# 2010 Audi A4. Fi Q12. Sundown 1200D. Come on in :)



## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Hey guys this is my first post on the forum thought I would quickly introduce myself. My names Trevor and this is my 2010 Audi A4 2.0T Premium. 










I have many more mods coming for the car but wanted to first get a sub in there . I will continue the rest of the mods for this car on an Audi forum. As for the audio, I've been working with car audio for 4 years now with a little break in between. I've came here from 2 other car audio forums because I've heard you guys have the best build logs and give great advice.

As for the system I am on getting a Fi Q 12d2 with cooling and spider. Its going to have a kerf ported box tuned to 32-33hz with a matching black/silver theme built by DonH. The box dimensions are 35x16x12in with the baffle on 35x16. 

The sub will be wired parallel to a Sundown SAX-1200D. I am getting a refurbished one from db-r. Im going to be able to hide the amps in the sides of the trunk behind the panels. If I can hide all wires this can be a very clean semi stealth build. 

As for electrical, I have 10ft of Stinger Hyperflex and but I'm still unsure if I'm going to do the Big 3. Ive heard some people say the stock electrical will handle 1200w without a problem but then again its always nice to have that extra voltage. Im going to have a Line In Converter to reroute the sundown amp to the stock amp then to the head unit. Now I know this isn't ideal but I've been told this is the best way to route the wires with keeping the stock head unit in this car. The Line Input Converter I decided on going with is the Audiocontrol LC2i. Im going to have knu 1/0gauge power wire for the amp and knu speaker/rca wire. 

I got the itch to get something done over the weekend and got the back cabin sound deadened. I had a few sheets of Damplifier Pro laying around and figured I'd put it to use. I still have 2 full sheets that I plan on putting on the trunk lid once I figure out how to get the panel off. 





































The next day I figured out how to take the trunk lid panel off so I sound deadened the lid with the last 2 sheets and scraps I had lying around. Only took me about an hour to do with no cuts on fingers this time. And I still had 1sqft of Damp pro left that I can use for the spare tire well or something. 




























That's it for now. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Excited to get going with this new build log 
~Trevor


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Not much of an update, just used the last sheet of damplifier pro I had laying around. Cut it into 3 sheets and put them in the spare tire well.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

First order came in today! Got some wire from Knu and should be receiving my LC2i later today. 

1/0gauge Knu Fleks 
12gauge Karma SS
RCA Karma SS
1/0 Knu in-line fuse holder
Dont worry about the length my battery is in the trunk already 










Going to be mounting the factory amp behind its original mount. And somehow mount the new amp where the factory amp used to be. Might be a little tricky but I should be able to find a way to make it work. If I cant, I can always mount the factory amp above the wheel well. 



















Thats it for now. Maybe I will route some wire tomorrow.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Got my information wrong they split my order cause they had to get the LC2i from somewhere else. They shipped my 18ga wire that im using for power and remote on the LC2i. Along with 2 1/0 to 4ga input adapters that I hope will fit.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Started laying some wire last night. Got the (+) run for the amp layed down. I ordered 5ft and it took every single inch but I think it is going to be perfect. If not I got extra wire laying around but I wanted it to be all red. Still have the negative then laying the speaker wire down but I was having trouble with me negative on the battery. The nut to loosen up the battery terminal doesnt seem to come off all the way. I almost forced it off but got to sketched out cause it felt like I was going to snap it. I should be getting an answer from the Audi forums on what to do on the matter shortly. The fuse holder has some heavy duty mounting tape under it and is also zip tied to the wire thats held on the ground. That thing is in there real solid. I dont have the fuse in so dont worry about getting grounded everything fine . I'd like to thank knu for sending me the correct fuse when I ****ed up the order.


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## jbradle7 (Aug 23, 2011)

Nice work Trevor, keep us posted on your progress. 
:builder2:

J


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

jbradle7 said:


> Nice work Trevor, keep us posted on your progress.
> :builder2:
> 
> J


Thanks man glad to have you.

