# ASS Vs Bang & Olufsen System



## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Does anyone in the group have any feedback on the difference between the Audi Sound System and the B&O system?

Despite this issue being discussed in other threads there never appears to have been any clear feedback from someone who has lived with or tried both. I am looking of a TT RS and understand that car comes with the Audi Sound System upgrade as standard. It also appears that not too many cars, that have come up for sale this year, appear to be optioned up to include the B&O system.

Our MK2 roadster has the Bose (Acceptable) and my A5 has the B&O system. On the A5 the B&O is significantly better than the sound system without B&O, a no brainer option! Is it the same in the MK3 TT?


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## RuuTT (Apr 22, 2010)

I have a TTS with AAS and a TTRS with B&O which I drive side by side, so it is easy for me to compare the two. I opted for B&O in the RS as an extra plus for it vs my TTS. To me in retrospect it is not worth it in my personal opinion. Mainly the bass is a bit better but I find the difference quite a bit less pronounced than I expected it to be


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Thankyou for your feedback. B&O has been an option I've been holding out for on a used RS and something I've also specified if I decide to place an order for a NEW car.


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## kevin#34 (Jan 8, 2019)

I have B&O on my TTS, and comparing it with ASS a friend have on his TT, I found the difference so minimal that I believe its not worth the extra-cost


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## Glenc (Dec 17, 2017)

I have the B&O in my TTS but did compare it to the ASS, if I'm honest I find both systems to be pretty crap...the standard speaker system in my girlfriends Kia Ceed sounds better


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## bainsyboy (Dec 5, 2004)

I only normally go for the upgraded sound system due to the fact that I believe its better for re sale value. The bose in my mk1 was crap and I'm not that overly impressed with the b&o in my mk3 tt


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

You are paying for the badge.

There's 2 Versions of ASS, which confuses some people, the middle version which is fitted with the Nav is ok and pretty much on par with the B&O system. ASS low is not so good. B&O is not worth the extra money, which is a real shame as the systems in many other cars in the Audi range are REALLY good.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

I don't think there is any significant difference between the Bose I had in my Mk2 coupe and the ASS I have now in the Mk3 roadster. The ASS does sound better when you crank up the volume.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I've not been particularly blown away by the B&O in my TTRS. Sure the clarity is ok when driven reasonably hard but It has a severe lack of proper deep bass; probably because - as far as I know - there is no subwoofer in the mk3 TT, although there was in the mk2 - a bit of a glaring oversight imho.


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

It seems quite clear that B&O is not something I should be holding out for on the TT RS  :roll:

I probably should have cleared this up a few weeks back as I've avoided viewing a couple of really nice looking, local, low mileage cars! I had even been considering adding B&O as an after market fit


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## gAgNiCk (Dec 25, 2017)

ASS is crap, B&O is slightly better i.e. passable, I agree a dedicated sub would have improved this setup.


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## Number86 (Oct 20, 2017)

Yeah, no sub is a big shitter. Mid range punch is good, but it's got seemingly no dedicated sub for proper base, or tweeters for high frequencies :/

I had an A3 courtesy car last year with the B&O system, and it was considerably better than the TT in every respect. Id still say it's not a bad system though, but like some other cars, not worthy of the premium badge. Which really doesn't help, when some are genuinely decent.


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

I understand the standard TT system has just 4 speakers.
The Audi Sound upgrade has 9 speakers and a 155w amp (Standard on the RS & also the later TTS I think?).
The B&O has 12 speakers, with 2 x subs in the doors, and a 680w amp.

Has anyone managed to fit a different sound system, or managed to fit a sub behind the seats of the roadster, similar to that fitted to the MK2 TT Roadster with Bose?


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## BarrieB (Aug 24, 2011)

Had the Bose in the Mk2 and now the B and O in the MK3. I have to say that the sound quality of both is dependent on the source input. DAB pretty rubbish, FM a bit better, but streaming something like offline Tidal Masters from my iPhone sounds a whole lot better.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

If you spend most of your time list listening to DAB radio whether you have B&O or not is irrelevant ......

