Need suggestions to upgrade the "Professional" system.

chuson · 02-18-2011, 01:48 AM

Hi everyone, first time posting in the audio section. I'm driving the Canadian LCI 328xdrive with "Professional" audio, it has 2 tweeter in front, 2 speaker in the front door, I guess 2 sub under the front seats, and 2 speaker in the real panel.

I have done alot of researches on e90 forum and read as many post as possible, but, I still need some opinions as some of you are expert!

From the info I gathered...
1. The original paper cone speaker sucks, so replacement is needed.
2. The OEM head-unit is weak, only supply 15W to 4 channel is that right? So it has to change or add an amp to power up the new speakers.

My requirement:
I don't need any fancy speaker that cost $500 each, and I don't need the subs to shake the car next to me @ the traffic light. All I want is a balance audio system that is better than my previous Acura TSX. What is the cheapest, YES, cheapest way to upgrade to fulfill my requirement? Currently my bass is flat, some mid, and high keeps chipping. I've tried various EQ settings, check my MP3 quality but I have narrow it down it's the BMW sound system that contribute to this poor result.

I tried to search for package (speakers+amp+ or subs) online but no luck, and I want to do it right the first time with lowest budget as possible.

I need some basic direction, throw me a few key words and I will go look for it online. If you did tons of research before, and have something to recommend, please give the brand model#/and price.

Thanks!!

1QuikWS6 · 02-18-2011, 03:00 AM

Don't exactly know what your 'Professional' system is equal to, but I have the Hi-Fi system in my E92:

Front door tweeters & mids
Rear sail tweeters & mids
Underseat woofers
Factory Amp

I replaced the factory amp with a JL Audio XD600/6, 'Technic' amp PnP wiring harness, SWS-8xi 2ohm subs, 'jtsherri' sub spacer kit - left all other factory speakers alone.

Just the addition of the 600W amp (100W/channel) made a hell of a difference in sound for the better.

I'm sure that aftermarket speakers to replace the door & sail units would sound even better, but with an E92, front door space is minimal and there are very few speakers that will fit without modifications - and they are all very expensive...

With an E90 you will not have the fitment issue so there are many available choices.

VP Electricity · 02-18-2011, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1QuikWS6

front door space is minimal and there are very few speakers that will fit without modifications - and they are all very expensive...

See? I learned another thing!

What's "very expensive" in this case?

OP, if you shoot me an email off of our website, I will send you a document about the various OEM systems and how to be certain which you have, and some specifics about what upgrades we do.

BTW, I was El Duderino on Acurazine, and have upgraded a lot of TSXs

ctuna · 02-18-2011, 12:30 PM

If you have tweeter in the door sills
You most likely have the HI Fi system check against this PDF

http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...2&d=1266451970

If you do things will be easier for you .

Also check for the Hi Fi amp in the rear left section of the trunk under the
tool kit area .

you should have mentioned the model year of the car also
to be clear

1QuikWS6 · 02-18-2011, 03:19 PM

See? I learned another thing!

What's "very expensive" in this case?

Personally, paying $600 for a set of component speakers is too much. I can afford it - I just choose to spend my $$ elsewhere...

If you can sell me a set of component speakers, better than factory, that I don't have to hack up the door panels or cut the grilles, for between $200-$300 - then I'd be interested.

I spent total of $680 for the amp ($340), subs ($199), Technic Harness ($100), & jtsherri sub spacers ($40). The sound is much better than factory (to my untrained ears) & I'm happy with it.

I'm not looking to win any audiophile contests - just wanted something a bit better.

Now I wouldn't hesitate to spend $$ on items such as M-Tech Front/Rear, M3 Side Skirts, and a set of quality wheels, tuning, performance exhaust, suspension - but that's just where I like to spend the $$

chuson · 02-18-2011, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VP Electricity

BTW, I was El Duderino on Acurazine, and have upgraded a lot of TSXs

I was also on Acurazine too with the same username, and you are one of the vendor on audio section right? I've seen your custom enclosure for subs before, very nicely done. I have moved on to TSXClub long ago since too many fanboys and stupid comments on AZ haha...

I will shoot you an e-mail soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

If you have tweeter in the door sills
You most likely have the HI Fi system check against this PDF

Also check for the Hi Fi amp in the rear left section of the trunk under the
tool kit area .

you should have mentioned the model year of the car also
to be clear

Thanks for the post. Like I've said previously I've done research and read this document already, however none of them match. I have the 2009 model (Canadian) so it might be different than the US. I saw the tweeter grill, and I hear sound coming out from it as well. Yet I don't have or can't see any rear tweeter mentioned as in the "Hi-Fi" diagram. Therefore I'm confused.

