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Hi, all...just an unsolicited $.02 from someone who ordered these and just installed them on Saturday in my 16 S5 w/B&O. I did both front and rear speakers.
Will these result in a sea-change in sound quality? No. Will they justify the fairly modest cost and effort required? Abso-freakin-lutely. The highs are definitely more crisp, detail is improved, midrange is brought out a little more. These drivers are definitely a touch brighter than the stock B&O units, but they do NOT cross that line into ‘harsh’, like Focals and other drivers tend to do. Oh, BTW, I know we are supposed to only want front bias, with the rear for ‘fill’ only, but one of the things I truly enjoy about the B&O is the effective Surround effect...doing the rear speakers as well really enhanced this. I actually heard something in one of my favorite songs I’d never heard before, even on my ludicrously expensive headphones (for those wondering, it’s a bell used in the bridge of the song ‘Wined & Dined’ on the album Barrett).
Downsides? Not much, other than it does make the lack of real bass even more obvious, so plan on the sub upgrade...I’ll also likely do the mid bass drivers in the door come spring, once I determine a suitable driver for there. I’m rather sensitive to ‘bright’ sounds, but the extra these speakers give will tone down a bit after they break-in (50-100 hrs), and can already be managed by dipping the treble a bit.
Installation wasn’t easy, nor was it hard...it was a bit fiddly. If you have big hands, the corner speakers will be a small challenge...the right side was especially hard for me as I’m right handed. Take your time, especially when handling the screws! A right angle driver is a requirement...I’d also recommend a magnetized tip, as that will help when putting the screws back in. The trick to ‘flip’ the speaker in sounds hard but is a doddle...just take note of how the speakers come out, which is the hardest part of the whole thing as you can’t get a grasp of them. I’d have paid good money to have that angled pick Captain Video shows in the ‘how to’...I was able to use angled tweezers in the screw hole on the speaker to get the edge up, then grasp the speaker rim.
You MUST have forceps or clamp or clothespin or something to grab the speaker wire so it doesn’t fall into the hole. Clamp it before you disconnect the connector and you’ll be good.
Speaking of the how-to...the angle of the camera outside the car...if you are having trouble reaching up and working under the windshield, try standing outside the car and reaching in one-handed...at least to loosen the screws. Saves a lot of frustration and scraping your dashboard.
Sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t hard. I’m that guy that turns a 45minute job into an all day event (with spare parts at the end) and I did all five speakers in about 90 minutes. Take your time, especially with grille removal on the center speaker (a gadget toolkit with super thin spudgers/non-sharp pry tool helps a lot), and you’ll be golden.
Highly recommended, wish Captain Video had this kit back with my first or second A5s, I would have enjoyed them even more!
Thanks!
Os.
These kits are used to replace the front dash speakers for both B&O and non-B&O systems as well as the rear deck speakers in the B&O system.
Here are links that show the vehicle compatibility. You can also remove one of the outer dash speakers and the center speaker and check the part number to make sure these will fit.
The non-B&O outer speaker part number is 8T0035399A
The non-B&O center speaker PN is 8T0035397
The B&O center speaker part number is 8T0035397A
The B&O outer speaker part number is 8T0035416 The part numbers for the Q5/SQ5 speakers are identical except they begin with 8R0 instead of 8T0. The fitment is identical for all three types of vehicles.
The kits are being offered in various configurations.
1. Outer dash speaker kit - fully plug and play (both B&O and non-B&O systems)
2. Center dash speaker kit - fully plug and play (both B&O and non-B&O systems)
3. Complete dash speaker kit - fully plug and play (both B&O and non-B&O systems)
4. Rear deck speaker kit (B&O only)
5. Complete front and rear speaker kit (B&O only)
6. Outer speaker bracket kit with all hardware (rear speaker brackets are the same as the front; for B&O only)
7. Center speaker bracket kit with all hardware
8. Complete front speaker bracket kit with all hardware
9. Complete front and rear speaker bracket kit with all hardware (B&O only)
10. Wiring harness with OEM connector (both B&O and non-B&O speakers; a 10 uf capacitor is installed for the two outer speakers on the non-B&O system only)
11. Full set of speaker bracket mounting hardware (for anyone that wants to 3D print their own brackets)
12. Full set of speaker brackets and wiring harnesses and all mounting hardware (just add your own speakers)
Pricing and further details are included in the documents at the end of this post.
Notes about the speaker configurations
Non-B&O systems - The non-B&O systems have either two tweeters mounted on the left and right side of the dash along with a center midrange speaker or they just have the two tweeters at the left and right with no center speaker. The tweeters in the dash share the same amplifier output as the mid-bass speakers in the doors so they have a capacitor connected to act as a high pass filter that only provides frequencies above 2 kHz to the tweeters. The center mid-range speaker is provided with a dedicated amplifier channel and a bandpass filter is configured in the Digital Signal Processor for this speaker. The two tweeters are 8-ohm speakers whereas the center speaker is 4 ohms.