The negative battery to ground was bothering me so I reworked it. Added a new bolt and nut and got all my ring terminals completely flat. Took about 2 hours and a lot of blood. 

Just to give you an idea








I used a different ring terminal and cut the side instead to fit better








New nut and bolt after an hour of removing the stripped stock one. This made my hands bleed quite a lot. 








By the way it is a thousand times easier to remove if you unhook everything and use a table vice to hold the square head. I had to take it to a local ACE cause I got rid of my old table vice thinking I'd never need it....








Everything fits real nicely now. Got the nut on there real tight with everything nice and flat. If your ring terminal doesn't fit, just trim it down with some sheer cutters.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Just got all the wiring laid down yesterday and reversed the stock amp. The LC2i is wired and the GTO is working. I ran a run for remote in anyways just in case. All the wire is ran along the factory wire with many zip ties. Everything has fit perfectly so far. I disconnected the sub the factory sub to hook everything correctly to the LC2i. Pretty sure I wont need to take the panels off again. Think the best way to mount the amp on the stock amp mount would be to used a block of wood like a baffle. I could cover it with stretchy black carpet I got laying around. Cant get that done till my SAX-1200D get here. The only wire missing is the amp ground for obvious reasons.

Silver/Black = RCA
Brown/Yellow = Factory sub (-)
White/Yellow = Factory sub (+)
Copper = LC2i Power (+/-)
Silver = Remote in
Blue = Remote out
Red = Amp power (+)
Also laid the speaker wire for the sub but forgot to take a good picture of it. Its larger silver/black knu 12ga.

(sorry for the bad pictures)


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

My SAX-1200D came in today! Was a little nervous at first cause ive never purchased referbed but pretty happy with what I got so far. There was only 2 small scratches that were easily hidden with a black sharpie. Going to be able to get 90% of the build complete now with the amp in. Either going to work on the mount tonight or this weekend. Take a look..


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Nice attention to detail! I am curious to hear your thoughts on that amp. Always liked those Sundown amps and subwoofers.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

chithead said:


> Nice attention to detail! I am curious to hear your thoughts on that amp. Always liked those Sundown amps and subwoofers.


I've previously owned a SAX100.4D and a SAZ-1500D and absolutely loved them. They actually underrate their amps. I've heard the SAX-1200D actually pushes about 1300-1400w rms at 1ohm mono. Thats why I didnt hesitate to go with sundown amps again. Luckily I grabbed the last SAX-1200D available


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Test ran the 1/0ga to 4ga input adapters and they were a tad too big. Filed down the edges a tinny bit and fits nicely now. They are very secure when tightened so I dont think they will ever touch but do you think I should wrap them in electrical tape or let the chrome shine?


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Ran into my first speed bump. Finally got everything to fit nicely but I have one issue. The amp sits low to the floor and leaves me with no room for the adapters and it would even be tough putting the power and negative 1/0 in directly with shaving. What do you think I should do? I can only get about another inch clearance for the bottom if I screw the amp more up and to the right of the rack. I cant use the power and ground at the top because the red power line is as long as it will go. I would have to run a new line if I wanted to do that, which I do have extra wire, it will just be black. Hmm... I got some thinking to do... any opinions?


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## ek9cv5 (Jan 12, 2012)

Very nice build


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

ek9cv5 said:


> Very nice build


Thank you . Unfortunately I wont be able to use those adapters I need to get custom ones from project db or something. I only have an inch of room under the power input of the amp :/


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## kyheng (Jan 31, 2007)

Heat shrink tubings should do the job nicely.....


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## MaXius (Dec 18, 2009)

When your stock battery dies, you can direct swap it for an Odyssey high power battery - almost the exact same size, terminals fit straight on.

Model number is in my build log somewhere, I can't recall offhand.

I'm not sure you need a LOC, you should already have line level going from the head unit into that existing amp. Even though they're not RCA plugs, doesn't mean they're speaker level.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

kyheng said:


> Heat shrink tubings should do the job nicely.....


Can you explain? I've never heard of this method. 



