Changing the whole sound system

youngjizzle · 11-29-2011, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

Did you get the radio manual someone posted a link to it the other day on here.

Radio manual at entry 3 in the following thread

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...t=radio+manual

nah i did not see it. thanks for everyone on this thread for helping me out on this it may seem annoying but I really want to get this sound system situated. i decided to get a six channel amp(probably the jl audio one) and use it for the front's, rear's, and woofers when i get them. i would like to get a 4 channel amp but that would mean i would need a separate 2 channel amp for the woofers right? i looked at all the speakers and woofers compatible thanks to ctuna and does anyone recommend any subs or speakers from those lists?

ctuna · 11-29-2011, 04:48 PM

To the overall sound unless you have surround sound.
VP at Musicar says "rear speakers are a communist plot"
I think he is right
Don't rush into this consider all the possibility's first.
Don't start buying stuff till you have a total plan.
If you are not going to do this yourself go see 6sp coupe try
to find some one who has a system and check it out .
people go with the SWS-8 if they like hip hop or a lot of bass if you want a full range system with tight accurate bass but not
boomy bass the Jehnerts are what you want.

youngjizzle · 11-29-2011, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

To the overall sound unless you have surround sound.
VP at Musicar says "rear speakers are a communist plot"
I think he is right
Don't rush into this consider all the possibility's first.
Don't start buying stuff till you have a total plan.
If you are not going to do this yourself go see 6sp coupe try
to find some one who has a system and check it out .
people go with the SWS-8 if they like hip hop or a lot of bass if you want a full range system with tight accurate bass but not
boomy bass the Jehnerts are what you want.

I think I got it. I do listen to hip hop a lot and I was leaning towards the sw8's anyway so more than likely go with that. What VP kit are you talking about? Where can I get it from and how hard you think is the difficulty to hook the subs under the seat up to the new amp? I'm thinking of doing that first

bimmer757 · 11-29-2011, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngjizzle

I am a totally noob so please bare with me. Last Friday I finally got my 08 328xi and I love it. There's not too many things I wanna change with it but one thing I am really big on is sound. I want to change the sound system but I wanna keep the stock look. My questions to you guys are is there a way I can change the sound system while keeping the factory radio? Also, can someone tell me about the speaker sizes and how can I change the sizes. I have looked around in this forum and haven't really found anything helpful. I really do not understand anything about car audio at all except that I like good sound lol so lamer terms would be the best. thanks

I got a 2007 328i for getting good grades last jan. and decided for this year's senior project that i would upgrade the sound..I'm not worried about the whole thing being easy and crazy expensive, so i've disregarded bav. audio and stuff like that. I recently got alpine euro 5 1/4 coaxial speakers for up front, and I'm about to buy a pair for my rear. (I have a sedan) The rear deck will have the grilles lifted, tweeter/component removed, and replaced with 6.5 coaxials. I removed the underseat subs, as i have a 15" type r in the trunk. I'll soon be purchasing either earthquakes or some other good shallow mount that will be powered by a four channel plus two other channels for the rear deck, along with another four channel for the coaxial 5 1/4's and a 2000 watt for my sub. I have a good amount of work ahead of me. All of these amps will be connected via a clean sweep to the factory headunit.

does that help at all?

ctuna · 11-29-2011, 09:19 PM

There are two links to the MusicarNW Site .
The skills you should have to do this .
Some ability to wrench on cars.
The ability to use a Volt/ohm meter.
set up a home stereo system and understand what you are doing
the ability to work logically and patiently , and plan out your actions.

Musicar can some times suggest and installer in your area
that will do there kits if you don't want to DIY

In my opinion the subs are easier than the doors.

B-737 · 11-29-2011, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

There are two links to the MusicarNW Site .
The skills you should have to do this .
Some ability to wrench on cars.
The ability to use a Volt/ohm meter.
set up a home stereo system and understand what you are doing
the ability to work logically and patiently , and plan out your actions.

Tools...
proper trim removal tools
torx set
drivers
metric set
...the install will prob span a day or two so a garage would be very convenient

youngjizzle · 11-29-2011, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bimmer757

I got a 2007 328i for getting good grades last jan. and decided for this year's senior project that i would upgrade the sound..I'm not worried about the whole thing being easy and crazy expensive, so i've disregarded bav. audio and stuff like that. I recently got alpine euro 5 1/4 coaxial speakers for up front, and I'm about to buy a pair for my rear. (I have a sedan) The rear deck will have the grilles lifted, tweeter/component removed, and replaced with 6.5 coaxials. I removed the underseat subs, as i have a 15" type r in the trunk. I'll soon be purchasing either earthquakes or some other good shallow mount that will be powered by a four channel plus two other channels for the rear deck, along with another four channel for the coaxial 5 1/4's and a 2000 watt for my sub. I have a good amount of work ahead of me. All of these amps will be connected via a clean sweep to the factory headunit.

does that help at all?

how do you like the alpines in the front?? im still lost on what kind of speakers i want

youngjizzle · 11-29-2011, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

There are two links to the MusicarNW Site .
The skills you should have to do this .
Some ability to wrench on cars.
The ability to use a Volt/ohm meter.
set up a home stereo system and understand what you are doing
the ability to work logically and patiently , and plan out your actions.

Musicar can some times suggest and installer in your area
that will do there kits if you don't want to DIY

In my opinion the subs are easier than the doors.

damn is it really that hard? i will have see how or who can install it. labor is always a problem lol

ctuna · 11-29-2011, 10:49 PM

http://bavariansoundwerks.com/produc...dan_Logic7.pdf

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/47031/BMW%2...%20-%20PDF.pdf
You can have it look stock with the proper spacers the above is just
and example to show access to the underseats.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=540446

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...light=speakers

These will give you an idea of the difficulty.

