While waiting to get my car, I am trying to plan in advance what the installation options are.
I am now wondering whether the installed stereo system can be used with the empeg. My plans were to have the whole installation redone, but I am now realizing that I may have to only replace the head unit and speakers.

Now, I know these data concerning the factory stereo installation (I am translating from Italian, so I hope this makes sense):

• Conenction to CAN-Bus Network
• Overall Power: 140 Watt
• 8 Speakers with Centerspeaker and Reflex Speaker for bases
  

So my questions are:

What is a Can-Bus Network, and could I benefit from it with an Empeg?

The overall power and the nr of speakers makes me think there must be an amplifier somewhere. Waht do you think? If so, Maybe I ca use it with my empeg.

What is a "centerspeaker"?
What is a "reflex speaker"? Is this replacing a subwoofer?

I'm feeling very ignorant

Thank you all in advance

CAN Bus is a data bus used in vehicles; here's a good site to start at

The car might be using the display of the HU to show stuff, or allow the HU to display information on a larger/more centrally placed display. Sometimes things like door chimes etc are going through the stereo...

Center speaker: a speaker located in the center of the car (or rather, the center of the dash), it's like the center speaker of a 5.1 system; reproduces stuff that is in common to both the left and right channel.

Bass reflex is a specific enclusure type/design, and yes, it's like a sub.

/Michael

The car might be using the display of the HU to show stuff, or allow the HU to display information on a larger/more centrally placed display. Sometimes things like door chimes etc are going through the stereo...

So I hope that by replacing the head unit I am not preventing some relevant info to be shown on the display...

Also, it then seems to me a pretty good install... At this point I am starting to regret I did not have the Bose system installed, which is supposedly even better.

I hope now I can connect the empef to the amp in the car (I assume there's an amp?!).

You then have to use an adapter if the A3 has CAN-BUS; audiotechnik Dietz has some; www.audiotechnik-dietz.de should be the Homepage.

Thanks Lupo.
So if I understand well, the can-bus connection refers to the link between the head unit and the amplifier?

Not only that, or maybe that particular connection isn't even affected by CAN-BUS, but CAN-BUS has complicated the ways headunits are connected to the car's power and lightning...IIRC well, you don't have any ISO-connector anymore but some strange new ones, and therefore an adapter is needed.

Ok, so probably I'll go and talk to my installer to see if he has an idea about what to do. Probably he will need to give a look at the car....
I simply hope I am not giving up some specific feature/on screen info by replacing the head unit by Audi with my Empeg.
I can't find any specific info on the Audi's website. Do you know if there's any good resource on line about Audi's pre-installed head units and stereo systems?

hm...right here/right now not really; I only know that previous generation Audi's used either Blaupunkt or Panasonic made Headunits. They had a particular output for the info screen in the dash. I don't think there's a way to get that screen working with the empeg; at least not easily; I believe it would be possible to use the serial port for that.

You may go to www.vwvortex.com and then log in in their forums and ask them; I don't know much about the newer Audi's unfortunately.

or allow the HU to display on a large/more centrally placed

Ok, I finally got my new car. That is exactly what the Audi head unit does, which I do not need. I decided therefore to have the HU removed and the Empeg installed, rather than adding the Empeg in the bottom part of the dash (where I found out there could be enough space). So, no changes from my original plan. After driving the car for less than one hour, from the car dealer to the sat-alarm and stereo installer, I had to leave it there, obviously. After waiting for three months, it was hard to let it go, even if for just one day!
Anyway, tomorrow all should be done and hopefully I'll be able to take some pictures of the install and post them here and on riocar.org.
I spent some time with the installer (actually I would have spet more time there but I had to work), so I now have finally a clearer idea of how the New A3 dash is "behind the scene", so if anybody needs info maybe I can help.

Unfortunately neither the car dealer nor the installer had an adapter for standard DIN HU since they run out of them, so I am now temporarily using an old-A3 adapter which does not fit perfectly and leaves some space between the adapter itself and the dash, but that's just for a week or so... Asides from that... guys, I am so happy! Tomorrow my empeg-addiction will not hurt anymore! Pain is over!

Here's a picture of the temporary install I got. As you can see there's an old A3 adapter to have a DIN-sized device lile the empeg fit into the dash, and it does not match perfectly. I will have to replace that as soon as I get the new-A3 DIN adapter.

Also, on the top right you see the Audi's mobile phone thing which needs an adapter so that I can use my mobile phone on it. I have a Sony-Ericsson P800 and according to my dealer it seems that there's not such adapter yet. Now, is there a place I can check if that is true, of if there's some third party adapter I could buy? For some reason I do not trust completely the car dealer. I had the impression he was simply looking at an old list of accessories and was not feeling like getting more updated information...

Thanks in advance!

Ok, I finally made it! I had my car dismounted and remounted , and now my installation is complete.)
I just wanted to thank you all for suggestions and recommendations. From you I had great ideas to begin with and excellent info to use as a comparison.

So, after talking with my firend and installer, considered room available and costs and performances, I finally got this:

Front Speakers: Hertz Space 6K 25 Kit ( midwoofer Space 6 + tweeter HT 25 )
Rear Speakers: Hertz Energy Coax ECX 690
powered by
Amp MTX Thunder4244

+

Subwoofer: Impact CBX 112 (a picture is here)
powered by
Amp MTX Thunder 6152



I should have some pics up on riocar.org as soon as I get my gallery approved

Now what matters most: the sound is simply wonderful. I am impressed by the quality and pureness of it. I admit that it exceeded my expectations...

Pictures are here:

http://www.riocar.org/modules.php?set_albumName=albun33&op=modload&name=Photo_Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

or simply go to riocar.org, gallery, empeg installation, Taym's Album