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SQ5 Exhaust Sound Actuator Active Noise Sound Booster Problem Page

47K views 87 replies 24 participants last post by  davebirl 
Hi. I had the same issue with my 66 plate SQ5 Plus SE.
I've only had the car a month, and was disappointed that the active exhaust didn't seem to work. I could hear a slight difference when selecting Dynamic, but only with the boot open. It was nothing like i had seen/heard on Youtube etc.
I could have returned to the dealer, but we were already dealing with a faulty crank pulley/fan belt failure.
Since this active sound didn't affect they way the car drove, i wanted to keep my powder dry for more serious faults that the dealer might have to address.
A VCDS scan shown one of the speakers as an open circuit I think the other was hardly working either.
Not one to mess around, i hit the web to sort the issue. (not paying Audi £££s for a replacement exhaust etc)

I came across the guy doing the speaker swap in Bradford on Youtube. Watching the original video, and subsequent replacement speaker "failure" video, dashed my hopes for a proper fix.
It's seems water becomes an issue and the new speakers can fail again. Although the Pioneers are marine rated, maybe the front seal just isn't right/watertight. Water behind the speaker even kills marine rated ones. Being 4 ohm would mean a slightly lower sound output.

Undeterred, i set about getting the original OEM speakers. This wasn't an easy task. I ended up trawling through hundreds of pictures of speakers until i found one that looked the same.
The ones i found were not just the correct size, but also 2 ohm and had the correct water seal on the front face. They are also eight hole, so just screw straight in. Side by side the rear basket looks nearly identical. If anything, these are slightly updated with slightly longer coil excursion.
The best bit (from reading the spec PDF) is that they are "active exhaust" approved! Water and heat rated as well.
I'm not sure what the original speakers are rated at power wise, but these are up to 165w.

So next i wanted to address the problem with welding the spheres back up. I was wondering if the welding heat might also be a problem to the new speakers. Finally, i wanted an easier route if they needed doing again in the future.
So i came up with a possible solution. I contacted the Bradford guy, and he was totally up for giving it a try. He had posted he was looking for new speaker idea's as the two brands he had tried hadn't worked out. (the Sony ones being the worse)
I would say that he did state he had only had two failures so far.
I proposed that we weld flanges to the cut edges. This would allow us to bolt the two shells back together instead of welding.
The flanges would have a 3mm rubber gasket fitted to maintain a water seal.The speakers have a rubber surround, so i have to assume heat won't be an issue.

This was done Sunday. It took a little longer. Mainly because he had to make up the flanges/rings beforehand. (Going forwards i think it best they are CNC'd in bulk)
The new speakers were perfect. The resulting sound was loud and proud!
If i have any problems in the future, i can unbolt the tops and swap out the speakers myself. No welding required.
I had bought a Kufatec booster pro in the week, so fitted that as soon as i got home. Absolutely blown away.

I got my speakers for around £100 for two delivered. They were the last two, but they are available from many sources in Germany/France but more expensive. The place i got mine should have stock back in next week.
Google "Visaton W 164 A ". I cannot guarantee how long they will last as i just took a gamble etc. But ii think they are the proper ones we have been looking for.
 
A few pics of the mod and speakers.
Bare in mind this was a prototype mod. It was a proof of concept etc. The rings were hand plasma cut. Hopefully he will get them CNC made in the future.
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Hi all.

I'm new to this forum, I'm supposed to be picking up my 65 plate SQ5 some time this week.

I took it for a test drive a few days ago but I wasn't especially wowed by the sound of it but then I've never heard anything to compare it to.

As it's 7 years old now, I could imagine that mine could possibly be in the same condition, 7 years in a red hot exhaust system is bound to be stressful for any speakers.

I wondered if anyone could point me to a video of how it's supposed to sound so I can compare when I get it?

I notice the discussion starter mentions setting profiles at 5 or 6. Where would you do this? Is it in the car settings or would it be VCDS thing?
The active exhaust only works when in "Sports" mode or "Dynamic" if your car has Drive Select modes. Profiles 5/6 are for if you are using an aftermarket exhaust sound booster module like Kufatec.
The speakers domes are not directly in the exhaust flow as such. The are joined at the end and are "reverse" setback dead ends. That means the hot gases don't enter the speaker pipes. If anything, the exhaust gases create a slight vacuum to the speakers. The sound travels along the speaker pipes and joins the gases exiting the exhaust.
With the car windows shut, the sound is really muted. The double pane glass in them really insulates the sound. I had to open the boot before i could hear a slight change of tone when selecting "Dynamic". That proved at least one speaker was still working...just.
No such problems now of course!
 
