Audi A6 C7 Simple Daily Audio System Upgrade - Worst Rattle Ever! - Steg, JL Audio, Helix

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[@Chippie-O]

Hmmm, let's see, a specialist running a small business through one of the hardest times in history, making videos for our entertainment while keeping quality up for paying customers in a niche industry who feels the need to apologise for not making videos fast enough...I call BS. Mate you take as long as you need to bring us these vids, thank you, because of you my skills and analysis of audio systems has increased tenfold. You've also inspired me to push things on my own build and focus on the quality of my work rather than just smashing it in and calling it done.

[@JohnDoe-uu2zs]

Reading the Audi forums those models are a nightmare for rear shelf rattles

[@richardr5888]

No need to apologize. You do us the favor of sharing your work and knowledge and we appreciate it. Hell, how many years does Netflix make us wait for a 2nd season? Personally, your channel is more entertaining anyway!

[@TIPPAH308]

I can give you the solution for the rear parcel shelf, you removed the spring loaded bag hooks from under the rear parcel shelf, the mounts which are free floating and are not captive where the bag hook mounting screws go are then free to move around in the concealed rear parcel shelf welded sections. There are 4 small metal mounts which are made to sit in the rectangle cut outs are now free to rattle and sound like someone put coins in the parcel shelf. You're welcome. I know this because I removed one of the bag hooks on the weekend and then had to spend an hour fishing out two of the mounting clips with a magnet on a wire.

[@ansonmungal329]

Oh wow! Who knew? This is such a helpful tip. I really appreciate you sharing this. Thank you! 😊

[@deeg4n000]

These videos are great a true learning tool.

[@markbest4230]

Yes, Pete is a GURU! I'm definitely going to be joining the patron soon!!!

[@charleshamilton6177]

Another great video. Goes to show you. Have a budget for installation/equipment. It’s taken me some time over the years to realize that.

[@kiklop8362]

I had similar issue, screw drop behind metal plae....I have sued Neo magne to secure it inside :) Now I have magnet for ages here :)

[@andrefallot1153]

Hi Peter, yep experienced the same issue in my 2016 S6. wound up creating a 'figure 8' birch ply brace that bolted to the rear deck after the rear deck was covered on both sides in sounddeadener. Then bolted a layered mdf sub box to the underside of the deck. JL10w3 fires into the OEM location, no rattles!

[@ansonmungal329]

I might use this in my S6. Great tip. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@96kylar]

God i hate rattles. Hate them. Funny, here in the states, everyone also posts videos of rattles and shit moving to impress people. I am the complete the opposite. I want none. After competing in DBdrag for years, got my ring with a buddy, I've gone completely the other way. Great stuff my guy. You, are on a entire other level.

[@chokboywonda]

My guess is the rattle is from the rear camera project where someone lost a clip or a screw or fastener bracket that was hot melted to a trim piece has previously dropped down into the cavity.

[@mohammedumar6556]

As much as I hate rattles, I love your T-Shirt

[@keithryan9314]

Hi: Peter We love your videos and take your time no panic on releasing them neither quality is better than quantity 👍🏻. Wow regarding that rattle nasty for sure. Would it be work if you stuffed that cavity with foam deadened above and below that part of the shelf?

[@julesbruchez-theartofgrapp9646]

Spent hours doing the same thing. I made a custom box that outfitted to the rear deck of my Lexus es. I installed a 8” kicker q class tuned to 33 hz. I DID NOT like the way it sounded. I thought for sure the acoustics would have sounded good. I was sooo wrong. It wasn’t bad but just the sound I was looking for. Ended up with going back with two 10” Infinity 1000s sealed

[@umtbozkr2358]

Funny, the box says Steg MT, but the cone material looks very like the discontinued ST woofers. I remember that the MT’s had a Grey cone with wavy surround….

[@ealneas1]

Welcome to my world 😂 this is not that bad. My brothers has a6 c7 and he wanted sub on parcel shelve. I told him that will take long time to do. We end up with 15 inch in the box 😅. He didn't had rattle at the back like in this audi. You lucky it doesn’t got sunroof. That makes some rattle too. Done his doors last weekend. Made them quiet as possible. The door cards aren't built great as they did in c6. Those where strong and solid cards.

[@seraphin_creates]

nice video!

