mule65

Hi all-

I have the basic Audi Symphony head unit with 6-CD changer and no Bose. It sounds pretty good but I'm willing to do a small stealthy upgrade (keep HU) for realistic results. Would just improving the speakers be worth the effort? It looks like even this might be a PITA. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

avincar

Your non-Bose system drives the F speakers off of HU deck power (12W?) and the output of the HU in non-Bose mode is heavily EQ'd.

The door 165mm non-Bose speakers hav their spacers molded in. The best way to put in new speakers is to gut the cone and frame spokes out of the OEM speakers and use their frame as a mounting spacer.

I recommend getting a plug-and-play harness from TeddyBGame, adding a two-channel amp from the front, and upgrading the front components.

Disconnect the F speaker (takes some work) and disconnect the OEM sub in the trunk (yes...do it , and get as good a set of Euro 6.5 components as you can afford.

I would use DLS UP6 components, and maybe some damping.

mule65

Probably best to go all out or do nothing at all. Thanks for the detailed reply.

MacSub

2 rings of 18mm MDF, glued & screwed together with a 6mm bigger ring cut to the same outline as the back of the stock speaker adapter. Screw this to the rings and the whole thing can be screwed to the door using the original fixings.
The centre speaker is easily disconnected. Pull the HU and snip one of the 2 thin wires that bridges the front speaker output on the brown front speaker ISO connector. You can then plug into this connector for the amp speaker outputs.
You can get really good mid bass from the door speakers in the B6/B7, but they do need to be amped.

avincar

If you see a spacer as a mounting ring - something to allow the speaker to be mounted in a hole - then this serves such a purpose. Sounds much worse than it could, however.

The OEM Bose spacer and the OEM non-Bose speaker-spacer combo do more than give the speaker a home.

They mate up to the back of the door panel and allow a seal around the back of the door panel's grille opening.

When installing new speakers, if you duplicate this seal (or improve it with foam weatherstripping tape) then, instead of the speaker firing into a chamber in front of it with a grille hole in it, it is firing into a very short tube with a grille at the end. Your bass response - both midbass and bass bass - is far better sounding.

If you look at how Audi did speaker mounting in the B5 and C5, you can see how important they thought this concept was. The B6 and B7 and A5 all have these angled spacer thingamajigs for the same reason.

TJHUB

You could check the link in my sig to verify what avincar is saying. (Lots of pics)

MacSub

Surely a better solution than knackering the stock units and using the feeble plastic that Audi supply. Try it, it works.

mule65

Holy Hannah -- That's a lot of work! Thanks TJHUB

avincar

Cold meds. I meant to type depth. Principle still holds. Spacers have to dupe the OEM thickness.

TJHUB

You're welcome. It wasn't too much work, just running the new wires for the door speakers was bad.