B&O Amplifier Repair / Replacement

[SilverBullet17]

I just bought my wife a 2017 Q5 with B&O but there’s no bass (all other speakers work). From what I’ve read, this is an issue with the amplifier requiring repair or replacement.

Has anyone had any success having their amplifier repaired as a more cost effective plug & play solution? Who’d you use? Price? Down time?

I know replacement requires coding, but I’ve read sometimes there are issues with Component Protection limitations that only an Audi dealer can overcome.

A used amplifier on eBay ($200) plus half an hour dealer labor ($90) isn’t bad, but I’d prefer the plug & play option if it’s feasible.

Thank you!


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[Smac770]

MY17 Q5 is B8.5. Not familiar with any known/common issues with the B&O amp in the B8 era (other than dying due to water intrusion). Is it "there's no bass", or is it "there's no output from the subwoofer"? If the latter, I'd be more inclined to think the subwoofer is blown than the subwoofer amp channel is blown. Or maybe a wiring issue between the two pieces. I'm not sold that buying an amp is the appropriate next step yet.

You're not going to get the amp repaired for less than $200, iwi. $90 at a dealership for CP is a steal. 8T1 035 223 A was used in several vehicle bodies, including the A4 allroad and the RS5. So if you do get a new to you one, you'd need to confirm that it came from a similarly equipped Q5 as yours (re seating surfaces and sunroof, etc). Otherwise, that service session should load it with the correct DSP parameters for your VIN as well.

[SilverBullet17]

MY17 Q5 is B8.5. Not familiar with any known/common issues with the B&O amp in the B8 era (other than dying due to water intrusion). Is it "there's no bass", or is it "there's no output from the subwoofer"? If the latter, I'd be more inclined to think the subwoofer is blown than the subwoofer amp channel is blown. Or maybe a wiring issue between the two pieces. I'm not sold that buying an amp is the appropriate next step yet.

You're not going to get the amp repaired for less than $200, iwi. $90 at a dealership for CP is a steal. 8T1 035 223 A was used in several vehicle bodies, including the A4 allroad and the RS5. So if you do get a new to you one, you'd need to confirm that it came from a similarly equipped Q5 as yours (re seating surfaces and sunroof, etc). Otherwise, that service session should load it with the correct DSP parameters for your VIN as well.

When I say “no bass,” I mean no sound coming from the rear subwoofer or any of the subs in the doors. All of the mids & tweeters have sound & the MMI EQ is working normally so I hear some bass from the mids, but not at all what a B&O system should sound like. I assumed it was a faulty channel on the amp since the issue wasn’t isolated to a single door / side.

The shop rate here in AL is $180/hr & most said 1/2 hour would take care of it, but I’m still in the discovery mode.

Appreciate the input!


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[Smac770]

It could well be they are all blown. You should dismount a door woofer and see how look, measure the resistance, etc. If they are trash, replacing the amp won't get the job done. The amp may well be just fine. If one door speaker is trash, get a replacement for that one and put it in place and see if it sounds fine. Turn your volume to a normal-for-you level, maybe not with the bass slider cranked up, see if the woofer trashes again.

The issue with the DSP parameters blowing the door woofers and subwoofer in the B&O is a B9.0 issue, which is MY17+ for the A4 here, but MY18+ for the A5 and Q5 here. You might have an amp issue, but not the area I'd lead with being B8.5.

Keep in mind the subwoofer and the front door woofers all have their own amp channel. But the rear door woofers are in parallel with the rear door tweeters. It's common to see people for B8s posting no bass and it's blown door woofers.

[SilverBullet17]

It could well be they are all blown. You should dismount a door woofer and see how look, measure the resistance, etc. If they are trash, replacing the amp won't get the job done. The amp may well be just fine. If one door speaker is trash, get a replacement for that one and put it in place and see if it sounds fine. Turn your volume to a normal-for-you level, maybe not with the bass slider cranked up, see if the woofer trashes again.

The issue with the DSP parameters blowing the door woofers and subwoofer in the B&O is a B9.0 issue, which is MY17+ for the A4 here, but MY18+ for the A5 and Q5 here. You might have an amp issue, but not the area I'd lead with being B8.5.

Keep in mind the subwoofer and the front door woofers all have their own amp channel. But the rear door woofers are in parallel with the rear door tweeters. It's common to see people for B8s posting no bass and it's blown door woofers.

I spoke with a local audio specialist today & he recommended the same, I just wouldn’t have imagined ALL subs blowing at the same time, but apparently it is possible.

I’ll start there as you recommended - speaker replacement is a little more time consuming, but much easier than having to replace & reprogram an amp.

Thanks again!


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[949]

i see an opportunity to upgrade your system.

its pretty easy nowadays to upgrade these systems to something even better.

[SilverBullet17]

i see an opportunity to upgrade your system.

its pretty easy nowadays to upgrade these systems to something even better.

That’s a good point! However, it’s my wife’s car and she isn’t as particular about sound as I am (she’d leave it alone without any working subs if it were up to her, lol). I think I can have it all back up to OEM for a few hundred bucks and a couple hours of garage time.


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[SilverBullet17]

It could well be they are all blown. You should dismount a door woofer and see how look, measure the resistance, etc. If they are trash, replacing the amp won't get the job done. The amp may well be just fine. If one door speaker is trash, get a replacement for that one and put it in place and see if it sounds fine. Turn your volume to a normal-for-you level, maybe not with the bass slider cranked up, see if the woofer trashes again.

The issue with the DSP parameters blowing the door woofers and subwoofer in the B&O is a B9.0 issue, which is MY17+ for the A4 here, but MY18+ for the A5 and Q5 here. You might have an amp issue, but not the area I'd lead with being B8.5.

Keep in mind the subwoofer and the front door woofers all have their own amp channel. But the rear door woofers are in parallel with the rear door tweeters. It's common to see people for B8s posting no bass and it's blown door woofers.

So fun discovery today; the rear subwoofer works! The sub in the rear driver side also works.

The only ones that aren’t working are fronts & rear passenger side. Time to start pulling door panels & replacing some subs.


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[SilverBullet17]

It could well be they are all blown. You should dismount a door woofer and see how look, measure the resistance, etc. If they are trash, replacing the amp won't get the job done. The amp may well be just fine. If one door speaker is trash, get a replacement for that one and put it in place and see if it sounds fine. Turn your volume to a normal-for-you level, maybe not with the bass slider cranked up, see if the woofer trashes again.

The issue with the DSP parameters blowing the door woofers and subwoofer in the B&O is a B9.0 issue, which is MY17+ for the A4 here, but MY18+ for the A5 and Q5 here. You might have an amp issue, but not the area I'd lead with being B8.5.

Keep in mind the subwoofer and the front door woofers all have their own amp channel. But the rear door woofers are in parallel with the rear door tweeters. It's common to see people for B8s posting no bass and it's blown door woofers.

FIXED! I picked up some door woofers from WolfAutoParts for $70 each (highly recommend them for preowned parts), swapped them out & everything sounds normal again! Not gonna lie, I thought the B & O system was going to be leaps & bounds better than my Bose system…it’s good, but definitely not worth the premium upcharge in my opinion. However, I’m SO glad to have everything working again - thanks for all the input.


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