aftermarket radio harness for Bose stereos?

[kismetcapitan]

The Pioneer Appradio 2 comes out next month; I've decided against ripping out the Bose system and doing a complete aftermarket speaker and amp system. Having a smartphone-based ICE with 7" touchscreen will bring the ICE at least on par with what's currently available in an Audi. Well, there's no finger-scribbling, but there's Siri.

Are there harnesses to plug an aftermarket radio into the Bose system and still utilize all the speakers and the factory power amp? Does that power amp only power the subwoofer? Are other speakers powered by the RNS head unit? Is the subwoofer crossover also built into the headunit (meaning, does the Bose system only works with the stock head unit?)

[mrdave]

I'm in the same boat as you are. The only thing I've found so far is this harness, which supposedly works but I have no hands on experience: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007WW64O

If anyone has more information around what speakers are and are not amplified and how the crossovers work, I would also like to know.

[bmlee007]

I've installed aftermarket head units in my C5 A6 and RS6, and it was the same each time. I ordered from Crutchfield and got the wiring harness with the head unit, connecting power, ground and such is pretty straightforward, although there is not a fused power lead in the car. You will have to run a separate wire from an empty location on the fuse block behind the panel on the driver's side of the dash. The speakers were connected via RCA connections, make sure the head unit has two pre-amp outputs for front and rear. That's all there was to it.

The harness mrdave linked to above looks pretty much like the one I got from Crutchfield. Sorry, I can't comment about the subwoofer, seems that the previous owners decided to remove/scrap/sell them before I bought the cars.

[Cochese]

If you are installing an APPRADIO2 like I plan to, I highly recommend one of these puppies.

Pioneer makes a specific adapter for our cars, but it is only available in the EU. There are eBay sellers that will order you one up though. Beats that shitty RNS-E non touchscreen crap!

http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/25/38/18216/12.301321-01/index.html

http://www.pioneer.eu/images/products/carfasciaplates/pioneer/12-301321-01_gallery.jpg

[ThrillHouse]

If you are installing an APPRADIO2 like I plan to, I highly recommend one of these puppies.

Pioneer makes a specific adapter for our cars, but it is only available in the EU. There are eBay sellers that will order you one up though. Beats that shitty RNS-E non touchscreen crap!

http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/25/38/18216/12.301321-01/index.html

http://www.pioneer.eu/images/products/carfasciaplates/pioneer/12-301321-01_gallery.jpg

Wow - is it the soft touch like OEM? Match well? The only reason I stuck with the OEM is I like to retain an OEM look. There are a few double DIN options that actually would match but would look out of place with a wonky mount adapter

[Cochese]

Wow - is it the soft touch like OEM? Match well? The only reason I stuck with the OEM is I like to retain an OEM look. There are a few double DIN options that actually would match but would look out of place with a wonky mount adapter

The seller is a major UK installer and claims to have done a ton of installs in C5 cars on that side of the pond. He states it is an exact match or damn close. Mine is still on the way and hasn't arrived. When it gets here I will post pics. As soon as appradio2 is out, I'm having it installed by CarToys.

I'll post a few pics.

[kismetcapitan]

awesome find, thanks!!

The App Radio 2 will look great, blend well with the dash, and blow away most ICE head units in terms of function. I can't wait!

Current App Radios are on sale, but I do want the bigger screen and more functionality in the newer version

[mrdave]

The seller is a major UK installer and claims to have done a ton of installs in C5 cars on that side of the pond. He states it is an exact match or damn close. Mine is still on the way and hasn't arrived. When it gets here I will post pics. As soon as appradio2 is out, I'm having it installed by CarToys.

I'll post a few pics.
Where did you purchase it from? I can't find it online anywhere.

[kismetcapitan]

several of us will surely be interesting in purchasing one - leads would be much appreciated!

there is still the issue of getting a working harness to seamless adapt the App Radio 2 into the Bose speakers and amps.

[bmlee007]

Just came across this double-din faceplate and mounting bracket for the C5 cars if anyone is still looking. $50 shipped from CA.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-2006-AUDI-A6-DOUBLE-DIN-RADIO-FRAME-BEZEL-/280689029115?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3AAudi&vxp=mtr&hash=item415a5eaffb

[kismetcapitan]

anyone have feedback on getting aftermarket headunits to fully integrate into the Bose speaker and amp wiring? Is sound affected, i.e. is there some special Bose EQ within the RNS head units? I'm wondering...if these Metra harnesses with RCAs are a complete solution?

[formula1man]

I tried Metra and another source... and neither worked well. I went and re did the whole car as this was less frustrating in the end. The Bose system is allright, but the way the CanBus is integrated into the system makes it difficult. If you have the funds and the time (or lots of funds) I would do it all. My car sounds much better after the rewire, and it can be done in a weekend. Otherwise make sure than you can get an easy refund from whoever you purchase an integeration kit from.
Cheers

[formula1man]

Actually, Enfig car stereo sounded like the most reputable of the folks I chatted with, so you might try them. http://enfigcarstereo.com
Again, good luck.

[kismetcapitan]

I've done systems on every car I've owned in my life; simpler is better. If I were to do a complete system, I'd run a good set of separates up front (last system used MB Quarts, the one before that Polk Audio) - might try Focals. Drive them with a 50x4 or 75x4 amp; I'm not familiar with the sound of Class D amps, although their size looks very nice - I'll have to spend some time in an audio shop and see if I can A/B test. I'd leave the rear door speakers disconnected, and the only real issue is how to handle the subs. There's enough space in the rear side panels of the trunk, but since my batteries are there I'd like to have some access. Some 5 channel amps are 1 ohm stable on the subwoofer channel; it might make sense to find a second Bose subwoofer assembly (very cheap) and wire them in series to insure enough load - I've heard conflicting reports but one claims the Bose subwoofer is a 0.5 ohm load. The only reason to stick with the Bose subs are how compact they are, and with two of them going, it may not sound all that bad.

what canbus issues did you run into exactly? so far as I've been able to tell, as long as line-level signals are fed to the Bose amp, it does all the signal processing and amplification from there....?

[formula1man]

I actually did not run into Can Bus issues as I decided to do the whole system. So as you will see this weekend (pics will be loaded then), I put Alpine X series 6.5" sepatates in front and rear, Kenwood HD9980 head unit, 2 kenwwod amps and 2 slim mount MB Quart 12" subwoofers (so I could place them behind the panels). When I did put the speakers from the Bose amp, just for fun, they did work. The issue is that Bose's frequency (Hz) range is limited and will never have the highs or lows as a higher end unit. That said for high production, and using 2 x 4" "subs", they are allright. I took out my nav unit, holder, and amp with 4" subs.
Hope any of this rambling helps. I really think a soldering wand/gun, flux and some time can make beautiful results.

[kismetcapitan]

Appradio 2 arrived today; waiting on mounting kit and wiring. Should be very straightforward to install, but will report on sound quality later - I think much depends on the voltage of the line level out of the Pioneer unit (2 volts which is adequate but I've usually used 8 volt line drivers in past installations) versus what the Bose system has been getting from the RNS-D.

The Enfig harness will add the reverse sensor capability, which I'll need when I install a backup camera; neither harness deals with the PITA parking brake sensor thing with Pioneer headunits.