MaXius said:


> When your stock battery dies, you can direct swap it for an Odyssey high power battery - almost the exact same size, terminals fit straight on.
> 
> Model number is in my build log somewhere, I can't recall offhand.
> 
> I'm not sure you need a LOC, you should already have line level going from the head unit into that existing amp. Even though they're not RCA plugs, doesn't mean they're speaker level.


I hope my battery doesn't die soon but thanks that's good to know. As for the LOC mine eliminates drop off so I just went ahead and got it for that reason. It's also high level so it should do the job nicely and made it pretty easy. 

Thanks for the opinions guys appreciate it


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## strong*I*bumpin (Oct 3, 2005)

Hey Pt.Blank I have the same LOC ,it really is a nice piece and it does what it claims.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

strong*I*bumpin said:


> Hey Pt.Blank I have the same LOC ,it really is a nice piece and it does what it claims.


Good to know yeah I've talked to at least 2 other people that own my vehicle that use them as well in there systems. They have great things to say as well so I know it will do its job.


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## strong*I*bumpin (Oct 3, 2005)

Its incredible how it adjusts the bass according to the volume no matter where you have it.Mine is running off a OEM Accord system with a 6 yr. old Profile amp and it does the job quite nicely.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

So while I wait to hear from project db and toolmaker here is what I got so far. I had to get some larger screws for the factory amp to be more secure. I also drilled a hole in the amp bracing to get more strength on the left side. I also got some spacers I can use that are about 1/4in tall. I can put these under the sundown amp to get a tiny bit more room but not sure if I should yet. Only got an inch of room without them. Think im going to go with 90 degree reducers if they will fit the amp and are small enough.


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## MaXius (Dec 18, 2009)

Where I mounted my amp, I was low on space too - so I used a pair of these right angles.

Audio 2000's ACC3112BR RCA Right Angle 2pc Brass Gold | eBay

Some have really long male ends but these are pretty short.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

MaXius said:


> Where I mounted my amp, I was low on space too - so I used a pair of these right angles.
> 
> Audio 2000's ACC3112BR RCA Right Angle 2pc Brass Gold | eBay
> 
> Some have really long male ends but these are pretty short.


I have plenty room for RCA's. Its the power (+/-) that I have an inch of room with. But i'm going for a similar idea just with a reducing 4ga output for the amp.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Talked to project db and hes going to get working on the vertical reducers tomorrow . Here is a sketchup of what its going to look like.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Here is a few more pictures. I added the spacers to the sundown amp but still need 2 more spacers for the rack to sit perfect on the chassis. **** hardware stores closing early on Saturdays...

Really liking how the amp rack has turned out so far. Love how it sits slanted for a professional look and I should have just a perfect amount of room to plug everything in at the bottom. 




























Here you can notice plenty of room for the trunk arm and spring to slide freely


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Put the last 2 spacers in and tightened things up as much as I could. Its very hard to get to the top two screws to fasten the rack in place. Takes quite a bit of patience with a wrench and awkward angles. Hooking everything up once the project db adapters get here. Created about half an inch more room on the bottom for them. Happy Easter everyone!


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## jbradle7 (Aug 23, 2011)

Lookin good man... my back hurts just looking at these pictures. I know how hard it is fitting everything in that little pocket. Keep up the great work!


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

jbradle7 said:


> Lookin good man... my back hurts just looking at these pictures. I know how hard it is fitting everything in that little pocket. Keep up the great work!


Thanks man ha yeah it really is such an awkward spot. Looks good though. Once my reducers are in ill be able to plug everything up and clean it up a little. Then the rest is as easy as drilling the sub in the box and plugging it up. Gettin there


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## kyheng (Jan 31, 2007)

Point.Blank said:


> Can you explain? I've never heard of this method.


You just need to "wrap" the tubings to the connector and burn it... If you still can't get it, I'll take a photo later on....


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

kyheng said:


> You just need to "wrap" the tubings to the connector and burn it... If you still can't get it, I'll take a photo later on....


