# TT MK3 Speaker upgrade



## General (Nov 24, 2015)

Hi all

I've been reading this forum for a while and really enjoy the informative posts on here. I just took possession of a brand new 2.0TSFI on Monday. This is my third Audi and the car is just immaculate all around. I have most extras apart from the B&O and this must go down as one of my biggest car regrets as the current Audi sound (8 passive speakers with Connect) is quite simply abysmal for a car of this quality. I'm a big music fan and this is a major deal breaker for me.

I'm keen to hear from other owners who've had a similar issue and what they did. I've contacted the dealership who have told me they don't have a speaker upgrade service and to be fair they've been very helpful and the whole customer experience of purchasing the car was excellent. I've contacted Audiofile-incar who are based in Hertfordshire and they've quoted me £1500 to upgrade the entire sound system to around 500watts. I think it's currently 100watts in the standard factory system and the lack of base is telling. They look very professional and I'm wondering whether anyone has used them before? I'm keen to get this done properly and would welcome any suggestions.

Cheers and look forward to your responses.


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

It depends what you dislike about the current system, to add a bit of bass is fairly easy, just get something like this: 
http://caraudiosecurity.com/trap-ft12a- ... -enclosure
It comes with everything you need except a special converter to fit it to the factory stereo:
http://caraudiosecurity.com/fitting-acc ... a-adaptors

All it needs is the included power and RCA cables routed to the boot, that is easily done.

It really comes down to what you want and what you're prepared to pay, the above is simply a bargain way to add what should be a decent amount of bass to the system.

You could upgrade some of the speakers in the doors, but its fairly complicated, you have to get the right sizes and know how the crossovers in the standard system work and so on. It may be more straight forward to just use the RCA cable you already have for the sub, and use an amp to power new speakers (you can make use of the standard speaker wire already installed, just snip it at the back of the audi stereo). You could also add DSP too, which will allow you to tune the system (crossover, eq, time alignment etc). I wouldn't upgrade all 8 speakers unless you want to pay a fortune, its probably best to disconnect ALL the speakers and invest in some very nice front components, otherwise the crappy standard speakers will muddy the sound.


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

I should also add that £1500 for "500 watts" sounds very vauge. I'd want to know what I was actually getting. (also, RMS watts isn't the same as Peak watts, 500w peak = about 100w RMS).

I think what I would do if my budget was £1500, is upgrade the front speakers and just fade the rears out. Focus on a decent amplified 3 way system for the doors/dash, then you can add a sub if needed (the install can be prepared so its easy to add it).

The amp I have at the moment can push 700 watts RMS to the front, and was about £250. I also got a 500W RMS sub amp for £100. Front speakers and sub can be about £500 together (if you want to pay that), so adding wiring accessories etc for about £100 comes to about £1000 and it would be a very loud and nice sounding system.

So for £1500 it has to sound better or at least as good as that one would, and if they only upgrade the speakers (and don't add amps etc), I doubt it will come anywhere near. So got to be careful, got to know what you actually want or you could end up not getting it, you can spend a lot on the wrong thing with car audio if not careful.


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## General (Nov 24, 2015)

Rev
Thanks for the detailed response.
My main concern is the lack of bass and all round poor sound quality. The price I've been quoted includes everything - speaker upgrade, amps and installation which they say would be a two day job. I've had this done previously on my A3 several years ago and the sound quality wasn't what I expected so I'm not going to repeat this mistake. The installation quality is important to me and I want to get this done professionally. I'm also wondering whether this will impact the car's warranty in any way?


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## Weiss-Man (Nov 13, 2015)

An impresive amount of watts does not equal more bass and better sound. There is so much more to consider than power on its own. Using an old Pirelli line - power is nothing without control!! I would strongly suggest that you look further into what you are getting before taking things further.


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## SiHancox (Sep 12, 2011)

General said:


> I'm also wondering whether this will impact the car's warranty in any way?


This is just my view but would probably check with your dealer first regarding how they would view the changes you are planning to make and the impact on your warranty. Would think it would be difficult for them to argue a speaker upgrade would have a link in say an engine related issue, but if something in audio chain or electrical side of the VC you might have to argue your side.


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## General (Nov 24, 2015)

Thank you for your responses.

I will be visiting Audio file today to listen to a demo so I know what I'm getting. 
With regards to the warranty, I can't imagine Audi ever giving me the go ahead to do the installation and as you say, it will come down to standing my ground if I do put in a warranty claim. I think I have to make my bed and lie in it here. Tbh sound quality is probably more important to me than warranty, considering the poor quality of the current sound system.


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

Sounds like a pretty good price if they're replacing all speakers, adding a sub and all the amps to power it, along with some sound deadening in the doors etc.

Depends what equipment they're using though, if you find out, tell me and I'll let you know if its a quality make.

