S3 system upgrade help please

[trogen]

Hi,

I need some help and advice.

I recently purchased a 2002 S3 and want to upgrade the sound system but need a couple of pointer.

Basically it has a standard headunit with a 6disk changer build into the dash. It also has a tape player and because of this i want to keep the HU as standard.

However as your all aware, the standard speakers are dire, with no mid/low bass what so ever.

I was wondering if it were possible to leave the existing headunit but either upgrade the door speakers and put a small 10" 800w sub in or should i just leave the door speakers and install some 6x9's with a nice sub and amp?

Leaving the head unit wont distort the sound as long as i use an amp right?

Any help on the above would be much appreciated!!

 

[A3_Turbo]

It is so much easier to instal a sub mate if you change the headunit as the audi one doesnt have preouts for a sub i dont think? there is a way round it but i still think its alto easier just to change the headunit.


Jason

 

[trogen]

thats the one thing i really dont want to do.
Is there no way round that?

 

[AndyMac]

First job is to replace or upgrade the sub (either with a stealth sub or box in the boot)
Don't bother to upgrade anything else until you've done this. You can't get any mid bass from the cabin speakers even if you upgrade them and add an amp as they are mounted on a flimsy door card, so all the mid and low bass has to come from the sub.
If you unplug the stock sub in the boot you can pick up the rear pre-outs and remote on that you need to run a proper amp. All you then need is to run power for the amp as you can't use the feeble 5amp cable Audi provide.
If you have the non Bose setup bear in mind that unplugging the sub, will lose you the rear speakers as well, so you'll need a 4ch amp to run both the rears and the new sub. Here are the pinouts for the non Bose sub loom:

 

[trogen]

thats great help, as long as i know its possible thats great. only thing is i dont have any sub in the back so ill be able to wire it all properly with good cabling.

 

[A3_Turbo]

Andymac i bet your itred of repeating yourself all the time hehe!

Why not post a sticky or something?


Jason

 

[AndyMac]

If you don't have a sub then you also don't have a feed to the rear speakers (unless it's the Bose system), so must sound horrendous with just the fronts working.
Have a look in the lefthand cubbyhole, the plastic box with what looks like a fan on the back of it is your sub (which also powers the rear speakers).

 

[trogen]

Its not a bose system mate. Its just the standard symphony one. yes the rear door speakers work too, and yes it does sound awful!!!

SO: I can upgrade my system, without having to change my headunit? thats all i want to know

 

[AndyMac]

You've got rear doors in your S3?

If the rear speakers are working then that means you do have a sub as they run off the same amp.

 

[trogen]

rear door spaekers yes, not rear doors lol

 

[trogen]

if i had a sub, surely there would be some kind of bass? its like listening to music off my mobile phone!!!

 

[AndyMac]

Can you not just look in the cubbyhole? It is there, but it's a sub in name only. More like a cheap door speaker mounted in a tupperware box.

 

[trogen]

Ill have a look and get back to you...

 

[trogen]

lol, i cant believe it, there is somthing in the boot that makes a thuddin noise... who on earth designed that pile of camal sh!te? I see what you mean about a tupperware box lol!

OK so what does that mean andy?

 

[AndyMac]

You unlplug it take the feeds off it for the rear channels, feed them into a 4 channel amp, hide that behind the rear speaker panel to drive the rears and a proper sub or a stealth sub (which replaces the tupperware box).
Voila you have decent punchy bass all of a sudden.