BootsElectric

Hey all, I'm looking for a new (to me) C7, but I'm having problems finding just the right one. My preferences are for a white black-leathered interior 3.0T with at least the Bose sound, so I've kind of narrowed myself into a corner and I'm not sure when or if the "perfect" car will come available. There are a few cars for sale right now that nearly match the description for me, with the exception of the Bose sound system. I've heard that the stock system is pretty junky, and I'm just wondering what my upgrade options are looking like if I opt to just get a car with the stock and upgrade from there. I've never gone aftermarket with a car before, so I'm not really sure how much money I'd be looking at to upgrade to something half way decent. Any insights on what to do would be awesome!

subterFUSE

If you get a C7 prior to model year 2016 and you have at least the Bose OEM system, then your upgrade options are very good.

You can get the mObridge DA1 preamp to convert the factory MMI source signal into a standard optical toslink. This can feed the DSP of your choice, and then you can add the amps and speakers of your choice.

BootsElectric

How bleak do my options look if it's a 2012 with the stock sound? I don't need a ridiculous sound system by any means, but I'm a musician and a sucker for good sound, and like blasting my music on occasion.

subterFUSE

If you want aftermarket audio upgrades, then you should get the Bose OEM system. Your upgrade path is much, much better that way.

A 2012 model will be fine, but if you get the base audio you won't be able to use a mObridge DA1 preamp. That piece is the key to simple audio upgrading in these cars with MMI and MOST.


If you only have the base audio, then your only upgrade path is to get a line converter or DSP that can take the amplified outputs from the stock amp and convert them to line level for processing.
This can be done, but the quality is less than doing an optical digital output from the mObridge.

xanmato

I thought the base radio just needed some coding done with VCDS to enable the external amp capability? The mObridge manual had a couple pages on it.

If that does work, definitely the mObridge DA1. If you are on a budget, it makes more sense to buy the pricier DA3. The DSP isn't the greatest, but for the price point it's almost a freebie.