FL5 Base Audio Upgrade

[YG--]

Hey, first post I guess…

i picked up my FL5 September this year and im stunned as how nice of a car it is, albeit its a bit stiff but i could reside to the de5 module then but thats another day…

anyways the biggest thorn in my eye (mainly due to our EU Dealernetwork deciding we wouldnt have wanted the Bose System, which i think sounds good… especially compared to the base) is the Base Audio system in the FL5, mind me the FL5 here costs more than in NA… anyways,

considering theres a plethora of things you can do to conquer the base system to sound acceptable I resided to first swapping out the speakers in the front to a component system from a local to me Speaker Brand, ETON POW16+, specifically made to be used in oem radios - now the FL series cars do some interesting things for example - the speakers are wired in parallel meaning the 3 ohm woofer and the 8ohm tweeter will run at roughly 2,1 ohms in their designated frequency - that leads to, in comparison, extremely loud tweeters and very quiet lows… (while in there i sound deadened the front doors which made the car heaps quieter when driving around (mainly the sound of the tires rolling)).

anyone who does Caraudio will now say “yea you need a dsp” so i did… i wanted to go with the same manufacturer as the speakers because im very happy about their products, customer support and would like to continue to support them but they stopped offereing a small dsp - i went with a Crunch 4 way Amp with a 6-way DSP, the site i ordered it from misleadingly labeled it as having a plug and play kit (which i had to repin another plug and play adapter) at the end of the day its probably the best thing u can do to your FL5 (or base audio FL) , possibly even just using the stock speakers, the frequency detune on the original AMP is disgusting… it sounds awful (imho)

if anyone would like pictures im happy to share some, i am still deciding where put the dsp but i havent found time yet to reassemble the center console as i’ve been working alot and using my EG as a winter daily

Cold greetings from Germany! Hopefully you guys had a nice thanksgiving!

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[apl360]

I found the audio in the fl5 to be decent except for the base. The system seemed too neutral and I personally like a bass forward system with a tiny bit of punch

of course, all of that is subjective. Some people prefer this. Others prefer that. Also, I am not an audiophile.

the de5 type s stereo is amazing as is. I did go in the eq to pump up bass by 2 or 3 clicks. Did the same with treble. For the sake of trying to get that “deep v”

 

[YG--]

I found the audio in the fl5 to be decent except for the base. The system seemed too neutral and I personally like a bass forward system with a tiny bit of punch

of course, all of that is subjective. Some people prefer this. Others prefer that. Also, I am not an audiophile.

the de5 type s stereo is amazing as is. I did go in the eq to pump up bass by 2 or 3 clicks. Did the same with treble. For the sake of trying to get that “deep v”

the base system sounds awful… barely any base, really “foggy” mids and overly pitched highs make listening to anything kinda awful… the dsp definitely rectified that by providing good steady power to the speakers, im afraid i cant get the max output from the amp since the alternator is “only” providing 13 odd volts when the battery is sufficiently charged

 

[apl360]

the base system sounds awful… barely any base, really “foggy” mids and overly pitched highs make listening to anything kinda awful… the dsp definitely rectified that by providing good steady power to the speakers, im afraid i cant get the max output from the amp since the alternator is “only” providing 13 odd volts when the battery is sufficiently charged

I respect your opinion. I don’t think it’s that bad but I do respect your opinion

 

[joshinthecity]

I don't know much, but I do know what a good automotive sound system sounds like.
The base (non-BOSE) system we get in the Oz-delivered cars, is.. garbage.
Doesn't really bother me, as I like listening to the turbo and exhaust noises and it's not a daily for me.

But I can confirm it's crapness.

 

[YG--]

I don't know much, but I do know what a good automotive sound system sounds like.
The base (non-BOSE) system we get in the Oz-delivered cars, is.. garbage.
Doesn't really bother me, as I like listening to the turbo and exhaust noises and it's not a daily for me.

But I can confirm it's crapness.

U guys also got the fl5’s exclusively as non bose? Damn thought we were the only ones ripped off

did like nearly 7000km within the first 2 months, since i cant hammer it all the time and do like listening to some tunes at times having a nice stereo isnt just a nice to have for me :/

 

[YG--]

^This is what was supplied with the kit btw, thought I’d show this for anyone curious

mix of the wrong adapter and the one I bought with the right plugs since it didnt have the male side for the power or the female power side, illumination wire wasnt needed, which is obvious

finished product of the two

crunch dsp plug and play wired

Thought i’d share these pictures, will share the pinout if anyone wants to rebuild this harness

 

[MvV]

I wonder whether I would prefer the parking sensors the US FL5 does NOT get over the Bose system the US does get ... not sure TBH but I have to say I'm okay happy with the US Bose system with subwoofer in the trunk

 

[zymmer4]

Interesting..I have what I thought was Bose in my FL5 and it sounds like crap..like the non US version base radio descriptions..and I do not have a woffer in the boot either..There is BOSE name over the speaker grills on the front speakers I can see..I wonder what happened to my sound system..It sounds tweeter/mid heavy with no bass at all.With Bass full up It is not what I would consider Bass responsive. Very interesting.

 

[YG--]

Interesting..I have what I thought was Bose in my FL5 and it sounds like crap..like the non US version base radio descriptions..and I do not have a woffer in the boot either..There is BOSE name over the speaker grills on the front speakers I can see..I wonder what happened to my sound system..It sounds tweeter/mid heavy with no bass at all.With Bass full up It is not what I would consider Bass responsive. Very interesting.

Would consider opening the center console and see if you can find the oem bose amp, if it isnt there it never was a bose model… probaly someone got the covers but thats all

highly recommend installing a dsp… bass response is just day and night

 

[YG--]

I wonder whether I would prefer the parking sensors the US FL5 does NOT get over the Bose system the US does get ... not sure TBH but I have to say I'm okay happy with the US Bose system with subwoofer in the trunk

Considering u also have the reversing camera i wouldnt care too much about parking sensors

 

[MvV]

Considering u also have the reversing camera i wouldnt care too much about parking sensors

true to some point, although backup camera resolution isn't great, but also when coming from a car with parking sensors I sometimes catch myself driving backwards and just waiting for a warning sound to come on ... I'm super happy it does have rear cross traffic warning though, with audible alert (not sure if it applies brake?) !!

 

[YG--]

true to some point, although backup camera resolution isn't great, but also when coming from a car with parking sensors I sometimes catch myself driving backwards and just waiting for a warning sound to come on ... I'm super happy it does have rear cross traffic warning though, with audible alert (not sure if it applies brake?) !!

I mean get some foam and try to “ram” it, it either applies the emergency brakes or u hit some foam and know better in the future

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