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      06-26-2009, 12:38 PM   #1
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Is BSW speaker upgrade worth it?

Anyone get this yet? Seems pretty steep for $600 on a standard stereo setup for just 4 speakers and 4 tweeters. I've also looked into the MB Quart RUA210 which is a shallow mount component system... can be had for $120 or so per set. My only concern is the crossovers and where to put them.

I've got some good experience doing stereos but never in a BMW so I'm just kinda wondering whats up with this one... maybe I'll go poke around and look when I get some time this weekend.

I dunno, thoughts from everyone... or suggestions on other options out there?
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      06-26-2009, 12:43 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UdubBadger View Post
Anyone get this yet? Seems pretty steep for $600 on a standard stereo setup for just 4 speakers and 4 tweeters. I've also looked into the MB Quart RUA210 which is a shallow mount component system... can be had for $120 or so per set. My only concern is the crossovers and where to put them.

I've got some good experience doing stereos but never in a BMW so I'm just kinda wondering whats up with this one... maybe I'll go poke around and look when I get some time this weekend.

I dunno, thoughts from everyone... or suggestions on other options out there?
The main issue with the 4" mids in our cars is their depth... they cannot exceed 45-50mm overall. That means 50mm from the face of the cone to the magnet bottom. Those RUA210 have the magnet on the face of the cone, so double check their overall height, as their depth can be misleading.
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      06-26-2009, 01:02 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Technic View Post
The main issue with the 4" mids in our cars is their depth... they cannot exceed 45-50mm overall. That means 50mm from the face of the cone to the magnet bottom. Those RUA210 have the magnet on the face of the cone, so double check their overall height, as their depth can be misleading.
ahhh cool thanks for that little piece of info... I thought I read someone had already done theirs with these and they just fit but maybe I read wrong.
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      06-26-2009, 01:03 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by ButterzM View Post
I have the BSW speaker upgrade and sub and personally I don't think it was worth the $$. If you just want something a tad better then stock then it does the job. But for me I think I would go a different route if I had to do it again.
well I do want something just a bit better than stock but dumping that much cash on something just a bit better seems silly when I could get other speaker sets from name brands for 1/2 the price.
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      06-26-2009, 01:11 PM   #5
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And that was the appeal of them to me since I like doing my own installs. Most aftermarket speakers are easy too but this was just basicall PnP
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      06-26-2009, 01:20 PM   #6
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cool thanks for the info. Any ideas of alternatives?
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      06-26-2009, 01:37 PM   #7
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cool thanks for the info. Any ideas of alternatives?
Replace the OEM amp first...
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      06-26-2009, 01:41 PM   #8
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Replace the OEM amp first...
really? cuz i actually wasn't even going to do that at all. I was thinking of getting the sws 8 earthquakes and amping those through a 2 channel but leaving the stock amp in for the speakers. BTW does anyone know the RMS output for the stock system?
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      06-26-2009, 02:23 PM   #9
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Listen to Technic... that guy knows what he's doing. Tell him your budget and he'll tell you what to do.
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      06-26-2009, 03:02 PM   #10
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Ahaha ok well technic, I want to spend under $1000 and replace all the speakers and possibly swap the 2 subs also. Go nuts
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      06-26-2009, 03:04 PM   #11
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I also hear I need a 5 chan amp too?
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      06-26-2009, 04:22 PM   #12
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Based on my research and experience, it is not worth it to me, and I would not recommend it to anyone who is interested in good sound and is willing to do some research.

As Technic points out, you want to replace the amp. I would say it differently - BSW is intended to sound better than BMW speakers when connected to the BMW amplifier. The BMW amp has a processing function in it specifically for BMW speakers, and it is going to make some speakers sound worse than they should because it's not an appropriate tuning curve for them.

BSW doesn't have any magic - they are simply saying that their speaker combo is tested in a BMW and sounds better than BMW speakers.

IF you replace the BMW amp with aftermarket, done properly, you have bypassed or reversed the BMW audio processing, and replaced the low-power BMW amplifier with a cleaner, higher-power amplifier capable of driving high-end speakers much more effectively. You can now get ANY speakers - many of which can sound better than BSW speakers (when driven by a better amplifier than BSW).