I will check if I have an amp @ the trunk later tonight.

chuson · 02-18-2011, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1QuikWS6

I replaced the factory amp with a JL Audio XD600/6, 'Technic' amp PnP wiring harness, SWS-8xi 2ohm subs, 'jtsherri' sub spacer kit - left all other factory speakers alone.

Just the addition of the 600W amp (100W/channel) made a hell of a difference in sound for the better.

With an E90 you will not have the fitment issue so there are many available choices.

Thanks. I don't think my E90 came with an amp I have to check on that. But the stock speaker is fine? There were so many distortion and chipping on high notes they are like dying on my car haha. It's a shame to put on loud music when friends are riding with me ...

chuson · 02-18-2011, 03:48 PM

Leased the car in early Feb 2010, so I'm wonder if that is 2009 or 2010 model ...

ctuna · 02-18-2011, 05:51 PM

kind of confusing 2010 stereo had no tweeters in the US thats how you recognized it also it wasn't suppose to have tweeters world wide in any year according to many posts here and that PDF

don't you have the paperwork that tells you what you got?

where exactly are your tweeters located the common position is right next
to the rearview mirrors.

chuson · 02-21-2011, 02:51 AM

As VP Electricity suggested, I pulled the rear driver tray @ the trunk and see a black amp there, now I'm more disappointed. WTF is wrong w/ BMW audio.

I got some questions.

For the door speaker, should I get those 5" 1/4 component speaker or 5" 1/4 speaker + tweeter (if so what size)?

How deep is the door mount? Do I need "shallow mount" speaker or I can use regular speaker? I saw some JL C2-525 and Kicker 10CVT652 (shallow mount) sub and wonder if it will fit.

janishjann · 02-21-2011, 10:37 AM

thnks for ths information ths information helped me a lot...

ctuna · 02-21-2011, 11:31 AM

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=365866

Its only 25 watts peak a channel into 2 ohms with cheap speakers however
you should be thankful because that system is a lot easier to modify.
Why it already has wiring that goes to the trunk the head unit has flat low level signals for a aftermarket amp. You already have tweeter in the doors also which you wouldn't with the base system. Imagine how bad that would sound.

If you want to modify it with the least amount of trouble I would go through VP for a kit.

Technic · 02-21-2011, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuson

Leased the car in early Feb 2010, so I'm wonder if that is 2009 or 2010 model ...

- DLS PS4 A in the fronts
- Vibe Slick 4 rears
- SWS-8Xi woofers
- JL Audio 600/6 amp
- HiFi harness, OEM speaker/woofer connectors, SWS-8 spacers and amp power cable kit

That should be some $950 -I can provide the harness and the install interfaces, the rest is available on eBay or Sonic Electronix. PnP, no OEM wires to cut, 100% reversible.

chuson · 02-21-2011, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=365866

Its only 25 watts peak a channel into 2 ohms with cheap speakers however
you should be thankful because that system is a lot easier to modify.
Why it already has wiring that goes to the trunk the head unit has flat low level signals for a aftermarket amp. You already have tweeter in the doors also which you wouldn't with the base system. Imagine how bad that would sound.

If you want to modify it with the least amount of trouble I would go through VP for a kit.

Quick question...

Most aftermarket speakers are 4 ohms or 8 ohms, does that means it is not compatible with stock amp (let say if I keep the stock amp)? In this case I know the speaker will not sound as their potential but will it be really bad?

Is our rear deck speaker 6X9"? Does people usually run component speaker with crossover setup or just regular speaker?

chuson · 02-21-2011, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technic

- DLS PS4 A in the fronts
- Vibe Slick 4 rears
- SWS-8Xi woofers
- JL Audio 600/6 amp
- HiFi harness, OEM speaker/woofer connectors, SWS-8 spacers and amp power cable kit

That should be some $950 -I can provide the harness and the install interfaces, the rest is available on eBay or Sonic Electronix. PnP, no OEM wires to cut, 100% reversible.

Hi Technic,

How much is the HiFi harness, OEM speaker/woofer connectors (I thought all speaker/sub are PnP), SWS-8 spacers (what other shallow sub will fit there other than SWS-8), and amp power cable kit??

Another question is, will the audio system benefits from the JL 6 channel amp? I was thinking about 5 channel amp, 4 channel for speaker and 1 for sub??

I'm noobs in audio correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks.

Technic · 02-21-2011, 09:33 PM

The OEM amp that you will be replacing is a 6-channel amp. Either you use a 5-channel or a 6-channel replacement, the difference is running the underseat woofers either in mono or in stereo. You may or may not notice the difference. For a trunk sub you will need another amp.

