luv2sleep

I'm a Q5 owner looking to make the move to a '13 A6. What a gorgeous ride, the A6!!! Just curious as to what ya'll think of the stock stereo in the A6 is like. Does it come with a subwoofer? How's the Bose system vs. the B&O? In the Q5, the B&O isn't all that much better IMHO.

snagitseven

Rather than start yet another Standard/Bose/B&O thread, I'll point you to these:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ht=b%26amp%3B0

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ht=b%26amp%3B0

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ht=b%26amp%3B0

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ht=b%26amp%3Bo

Also on the A7:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ht=b%26amp%3Bo

p.s. I love my B&O and if set up correctly, it is spectacular.

Fairfax 4.0T

Snagitseven, can you please elaborate on what you mean by "set up correctly." I have the the B&O, and it sounds spectacular when playing Pandora on my phone. (I like the Waze app, and have the HDMI output on my Droid Razr Maxx going to an RCA converter, and an RCA input to the MMI.)

However, the Sirius/XM radio sounds very tinny. Any suggestions of how to get better sound out of Sirius/XM?

Jim

Maverick61

I did a lot of research on this when I was looking at the A6 as I have an excellent system in my current vehicle, a high end system at home and sound quality is very important to me. To me the B&O is not worth the $6K. You have better options. Audi is making a HUGE profit on the B&O markup. HUGE. Shoot, my high end home system cost less than what Audi wants for the B&O system

I listened to all three and the best IMO was actually the base system - however it is still lacking in two areas. Bass (the subwoofer is a joke) and the system overall is underpowered. But you can remedy that for anywhere between $1,200 and $2,000 at a high end car audio shop - or about half that if you DIY the install by replacing the subwoofer and upgrading the amplifier (and if you want all the bells and whistles (ie the $2K option), adding active crossover mgmt and equalization). You can do this very seamlessly and get great bang for your buck

That is my plan. So IMO, your best option is to go with the base system and spend your money upgrading it for the best as well as most cost effective result

snagitseven

To provide the best results and fullest bass for me, I've set the B&O to "Driver" and centered the balance just to the right and forward of the driver's seat back on the overhead grid. I have my bass at 4 o'clock and highs about 3 o'clock and set the surround effect control to 11 o'clock. Your mileage may vary.

This should help the Sirius performance a bit, understanding that its quality will be above FM and but below device or streaming sources.

I would also point out to you that the RCA analog inputs you are using from your phone will provide less performance than if you transferred your music in digital to an SDHC card or the Jukebox. The B&O cries out for the best source and can blow your socks off with hi res digital music files.

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2840907

alvam

Thanks Snagit I will try those settings. I also dig my B&O especially for streaming audio (iPod,SD etc.). I am not a big bass "bumper" type of music listener and prefer to hear the song subleties the B&O gives me.

snagitseven

Yah, while the B&O does a very admiral job with tight low frequencies from a good source, it's strength is wide frequency response, low distortion, clarity and overall dynamic range - not to bounce your car up and down with booming bass while stopped at a light, annoying all the folks around you.

looking@audi

You are not going to get great sound out of Sirius/XM. The signal is extremely compressed to save bandwidth, and has no dynamic range. In general Sirius/XM sound quality is even below HD radio. The best sound quality will come from CDs and music downloaded with a high bit rate.

However, some Sirius/XM stations sound better than others. For example Coffee House and Bridge sound much better than Deep Tracks and Classic Vinyl.

Additionally, please note that Audi allows you to select different sound settings (bass, treble, sub, etc) for each input.

looking@audi

The surprising thing is that all the available Audi sound options (Base, Bose and Big Buck B&O) include the same crappy subwoofer.

A quality designed and integrated subwoofer can provide significant improvements in sound quality. Only a poorly designed (or intentionally designed) sub will result in booming bass while stopped at a light, annoying all the folks around you.

A good subwoofer’s main benefit is a double bonus: its ability to reproduce the original ambience (the full acoustics) of the recording venue and to liberate the satellites’ midrange and treble drivers from having to reproduce bass frequencies. Both benefits are of crucial importance.

Adding a seemingly small range of low frequencies (the lowest one or one and a half octaves, that is, 20Hz to 60Hz) does not seem to be a big thing in itself. But bass being the foundation of the music and containing most of the ambience of the recording venue, the total experience of reproduced music can only be apprehended when both the foundation and the ambience coexist. When the total ambience of the recording venue is reproduced intact, you receive a musical experience that cannot be described in words. Once you have experienced true deep bass as part of a total sound experience, you can’t go back to anything less.

subterFUSE

Yes. One suggestion. Turn off SAT radio and never turn it on again.