# ICE Blue (Custom car audio install thread)



## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

OK, it's time to shake up this forum a bit. We all do a good job on discussing power and styling mods as well as maintenance and the ever popular (and exciting) warranty talk. J/K I know it helps people to learn about that stuff too, however we rarely, if ever discuss custom car audio installs. 

So for one of our final webisodes of the TTS/SF series I'll show you the video of this thread, but I thought it would be cool to have an ICE (In Car Entertainment) thread. I will retain the factory head unit and run it through the Audison BitOne (DSP) Digital Signal Processor, so that will allow me to keep all the multifunction abilities of the steering wheel etc... 










*So adding equipment and building materials for a car audio system means adding weight. I solved this by removing the rear seats and parcel shelf etc, which gave me 56 lbs to play with. * 










*I also recently swapped out the exhaust which gave me back 9 lbs and traded out the rear motorized spoiler for a fixed that saved me another 7 lbs. So in total I have made room to add up to 72 lbs worth of car audio. The components and sound deadening comes in at 28lbs.* 










*The TTS is going to be getting all Audison components which is part of Elettromedia along with Hertz. The Audison line is perfect for an audiophile like myself who is after reference grade SQ. Boom boom and bling bling generally mean excessive weight gains for the car and that doesn't really fit in with what this car is about.* 










*The install is being performed by the very talented Ernesto and Junior of Sound Innovations in Hayward, CA. These guys regularly get down with installs that can be as involved as 10-20 grand in labor and fabbing.* 










*They are seriously next level and they understand my concerns to keep new weight to very minimal levels.* 










*Here Junior is ripping my car a new one. I'll keep adding to this thread over the next 3 weeks that they have my car.* 




*NOTE:* I really dislike MP3's. Super compressed lifeless audio that is flat and sadly works well with the BOSE system. Obviously iPods make transporting music easier, but at a serious compromise of fidelity. I just started converting all of my iTunes music to lossless .wav files. I'll lose storage on the iPod, but it's quality i'm after not quantity. It's pretty easy to do within most music management programs as long as it was imported from a CD, the data for the lossless files should still be there for you. If you bought the music online as downloaded MP3's they may not be able to be converted.


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## DgonzTT (Oct 8, 2009)

As always man, good stuff:thumbup:


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Cool. Looking forward to see what you do with it Jason.


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## TJ_MK2TT (Jun 21, 2009)

looks good jason, dude im legit at the same point in the modding cycle to do ICE and interior modifications! Looking forward to see how the final product looks like :thumbup: 

im probably going to run (2) alpine R series subs where i remove the rear seat, toss in an amp, swap out the headunit for an aftermarket one (not sure which one, sooo many to choose from!) and use some of connects2 adapters to retain the OEM controls (steering wheel-bluetooth-nav-speedo display-etc). also add some sound insulation to improve the overall sound quality as well! i was going to tackle the carputer, but its tooo much of a headache and doing custom fab doesnt fit in my schedule


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## Fissues (Nov 6, 2008)

You have fissues!


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

More new moves by Ernie and the boys at Sound Innovation.


*Removing the climate control facia in order to pull out the ashtray which will be modded. I really am an addict.*










*So here they are creating a vertical sliding actuator piece that will allow the DRC controller for the Bit One to rise up out of the center console in order to fine tune the listening space, sound staging etc...*










More to come shortly.


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## converted_again (Aug 19, 2009)

I'm really excited to see this project coming along.


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## J. Dub (Dec 18, 2010)

Sub'd for final outcome. This is gonna be sick. Those guys do great work over there.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

@ Converted- Thanks man I have to be honest with these guys at Sound Innovations, it's almost always some subtle detail that makes me surprised every time I go to have visitation rights with my car during construction.

@JDub- Thanks for the props and it sounds like you know of these dudes work from firsthand experience. Im heading over tomorrow to see what they got into on Friday. We're rushing to get the car finished for European Car Magazine. They are shooting it right before Xmas. I'll keep you all updated.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

More updates from the ICE thread:

*The fellows at SI got busy with a panel of the V2 Cascade Audio Sound deadening material on each front door after removing the OEM plastic moisture barrier.*










*This material really just tightens up the acoustics inside the door, and is not used as a "sound proofing" per se.*










*"No highs, no lows it must be......"*










*This all got yoinked out as weight saving measures since the sound staging experience will center around the front 2 seats.*










*Audison VOCE series speakers. These are the bee's knees, ya heard me?*










*Audison VOCE component speakers in door.....*










*.....and Audison VOCE tweeters in the dash.*


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

*This time around they are building the amp-rack. It all being done with MDF, but it has been lightened everywhere possible by using a 3.5" holesaw and popping out dozens of cut outs which has virtually no effect on strength.*










*Here it is laid out in the trunk area, and will include access to the battery through a trap door.*










*If you'll notice in the area just behind the passenger seat, there is a recess which will be used to create a storage cubby since I am obviously using the hidden arm-rest map pocket on the rear interior quarter panel for other purposes.:thumbup:*


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## converted_again (Aug 19, 2009)

SICK! :thumbup:


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

converted_again said:


> SICK! :thumbup:


Thanks man. Here is the new news....