Yeah I realized what it was shortly after. I got a good price on some custom reducers that will fit so I went ahead and pulled the trigger. Should be receiving them from project db in a couple days. He's made me pretty happy so far, a great guy to do business with.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Just checked UPS and Fi shipped the sub out today. It'll be at my door tomorrow afternoon so ill make sure to take pictures. I'm guessing the custom reducers will get in on Wed. or Fri. Very excited!


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

So yesterday I got my reducers in from project db and they worked absolutely perfect. Not only that but they look nice too . Electrical tape had the exact same width so I just cut two pieces and slapped them on the insides just in case it ever loosens up and I don't notice. Since I had the amp rack out at the time I also decided to black out the floor. I had a layer of duct tape over the yellow foam and then put electrical tape on top of that. Came out pretty nice and now your not staring at an ugly floor when showing off the amp. The 1/0ga fit nice and snug with the reducers and amp rack in place. Going to the hardware store soon to get a small wrench to fit the bolts that go on to hold the amp rack in place since it is in an awkward place and I cant use my socket wrench. RCA, Speaker wire, and Remote wire are also plugged in so all that's left is connecting the sub. Unfortunately if you don't know already UPS totally F'ed up my package from Fi. When I saw the box at my door it was cracked and a corner was concaved in. I was told by someone who used to work for Fi that it must have dropped off the belt from at least 20ft. The basket is completely bent pulling and ruining the surround as well. There is also a gash in the magnet. Even handicapped and all the sub still looks beastly and weights at 47lbs. Talked with Scott of Fi and he said they are already building my replacement. Will be sending back the sub as soon as we get things worked out with UPS. Although that was a bummer I still got my amp completely set up and love how it turned out. Funny story, I couldn't figure out why my amps blue power light wasn't turning on for about 45 minutes then finally realized I never put the fuse in on the in-line holder for safety precautions. I used a 250a fuse but will be using a 100a fuse so that it will pop before the 40ax3 would give on the amp. Should have them in a week or so. Anyways got the blue power light on after I added the fuse and everything seemed to work properly.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

That's it for now


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

WOW.... all i can say is WOW


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

DLO13 said:


> WOW.... all i can say is WOW


Thanks DLO. Geoff(project db) did a great job on them. For a decent price too! I think they add a nice touch.


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Took a break from my build to look at another German build. Looking good!!!! keep it up and drop by mine when you get a chance.

cheers,
scott


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> Took a break from my build to look at another German build. Looking good!!!! keep it up and drop by mine when you get a chance.
> 
> cheers,
> scott


Thanks man I'll definitely check it out. 

I'm looking for some more information about my factory amp. I want to upgrade my front stage with components and a new center but I want to continue to use the factory amp for now. Would it even be an upgrade from the concert speakers? Would the component crossover mess things up with the internal crossover in the factory amp? 

Im going to be upgrading all my speakers eventually and add a ms-8 and a new sundown 125.4. Unfortunately those two pieces are going to be a K to drop and would just like a temporary upgrade from the factory speakers because my left tweeter is blown. 

Can anyone help me on this?


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

First of the parts express packages came today . Includes the Vifa tweeters and Dayton 3" full range I will be using as center. Going to install later tonight once I get some connectors for the speakers.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Yes the A4 does have a center. But it still takes some modification to get the Dayton 3" to squeeze in nicely. 

Got quite a bit done once my speakers came in. I replaced all the dash speakers which are definitely the hardest to work on with the window being so close. Took a total of 5 hardware stops before I had everything I needed to complete the job. I replaced my center speaker with a Dayton 3" full range woofer and changed the two tweeters with the Vifa dual ring tweeters. For the tweeters I added about a foot of extra wire for if I decide to place the tweeters in the A-pillars later on. I fabricated speaker mounts out of a vinyl tile I got at home depot. The material actually worked out really well cause I had a wooden looking top for nice aesthetics while the bottom side was sticky so it wont budge at all when screwed in. For the center I had to modify the bottom under the speaker to get it to fit nicely. I also had to stack 3 layers of the vinyl tile to give it a little extra room. I made all the baffles by hand so it was tricky and took a while to get everything perfect. 60 grade sand paper helped me grind the center circle perfectly. Only got to listen to it for about 1 minute but it already blew my socks off. It sounded so much more natural and clean and im pretty sure It got even louder than the factory speakers. I have to test it out for a longer period of time and see how the factory amp responds. So far I'm very happy with the results. The Dayton 6" woofers don't come in till thursday but I wont be able to install those till I get my deadening material from SDS. Here they are :fro:
































































Going to be running a sharpee over the silver screws. At the right angle and right light you can see them shine through. Easy fix though


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## alm001 (Feb 13, 2010)

Nice job so far!