The SWS-8 is fundamentally an "extended" range subwoofer, with some midbass capabilities. Any other shallow woofer that fit without too much modification but with custom spacers in the OEM enclosure are midbass woofers: SSMB8, W200 X-Plain, ADMW9, Jehnert XE200, AudioSystem X-ION 200.

The main reason of the XD600/6 in particular is that it is the only 6-channel amp that I know of that's basically a direct replacement for the OEM amp with the HiFi harness. Nothing extra is needed between the harness and this amp.

Please PM to discuss pricing of the interface parts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuson

Hi Technic,

How much is the HiFi harness, OEM speaker/woofer connectors (I thought all speaker/sub are PnP), SWS-8 spacers (what other shallow sub will fit there other than SWS-8), and amp power cable kit??

Another question is, will the audio system benefits from the JL 6 channel amp? I was thinking about 5 channel amp, 4 channel for speaker and 1 for sub??

I'm noobs in audio correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks.

chuson · 02-22-2011, 07:18 PM

Hi Technic, what's the diff b/w mono/stereo setting on the underseat woofers, can you describe?

I see someone is selling a Logic 7 amp on the "Audio Market" section, is it a direct replacement to my "black - 180W" amp? Will I see any improvement if I pair that with the stock speaker since Sub WATT increase from 40W to 70W and speaker WATT increase from 25W to 40W? (I know aftermarket speaker will still be needed for overall improvement). What is a reasonable price to offer this amp?

