Upgrading factory 'Audi Audio' DIY

[fezster]

My bits arrived yesterday and couldn't wait to try them out in the car today.

First up was the Hertz ev165L.5, pictured here next to the stock Audi woofer, as shown previously by anemeth:

audi woofer 1.jpg

Quite clearly a bigger and more robust woofer. It's rated at 70W RMS and 210W peak.

There's a noticeable tightening up of mid level bass. A marginal improvement in kick. Overall, I'd say it wasn't worth the upgrade and I'd have stuck to stock.

Next up was the Kicker Comp RT672:

audi woofer 2.jpg

Pictured here next to the Hertz woofer, a substantial increase in size. This is rated at 150W RMS and 300W peak, so probably considerably oversized for the power output of the stock amplifier. It is also 70mm deep, so I used a 22mm MDF spacer. There is a total of approximately 100mm space under the rear boot cover, if you wanted to use an even larger spacer.

I have to say, the improvement from this woofer was remarkable. A proper kick at mid level bass, and even the lower bass range is improved (though there's only so much a 6.5" woofer is going to be able to achieve, so don't expect miracles).

The only thing to mention is that to get the full "kick" feeling of the woofer, the volume needs to be at at least 50% or higher. I'll play around with my source music, as it's possible the volume on my tracks is not balanced properly. This one I'll be keeping in the car and it can be returned to stock in about 10 minutes.

A picture of the woofer in-situ:

audi woofer 3.jpg

Just need to add the closed cell foam and some sound deadening, which will hopefully improve things even more.

[anemeth]

OK, I had an other go with the subwoofer. I put a Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 in the subwoofer box. It is a fair bit of work as the box cannot accomodate this size of speaker. The speaker has to be lifted more than 30mm vs. the original one. See picture:

Audi subwoofer v2.jpg

The bass is deeper. I think for the real control of deep bass, a separete amplifier should be installed. I will not do that, I will live with what I got.

[nbedford]

@fezster

This looks very interesting, what's involved wiring wise? Is it simply plug and play, or move involved? Is the required parts list simply the speakers and mdf spacers? I'd love a simple upgrade on my factory audio without needing to take the car apart...

[fezster]

@fezster

This looks very interesting, what's involved wiring wise? Is it simply plug and play, or move involved? Is the required parts list simply the speakers and mdf spacers? I'd love a simple upgrade on my factory audio without needing to take the car apart...

Pretty much plug and play. The new speaker had 2 full size spade connectors, whereas the car had one large and one small. So made a quick adapter cable for that. As for fitting the speaker itself, just ensure the spacer is of sufficient depth to accommodate whichever sub you choose.

Don't expect earth shattering bass, though. It just tightens the bass up and provides a kick at higher volumes. A modest upgrade.

[fezster]

OK, I had an other go with the subwoofer. I put a Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 in the subwoofer box. It is a fair bit of work as the box cannot accomodate this size of speaker. The speaker has to be lifted more than 30mm vs. the original one. See picture:

Audi subwoofer v2.jpg

The bass is deeper. I think for the real control of deep bass, a separete amplifier should be installed. I will not do that, I will live with what I got.

Nice job anemeth. I think I'll live with what I have now. The car is leased so returning to factory should be straightforward.

[stefanovinc]

This thread is just perfect, I have a 2011 Q7 with the Audi "HIGH" standard system... but when I checked my boot... I got a bad surprise. I got no subwoofer at all! Anybody else in the same situation? and what do I do from here, if I want to get some more bass?

[andyhud007]

This thread is just perfect, I have a 2011 Q7 with the Audi "HIGH" standard system... but when I checked my boot... I got a bad surprise. I got no subwoofer at all! Anybody else in the same situation? and what do I do from here, if I want to get some more bass?

Hey Stefan

Honestly not sure.. I would suggest posting in the Q7 4L Forum for the older Q7 shape car as this one is for the newer Q7 4M so you may get more response there

Q7 - 4L Forum - 2006 - 2015

Cheers

Andy

[samps]

OK, I had an other go with the subwoofer. I put a Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 in the subwoofer box. It is a fair bit of work as the box cannot accomodate this size of speaker. The speaker has to be lifted more than 30mm vs. the original one. See picture:

Audi subwoofer v2.jpg

The bass is deeper. I think for the real control of deep bass, a separete amplifier should be installed. I will not do that, I will live with what I got.

So were you able to just use an 8” spacer and then mount the sub, or did you also have to cut the hole bigger?

[anemeth]

Yes, cut bigger hole, also you have sand down the spacer as they do not fit due to the plastic shape of the subwoofer (not enough space around the 8" speaker).

[samps]

Ok - so were you able to actually mount the sub onto the spacer?

I'm actually thinking of just removing the stock box and replacing with a pre-enclosed sub - same one you used.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just wanting to get a sense of how difficult adding a spacer and mounting would be. I'd have to cut the box - not ideal.

Did you just epoxy the spacer onto the box?


Also - really curious to know if anyone with the base system has considered swapping the sub with a sub from the Bose system. You'd effectively be getting an 8" sub rather than the small 6.5" sub. I wonder if this is worth it.