[@smatchimo645]

this video is of high interest to me. I have a 16 jetta and the rattles are insane. Funnily enough I can solve my headliner rattle mostly by opening both sun visors so that should be an easy fix... but the door cards are really bad and my components are underpowered and distorting. i have a ported 1.25 cu ft box for a 10 trying to get sub 32 hz so that doesnt help. should i be going to a sealed box at 12 as well?

[@keithryan9314]

Hi: Peter Keith here from lreland. A quick question for Audi's l might be getting an A5 coupe in the future and like many modern Audi's they have the MOST connection can you utilize the helix sdmi25 optical output and optical in to the dsp amp rather than finding speaker wires from the mmi unit ? I am halfway through this video and haven't seen the rattle part yet ☺️

[@faridsmart5214]

Hi. Am planning to add extra subwoofer and a pair of tweeters with a dsp in my audi A6 c7 bose system. Will the subwoofer sound better with stock subwoofer wires or the door speakers?

[@piggymito]

Have you wired up the processer from the factory amp high level outputs? I've got a c6 at the minute I'm looking to upgrade to a c7 potentially and I'm trying to figure out if I should go stock stereo and upgrade it with my old school alpine gear and a processor or find one with Bose and leave it alone...

[@jrwilshire2003]

How did you integrate the DSP with the original Audi headunit? Did you tap into the MOST network or just speaker line levels?

[@Mark_5150]

I wonder if filling that cavity with expanding foam would have stopped the rattle.

[@JasonWW2000]

That would be my guess. With the long straw you can put enough to fill the entire area and slightly expand the metal. If the cause is a faulty spot weld, this should fix it.

[@chrisN80]

Peter question. Helix 4 or 6 dsp or helix v eight. Which is better or are they are same when it comes to the dsp. Besides the v eight being a 8 ch amplifier.

[@carsandstuff711]

Super build! What did you used for the rca ? from the factory head unit ?

[@AcidDeathRitual]

Install/build is 90% of the game. My subs cost about $200 a piece but play quite loud for such low port tuning. Why, because the box is very well braced and has an efficient port design. I'd have to charge at least $1000 for such a box. Midbass, same. $20 woofers but with the right specs and custom door enclosures. Play 60-300 hz with good level and I didn't have to fight with trying to deaden the whole door and likely have no where near the low end.

[@lahiamrd6988]

Buenas noches. Es cierto que los parlantes steg son mucho mejores que Hertz, focal y audiofrong?

[@kevinc6073]

Do you know of any 6x9s that do well in trunk IB for sub duty?

[@clementparker5015]

What was use to connect to the factory head unit?

[@klubstompers]

There is someone on Etsy who sells custom boxes for that side boot area, for about $200, and a company from the UK that manufactures them out of wood for about the same.

[@pssound9749]

Probably only enough for an 8” or 10”.

[@richardr5888]

I have a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The inside of the door is one complete plastic panel, not metal. The plastic door card goes over it. The 6x9 opening protrudes outward not leaving much to grab onto. I made 6.5 plates thinking it provides some reinforcement for the Focal flax woofers. Probably used too much sound deadner if that's even possible and toped it off with closed cell foam. I'm limited to only using the doors for midbass. Is there anything I can do to further stiffen the plastic panel? I think building an enclosure inside the door wouldn't leave enough air space. Maybe different speakers?

[@JasonWW2000]

There are a lot of ways to stiffen the large plastic panels. You could add some layers of fiberglass, along with sections of aluminum angle. You could fiberglass over the top of them to make it rigid. Adding weight is another option such as mixing steel shot or BB's into fiber reinforced bondo. Scuff up the plastic so the products adhere well. If the plastic is ABS you can use ABS cement to bond additional layers of abs to it. Even add 90° strips of abs so it won't flex. You just need to get creative.

[@eturnulrs704]

Great build, love your content. Is there a site where I can email to get tips on my Audi build.

[@pssound9749]

Hi, i’m not sure what Audi you have, but we have plenty of content of the follow up of this project on www.patreon.com/pssound, where we share behind the scene content too showing small details too.

[@rakeshbalamkar3403]

Hi peter Is it advisable to use Hi level input for dsp when u keep your stock Head-unit Or use a LOC and then give input yo dsp by RCA cables for better output?

[@pssound9749]

Most if not all DSPs have speaker level input, so if that is your main source, then just feed it directly to the DSP without additional items in the chain.