*After he diced away some of the interior sheet metal, Junior started to line up the interior subwoofer cavity with Cascade Audio VB2.*










*Next he created a subwoofer enclosure out of fiberglass that will eventually be anchored to the body of the car.*

























*Here is the facia panel for the subwoofer being glassed for the final layer before finish sanding and filling. Eventually this will be wrapped in perforated "action suede" which is a lot like alcantar*a.










*The subwoofer trim ring is installed....*










*Next up is stretching the fleece over the MDF trim ring to create the subwoofer shape and "firing angle".*










More coming up soon.


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

If/when you replace the 70 amp battery for a new one, the Odyssey PC-1220 fits straight in.

I did a diy faq when I replaced mine if you're interested.

http://www.audiforums.com.au/model-...s-replacing-or-upgrading-the-battery-t51.html

I didn't have the courage to start carving up panels and I didn't care so much about weight, so I glassed my sub in the boot.

(3/4 finished pic)


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

Wow Maxius, thats a pretty ingenius use of the dead spare tire well space. Do you have an acoustically transparent cloth on your floorboards? I like how you kept it out of the way so that you can retain your trunk. Smart, because a sub box would be too much in this car.


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

(Sub out)









The underside of my foldup boot floor looks like swiss cheese where the sub is.
Bass pretty much goes through it anyway, so I probably could have left it as is.

I did raise the height of the floor 20mm though with some MDF, so the sub had some bouncy room.




























Still haven't had time to sand the resin flat and polish it up.. might do it over the xmas break.

My amps are on either side in the back seat.. where the original bose sub was, and the other side. On the RHS I can lift the lid and alter the gains of the front speakers 


Get your audio guys to sound deaden inside the boot lid too, depending on what frequencies you're putting out, it vibrates like a mutha....

Also the heat shield underneath the car does too, but nothing you can do about that.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

MaXius said:


> Get your audio guys to sound deaden inside the boot lid too, depending on what frequencies you're putting out, it vibrates like a mutha....
> 
> Also the heat shield underneath the car does too, but nothing you can do about that.


Yeah thats good advice about the bootlid, I will check in with them about that today as I think they may be finishing up around noon. I appreciate your build and wonder why more folks haven't stepped up their audio game! It sounds like TJ has some tricks up his sleeve as well, so maybe this thread will get folks more excited to step away from the BOSE and into fuller sound. 

I also hear that at CES this coming January, Audison will release a newer BITONE based digital signal processor that will take the sound from the OEM Nav unit and allow you to fine tune your levels a bit while still retaining the multi-functionality of your steering wheel controls. It will be quite a bit less expensive than the BITONE as well, so hopefully more guys will try and put together low weight, hi fidelity systems in the MK2 TT's.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

*Getting the flooring ready is the next step.*










*In this pic you can see where I had them create the cubby hole behind the rear seat for my shank and ninja throwing stars, as well as my tool kit.*










*The 1/4" MDF flooring is being measured out before windows are cut for the plexi-glass windows to the amps.*










*Slightly better view of the subwoofer enclosure that is built into the side wall.*










*Junior masking off the rear interior panel before coating it with a wax release agent and forming the new panel shape.*










*Overview from the side with the flooring and new interior panels in their final sanded state.*










*Rear forward view of the new prepped interior panels which are now ready to be wrapped.*


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## ST33LR4T (Dec 2, 2001)

> *NOTE:* I really dislike MP3's. Super compressed lifeless audio that is flat and sadly works well with the BOSE system. Obviously iPods make transporting music easier, but at a serious compromise of fidelity. I just started converting all of my iTunes music to lossless .wav files. I'll lose storage on the iPod, but it's quality i'm after not quantity. It's pretty easy to do within most music management programs as long as it was imported from a CD, the data for the lossless files should still be there for you. If you bought the music online as downloaded MP3's they may not be able to be converted.


never heard of this before. an mp3 is not like a zip file. once its compressed data is lost, you cant go back.

install is coming along very nice :thumbup:


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## schkyl01 (Jun 9, 2009)

:thumbup: looks good.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

ST33LR4T said:


> never heard of this before. an mp3 is not like a zip file. once its compressed data is lost, you cant go back.
> 
> install is coming along very nice :thumbup:


Thanks for the props and BTW, if you'd like to convert your MP3's back to LOSSLESS you can use the link below to sort it out. It only works if you added the music off of CD's and it was done manually, which is how I have added them.