But I just wanted to say you probably would have been fine with 4g for that short run, and not have had to make custom reducers.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

alm001 said:


> Nice job so far!
> 
> But I just wanted to say you probably would have been fine with 4g for that short run, and not have had to make custom reducers.


Thanks. 4ga would have been fine but 0ga is great . Plus it gave me an excuse to order some sweet custom work from Project db.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

They Dayton 6" woofers came in today! Took a few pics. Cant install them for about a week so they are just going to sit and tease me.


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## theothermike (Dec 20, 2006)

subscribed. ps how do you like the a4? any mech issues since owning. im loking to buy one pre owned thats 12000 miles and curious to hear your input on it.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Thanks welcome in Mike. So far I haven't had any issues. Ive owned the car for about 2 months or so and its been great. The most common issue I think has been the steering wheel vibration at medium to high speeds but I haven't noticed any at all. Mine had 25k miles when I picked it up and I've put about 2k in it.


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## jbradle7 (Aug 23, 2011)

The steering wheel vibration issue was isolated to 2009 models and fixed via TSB at the dealership. I've had my 2010 for two years now and have accumulated 30k miles on her so far with no issues to speak of. If I'm being real critical... I have one window that seems to go down a little jerky compared to the other three, but really that's the only gripe I've ever had with the car.


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## theothermike (Dec 20, 2006)

Thanks for the input guys


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## KyleMDunn (Jan 27, 2009)

Wow, excellent work so far. I think you are going to love the output of the FiQ. I have the same sub, except I went with the HQTS option since I am running sealed. Very nice output for a small sealed box with only 500 watts of power.


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## Khymera-B (Oct 6, 2009)

Daytons look sexy... dope build


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

KyleMDunn said:


> Wow, excellent work so far. I think you are going to love the output of the FiQ. I have the same sub, except I went with the HQTS option since I am running sealed. Very nice output for a small sealed box with only 500 watts of power.


Thanks man yeah I've ran a BL before I love their subs. I should actually be able to get it pretty loud with my power in the ported box tuned at 32. I'm curious exactly how loud though because this is my first trunk build. Getting anxious  



Khymera-B said:


> Daytons look sexy... dope build


Thanks man welcome in


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

New Fi Q test - YouTube

First video for the log. Nothing special...

Couple pictures of the new sub next to the Dayton 6" and my SDS deadening products. One small sheet of MLV/CCF will be enough for the two front doors with about 8"x34" extra to add in the trunk.


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

Got some deadening done today. Only got one door done though and didn't take enough pics so I'll just leave you with one spoiler pic for now. When I do the other door ill make sure to take a bunch of more pictures and leave a better update. For now...


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## 57UPD (May 9, 2012)

nice sub you have there


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## Point.Blank (Mar 21, 2012)

57UPD said:


> nice sub you have there


Thanks man can't wait to hear it


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## jdmferio13 (Nov 1, 2009)

Nice car man I've been looking at an 08 s5 can't deicide on a4 or s5


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## Fantaxp7 (Mar 20, 2010)

Hello,

I'm curious as to what modifications you had to do to fit the 3" dayton into the center spot?

I just bought a 3" full range driver and it is too big...measures about 3-1/8" diameter where as yours according to parts express is 2.83".

Did you have to do a bit of sanding or something for it to fit? Maybe that 1/4 inch or so maybe the difference from it fitting.


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## ToddG (Sep 14, 2010)

Just picked-up a '12 A4 Premium. Gonna keep an eye on this build.


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