If you wanted something that wouldn't void your warranty, you could get a speaker upgrade alone, I doubt Audi would care about that. You could also add a sub, in a way which allows you to remove it cleanly if you need to, so it doesn't look like it has ever been there. But if its just a simple subwoofer like I linked above, I'm not sure they would really care that much. But obviously with a full on upgrade its going to look more serious (even if it isn't) so I can see them voiding it for that.. but probably only for the tech pack and interior trim or something, it doesn't really have anything at all to do with the engine etc.


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## General (Nov 24, 2015)

Yeah I will probably go for the speaker upgrade upon reflection but just mindful it will be barely an improvement on the current ones without an amp and sub etc. I'm looking for something in the middle between a full upgrade and decent sounding speakers. What brands would you recommend speaker wise?


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

Something that might be happening is that the Audi stereo could be sending too much bass to the standard speakers. This could ruin the sound of the mids and highs at higher volume levels, depending on what type of speaker they use. You might find that if you lower the bass on your stereo to the lowest setting, that the mids and highs are a lot clearer and can play a lot louder. If you find the sound acceptable, you could then simply add a sub to fill in for the lack of bass.

If you then still felt the speakers could be improved upon, you're still free to take that option later on.

Another thing is, the tweeters look like they fire up into the windscreen? I've had a car with that setup before, and it made the tweeters sound really harsh, do you find that? Its a difficult thing to solve, because even the best speakers and amps can't do much for bad speaker positioning. Lowering the treble a bit might help (but the best solution is new speaker locations or an equalizer).

So at the moment, even though the audi stereo says it has 0 bass and 0 treble, the position of the speakers can change that so its effectively at +6 treble (like when you put a speaker in a corner it gets louder), and 0 bass is really too strong for the standard speakers and should be more like -4 for example.

What you really want is a relatively flat sound, you could get an audio shop to do something called an RTA which will put a microphone in the car, and tell you if theres any nasty peaks or dips in the frequency response. Normally from there you adjust with an equalizer or you change the positions of the speakers. You can't do that (except with bass/treble adjustment), but you could maybe have an mp3 player plugged into the AUX in on the Audi stereo, which has its own built in equaliser (or an EQ app), that could make enough difference to the sound quality. Definitely worth looking into.

If you want the most up to date recommendation on audio equipment, go to talkaudio.co.uk and ask on the forums there (in the SQ/Sound quality forums). I haven't heard the latest products, so I'd be recommending things based on old models. They really know their stuff on there so you will definitely get some good recommendations. I can tell you if a brand has a good reputation but theres quite a lot of them to list, and a lot of it depends on your personal tastes too.

It'd be good to see a list of speakers you audio shop is thinking of installing, if you can find out the speaker brand, model and sizes, I can tell you what sort of improvement it'll make.


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## SiHancox (Sep 12, 2011)

General said:


> Yeah I will probably go for the speaker upgrade upon reflection but just mindful it will be barely an improvement on the current ones without an amp and sub etc. I'm looking for something in the middle between a full upgrade and decent sounding speakers. What brands would you recommend speaker wise?


I think you are looking for something the Audi systems were simply not designed to offer, namely the degree of bass you require and prefer, and because of this you will not be happy with just a speaker "refresh". Also to get what you desire will need major work/replacement to the existing components and thus may be an issue with Audi if you need any warrantee work in the future (with respect to associated components anyhow).

For what it's worth, the Audi system I have is well balanced with respect to frequency, it does not emphasize the bass or treble to the detriment of the midrange and although the "starter" system only has front speakers it does give a pleasant spread of sound. Now I am looking at this from the same perspective that I apply to my home HiFi, which I've taken years to get right with the matching of front end components to amps and speaker - the last thing I would desire is to have one part of the frequency out of balance with the rest.

Ultimately you will have to decide on whether you can accept a partial fix (how to know how much improvement that will give prior to installing is anyone's guess) or nothing less than complete integrated upgrade, which as said above may attract the displeasure of Audi.


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## General (Nov 24, 2015)

Thank you for your replies.

If I do decide to go ahead with the upgrade it would be a speaker upgrade only for a start. If this doesn't yield the sound quality I'm looking for, I will consider adding the rest. I just need a bit more bass and which the current system is lacking badly in. It will definitely be a staged approach and I'm not forking out £1500 straight away to get the whole thing. I know the existing stereo unit could limit the quality of the sound coming out of new speakers but this will have to be my starting point.


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

Not sure if you saw the post I wrote above, but if you want more bass then you need a sub, it'll add loads more than upgrading the speakers will. If you get a good quality sub it'll be tight and punchy yet able to play the low notes and will integrate into your system nicely. You might not ever actually need to upgrade the speakers if you do what I said in my post above.