B&O systems - The three speakers across the dash as well as the rear deck are all mid-range speakers. Each of these speakers has a dedicated channel from the amplifier and the bandpass filters for each speaker is configured in the DSP so they do not require any external components to set these frequencies. The two outer speakers in the dash and the two speakers in the rear deck act as surround speakers for the 3D effect in the B&O system and are all identical. All of these speakers are 4 ohm speakers.
Feel free to send me a PM with any questions, but if you think it may be of interest to others please post your questions here.Here’s a link to a YouTube video showing how to install the speakers in the dash:
The above links are provided in the text document at the end of this posy but you can't click on them.
Here is a pic of the non-B&O system OEM dash speakers:
Here is a pic of the B&O outer dash OEM speaker:
Here is the complete plug and play speaker kit for the non-B&O system. I have a set of these in my 2014 B8.5 A4 S-Line and they are a definite improvement in the sound over the stock speakers. Note that only the two outer speakers will have the capacitor installed as the center speaker does not require one. The photos show the old brackets for the center speaker. The new brackets have the speaker terminals located on the side and not at the end as shown in the photo.
Here is the complete plug and play speaker kit for the B&O system (center mounting screws included but not shown). Note that the photos show the old brackets for the center speaker. The new brackets have the speaker terminals located on the side and not the end as shown in the photo. The B&O system does not require capacitors for any of the speakers so they will not be included:
Here are the front bracket kits with all hardware shown. The rear deck bracket kits are the same as just the two front outer brackets:
Here are the wiring harnesses with capacitors attached for the non-B&O system. The capacitor for the center speaker is not required so the harness you receive will not have it installed:
Here are the wiring harnesses for the B&O system. The capacitors are not required for any of the B&O mid-range speakers and will not be included with these wiring harnesses.
Please note that the outer dash speakers for the non-B&O system are 8-ohm speakers. The center speaker in both B&O and non-B&O systems are 4 ohms as are the outer dash speakers for the B&O system. The 8-ohm speakers are currently on back order from Parts Express and they don't expect them in until early January. I do still have one complete non-B&O kit in stock and several B&O kits. The 4-ohm speakers are in stock at Parts Express so I should be able to provide them for as long as their stock holds out, but the non-B&O kits won't be available until I can get more from Parts Express once they replenish their stock. Parts Express is the only U.S. Distributor for Dayton Audio speakers so I am unable to get them from another vendor.
Here are the details with pricing and purchasing information:
HI! I'm interested in buying, I couldn't PM you because my acc has low activity (I guess?), where can we talk privately?
My email address is in the document at the end of the post under Payment Method. I have B&O upgrade kits in stock but the speakers for the non-B&O kits are backordered from Parts Express and aren't expected in until January 22nd 2021.
Hi Captain_video do you have the part number or link to just the plastic plugs for the (non B&O) tweeters that you use in the kits? I'd like to avoid cutting wires if possible while installing my component tweeters.
If you have a part number for the (non B&O) woofer sockets as well that would be even better! Thanks.
Hi Captain_video do you have the part number or link to just the plastic plugs for the (non B&O) tweeters that you use in the kits? I'd like to avoid cutting wires if possible while installing my component tweeters.
If you have a part number for the (non B&O) woofer sockets as well that would be even better! Thanks.
I'll have to check the part number for the woofer connector but it's probably 3B0972712. I've only seen two different types of connectors used on both B&O and non-B&O speakers in Audis. I assume you are referring to the woofers in the doors and not the subwoofer in the rear deck, although they probably use the same connectors. The connector part number for the non-B&O tweeter is 4E0972575. I had to order them from China through Ali Express and could take up to 2-3 months to get them. I have them available as a wiring harness that just needs to be connected to the speaker terminals so you can plug it directly into the factory speaker harness. They're $7 each plus shipping.
Are you replacing the tweeters in the dash but using the factory amp? If so, you will need a non-polarized electrolytic capacitor attached to the positive speaker lead to act as a high pass filter. If you are using 8-ohm speakers then you will need a 10 uF capacitor. If using a 4-ohm speaker you should probably use a 20 uF non-polarized capacitor rated for at least 50 volts. If you can't find a 20 uF cap then a 22 uF should work, but it will lower the crossover frequency from 2 kHz to about 1.8 kHz. I definitely have the 10 uF caps in stock and probably some of the 22 uF caps as well, but I'd have to check.
Just send me a PM if you're interested in purchasing them from me.
Hi Captain_video do you have the part number or link to just the plastic plugs for the (non B&O) tweeters that you use in the kits? I'd like to avoid cutting wires if possible while installing my component tweeters.
If you have a part number for the (non B&O) woofer sockets as well that would be even better! Thanks.
If the B8 is like the B9 then there is NO mating plug that Audi makes for the door woofers. You either have to chop half a Metra VW generic plug, take the two hump plug and get rid of the centre ridge. But I have managed to find a UK company that has actually manufactured the mating plug.
It appears that the connectors used for the B&O tweeters in the dash are different than the ones used for the woofers in the doors for the non-B&O system. Here's the connector used on the B&O dash tweeters that I carry:
Below is the connector used on the non-B&O door woofer.
10-12-2020, 03:16 AM