PEEP BELOW:


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## DarthTTs (Dec 7, 2009)

ST33LR4T said:


> never heard of this before. an mp3 is not like a zip file. once its compressed data is lost, you cant go back.
> 
> install is coming along very nice :thumbup:


Uhmm interesting.. MP3 has a lot of settings, usually they compromise quality for file size, but maybe increasing the sample rate will have a better sound.


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

What's that blue thing at the bottom? Is that for the spare wheel you don't get?
Mine doesn't have that.

I barely see anyone mentioning BitOne's now, ever since the JBL MS-8 came out.

I haven't gone that wild yet though, I just have an Re-Q5 tapping the sound before it hits the bose amp, and doing a bit of a bass restore and feeding it into my aftermarket amps.

Oh, remember to ignore all the VAGCOM errors you'll get from now on saying 'subwoofer/speaker errors' - yeah coz that bosetweeter is in the cupboard, not the car!


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

Yeah, Maxius that blue thing is where I'd imagine the spare tire should go. The bitone is a bit more expensive than some other solutions, but it is essential to being able to get good audio out of the OEM NAV headunit. It sounds amazing now. I'll need to shoot more pics once this damned rain stops, but for the time being here is where things were at before I got the car back on Xmas Eve.

*Finalized Subwoofer in it's enclosure and wrapped in perforated black "action suede". *










*All of the 5/8" MDF is sprayed out in matte black and the amps are fitted to their carpeted base plates.*










*More amped out views of the amps brah.*










*The mouth of my new cubbyhole/storage vessel. More storage in this little car is never a bad thing.*









*Black suede wrapped fiberglass replacement rear QP.*









Next: The upper deck storage area for all my camera gear.....


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## converted_again (Aug 19, 2009)

Coming along nicely! I'm really impressed with the quality of work your installer is doing. :thumbup:


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

iModTTS said:


> Yeah, Maxius that blue thing is where I'd imagine the spare tire should go.


Is yours an MY09? Weird that they put that in there and yet it's not being used.. takes up valuable space.



iModTTS said:


> The bitone is a bit more expensive than some other solutions, but it is essential to being able to get good audio out of the OEM NAV headunit.


From what i've heard, the JBL MS-8 > Audison BitOne. Did you check it out at all before buying the BitOne?


Also, did the guys put the Cascade deadener over the wheel arches in the boot? (either under or over the standard covering)

Lastly, it looks like they used the stock wiring to connect up the wires in the doors... just wondering why? I haven't done my doors yet, but was planning to run thicker wire into there, as the standard stuff isn't really that thick..


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

MaXius said:


> Is yours an MY09? Weird that they put that in there and yet it's not being used.. takes up valuable space.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes this is a MY09, but it may have to do with the region your car is from as well. Everyone out here seems to have that faux spare tire lump as well. We looked under there, and it holds some electrical components of some sort. Not sure what that is. Anyone on here know?

I did not look into the JBL solution, and after watching the video, I can say that the Audison solution is nearly the same price, but with better (stealthier) integration. No additional equipment as it's just a single small unit that is controlled via USB port on a laptop to design sound perimeters, time relaying on speakers etc. I always wanted to run a full Audison system so the Bitone was a good option for this Audi.

We all felt that the OEM sound deadening in the TTS was more than sufficient so we just used VB4.5 all along the entire rear floor area. It seems to have worked out really well. Exhaust drone (with the valving open) was significantly reduced whilst the windows are rolled up. That was a nice added benefit. Normal exhaust tone with the valve closed sounds faint and distant so that you're able to enjoy the music inside the cabin.

The wiring in the doors is all Audison Connections Silver series speaker wire now.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

So a major part of this audio set up and the redesign of the car including the rear seat delete was done to accommodate all of my professional filming gear. 


*I picked up a set of KATA Bags to hold all my stuff and it was delivered in the St Nick of time for the holidays.*










*The plan is shown in this mock-up I did before dropping the car off to the guys at Sound Innovations. Envision the cardboard divider in a case of wine and you'll get the idea of what we are doing in the trunk. There will be 5" tall partitions to keep all the bags from sloshing around while I am driving this dang thing.*










*Here is 4 of the 6 KATA Bags resting in their spots during the measuring of the "divider tray". Function before fashion, you guy.*









Next up: The install is complete except for the divider tray


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## NeverOEM (Dec 17, 2007)

looks good Jason.


