Sound System

"SteveH" wrote
>
> Well, speaking as what you'd call an 'audiophile', the OEM setup in B5
> chassis VAGs is pretty damned good. A car is a pretty crap environment
> to listen to music,

Well, the B5 in itself does not isolate outside noise too well and after
a few years of ownership it can be a real rattle cage, but it doesn't
mean it can't be fixed with proper sound deadning materials.

I have the OEM Symphony setup in my B5 and I find it lacking in power,
clear treble and bass. The sound is very distorted when you crank it
up - either the stock amps are very weak or the speakers can't take the
power, or both. As a quick fix, I threw a self-powered sub in the
trunk, but it was really a half-assed solution as I hooked it up to rear
speakers for input. I also didn't want to replace the OEM head unit as
nothing aftermarket that I've seen looks as good as the OEM. But I did
hear aftermarket setups in my friends' B5s - night and day.


> so it's not really worth spending silly amounts of
> money on 'improvements'. You'll only actually get more volume, not
> better quality.

I think many will argue with that, but it's really personal preference
as to what it's worth or what it's not.

Cheers,

Pete

Pete > wrote:

> "SteveH" wrote
> >
> > Well, speaking as what you'd call an 'audiophile', the OEM setup in B5
> > chassis VAGs is pretty damned good. A car is a pretty crap environment
> > to listen to music,
>
> Well, the B5 in itself does not isolate outside noise too well and after
> a few years of ownership it can be a real rattle cage, but it doesn't
> mean it can't be fixed with proper sound deadning materials.

There's something wrong with your B5, then.... my B5 Passat (yeah, OK, I
bought the cheap version of the A6....) is showing 145k miles so far and
drives as well as a new one, with no rattles etc.

> I have the OEM Symphony setup in my B5 and I find it lacking in power,
> clear treble and bass. The sound is very distorted when you crank it
> up - either the stock amps are very weak or the speakers can't take the
> power, or both. As a quick fix, I threw a self-powered sub in the
> trunk, but it was really a half-assed solution as I hooked it up to rear
> speakers for input. I also didn't want to replace the OEM head unit as
> nothing aftermarket that I've seen looks as good as the OEM. But I did
> hear aftermarket setups in my friends' B5s - night and day.

I suppose it depends on how loud you consider loud to be. If I turn up
my Gamma system, my ears hurt before it distorts.
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Golf Cabrio
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark - Alfa 75 TSpark - Passat 1.8T - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

"SteveH" wrote

> There's something wrong with your B5, then.... my B5 Passat (yeah, OK,
> I
> bought the cheap version of the A6....) is showing 145k miles so far
> and
> drives as well as a new one, with no rattles etc.

I suppose it's the crappy pot-hole infested roads here in Poland that
are responsible. 17" rims and sport suspension don't exactly help
either. The interior was relatively rattle-free back in the US.

FYI, B5 Passat is the same platform as B5 A4, not A6.

Pete

Pete > wrote:

> "SteveH" wrote
>
> > There's something wrong with your B5, then.... my B5 Passat (yeah, OK,
> > I
> > bought the cheap version of the A6....) is showing 145k miles so far
> > and
> > drives as well as a new one, with no rattles etc.
>
> I suppose it's the crappy pot-hole infested roads here in Poland that
> are responsible. 17" rims and sport suspension don't exactly help
> either. The interior was relatively rattle-free back in the US.
>
> FYI, B5 Passat is the same platform as B5 A4, not A6.

B5 platform produced the A4, A6, Skoda Superb and Passat.

HTH.
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Golf Cabrio
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark - Alfa 75 TSpark - Passat 1.8T - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

"SteveH" wrote
> B5 platform produced the A4, A6, Skoda Superb and Passat.

I thought A6 had it's own platform (C5)?

Pete

Pete > wrote:

> "SteveH" wrote
> > B5 platform produced the A4, A6, Skoda Superb and Passat.
>
> I thought A6 had it's own platform (C5)?

The 2nd generation A6 (ie. not the one that was just the old Audi 100
facelifted) was the same platform as the Passat, A4 and Superb.

Not sure about the new A6, though.


--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Golf Cabrio
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark - Alfa 75 TSpark - Passat 1.8T - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

"SteveH" wrote
>
> The 2nd generation A6 (ie. not the one that was just the old Audi 100
> facelifted) was the same platform as the Passat, A4 and Superb.

http://www.ibiblio.org/tkan/audi/usmodels.html#type

B5 (A4) and C5 (A6) are different platforms, AFAIK.

Pete

"SteveH" wrote
> Well, speaking as what you'd call an 'audiophile', the OEM setup in B5
> chassis VAGs is pretty damned good.

Forgot to add, the front speakers in the Passat (and Jetta too) are
bigger (5.25" or 6.5" even). A4 has 4" speakers up front which are a
joke.

Pete

I've got the Concert head unit, coupled with BOSE. Well, if that's pretty
damned good, then I must be looking pretty damn close to Mr Universe!

The bass speakers are the crappiest I've ever seen/heard in just any car
that would like to boast about sound. Not only are they clearly lacking in
power - both loudspeakers and amp at fault here, but they also deteriorate
in exactly two summer seasons - the paper is burnt out of its supple
properties by the sun. The rest of speakers and head unit output distortion
are only just acceptable.

The BOSE A3s on the other hand have some extra 100 Watt bass power - boot
subwoofer, which is exactly what the A4 stock BOSE would need in order for
it to be addressed as remotely acceptable by someone moderately exacting
like me.

>
> Well, speaking as what you'd call an 'audiophile', the OEM setup in B5
> chassis VAGs is pretty damned good. #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

JP Roberts wrote:
> Obviously talking about input impedance. In practical terms what this means
> is that if you fit a pair of 4 Ohm speakers, you're only just going to get
> half the desired output (read volume), which is a real pain.

Not true. Higher-impedance loads are easier to drive for a solid-state
amp, not harder. Speaker efficiency is measured as the sound level
produced for a 2.83-volt input (a so-called "8-ohm watt"). If you have
two speakers, one (nominally) 4-ohm and one (nominally) 8-ohm, that are
rated with the same efficiency, then an amp driving a given signal level
will produce the same volume out of either.

--
Mike Smith