A3 SYMPHONY UPGRADE

[blackwood]

Hi Guys,
Am in the process of buying an A3 1.9 tdi quattro which has a symphony system with in dash 6 disc changer.It doesn't sound too bad,but I feel it could do with upgrading a tad.Am I best to start with the speakers? Are there any straight forward swaps that anybody can recommend?Any thoughts or advice will be gratefully received..
Regards Blackwood /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[AndyMac]

Speakers are well worth doing. The standard OEM units are the cheapest nastiest things you've ever seen.
4" components in the front, and 6.5" in the rear. You'll need adapters for the new speakers to fit properly as the mounts are non standard. Make your own from 12mm MDF for the rears as the Autoleads ones don't work properly (they leave a 5mm gap round the entire speaker = no bass).
You might want to consider one of my Stealth subs, which is a really big improvement to the bass, and allows you to drive the cabin speakers harder as you can turn the bass on the HU right down.

 

[blackwood]

Hi Andy,
Thanks for the reply,tell me more..I am basically a metal head,though I do listen to other types of music too,42 years old and still headbangin'! I take it the head unit isn't too bad,I've loooked at Scenic car audio who do a front 13cm upgrade and a 17cm rear upgrade speaker,but these apparantly need some sort of fitting kit,which they can supply,is this this Autoleads thing?
I am very interested in your sub,as I've read that the standard thing is a bit on the poor side..
However,I don't really want to get into re-wiring the car,straightforward swapping things was what I had in mind,though I don't mind a Bit of messing if it means I get a system that will perhaps not make my ears bleed,but will be a good bit better than standard.I don't want to start chopping great holes in my car,so if you could give me some more info (PM if you prefer) then I can weigh up my next move.Once again,thanks for taking the time to help me,keep it coming!....
Regards Blackwood

 

[AndyMac]

Yeah the fitting kit is the Autoleads adapters. The OEM speakers are stupidly mounted on 3 raised posts, so to mount after market speakers you need a spacer ring. You can make your own, just cut a couple of rings out of 12mm MDF, and use the OEM speaker to mark & drill three 4mm holes. The rings then fit over the stupid posts, and can be secured wih the original screws. You can then mount pretty much anything onto the MDF.
The stealth sub does require quite a bit of work. You have to run a 40amp power cable from battery to the new amp. You need a 4 channel (4 x 50w RMS or more) amp as it needs to run the rear speakers as well as the new sub. This can be mounted behind the rear speaker panel. You also have to take out quite a bit of interior trim in order to get to the existing "sub". So it's not a quick and easy replacement, but the result easily justifies the effort.
I can do the whole job for £350 installed, including supply of sub, enclosure, amp & wiring, it takes about 5 hours in total.