[@shean-koklim4197]

I simply pump foam insulation into the rear parcel to remove the rattling.

[@pssound9749]

That doesn’t help if the layers of sheet metal rattle by not having sufficient welding as the car is only spot welded, but otherwise foam maybe a good option.

[@davidlunsford6155]

Good information for me

[@bradwarden1050]

I'm totally surprised that the Audi did not have more factory deadening, if any, in the rear deck.

[@pssound9749]

It doesn’t need any from factory.

[@sparkofphoenixerlp5732]

why is the helix dsp pro (10 channel dsp) more expensive then the m 6 dsp wich also has an 10 channel dsp integrated + it is a 6 channel amp? Is there a big difference in output quality?

[@JasonWW2000]

That pro model has a higher sampling rate making it suitable for Hi Res plus higher signal to noise ratios. Also has coaxial digital input. So I would say they are a bit more suited for competition or very critical listening, assuming the rest of the system is top notch. The DSPs in the amps are a tiny step down, but still capable of sounding amazing when set up properly. So there is not a big difference in output quality. Remember that the component costs to squeeze out those extra bits of signal to noise, etc... are quite expensive resulting in a more expensive product. Some very high end dsp cost thousands because they push things to the limit to get that tiny extra bit of quality. Same with speakers and lots of other things. In my opinion those Helix DSP amps are quite the value for your money.

[@HxMancia]

Was the factory signal in this vehicle optical? If so, how did you get that to work with the dsp?

[@pssound9749]

No, we had to use the speaker level outputs, which were not terrible, they were okay for the intended use.

[@adriandragos6445]

Im wondering about putting 3.5”midrange drivers in the dash. Do you guys build an enclosure in the dash? I know you guys build rings I’m just wondering if I could get away with not moving a bunch of stuff under my dash and making some crazy enclosure under there. Thanks for any help

[@pssound9749]

There is no need for an enclosure for a midrange in a 3way configuration when you cross the speaker above 200Hz+.

[@adriandragos6445]

@@pssound9749 oh good to know!! That will save me a lot of time

[@leedrakeley8583]

I work at a dealership that has Vauxhall and a lot of dashboards had to be removed because I was told that someone on the production line was sacked and they threw washers into the heater vents...🤔

[@TheMizarc1]

wooooow!!!!

[@johndemers7118]

i have a 2016 audi a6 with the bose sound system and the subwoofer rattles so much its insane

[@TIPPAH308]

lift the trim that is covering the subwoofer at the front and your rattle will disappear. its the plastic clips that insert and lock into the parcel shelf cover.

[@mixxeerr]

Nice haircut😁😀

[@charlesbeltington-smythe9229]

Expanding foam?

[@jitwarsingh1646]

Just after some clarification, the tweeters in this are in the corners of the dash, closest to the windscreen in this model, aren't they?

[@pssound9749]

Yes, under the dash grills.

[@farooqali7998]

Hi do you know where the Audi A6 C7 Amplifier located

[@aleksiniskanen2299]

I wondering same i dont find that..

[@robertdavis4834]

What is your take on Focal Flax Speakers. Pros and cons ?

[@patrikhejnar9495]

There are better speakers for the price, especially if you are not from Europe. In US, Australia I have seen shops selling these sets for ridiculous prices, 2,3 times more then in Europe. I have older gen of flax 2pc set in my car, out of the box, on class d amp they sound ,,neutral,, i didn't enjoyed the sound a lot tbh, tweeter sounds piercing bright even on -3db on passive crossover. Switching to active and adding dsp helped a lot, but I may replace the speakers next year. I haven't heard the new version of flax, the tweeter has different materials used, may be better

[@sainath8710]

Hi, for my knowledge I’m asking this question. This’s a passive system having a passive crossover in the system, so what’s the use of adding a dsp?

[@APinTheAK]

Correct, it is passive. The DSP will handle TA and EQ, just not between the Tweeter and Midbass.

[@sainath8710]

@@APinTheAK okay thanks for the information 👍

[@pssound9749]

As Adam said, plus it’s also described in the video… 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bigsteviesri]

Hi Peter what an install on a budget loved what yous done with the sub as for the rattel what about expanding foam then trim it what's your oppinon on foaming ware it rates do u think I would have been a good idea also is that sped wire u used.. As a audio guy ps sound in America should listen to Paul's channel be right up your street.