Looks an excellent job and as you say, if speaker blows again just need to unbolt the halves. I've been in touch with the guy who did yours and he was recommending Kicker speakers last month but only ones I could find were 4ohm. Think it is a case of trialing what's available out there. Think if I went down the flange route I would use more bolts and make either the bolts or the nuts captive by welding them on. Hope your speakers are still going OK. Mine will need doing as only one working at the moment
The Kicker speaker have to be imported from the US i believe. That makes them expensive.
The other thing is they haven't been proved reliable yet either. But Kicker do make great speakers.

I think they main point of failure of all the speakers used so far has been how they seal at the front. Any speaker that has a tweeter supported via the voice coil yoke has a gap already built in.
Then there is the seal around the speaker basket. The guy who did mine didn't seem to consider it important as such. But i pointed out to him that he himself was starting to put drain screws in the bottom of the sphere's to get rid of water. That means water was already getting past the front seal. No marine speaker is rated for water behind the face. We added a little smear of sealant, before screwing the speakers down to make sure
What i like about my speakers was they had the exact same double front seal as the OEM speakers. The same screws holes, and are rated for active exhaust use.
I'm happy to report my speakers are actually getting better with use. Maybe they needed a little running in, as the bass now seems louder than when first fitted.
I've got no agenda, and would be the first to report if they fail. I will also be able to pop them out straight away as it will be a ten minute job!
 
Well, I picked up my 2015 SQ5 yesterday and am pleased to announce that the speakers work perfectly. I was also pleased to discover that you can set the individual tab on drive select to just run in comfort mode but have the speakers set to dynamic mode :D

Yes, they might be naff but I like it 😊
Now google Kufatec Sound Booster Pro.......:LOL:
 
Hi guys!
So after alot of googeling i found this thread!
I bought myself an SQ5 14 mod, And said to my self that i had to get the Kufatec modul for my car after hearing how it sounded on my friends A7 BiTdi.

Lucky me i found some dude online that was selling a new/never used one as he had it as an extra at home. I offered him 100€ and he accepted the offer 😊

So after just a couple of days, i recieved it, went to plug it in, And noticed no sound. Spent hours trying to figure out if i was doing anything wrong, but just couldt seem to make it work. So after searching online, I found this thread and i might say i think i have the same problem with the speakers, thing is that i live in Scandinavia and its impossible to find someone who can do this type of work to replace the speakers. I also found the Pioneers online, And can order these for ~100€ but not stressing with that as i am going to deliver my car to the dealership where i bought it so that they can have a check on it. Ive had multiple discussions with the dealer about it and he agreed to have his people to see what the problem is, Though he beeing very stubborn and not understanding what the problem is (Doesnt understand that there are speakers installed inside the exhaust). I’ll see tomorrow if they can find out what the problem is, I will of course mention the method you guys used if they wont agree on changing the complete thing.
Did you have sound before fitting the sound booster?
 
Not really, the sound is the same in comfort/dynamic
You should definitely hear a difference between those modes.
It's a poorly designed feature. They should have made the speaker spheres a separate part from the exhaust. That way only they would need replacing.
Or as i have done, made the top part of the sphere removable so you can just replace the speakers.
 
I would take the booster off for now. That way you will know if the speaker still aren't working. Once you get the sound when in sport mode, you can then re-install the booster.
 
Then assuming the speakers are good it should be working.
You can try a electric meter across the the leads coming out from the housings. (disconnect from the supply wiring loom etc) Mine where tested and shown to be no continuity.
A working speaker should show around 4 OHMs.
 
Yes, just hook up some Hi-Fi type speakers to the leads coming from the car (which goes to the pods etc)
Changing into sport mode should give you a nice rumble. It probably won't be as loud as the active speaker in the exhaust.
Mainly because you will only be testing one speaker at a time, and the OHMs on a Hi-Fi speaker will be higher. (normally between 4-8 OHMs)
 
Finally got to properly hear my active exhaust with the Kufatec last week.
I had the car in the garage to check a noise from my from wheels. So i was outside (not driving) while he gave it a spin around the carpark.

I left it in mode 4 on the Kufatec. Wow, i didn't realise how loud and sweet that mode is!
I have adjusted the graphs in that mode. I lowered the rev map as it's factory set for 7000rpm max. There is no chance a my diesel will ever reach that (now set to 6000rpm) . I also slightly upped the rev map from 500rpm to 1000rpm at tickover.
What these adjustments make is the tickover volume is slightly higher with a meatier rumble. Adjusting the max rpm stops the flying saucer "whine", and replaces it with the correct rev matching rumble. No wonder some people don't like the Kufatec and think it sounds artificial. Kufatec should supply it with these adjustments already made.

I was too embarrassed to set it to mode 6 so i could have a listen!
 
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