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## General (Nov 24, 2015)

Yeah sorry I did. Just a lot of info and options to digest. It's a good idea but not sure how well it will blend with the current sound. It's probably the easiest and cheapest option. I need to just go and listen to a few demos and take it from there really.


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

Sorry just thought you might have missed it. I know what you mean, it is really complicated, so many things to consider, and difficult to try things out.

I just realised though, if you always use an ipod, you could wire that to the amp and aux in on the audi stereo (using Y splitter leads), then you wouldn't have to touch the audi wiring, you'd just need power for the sub amp. Since the Audi stereo works with ipod, might not be too bad (not sure if there'd be little details I'm missing which would make it annoying or impossible though).


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## General (Nov 24, 2015)

Rev they say time is a great healer and after 2 and a bit weeks of having the car, I'm starting to accept the sound system for what it is. It's also partly down to the fact that I haven't had the time to take it down to an audio specialist. I've made my bed and laying in it slowly [smiley=bigcry.gif]


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## Cyberpunk71 (May 13, 2016)

Hi all,
New to the Forum and indeed Audi, I have just factory ordered the 2.0tfsi in ibis white so guess I've got a 10 week wait ahead of me, I have specified the tech pack which is going to give me the same 8 passive speakers 100 watt output that the OP has complained about [smiley=bigcry.gif] .
I just can't afford the B&O sound upgrade but wondered if anyone has experience of the £270 Audi audio upgrade which gives 9 speakers and 155 watts of power. I love my music and don't want to be disappointed with the standard system while I have a chance to specify this upgrade. Well I'm hoping I still have chance to upgrade, don't think the order is even in at the factory yet, any thoughts on this greatly appreciated if someone has this particular upgrade or anyone with the tts as this appears to be the same 155watt 9 speaker system.


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

Hi Cyberpunk. I have the Audi Sound System upgrade and I think its good, I don't have any complaints, its worth the money IMO. Its very clear and you can turn the bass up and its got some punch to it


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## Cyberpunk71 (May 13, 2016)

Hi Rev,
Thank you, I think it's definitely worth taking the chance for £270 just for the fact that it mentions a 5 channel amp and bass speakers in the doors, thanks for your opinion, I'll be on the blower to Crewe Audi tomorrow. I'm not expecting Stellar quality but do want decent sound


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## glund91 (Feb 13, 2016)

I took the Audi sound system upgrade and I can't complain, so far never needed to turn it up more than a third of the way and it's plenty for me. I was worried about the sound and potentially regretting not getting B&O but it's been much better than I expected. I'm 25 and quite into music and quite picky.

On another note, the music is unnecessary as I'm a bit love struck with the noise of the car haha. It's quite loud on cold start up, very quiet when required (personally wish it was louder, but plenty will appreciate a bit of refinement) but when you hit that kick down my god does the engine scream. Also I make it do the signature burp on up shifts as often as possible.


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## Cyberpunk71 (May 13, 2016)

Thx Glund, 
Gives me Faith that it'll be a good system and worth the extra, thx for your opinion!


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## TheDriver (Nov 13, 2015)

I took a memory card to a local dealer and played my music in a cars with both the B&O and Audi Sound System. My current car at the time was an A4 with B&O and neither sounded as good as the A4, however I wasn't convinced there was a big enough difference between the two on the TT so opted for the Audi Sound System in mine.

Since having the car for almost a year now I've not been disappointed with the sound, not as good as my A4 but acceptable for someone who likes nice sound.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## jamal (Nov 16, 2007)

Sorry to revive the thread. 
Is the b&o a simple retrofit ? Just a matter of fitting a complete b&o system and should be fine?


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

The lack of the B&O upgrade has put me of at least two RS's that have been for sale thus far.

I have the B&O in my current A5 and it provides a very good sound, the best factory fit audio I have ever heard. We have also had the Bose system in both our Mk2 roadsters and whilst not anywhere as good as the A5 system it's fine.

I have seen a price for adding the B&O system, after market, and it is somewhat significant and I'm not too sure it would be worth the upgrade from the Audi Sound System that is offered as standard on the RS.

Has anyone upgraded from the Audi Sound System, if so what route did you take?


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## MClaine55 (Feb 16, 2018)

I guess that was the Hazzydayz price which is eye watering in my opinion. Had B&O on my first TT and it is better to my ears than the Audi system I've now. A3 cabriolet B&O is almost as good as the TT with B&O. For the RS it's part of a pack that also gives the relay friendly entry system. Didn't seem to be a separate option but I may be wrong and the new face lift might have different packs and options.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

The A5 system is night and day different to the whats fitted in the TT.
TT ones is not worthy of the badge.


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

I'm trying to pick up a 2017/18 TT-RS and the Audi Sound System appears to be the standard specification with the B&O as an option. Not found too many cars with the B&O or Comfort pack yet.

I have contacted a few Audio specialists to see what. if any, upgrades / components they offer for the Mk3.


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