about to order a new s5 - I listened to the b&o system and was underwhelmed. i want to keep the factory nav/ipod/mmi system but would love to at the very least upgrade the speakers and ideally use my own aftermarket amps and add a sub.

i can't seem to get any information about how the control unit connects to the stock system or the b&o system. are these standard amps with regular preouts that i can redirect to my own amps? or is it some kind of proprietary connection?

thanks!
Wes

 

Be careful with this. I just put in speakers and amps and it emits a hissing noise at low volumes. I'm told this is because of Bose and now I need to replace the head unit if I want better sound. If you found a way around this please let me know.

 

I don't know if you've heard this already or not, but the Bose system is completely proprietary--that is, it uses special low-impedance speakers with a relatively low-power amp. Apparently Bose thinks this leads to better sound in cars. What it really leads to is a system that can't easily be modified...even the wiring is different, and changing the head unit and speakers won't work.

So, for your S5, if you want to do any mods to the sound system, you should avoid the Bose option. My guess is that the stock speakers are of a standard size, and should be easy to swap out. I'm looking to put some new speakers in my (new to me) allroad. I want better sound, but would rather spend some bucks on making it sound better from the outside with a full exhaust system.

Cheers,

john