Just to preface, I did a bunch of searches and found answers to some of my questions but not all of them, so I apologize if this is a common thread...especially for my first post.

Anyways, I recently bought a 2002 A6 3.0 that came stock with a Bose stereo system..my first question, which I think I've already found the answer to, is if it is realistic to add an aftermarket subwoofer to the Bose system - I've heard that Bose systems are difficult to do anything to, but from what I've searched and read it sounds like it's possible if you know what you're doing...and at least in my case I'll probably have this done professionally.

Then I made a visit to a local car stereo shop and told them my situation and that I was interested in hearing a decent boost to the bass in my stereo. I asked if it was possible to have a preamped Bazooka tube put in since it is probably the cheapest and easiest solution...the person who worked there said it was possible, but I would unlikely be satisfied or maybe even notice the difference at all because of the size of the car/the bose system (or some crap like that). He then immediately suggested I go with two 12s", which in my book is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum..especially price wise.

So my question is, does anyone have experience with adding a subwoofer to an A6 with a Bose system, and if so, are two 12s really necessary to notice any significant difference? I'm open to any suggestions - thanks for the help!

 

I added a 12 about a year ago with a more than adequate amp.
i removed the bose sub unit from its little alcove and put the amp in its place using a bracket mount - Completely hidden now as the cover hides everything.
I'm using 'i' loosely as i had professionals do it. i only paid them $100 install.
btw. it sounds like crap. Stick with the bose system unless you want to get a new head unit so you can use the rca outputs.

 

i say it sounds like crap because it distorts. it's impossible to dial it in correctly - some songs move every hair on your body whilst others just sound like you have a cheap sub.

 

Adding subs to a stock Bose system doesn't work very well. The bose system tends to adapt to any changes in noise inside the cabin, not to mention bose has an adaptive speed feature, in which the sound volumn increases with speed. All of this BS is pretty much tuned to sound great all by itself, you're not gonna be able to outsmart the engineers at BOSE. You would have to change the headunit, and wire and external amp with a single subwoofer. 10" would be best. Two 12's is like blasting your mating call all around town. No one really wants to hear it, plus its wayyyy too loud. The stereo guy was just trying to upsell you. I have been in an A6 with a basstube before, it sounded decent, but the bose alone sounded just as good. A 10" subwoofer, in a complete enclosure (not vented) will give you that snappy bass that you are looking for. A vented box is just for competition and makes blaring noise.

 

I could've sworn I saw multiple people say they had success with adding subs to a Bose system in another thread...I think it was on the A4 board but I don't think it would make a difference between car model..

I don't know much beyond the basics of car stereos so once you start talking about changing the head unit and whatnot I'm clueless...I will definitely be having this done professionally, so basically what should I relay to the people at the stereo shop I'll be going to? Or is it possible that this process can be explained with a little more detail that I'd understand..thanks again.

 

I never said it wasn't possible, im just saying it will sound like poo. If you heard a car with a sub adapted to the bose system, VS. the same car with an external amp and sub its a night and day difference. You will lose some high and mid range by doing this, but the sub takes up the slack.
If the pro doesn't know what he's doing, the bass will be unpredictable, going up and down with speed, you won't be able to adjust the bass to the point where it sounds crisp etc.

 

It's all about taste. I like a combination of power and quality. I'm an installer so I tend to go off the deep end. Typical (car sized) system for me is 4 channel amp with 4 mids + 4 tweets (components not coaxials) with mono block and 2x12" wattage depends, but I'm partial to JL 1000's and W6(2x12") or W7(1x12" or 13"). As for head units I love Eclipse but I've run Pioneer Avic units in the past. I don't crank it at all other than demo'ing for ppl. But with quality components and processing you can blow stock BOSE out of the water. It all depends on what you're looking for.

 

+1 Do Not integrate your sub with your BOSE.

If you want to keep your Stock head unit and bose and add a subwoofer, you should look into getting a JL Clean Sweep Digital Integrator, External Mono Block or 2 channel amp and the subwoofer(s) of your choosing.

 

yea if sound quality is what you want and you like having inexpensive options for connecting music sources like i pod and satellite radio etc then definately get an aftermarket deck. everything aftermarket is way cheaper than getting those same options tied into a factory bose headunit. as for the bose speakers i think they sound great as themselves as long as you dont crank em up too much... with an aftermarket head unit you should get more volume out of them, but be sure to set your hi pass almost as high as it will go and put your sub lo pass at the same. you actually get more mid and high volume out of your bose speakers this way as the factory amp splits it total watts between bass mid and high. experiment with this a lil bit depending on how loud your sub is as to how many watts you have to preserve from your factory amp for your speakers.
I agree, a ten will be enough so that you notice better bass, get a good one though because any cheap speaker sounds bad. something around 400 rms or more will give you a noticable difference but nothing extreme by any means. i think it would be good option for what your lookin for.
now if you do get it done professionsally, they might try to sell you a plug and play adapter, if you dont know what this is it plugs into the factory wiring harness( you have 4 with your A6) and it makes it so that you just have to match up the colors on it with your aftermarket deck and it makes it super easy to install. they can cost around 200 for audis. i have been told that its purpose is to preserve your dashboard controls and functions as lots of that stuff is routed through your stereo..... although i hooked up my navi old school without it and havent had any problems, all my stuff still works. so make sure you take it to a shop that knows what their doing...
damn, it happened again..... i got sidetracked on car audio... my girl is bitchin i spent too much time on my car and not enough on her... oh well, i love my audi and its bangin system...
by the way D.B.A. stands for Deaf Boyz Audio..... look for us soon on the web

 

+1 on not adding subs to the Bose system.

I did it on my car a while back with two 12's powered by a 2000 watt amp. Needless to say it's way too loud for the rest of the car's speakers.

I've recently decided to replace the head unit, all the stock speakers, and replace my current subs with two Type R 10's in a large ported enclosure. Once I have all of this put together it should sound phenomenal, but all this comes at quite a price tag.

Sound quality at a high volume is important to me so I'm willing to pay for it, but if you're just looking for a little extra depth to your music you'll be fine with one small sub and a small amp. But be careful not to overpower your Bose system with all that extra bass. Take it from me, it's not a hard thing to do!

This might help: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-qr6miAW...ing_guide.html