it for a living the box would be twice the price!
Never had an 8P so no. Can't really expect anyone to lend me there's and be a guinea pig.
 
Well it would be a start, but judging by the 8L version the tupperware enclosure is typically a very complex shape that can't be fabricated in MDF. It's pretty much a fibreglass type affair moulded to the wierd shape of the car. So I'd need the car as well in order to modify the shape and ensure it would fit properly. It's a lot of work, took me 3 attempts to get the 8L version right.
 
Mate can you help me in disabling the rear sub but not the rear speakers? When i unplug the sub the back speakers die too. I have a seperate amped sub in the boot, this is fed from the preouts of my aftermarket sony stereo so this is enough, or is there another small better quality sub that will go in do you think?
 
Unplug the sub then rewire the rears on the plug directly to the HU, bypasing the rear/sub amp.
If you want to retain the puny Audi rear amp then you have to remove the sub, remove the front panel and disconnect the sub speaker itself as the amp is inside the sub enclosure.
 
Bought a 1999 A3 bout a month back, and so far I'm discovering that all the annoting little problems are the same annoying little problems everyone seems to have...

The sound from stock isn't bad but I'm definitely interested in the sub enclosure you make Andy. Do you still make them and if so what's the waiting time?

(This is the only option other than a boot box I've seen, and the boys at Halfords said that was my only option with an A3. Be nice to prove them wrong..!!)
 
Yes still make them, takes about a week from receipt of payment. PM me if you're interested.
 
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