AUDI A3 8V (2013-Present)
Main Entertainment Touchscreen Upgrade:
Aftermarket entertainment upgrades for the Audi A3 are available from many brands and manufacturers today, a relaible and premium option among them is EVO FIT.
EVO FIT entertainment touchscreen upgrade fits in straight / bolt on to the car’s screen slot and integrates seamlessly with the car’s eletcronics via a bolt on harness and connectors.
This upgrade includes featurtes like,
Capacitive Touchscreen interface,
BMW iDrive controller fully integrated with menu functions,
Dual USB slots,
Bluetooth handsfree and music streaming,
WiFi connectivity for internet and screen mirroring,
inbuilt GPS navigation like Google Maps, Sygic etc,
HD video playback in motion,
Front and Reverse Camera integration,
Google play store to install new apps,
Lossless Music playback with latest formats support,
Optional Apple Carplay and Android Auto support through USB,
Optional aftermarket Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS),
ODB Car diagnostics through Bluetooth or WiFi dongle.
Core Audio Upgrade Synopsis:
The Audi A3 is a good compact sedan for a premium audio upgrade. The car has a total of between 8 to 14 speaker slots (depending on variant) which are evenly distributed and staged high up on the dashboard, mainly in front to give the driver and co-passenger a rich and clear music experience. Being positioned in appropriate slots and tuned to deliver crisp and clear audio response to the cabin occupants. Though this audio setup sounds quite balanced, it lacks head room at higher volumes. The B&O audio setup which came on the A3 with 14 speakers sold very limited pieces in India and AUDI does not advertise that variant on their indian website. A good audio upgrade on the A3 is usually over the default unbranded or in some cases a Bose audio A3 variant.
The Bose setup’s basic built speakers in the A3 do sound good to passive listeners. But, just does not work for anyone who is used to a higher sound quality in their AV room at home or in another one of their other higher end premium cars.
AUDI have installed large 6.5” speakers in the front doors in such a way that brings good lows (bass) right up front in the A3. There is an 8” Subwoofer / Bass speaker installed on the rear parcel tray to add lower frequencies, creating a roomy feel in bass in cabin. The problem actually lies in the actual build of the speakers and OE amplifier, which are purpose built and are meant to sound average to the experienced listener or music lover. This could be a strategy to push audio lovers to their costlier Bose sound variants.
Standard Speaker slots / locations of equipment in Non-Bose variants:
8 speakers in 4 doors, comprising of 6.5″ mid-bass drivers / speakers in 4 doors along with four 1″ high frequency drivers / tweeters on all four doors.
Standard Speaker slots / locations of equipment in Bose variants:
8 speakers in 4 doors, 1 subwoofer / bass driver on the real parcel shelf and a center channel speaker up front in the dash board on the top end variant. The 4 speakers in the doors are 2 tweeters / high frequency drivers on the front doors, 2 speakers in all four doors, and one 8″ subwoofer / bass driver on the real parcel shelf. These variants come with an amplifier which powers all the speakers in the car and is located under the left side front passenger seat.
Pros:
Due to the compact build and overall cabin volume, the A3 does not need very powerful speakers in order to produce a clear and balanced music experience. The doors are built strong and often sealed off with a plastic cladding which produces strong bass response compared to other cars in the same category.
Cons:
Almost all AUDI cars suffer plastic creaking and degradation on Indian roads due to the poor condition of the road surfaces, pockmarked with pot holes and ridges. Though this problem can be addressed with damping and soundproofing, some minor creaks here and there crop up in some AUDI cars. The rear parcel shelf inside which the factory fitted subwoofer is mounted jarrs at higher volumes, though it can be rectified with some damping and sound proofing.
Solutions:
Full Upgrade on Non-Bose as well as Bose audio Variants:
The cleanest method of upgrading the audio on any premium car is to follow the least invasive wiring method. The right way of upgrading the audio on the non-B&O variants is to start with configuring an aftermarket sound processor / signal processor connected to the AUDI MMI acting as the master controller for the rest of the equipment to be added. The next step is to select set of speakers and matching amplifier(s) staying well within the provided space in the car, which in case of an A3 is medium amount of clearance. The final speaker configuration is a front 2Way (Mid-bass speakers and tweeters in doors) and Rear 2Way speaker setup (Tweeter and Mid-bass speakers in doors). An 8” Subwoofer replacement is to be placed in the stock location in the rear parcel tray or a Subwoofer in an enclosure for a deeper and more powerful bass response. All of this has to be powered by amplifiers with matching power and sound signatures.
“ Some Tech Gyaan-
A Digital Signal Processor sums up the signals from the Audi Main Entertainment Unit to flatten the input signal to provide a clean and controlled output signal to the aftermarket amplifier(s) to reproduce a very clear audio experience in cabin. “
