# Audi amplifier remote turn on / off



## mrdeli (Aug 7, 2012)

My Audi q5 has a factory 180w amplifier in the trunk

My car has concert radio and does NOT have the B&O option. 

I would like to install a jbl ms8. 

The Ms8 needs to be powered up before the factory amp. 

The ms8 is then meant to trigger further amps from its remote out connection. 

As far as I can see the Audi amp does not have a 12v trigger. 

Does this mean the ms8 can not be used with modern audis?

I can't seem to find the answer anywhere. 

Thank you mark.


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## ccapil (Jun 1, 2013)

The factory amp, most likely will have a 12 volt switched wire. I'm not familiar with the Audi q5, but take the wiring harness out of the factory amp, and test each terminal by probing it in the harness with a multimeter set to DC volts. 
Are you going to be using the factory amp? If not i would bypass it when you intergrate the ms8 in.


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## diy.phil (May 23, 2011)

maybe keep looking/asking on the audi boards. But some of these newer german cars do not have a remote out, especially the vehicles with too many fun stuff (navi, park/bumper sensors, etc). They turn on the amp(s) the moment we unlock the car, open the door or start the motor so that we can hear the various chimes/tones (doors, seat belt, park sensors, etc). If this is the case, then we'll need one of the special LOC (line output converter) with a remote turn-on lead/output or gotta fish for a wire that turns on the amp when we open the door or start the motor (not when we turn on the radio).


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

VWAG uses the CAN-BUS to turn the amps on and off. You're not going to find a 12V remote wire on anything newer than about 2005 or 2006. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


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## ccapil (Jun 1, 2013)

quality_sound said:


> VWAG uses the CAN-BUS to turn the amps on and off. You're not going to find a 12V remote wire on anything newer than about 2005 or 2006.
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


Oh ok, thanks for clearing that up, lol, as I wasn't familiar with the newer audis. For the OP, I would probably go the route of possibly by-passing the factory amp, or taking it out and run your own amps with the ms8, unless you plan to still use it?


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## thomasluke (Jun 10, 2011)

you can find a switched power source in the fuse panel on the driver side of the dash. 
Fuse # 29 or 30 will work.


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## ccapil (Jun 1, 2013)

Either by pass the amp, so not using it at all, or use the factory headunit or if there's a 12 volt switched wire not being used up in the dash harness etc, then tap into that. Use a SPDT relay to allow you to run more current off that one factory wire if you can find one. I don't know if the new audis have a sync system or if by-passing the factory amp will upset the system?


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## mrdeli (Aug 7, 2012)

Thanks for all the help guys. 

I have no problem in finding a switched live to turn on the ms8, but the manual says that it must be powered up first, before the factory amp. 

It seems this is not possible. I have however seen some people install the ms8 - maybe they have bypassed the amp altogether somehow. 

I was hoping Andrew may have an answer for me. 

Seems odd that the ms8 is unsuitable for all vw cars with amps - thought they may have mentioned that on the jbl site. 

Oh well, seems like I'll have to return it 

Thanks all anyway.


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## negativegain (Oct 6, 2009)

i piggyback off the winshield wiper slot in my fuse panel for my switched 12v supply in my a6. 
this should work for you as well.


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## mrdeli (Aug 7, 2012)

:blush:


negativegain said:


> i piggyback off the winshield wiper slot in my fuse panel for my switched 12v supply in my a6.
> this should work for you as well.


Thanks. Yes I have a 12v accessory fuse in the boot I can easily tap into, but the problem is the factory amp will already be on.


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## caraudioworld (Sep 18, 2013)

And how do you plan to wire the amp after the ms8? The oem amp have low level inputs? Maybe someone with more experience with the ms8 can chime in, but I think the only effect of turning th3 dsp before amps is to avoid some turn-on pops, but those might or might not appear if you turn on the ms8 after the amp. In my setup with a different dsp, my dsp and amps turn on at the same time, I have both remotes to the ignition key (although I could,use the dsp remote out with some delay) and there are no pops..


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

You can't. The MOST bus powers up as soon as you unlock the car. 

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## mrdeli (Aug 7, 2012)

caraudioworld said:


> And how do you plan to wire the amp after the ms8? The oem amp have low level inputs? Maybe someone with more experience with the ms8 can chime in, but I think the only effect of turning th3 dsp before amps is to avoid some turn-on pops, but those might or might not appear if you turn on the ms8 after the amp. In my setup with a different dsp, my dsp and amps turn on at the same time, I have both remotes to the ignition key (although I could,use the dsp remote out with some delay) and there are no pops..


The ms8 takes inputs from the high level outputs of the factory amp - so wiring up is fairly easy from that point of view. If the only problem
is some turn on pops, this may not be a huge problems and probably these would occur when I unlock the car. Thanks all. 

Can anyone clarify whether it is just pops that may be the problem or could I actually cause damage to something?


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## stylngle2003 (Nov 2, 2012)

put capacitors on your tweeters and give it a whirl. you won't blow anything up turning them on at the same time. especially if there's no source material playing.


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## caraudioworld (Sep 18, 2013)

Well I think turn on pops wont be an issue if you just took the speaker level and use the internal amp of the ms8. For one moment I though you were trying to connect the ms8 output to the oem amp. So it will be a basic install after all, my only concern is the sub, 20watts probably wont be enough, what about keep the sub wired to the oem amp? Anybody tried that? Maybe assigning an output as the sub but dont wire it to the ms8, so it only use the sweep as a reference for the other 7 speakers, As far as I know the Ms8 dont do TA to the sub anyway, maybe Andy can chime in...


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## MaXius (Dec 18, 2009)

The amp in the Q will have a remote turn on wire from the head unit..

Which option (head unit) did it come with?


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## mrdeli (Aug 7, 2012)

It's concert stereo with 6 channel amp in boot. 

The oem amp does not have a remote turn on wire and is controlled by canbus. 

I'm intending to feed high out speaker signals from the oem amp to the ms8 and power all speakers apart from the sub with the ms8. The sub will be powered by a seperate Fosgate amp, which will get low level signal input from the ms8. The ms8 remote out will trigger the Fosgate amp. 

Does this all sound ok?

Thanks mark


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## mrdeli (Aug 7, 2012)

quality_sound said:


> You can't. The MOST bus powers up as soon as you unlock the car.
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


My car is canbus, not MOST. Thanks.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Sorry, had BMW on the brain, but the info is the same. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


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## caraudioworld (Sep 18, 2013)

mrdeli said:


> It's concert stereo with 6 channel amp in boot.
> 
> The oem amp does not have a remote turn on wire and is controlled by canbus.
> 
> ...


sounds good


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## mrdeli (Aug 7, 2012)

caraudioworld said:


> sounds good


Thanks


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## Garticus (Jan 5, 2014)

Not sure why the ms8 MUST be turn on before the amp.....especially when the amp is feeding the ms8. 

Have you tried the set up to see of it'll work with the canbus amp turning on before the ms8?


In my old MOST BMW system I had to use a remote trigger to turn on my additional amp I installed for my trunk sub. I tapped into a pair of speaker wires to start the trigger to send a 12v output to the aftermarket amp.


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