On the other hand, BSW gives you instructions and guarantees the performance.
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      06-26-2009, 06:34 PM   #13
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Based on my research and experience, it is not worth it to me, and I would not recommend it to anyone who is interested in good sound and is willing to do some research.

As Technic points out, you want to replace the amp. I would say it differently - BSW is intended to sound better than BMW speakers when connected to the BMW amplifier. The BMW amp has a processing function in it specifically for BMW speakers, and it is going to make some speakers sound worse than they should because it's not an appropriate tuning curve for them.

BSW doesn't have any magic - they are simply saying that their speaker combo is tested in a BMW and sounds better than BMW speakers.

IF you replace the BMW amp with aftermarket, done properly, you have bypassed or reversed the BMW audio processing, and replaced the low-power BMW amplifier with a cleaner, higher-power amplifier capable of driving high-end speakers much more effectively. You can now get ANY speakers - many of which can sound better than BSW speakers (when driven by a better amplifier than BSW).

On the other hand, BSW gives you instructions and guarantees the performance.
yeah that is a good point however it looks like my speaker selection is pretty limited, plus adding an amp I'll need a bunch of extra stuff right? I went to a shop today and I wasn't sure if they guy was being honest to me or trying to milk me for every dime I have cuz I drive a BMW.

He said I'd need a harness for the back of the stereo for the amp (which makes sense) but he told me it was $200. Then he said, 5 channel amp (of course the only one he can get me is a Memphis Belle which was $650). Then he said speakers, he would do something called Rainbows? Never heard of them but they're $250 for the front and $100 for the rear, however he probably doesn't know I need components in both front and back so thats $250x2. Then 2 SWS earthquakes @ about $150 a piece and of course a 4 gauge amp wiring kit for $100.

Thats already $1600 which is a bit out of my budget, but here is the kicker...

He quoted me 18 hours for the install @ $50/hr... so they want $900 to do it.
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      06-26-2009, 06:41 PM   #14
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I guess the only thing that confuses me is he said I he has to rewire everything because stock stereo operates at 2 Ohm's but aftermarket runs at 4 Ohm's.

Is that right? Anyway around that?
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      06-26-2009, 07:37 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UdubBadger View Post
Ahaha ok well technic, I want to spend under $1000 and replace all the speakers and possibly swap the 2 subs also. Go nuts
What about just replacing the underseat OEM woofers, adding DSP processing, replacing the OEM amp and keeping the component OEM speakers for those $1000?

For example:

Amp = PDX-5 ($369) or JL Audio G6600 ($359) brand new on eBay
DQXS = $420 (local Audiocontrol dealer)
SWS-8 (4 ohms if you get the PDX-5, 2 ohms if you get the G6600) = $220 (pair) http://www.caraudiocraze.com/subwoof.../prod_762.html
JL Audio wire to RCA cables = $26 (pair) http://www.shopatron.com/product/par...r=91803/1451.0

Total: $1035/$1025 plus tax, shipping and assorted RCA cables and wiring, and assuming that this will be a DIY installation.

The idea here is to allow you to get the most from your existing OEM speakers by improving everything else. You could change all your OEM speakers (including the underseat woofers) and spend the same or even more than $1000 (2 sets of either 4" Hybrid Audio, DLS or Morels components are some $600-$800 plus 2 SWS-8), and still you will be powering them with 20W per component and 40W max per SWS-8 and with the OEM EQ curve.

By using a DQXS you will be able to set your own EQ curves (after a DSP processing) front to back to underseat, left to right, independently from each other. Then amplify all these signals up to 600W RMS/1200W max...

You could start with a combo like this, try it for a while and then decide if the OEM 4" components got to go. You will have the rest of the audio equipment already installed...

You could get a RF 3SIXTY.2 instead of the DQXS and save some bucks, however I normally do not recommend the 3SIXTY.2 as I went thru 3 of them in less than a year. It seems that RF really improved these processors since 2008 (my units were 2006) so apparently they are much more reliable now. The main difference between the 3SIXTY.2 and the DQXS is that in the 3SIXTY.2 you can set time delays side to side, front to back.