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

iModTTS said:


> Yes this is a MY09, but it may have to do with the region your car is from as well. Everyone out here seems to have that faux spare tire lump as well. We looked under there, and it holds some electrical components of some sort. Not sure what that is. Anyone on here know?


Wonder if they removed it for the MY10? (mine was built mid 09)

Underneath... It's not a square little metal thing with wires coming out, is it? If so, it's probably the aerial booster. You can see it in the top left of my first pic.


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## TJ_MK2TT (Jun 21, 2009)

looks excellent Jason, i got the Message ill get back to you on it once i have it done (about 1.5 weeks from now) so i can give u a more accurate review... didnt want you to think i was blow u off brah :thumbup:


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

*This is the SRC which is the digital signal processor for the BITONE. It can be used as a master volume dial for the entire system. However it is mostly used to select the dynamic listening space arrangements within the car that have been created via the software program that runs on a laptop. The whole process is really almost identical to the experience of plugging into your OBD2 port to fiddle with the VAG settings. It pops out of the ashtray cavity and can be pushed down flat and covered with the lid for that stealth look.*










*I had the guys at Sound Innovations create this custom divider to organize my filming/video gear. For the most part it just keeps the bags from sliding into one and another, but we decided to spice it up a bit with these yellow oversized embroidered bag tags on the divider floor. They are leather bordered and the yellow material is the microfiber-ish lining that Kata uses inside their bags. I keeps it custom! *










The Ferrari 458 Italia in the background is owned by the Monster cable CEO. Apparently he only trusts these guys to do the stereo work on his fleet of cars! A testament to their quality of work i'd say....


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## J. Dub (Dec 18, 2010)

I can has more frequent update with pics?
K thx bye


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

J. Dub said:


> I can has more frequent update with pics?
> K thx bye



I got something pretty cool done with this set up, and I wanted to ask if someone could post up a pic on this thread of the BOSE emblem on the front door speaker grill. I don't have a pic and can't find a good one on the internet so far.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

MaXius said:


> Lastly, it looks like they used the stock wiring to connect up the wires in the doors... just wondering why? I haven't done my doors yet, but was planning to run thicker wire into there, as the standard stuff isn't really that thick..


Actually, Audison Connections Silver series speaker wire was used throughout the car and there is a dedicated wire going to each speaker. They left the OEM speaker wire connected to the baffle just because there was no reason to cut it, but it is not connected to the speaker.


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## converted_again (Aug 19, 2009)

Progress? Photos?


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

converted_again said:


> Progress? Photos?


How about a little of both? ic::thumbup:










*So any of you who have the Bose system in your MK2s knows that it more or less looks like this.*










*So the guys at Sound Innovations cut two emblem plates out of some aluminum stock they had in the shop and sent them out for engraving of the Audison logo to tidy up the install.*










*Now the finishing touch for the door panels has been applied and not only does it look good its fun to touch. That sounds kinda creepy.....but, Im gonna just go with it all the same. You only go around this crazy world once right!:beer:*


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

How'd they do the logo? Laser?

I had mine cnc'd, then I brushed and lacquered it.










(and I also cut out a bit from the back and put a red insert in)


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

MaXius said:


> How'd they do the logo? Laser?
> 
> I had mine cnc'd, then I brushed and lacquered it.


Haha! great minds think alike yeah? It was laser etched, then polished.


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

I'm working on mounting some SMD LED's on the back of mine to make the logo glow... not sure if it'll be overkill or not


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## robokn (Aug 26, 2008)

There was a company in Germany who were doing this, Will try and find out who,

I have some new door builds being fitted today stand by for a picture assault


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## robokn (Aug 26, 2008)

Here yeh go just for A3's at the mo but I have asked the question

http://carstyle4you.com/product_info.php?products_id=303

rob


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

Thanks for that robokn, those do look awesome... oh the fun I could have if I had a laser cutter...

But I have managed to stick some SMD LED's behind the perspex insert, just need to buy some resistors tomorrow - it's a bit bright at the moment 

Piccies soon.


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## NeverOEM (Dec 17, 2007)

stop beating around the bush Jason, and let's see what you've come up with.


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

Lighting works 
Need to do a no-flash version too.


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## iMod.:R (Nov 14, 2005)

MaXius said:


> Lighting works
> Need to do a no-flash version too.


So is it LED back lit?


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## MaXius (May 20, 2009)

Here's some better pics.. no flash. Obviously it turns more orange the slower I do the shutter, but it gives you the idea.


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