A5/S5 B&O stereo

A5/S5/RS5
#1

My parents 2010 A5 has B&O. I haven’t fiddled with settings at all but I’ve driven around with the thing at maximum volume. I’m not blown out of the car like I should be if it’s a true 505 watt system opened all the way up.

I put an aftermarket system (Alpine, Energy, Bazooka) into my current vehicle amounting to 45 watts X 4 plus a 100 watt powered subwoofer. I can’t go as far as max volume setting. I’d be blown out of the car.

So this leads me to suspect that while Audi may under-rate their HP figures to various extents… I think their partners at B&O are doing an over-rating of stereo wattage. A quick surf over to their site yields a claim of 14 speakers and a 10 channel 505 watt amp.

What I’m getting at is I’ve always been a listen to music LOUD while driving kind of guy and this seemingly isn’t going to change however I’m certainly not considering altering an Audi’s B&O system.

So who out there has got one? Feedback? Is it loud? Does it sound absolutely fucking awesome? Or will my music experience in an S5 be a bit of a let down…

#2

Have you had you hearing checked lately? Sounds like you may have suffered some hearing loss over the years.

In my first car I installed an aftermarket stereo: rockford fosgate, JL Audio, infinity kappa etc with 750 watts of total power. I enjoyed really loud music as well until one day I turned it up a bit too much and the bass from the two 12" subs popped something in my right ear and liquid oozed from it causing a ringing for days. I never listened to music that loud again and to this day I think i have suffered some permanent hearing loss.

I have the B&O stereo as well and I do agree with you about the power but that is most probably because there is 505 watts but since its distributed over 14 speakers it is not as loud as you would expect. But I have yet to max it out and feel like if I do then more hearling loss damage would occur. Simple decibel levels from lawn mowers can lead to hearing loss.

If I would change anything about my B&O system it would be to upgrade the subwoofer and add a small to go with it.

#3

^^^he does play a lot of heavy metal.

In fact…TNB…show him your license plate.

#4

If it’s just the volume that isn’t loud enough… that’s not good lol, get your hearing checked. Any car stereo should be able to get “loud” enough no matter how crappy.

Usually the only thing that’s lacking with a good stock system is bass, 500 watts distributed over 10+ speakers doesnt leave much power for a sub.

The new audi and vw stereos seem pretty good from what I’ve heard of them in test driving (B&O in audi and fender in the vw). My first thought listening to them was that they were perfect for my needs, but I would probably add an aftermarket sub and amp down the road. Jl stealthbox or a shallow mount sub in a cubby enclosure, combined with a decent mono amp should fit the bill.

#5

don’t forget it’s a convertible. The dynamics of a convertible are very different to a coupe or sedan.

Anyway, loud is never a great measure of a stereo’s worth. I want it to sound good, and have good features (iPod, SD card, steering wheel controls). That’s about it. For that the B8 line B&O systems are great.

#6

LOL for the record my sister screamed directly into my left ear when we were kids and I do have significant hearing loss on my left side only. (Saki have you ever noticed that when we talk my face isn’t pointed right at you? I involuntarily turn my head, pointing my good ear at you.)

Here’s my plate

http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r594/thenewbruno2/IMAG0127.jpg

#7

The OEM systems always run some crazy power, but it’s probably at the cost of high distortion an/or a low impedance. I would not be surprised if everything is running at under 2 ohms.

Also, even with high end amps and speakers, half of the battle is building an environment for a speaker to sound good. I bet if you take off your door panel, that fancy B&O speaker is in a plastic cage mounted right on the metal door with absolutely no deadening and the back is open to the rest of the door. It will never sound good unless it’s properly deadened.

The wattage is such an advertising ploy. You don’t need 505 watts to make good sound in a car. Crappy speaker in a properly deadened door will always sound better than a high end speaker in a completely UN-deadened door.

#8

True dat. You lose a lot of sound quality and volume from sound vibrating against metal and plastic, sound deadening not only improves your sound quality, it can increase your volume. It’s a pretty sweet and cheap fix for stock stereos to throw bits of it around your speakers.

When I put my speakers in my current car, they were loud and sounded decent, but when I went back and deadened my doors, they sounded incredible and got even louder.

Having had a few different sound systems now, I’ve learned that you can make a ridiculous sound system for only a few hundred dollars in hardware (speakers subs amps) provided you properly insulate your sound. Once you start getting into the high end stuff the difference isn’t very noticeable. I could have probably spend $3-400 less on my current stereo and wouldn’t notice the difference.

#9

true dat - when I run the Jeep without the back seats in (lol how meatsauce is that) the stereo sounds COMPLETELY different.

This deadening point is a good one.

#10

^ This BUT! deadening doors = slow car