I think that you will be more than satisfied with a setup like this for that budget.
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      06-26-2009, 07:40 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UdubBadger View Post
I guess the only thing that confuses me is he said I he has to rewire everything because stock stereo operates at 2 Ohm's but aftermarket runs at 4 Ohm's.

Is that right? Anyway around that?
Run - don't walk - RUN away. This guy is full of it.

Technic, you seriously think that the BMW amp is the SQ bottleneck for a non-L7 system?
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      06-26-2009, 08:00 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UdubBadger View Post
I guess the only thing that confuses me is he said I he has to rewire everything because stock stereo operates at 2 Ohm's but aftermarket runs at 4 Ohm's.

Is that right? Anyway around that?
I keep saying that, after 4 years in the market, average audio installers still do not know too much about the E9x 3 Series sound systems.

There's no need to "rewire" anything, I don't even know what that means in this context. You either get a 2 ohms stable amp to drive those 2 ohms speakers or you don't. And right now I would say that 100% of aftermarket amplifiers that really are worth something are 2 ohms stable.

For example, the two multichannel amps in my post above are 2 ohms stable. However, depending on which amp you choose is the wiring configuration:

PDX-5 = OEM components (2 ohms) driven by channels 1-4 directly and a pair of SWS-8 in 4 ohms wired in parallel driven by channel 5 (mono).

G6600 = OEM components (2 ohms) driven by channels 1-4 respectively and a pair of SWS-8 in 2 ohms driven by channel 5-6 respectively (stereo).

FYI: I'm in the final development and production of a custom harness to allow direct plug in interface with the main OEM amp connector in the trunk, so the OEM amp can be fully replaced while no OEM cables will have to be cut to add any aftermarket amp or processor to the OEM HiFi (non-Logic7) system. It will include a relay with fuse protection for the OEM remote turn on signal. It should be for sale in around 6 weeks for current 3- and 1-Series and the E46; this will greatly simplify the installation and thus considerably reduce the installation costs.
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      06-26-2009, 08:01 PM   #18
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hahaha thanks boys... I'm gonna give it all some thought.

I did some rough calculations and it seems the Alpine 4" S type's might fit... the bottom mount depth is just under 50mm. So maybe I'll throw those in the mix and just keep the OEM tweeters.

But what about all this 2 ohms to 4 ohms talk? I feel like I'm mixing and matching....
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      06-26-2009, 08:01 PM   #19
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ah wonderful... thanks for explaining that.
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      06-26-2009, 08:22 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by VP Electricity View Post
Run - don't walk - RUN away. This guy is full of it.

Technic, you seriously think that the BMW amp is the SQ bottleneck for a non-L7 system?
Yes... I think that this amp is a refresh of the E46 HK amp (they have the same connector and even look the same from the outside), made for a 6-channel output instead of the 8-channel as before. That E46 HK amp was rated at some 10% THD if I remember correctly.

So the only choices with this OEM amp are either loud or defined, not both. That's the reason the Individual Audio option -and in a lesser degree the Logic7- are better in achieving a pretty decent level of loudness and definition.

Any decent aftermarket amp can take care of the OEM amp SQ and SPL limitations as you should have noticed in your experience.
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      06-26-2009, 08:27 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UdubBadger View Post
hahaha thanks boys... I'm gonna give it all some thought.

I did some rough calculations and it seems the Alpine 4" S type's might fit... the bottom mount depth is just under 50mm. So maybe I'll throw those in the mix and just keep the OEM tweeters.

But what about all this 2 ohms to 4 ohms talk? I feel like I'm mixing and matching....
The OEM components are 2 ohms in impedance. Most of the aftermarket 4" components that you will find that fit the E9x are 4 ohms in impedance. Any aftermarket amp that is 2 ohms stable will handle as well 4 ohms loads, however the power output will be either reduced (the G6600) or even stay the same regardless of the load (PDX) when you go from 2 ohms to 4 ohms.

Just play around with what you think will work for you... the rest is frosting.
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      06-26-2009, 08:32 PM   #22
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i want to upgrade the speakers in my car but I don't have the logic 7 audio in my e92 just the regular who makes speakers to fit ? I don't think i even have the woofers under my seat can someone clarify thanks
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