[dragon20]

Hi B33M3R how are you going with your set up? I am looking to do something very similar but looking to install buy and install VP's sub enclosure for My 06 E90 and run the under seat woofers as mid's rather than Subs.

Be keen to hear how things have been going so far. Have you decided on what amp you will get?

[B33M3R]

Hi

Well it's a work in progress so not sure when I will tackle it. Still undecided on amp as it's really going to depend on if I bite the bullet and get an MS8 or not. If that does happen then it might make sense to add a centre channel and a nice sub enclosure as well.

Decisions, decisions....

[B33M3R]

Hi All!

With my birthday looming I managed to talk the wife into ordering me a lovely new JBL MS8 which, should be wth me in the next week or so. I pretty much decided this would be the best way to go after suggestions from VP and Technic.

For me it's really important to sort out the base stereos 'tweaked' EQ curve before doing anything else and the MS8 can do this and more. I didn't really fancy going down the Alpine upgrade route because I can see myself probably wanting to go further.

Anyway, I'm looking to tweak things from my original plans and doing the upgrade in stages. This will firstly keep costs down a bit and hopefully also mean I can start enjoying the items I have bought so far. I also like the idea of this being a bit of a work in progress!

I'm hoping for opinion's, advice or even alternative suggestions before I go ahead!

My planned (initial) set up will be:

DSP & Amp - JBL MS8
Front doors - Focal K2 100KRS
Centre channel - Vibe Slick 4
Rear undershelf - Vibe Slick 4
Underseat Subs - Keep OEM 'Base'
Technic's Harness

I hadn’t really considered adding a centre channel before but I really want to make full use of the MS8's capability's and after reading Technic's excellent install guide he's shown it's quite a straight forward process.

I'm hoping the above setup will provide a dramatic improvement on the OEM setup. I appreciate this is a quite a low bar, but I'm hoping for great sound quality with a modest increase in volume.

The MS8 from memory is rated at 18w RMS per channel at 4 Ohms so my first question is will this be enough to power the above selection of speakers? I know it is possible to damage speakers by under powering them?

Ideally I would also be adding an Amp as well and swapping out the underseats for some SWS8's but can't really stretch to that at the minute. I plan on running the OEM subs on a separate channel so this should bring a little more out of them?

In regards to the Vibe Slick 4's they seem reasonably priced so are they any good? Also I assume its worth changing out the rear undershelf speakers? Eventually everything will be amped.

So far as actually setting everything up and what channels to use I know there are comprehensive threads on here in regards to the MS8 but any recommendations are most welcome!

Many Thanks

Matt

[B33M3R]

What ya reckon? Will the MS8 be alright powering this lot?

[kaigoss69]

For normal listening levels it'll be fine, but you're not gonna break any SPL records, and you may encounter distortion (MS-8 clipping) at elevated levels, especially on the door speakers and the underseat woofers.

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by carlitosz

We successfully coded my 2011 E90 for some features such as speedo on the instrument panel, comfort closing, etc. We failed to be able to recode the base radio from base to HiFi. Could've been the cable we were using. I`m sure Technic will chime in with more details.

As far as your setup, I`m running aftermarket 4" front components, 4" coaxials on the rear deck and 8" Kickers under the seat, all powered by an JL Audio XD600/6. Perfect amp for the E90. Fits quiet nicely under the trunk mat right next to the COMBOX/Bluetooth module and its only 10"x7". Extremely small and very efficient amp. I used Technic's harness for the front and rear speakers and ran new 16awg cables for under the seats subs. After I installed the entire system the dong volume was incredibly loud and could not be adjusted via the radio controls. I took the car to the dealer for an unrelated issue and the DME had to be recoded. I lost all the custom coding Technic performed but the dong volume returned to its original/normal volume.

Regarding the coding, I have attempted to get around the recoding of the radio several ways but at the end of the day I think running a JL Audio Cleansweep is the best alternative. Will eliminate the need of using a LOC (which I don't like), will take care of the PDC dong and flatten the signal of the stock base radio.

Curious, When you go into the secret radio menu...did it tell you Hifi or Stereo?

[B33M3R]

Originally Posted by kaigoss69

For normal listening levels it'll be fine, but you're not gonna break any SPL records, and you may encounter distortion (MS-8 clipping) at elevated levels, especially on the door speakers and the underseat woofers.

Thanks for that. So just to confirm it won't cause any damage to anything?

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by taibanl

Curious, When you go into the secret radio menu...did it tell you Hifi or Stereo?

Bump for Carlitosz or Technic