02-18-2011, 01:48 AM	#1
chuson New Member 1 Rep 27 Posts Drives: 328xi Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Need suggestions to upgrade the "Professional" system. Hi everyone, first time posting in the audio section. I'm driving the Canadian LCI 328xdrive with "Professional" audio, it has 2 tweeter in front, 2 speaker in the front door, I guess 2 sub under the front seats, and 2 speaker in the real panel. I have done alot of researches on e90 forum and read as many post as possible, but, I still need some opinions as some of you are expert! From the info I gathered... 1. The original paper cone speaker sucks, so replacement is needed. 2. The OEM head-unit is weak, only supply 15W to 4 channel is that right? So it has to change or add an amp to power up the new speakers. My requirement: I don't need any fancy speaker that cost $500 each, and I don't need the subs to shake the car next to me @ the traffic light. All I want is a balance audio system that is better than my previous Acura TSX. What is the cheapest, YES, cheapest way to upgrade to fulfill my requirement? Currently my bass is flat, some mid, and high keeps chipping. I've tried various EQ settings, check my MP3 quality but I have narrow it down it's the BMW sound system that contribute to this poor result. I tried to search for package (speakers+amp+ or subs) online but no luck, and I want to do it right the first time with lowest budget as possible. I need some basic direction, throw me a few key words and I will go look for it online. If you did tons of research before, and have something to recommend, please give the brand model#/and price. Thanks!!
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02-18-2011, 03:00 AM	#2
1QuikWS6 No 55mph 1619 Rep 8,476 Posts Drives: F32 435ix MSport Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Blitzburgh, PA iTrader: (113) Garage List 2022 BMW M440ix Vert [0.00] 2015 BMW 435ix MSport [0.00] 2000 Pontiac Trans Am [0.00]	Don't exactly know what your 'Professional' system is equal to, but I have the Hi-Fi system in my E92: Front door tweeters & mids Rear sail tweeters & mids Underseat woofers Factory Amp I replaced the factory amp with a JL Audio XD600/6, 'Technic' amp PnP wiring harness, SWS-8xi 2ohm subs, 'jtsherri' sub spacer kit - left all other factory speakers alone. Just the addition of the 600W amp (100W/channel) made a hell of a difference in sound for the better. I'm sure that aftermarket speakers to replace the door & sail units would sound even better, but with an E92, front door space is minimal and there are very few speakers that will fit without modifications - and they are all very expensive... With an E90 you will not have the fitment issue so there are many available choices. __________________ F32 435ix//MGM//M Sport-Prem-Tech-Driver Assist-Lighting-Cold Weather-Dyn Handling Pkgs//M4 Black Lthr Int w/M4 Alum Blade Trim//HK w/Bavsound Stg3//763M//M4 Euro LCI Tails//M4 Mirrors w/CF Covers//AWCarbon CF F/R Spoilers-Side Splitters-Diffuser 6WB/ID6 HU+HUD/IND M4 Alcantara Armrest//PURE S2 Turbo//AA FMIC+DP//ER CP+TIC//3.5bar TMAP/TS DV//AWE Tuning Exh w/Blk Tips//Turner MS CF Intake//BM3 Cary Jordan Tune//MPerf Diff//PrecRW Ignition Kit
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02-18-2011, 12:30 PM	#4
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,102 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	If you have tweeter in the door sills If you have tweeter in the door sills You most likely have the HI Fi system check against this PDF http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...2&d=1266451970 If you do things will be easier for you . Also check for the Hi Fi amp in the rear left section of the trunk under the tool kit area . you should have mentioned the model year of the car also to be clear Last edited by ctuna; 02-18-2011 at 12:39 PM..
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02-18-2011, 03:19 PM	#5
1QuikWS6 No 55mph 1619 Rep 8,476 Posts Drives: F32 435ix MSport Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Blitzburgh, PA iTrader: (113) Garage List 2022 BMW M440ix Vert [0.00] 2015 BMW 435ix MSport [0.00] 2000 Pontiac Trans Am [0.00]	See? I learned another thing! What's "very expensive" in this case? Personally, paying $600 for a set of component speakers is too much. I can afford it - I just choose to spend my $$ elsewhere... If you can sell me a set of component speakers, better than factory, that I don't have to hack up the door panels or cut the grilles, for between $200-$300 - then I'd be interested. I spent total of $680 for the amp ($340), subs ($199), Technic Harness ($100), & jtsherri sub spacers ($40). The sound is much better than factory (to my untrained ears) & I'm happy with it. I'm not looking to win any audiophile contests - just wanted something a bit better. Now I wouldn't hesitate to spend $$ on items such as M-Tech Front/Rear, M3 Side Skirts, and a set of quality wheels, tuning, performance exhaust, suspension - but that's just where I like to spend the $$ __________________ F32 435ix//MGM//M Sport-Prem-Tech-Driver Assist-Lighting-Cold Weather-Dyn Handling Pkgs//M4 Black Lthr Int w/M4 Alum Blade Trim//HK w/Bavsound Stg3//763M//M4 Euro LCI Tails//M4 Mirrors w/CF Covers//AWCarbon CF F/R Spoilers-Side Splitters-Diffuser 6WB/ID6 HU+HUD/IND M4 Alcantara Armrest//PURE S2 Turbo//AA FMIC+DP//ER CP+TIC//3.5bar TMAP/TS DV//AWE Tuning Exh w/Blk Tips//Turner MS CF Intake//BM3 Cary Jordan Tune//MPerf Diff//PrecRW Ignition Kit Last edited by 1QuikWS6; 02-18-2011 at 03:26 PM..
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02-18-2011, 03:48 PM	#8
chuson New Member 1 Rep 27 Posts Drives: 328xi Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Leased the car in early Feb 2010, so I'm wonder if that is 2009 or 2010 model ...
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02-18-2011, 05:51 PM	#9
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,102 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	kind of confusing 2010 stereo had no tweeters in US kind of confusing 2010 stereo had no tweeters in the US thats how you recognized it also it wasn't suppose to have tweeters world wide in any year according to many posts here and that PDF don't you have the paperwork that tells you what you got? where exactly are your tweeters located the common position is right next to the rearview mirrors.
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02-21-2011, 02:51 AM	#10
chuson New Member 1 Rep 27 Posts Drives: 328xi Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	As VP Electricity suggested, I pulled the rear driver tray @ the trunk and see a black amp there, now I'm more disappointed. WTF is wrong w/ BMW audio. I got some questions. For the door speaker, should I get those 5" 1/4 component speaker or 5" 1/4 speaker + tweeter (if so what size)? How deep is the door mount? Do I need "shallow mount" speaker or I can use regular speaker? I saw some JL C2-525 and Kicker 10CVT652 (shallow mount) sub and wonder if it will fit.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-21-2011, 10:37 AM	#11
janishjann New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: e46 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: folsom iTrader: (0)	thnks for ths information ths information helped me a lot... __________________ BMW Transmission Online
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02-21-2011, 11:31 AM	#12
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,102 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	FYI http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=365866 Its only 25 watts peak a channel into 2 ohms with cheap speakers however you should be thankful because that system is a lot easier to modify. Why it already has wiring that goes to the trunk the head unit has flat low level signals for a aftermarket amp. You already have tweeter in the doors also which you wouldn't with the base system. Imagine how bad that would sound. If you want to modify it with the least amount of trouble I would go through VP for a kit. Last edited by ctuna; 02-21-2011 at 11:43 AM..
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02-22-2011, 07:18 PM	#17
chuson New Member 1 Rep 27 Posts Drives: 328xi Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	Hi Technic, what's the diff b/w mono/stereo setting on the underseat woofers, can you describe? I see someone is selling a Logic 7 amp on the "Audio Market" section, is it a direct replacement to my "black - 180W" amp? Will I see any improvement if I pair that with the stock speaker since Sub WATT increase from 40W to 70W and speaker WATT increase from 25W to 40W? (I know aftermarket speaker will still be needed for overall improvement). What is a reasonable price to offer this amp?
	Appreciate 0 Quote