_Why DAB doesn't 'work' in the UK
Did you know, for instance, that many DAB radio stations in the UK are broadcast at just 64kbps mono using the MP2 codec? Do not adjust your screen that really is just 64kbps. That really is mono not stereo. That really is MP2 and not MP3.

To put that into context, MP2 is a less efficient codec than MP3, so that 64kbps figure is more like 48kbps in MP3. And that, TechRadar reader, is actually offensive.

Opinions vary on what makes for decent music quality in the MP3 codec. That's especially true if the context is in-car radio where background noise is prevalent._

One of many such articles on the subject if you want to read on ..... https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/c...in-the-uk-is-broken-and-how-to-fix-it-1217586


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## Barmybob (Nov 4, 2015)

Not at all impressed with the DAB. We live in a poor signal area and some days it disappears completely! At least with a poor FM reception you still got something, not complete shutdown!


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## Mark Pred (Feb 1, 2017)

Barmybob said:


> It seems quite clear that B&O is not something I should be holding out for on the TT RS  :roll:
> 
> I probably should have cleared this up a few weeks back as I've avoided viewing a couple of really nice looking, local, low mileage cars! I had even been considering adding B&O as an after market fit


I think you need to listen to both and then make up your OWN mind. I did exactly that and glad I did. The ASS was awful, much like what I had in my S3 a few years ago. I've also got B&O in our SQ5, just as awesome in that car as my TTS.


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## Alan Sl (Nov 11, 2009)

Mark Pred said:


> Barmybob said:
> 
> 
> > It seems quite clear that B&O is not something I should be holding out for on the TT RS  :roll:
> ...


I don't think the B&O is brilliant in the TT but for me still the best option. The B&O does sound better in other Audi's. I agree with you that you have to listen to them both.


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## skatingaway (Feb 3, 2019)

The B&O system with 12 speakers and 680W of power was a £1600 option in the TT. I bought a second hand MY2016 TT roadster and it came fitted with the B&O system but I don't think it made much difference to the purchase price. Maybe it's a problem with having a soft top but I find I can barely listen to any media source at reasonable volume because the mid-range frequencies are so harsh. I have the treble turned down to minimum in the car's sound settings and I have my iPod set to the Jazz EQ (nice!), which cuts the mid-range. It still sounds harsh. The bass is actually not too bad, not deep but certainly punchy... but why didn't they fit bigger sub-woofers behind the seats? The central speaker on the dash is superfluous and vibrates at higher volumes. The number of speakers fitted is just marketing bullshit anyway so that they can boast that the car has surround sound, but this just creates a muddled stereo image so my advice is switch it off. All you need are two tweeters on the dash, a mid-range unit in each door and subs in the rear, i.e. no more than six speakers. I can't see any reason why the sound in the TT couldn't be spectacular. If B&O claims it has designed and tuned the system to optimise the sound in the TT, they're having a laugh. Why would any car manufacturer choose B&O anyway? It's not like they're a regular award winner in the HiFi magazines.

So...has anyone found a decent aftermarket car audio specialist that can sort out the sound in the TT?


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## minsTTerman (Aug 5, 2003)

I've just picked up my new Black Edition. I had B&O in my last TT as part of the Comfort Pack, which at the time I had to get as I wanted the Auto Climate.

Now the Comfort Pack (the only way to get B&O) comes with keyless entry, which I specifically didnt want, so I opted for ASS instead.

Now I'm no audio expert and probably spend 50% of my time listening to the radio (DAB mainly) and 50% listening to mp3's of varying quality.

Having gone straight from my B&O car on Friday to my ASS car on Saturday, as a non-expert, I would say that yes you can tell the difference, certainly in the Bass and volume levels - I need to have the volume turned higher than previously and it certainly wont go as loud as the B&O.

Having said that for the type of listening I do, it's probably not worth the extra. 95% of the time (when listening to radio/mp3 at "normal" volumes) I won't be able to tell the difference.

To my untrained ear I would put ASS as about 85% as good as B&O.


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