[@pssound9749]

Hi, Expending foam may stop loose bits inside, but if it’s steel layers just spot welded and those rattle, foam can’t treat that. We used Stinger speedwire. I know Paul & PS Audio, but he deals with home audio. 👍

[@JasonWW2000]

​@@pssound9749 The spray in expanding foam should stick to the metal and when it expands it puts some pressure on the parts. So even a broken spot weld will not rattle. If the cavity serves no real purpose why not fill it up? 😀

[@JSAFIXIT]

@@JasonWW2000 I have seen it trap moisture and over time cause rust issues.

[@JasonWW2000]

@@JSAFIXIT I guess it would depend on the climate you live in whether you get moisture build up in a vehicle. I live in a high humidity area and I've only seen moisture in the vehicle if it has a leak and lets water in. Rust holes around the back windows are pretty common. Aside from that, I don't see moisture being an issue.

[@JSAFIXIT]

@JasonWW2000 I live in Wisconsin, so we get extreme temperature swings. It was 90 degrees on a Thursday, and by Friday we 15" of snow.

[@picassoimpaler3243]

Why did you/the client decide to go passive when you are already wired/have the amp channels/have the DSP channels for active? All the tools are already paid for and in hand, so why not? Did it have to do with tuning hours or something?

[@pssound9749]

How would you have fully active system with 4 doors and sub on a 6ch amp?

[@illestraper]

@@pssound9749 Just cut off the rear doors. Id definatelly choose a proper front over this.

[@pssound9749]

Clearly shows you didn’t watch the video properly, then you’d know what’s planned in the future and how we prepared for fully active. Not everyone has the budget for ticking all the boxes at the start.

[@picassoimpaler3243]

@@pssound9749 ahh, I missed the rears being in play as well.

[@milkman5038]

My Civic with 15” Fi Audio on 2000rms much more solid lol. I feel your pain Pete then made a job and can’t feel satisfaction..

[@hk3827]

Did you amp up the standard rear speakers?

[@pssound9749]

Yes

[@lesliemobleaudio8018]

Instead of using the 12w3, why not use a 10TW1 or 3, since the space into the trunk was an issue? Obviously, it would have done nothing for the rattle, but it would have made the mounting much easier.

[@pssound9749]

Sure, but SQ also matters and W3 range is more suitable for IB than the other options.

[@lesliemobleaudio8018]

@@pssound9749 Even if building a small box for the TW3 and mounting under the deck, it would have been either the same, or less obtrusive, into the trunk. As for SQ, he is already sacrificing that. Unless he is a true audiophile, I doubt he would hear the difference.

[@pssound9749]

@@lesliemobleaudio8018 yeah, the last thing you forget that it was a quick install. Building a proper box underneath the shelf is not a day’s work and it would definitely take a lot more space away from the boot. Maybe not at the W3’s mounting point, but across the whole width of the boot if you wanted enough airspace for a sub. Then the wedge box we built is still more practical.

[@nandorbereczky9127]

Szia Péter! Budapesten ki tud hasonló instalációt elkésziteni nekem?

[@pssound9749]

Szervusz, Talan a legegyszerubb ha csatlakozol az Auto Hifi SQ csoporthoz Fb-on es ott megkerdezed az otthoniakat, mert mar nem vagyok napra kesz.

[@teletin01]

I have an audi s8. Roof is also a problem în this one, it rattles if I crank the volume up. I have the same sub. Also everything is cracking, poping, squeaking inside. The plastic speaker covers resonate, the Mid-range ones. When I climb on the side walk with one wheel for example I have the impression the whole car bends and every plastic trim is making a cracking sound. I freaking hate it. I dont have that în the Mercedes or BMW. Plus speaker location în Audi is shit. Defenetly not a good car for car audio. Road nosie also higher în this vs the s class. Thanks for sharing this Pete! Amazing work, I was really looking forward for this shelf sub location. Too bad you could t go ahead with it.

[@pssound9749]

Yes, Audi is not on my favourite list for audio these days! 😖

[@lilflip1820]

That rattle is maddening.

[@neilziesmer6109]

AIR SAW

[@bradysimpson]

1 Street

[@thegreendoormx4441]

A good installer would've removed the wooden tray and taken out whatever screw or clip you guys probably left in there.

[@JasonWW2000]

There is no factory wooden tray. Who are you talking about when you say "you guys"? You mean the audi workers who put the car together? I'm not understanding.