Which head unit/changer?

marsie

marsie

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My 1999 s4 currently has a bose concert set up but i am at the end of my tether:mad:.I have bought a new concert head unit(old one had volume probs),had the DIS replaced(cracked screen) and for a week or so everything has been good.
But last week the cd changer started loosing its memory and doing a search everytime the ignition was swiched on,then today the changer has thrown a wobbly altogether and jammed solid:motz:

Anyhoo! is there a direct replacement head unit that will work with the DIS and bose as it should and not look out of place on the S4 centre console

Paul
 
Becker GP is about the only option that is known to work well with the Bose system and looks totally stock. Also has the benefit of being excellent quality and mp3:
http://www.sextonsdirect.co.uk/GP7992_becker-grand-prix-7992-cdmp3wma-tuner.html

It won't work with the DIS though, nothing will apart from a few Blaupunkt units + a £70 adapter lead. Why don't you just buy a changer on ebay for £60?
 
audi upgrades
You can fit the later model but they are CANBUS controlled, so you'll need a CANBUS emulator to get it to switch on with the ignition and to provide the DIS info. Otherwise you just switch off/on manually and forget the DIS, but bear in mind it will switch itself off automatically every 60 minutes.
 
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I have a 2000 A3 with a Kenwood head unit which i really cant stand.
I'd like to replace it with the Concert II CD head unit. Im not bothered about the DIS since its not the full on board computer.

So what will i need for it to work and switch on/off with the ignition?

Also thought I'd add the Kenwood does not switch off when the ignition is switched off so I'd like it if the concert did.
 
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Evenin All,

I'm a new Audi A3 user and an even newer user to this forum so any advice you could give me I'd be really grateful/

I've a Concert head unit, NON bose. I have 2 (ish) questions:

1. How many speakers do I have, do I have a sub and an amp in the boot?

2. I want a new head unit, how easy is this to do and can you recommend any decent HU's and if I get one do I therefore need to replace all speakers?

Sorry, that's about 20 questions.

If you haven't worked it out already, I'm useless with ICE but I love good sounds.

I'm not rich so any help you could give me, would be a massive help to me!!

Thanking you in advance!
 
You have 6 speakers, 2 front mids, 2 tweeters and 2 coxial rears and a sub in the boot. You won't get much of an improvement by just changing the HU other than better features i.e. mp3 CD playback and proper iPOD support.
The biggest improvement you can do is to replace the tupperware sub, either with one of my stealth subs or an active boot hogger:
http://www.dizzythedog.com/index.php?f=data_audi_a3_stealth_sub&a=0
This is the only way to get better bass in an A3, and it will also improve the sound from the cabin speakers by reducing the bass they are trying to handle. All the speakers are mounted to the flimsy door cards so even upgrading them won't deliver a massive improvement. The fronts are only 4" units but you can squeeze 5.25" components up front as long as they're slim units (54mm max depth).
If you are set on a new HU then the Becker GP is my personal favorite as it suits the interior and is a quality unit only requiring the minimal effort to fit (just a fascia surround and an antenna adapter needed, no wiring adapters):
http://www.sextonsdirect.co.uk/GP7992_becker-grand-prix-7992-cdmp3wma-tuner.html
 
Thanks for the info AndyMac,i think i am going to stick with the concert and get another changer(1 last chance:noway:) but i have also seen on ebay a guy advertising sony changers and some sort of adaptor gizmo to convert to audi link lead??

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUDI-6-DISC-C...s_PP?hash=item563516c688&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Hmmm,choices? Can you get an adaptor to fit any other type of changer to the audi 13 pin plug,cos i have got a few alpine changers:think:
Paul
 
Yes they do an alpine adapter, must be M-Bus (not AiNet) though. Adapter part no. is AUD02ALP but they're not cheap at around £70!! There was one on ebay that went for a fiver though so worth having a scout round.
 
Thanks AndyMac for all your advice. So if i was to change just the sub to your custom fit, am I right in thinking that it uses the same amp as in there now or does yours include amp & sub? I've had a look at that link and it looks like a nifty piece of kit! I'm looking to resell as well some time in the future so this sounds like the perfect solution.

In your opinion, is the concert II head unit I have Ok? Is it worth me changing the other speakers as well as the sub, and keeping the HU?

Sorry for so many ( probably stupid) questions but I am a complete novice at this.

For that reason, if I do this I would want professional fitting.

Can you give me the total costs if I were to buy this kit?

Thanks very much!
 
No it uses a seperate Alpine V12 amp, hidden behind the rear speaker panel. The stock amp wouldn't power my 4 year olds fisher price radio!
The Concert is fine I'd keep it unless you need advanced features like MP3 CD support.
What I recommend to all customers is upgrade the sub first and you then won't need to worry about swapping the speakers. Upgrading just the speakers driven off the stock HU won't really improve anything, as the limitation is then the power of the 2 x 20w HU amp and the flimsy door cards they are screwed to. With no real bass going to them you will be surprised at how good the cabin speakers sound.
I can supply & install if you can get down to Southampton, I'll PM you the prices.
 
Thanks AndyMac for all your advice.

I'll be back in touch shortly, but this sounds like a plan. No drama to get down to Southampton, I'm just outside Brighton.

Cheers
Bert
 
Hi Andymac,

Are there any other amps (new) that you could recommend in place of the reconditioned alpine one you're offering with the replacement sub you manufacture/sell?

If so, could I get the amp and then get the rest (including fitting) off you?

I want s**t hot sound so any recommendations from anyone would be much appreciated.

If you hadn't guessed already, I know nothing about ICE but am only asking re amp in case there are others (new) that would give even better results?

Thanks in advance!

Rob:thumbsup:
 
They're not reconditioned Alpines, just pre-owned, purely to keep the price down. Why pay £150 for a new V12 when an old one will do the same job for half the price? I could supply brand new "max power" amps for the same price, probably cheaper, but chose V12 amps as they are quality and bulletproof. With a sub all you need is actual power and lots of it, the quality is in the build and design to achieve reliable undistorted power that isn't gonna shut down on you at full tilt. I used a Genesis 4ch amp (arguably the best amps on the market) in my A4 and the quality is noticeably better on the front components, warmer and more musical, but the sub it also powers sounds identical to the Alpine, so I ended up powering all the cabin speakers with the Genesis and going back to a V12 for the sub (which is actually more powerful).
So in answer to your question, no really, unless you just want to spend more money for the same result in which case get a 2 ch Genesis for around £400:
http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/genesis-profile-sub.html
As long as the amp is genuinely rated at 250-300wrms and will be reliable you can pretty much use anything, the result won't be better or worse.
The limitation of the stealth sub is the size of the enclosure not the power feeding it and there's not a lot we can do about that.
 
Andymac,

Thanks for the advice, not knowing anything about ice I'm really guided by you and others on this subject. When I do get your stealth sub installed, I just want to make sure that it's as kick *** as is physically possible from the limited spaces audi provide! I've heard of Alpine and everyone I've asked has said they make s**t hot gear so if you don't think there's any benefit to getting a new / other amp then I won't bother.

I'll be back in touch soon as I'm 99% sure I'll be having the whole stealth install done by you, just need to make sure I can pay for it first and get the reddies in place.

Thanks again for the advice
Rob
 
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