Since I have no idea of what your abilities are I don't want to send you down the wrong path.

It not that difficult but you have to have some basic skills an aptitude for
this kind of stuff. Well nothing is difficult if you know how to do it but
first times can some times be a bitch. I went real slow on mine and I have a background in electronics repair.

Musicar may have trusted installers in you area.

dmatre · 11-30-2011, 05:20 AM

To be honest, if you already have the right tools (trim removal tools, torx sockets for seat mounts, etc) then the install is very straight-forward and easy. If you don't have the right tools, don't even start. The trim removal tools are available from Harbor Freight for around $10. The Torx socket set is available there as well (if needed).

There are plenty of DIYs for exchanging door speakers and underseats, which guide you step-by-step through the door panel removal, speaker exchange, and door panel re-installation. Underseats are covered as well - I would recommend NOT removing the seats from the car, but simply unmount them, and lean them back to gain access to the underseat speakers. This way, you don't risk damaging the seats or the door trim during the removal process.

I was originally going to purchase from MusicarNW and have a local installer put it in, but after I saw that everything was pre-set, and pre-wired, with all factory connectors; I decided to give it a shot myself.

After studying the DIYs for a couple of days, I started on Friday after dinner, and worked until 10:00pm (approx. 3 hours). In this time I exchanged both doors and the amp. Saturday morning only required another 2 hours to do the underseats. Then it took a couple of days of tinkering with the gains for each channel pair to get the system tuned in. (not continuous working, but make an adjustment, evaluate it for a couple of trips, then tune it a bit more).

In terms of difficulty (1-10), I would rate it a 5 or 6. There's nothing there that requires special know-how - only special tools. If you take your time, work slowly, and THINK before you act, you can save yourself about $700 (estimated install cost) - or apply this to an upgrade to get an even better system.

youngjizzle · 11-30-2011, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmatre

To be honest, if you already have the right tools (trim removal tools, torx sockets for seat mounts, etc) then the install is very straight-forward and easy. If you don't have the right tools, don't even start. The trim removal tools are available from Harbor Freight for around $10. The Torx socket set is available there as well (if needed).

There are plenty of DIYs for exchanging door speakers and underseats, which guide you step-by-step through the door panel removal, speaker exchange, and door panel re-installation. Underseats are covered as well - I would recommend NOT removing the seats from the car, but simply unmount them, and lean them back to gain access to the underseat speakers. This way, you don't risk damaging the seats or the door trim during the removal process.

I was originally going to purchase from MusicarNW and have a local installer put it in, but after I saw that everything was pre-set, and pre-wired, with all factory connectors; I decided to give it a shot myself.

After studying the DIYs for a couple of days, I started on Friday after dinner, and worked until 10:00pm (approx. 3 hours). In this time I exchanged both doors and the amp. Saturday morning only required another 2 hours to do the underseats. Then it took a couple of days of tinkering with the gains for each channel pair to get the system tuned in. (not continuous working, but make an adjustment, evaluate it for a couple of trips, then tune it a bit more).

In terms of difficulty (1-10), I would rate it a 5 or 6. There's nothing there that requires special know-how - only special tools. If you take your time, work slowly, and THINK before you act, you can save yourself about $700 (estimated install cost) - or apply this to an upgrade to get an even better system.

Taking the doors and speakers out isnt the problem. The wiring is what I'm really concerned about because I do not want to mess anything up electrical. Watching the videos and DIY's and experience from previous cars removing door panels isn't too hard. I just want to get a speaker/subs that fit without me having to cut or adjust anything and wire it correctly.

ctuna · 11-30-2011, 12:51 PM

Its as close to plug and play as you can get .
The amp JL xd fits in the stock location they provide and amp
mount. It looks totaly stock they will give you tech support if you need
it . The amp is preadjusted for the speakers that come with it.
They have a selection of Hi Quality components for you to select
from so its not a fixed kit.
When you get in touch with them they will ask you what you listen
to and make suggestion they will also lay out a description of the various
levels of systems that are possible.
You won't have to mess with the wiring at all accept to run power lines to the battery
from the amp. Everything else is on factory connectors where necessary.
I can send you more helpful DIY's when you decide what you want to do.

They won't sell you anything that isn't a direct fit or doesn't sound good.
You will have an eargasm.

You can see VP's comments at the end of the current BSW thread.
Its a good description of what they do.

dmatre · 11-30-2011, 03:41 PM

+1 for MusicarNW kit.

It was only after I saw that EVERYTHING was pre-wired, pre-terminated, and pre-set, that I thought that I would attempt to tackle the installation myself.

Ken had already recommended a quality install place for me to get the work done, and I was planning to go that route until I saw that all I was doing was mounting.... all of the wiring was already done. It's completely plug & play.

youngjizzle · 11-30-2011, 11:40 PM

So the only kit I need to get is from musicarnw and everything else is plug and play right

dmatre · 12-01-2011, 06:59 AM

Precisely.

ctuna · 12-01-2011, 10:48 AM

I put a little soundeadner in the door.

Its probably not absolutely needed but as long as it was off
I thought it was a good idea.
I would buy some Velcro to.
plus pry Tools and Torx Drivers
A cheap hot glue gun for additional tacking on the tweeters
and sealing the hole where the woofer wire comes through the spacer

http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi
For soundeadner and Industrial strength Velcro.

You won't need wire cutters ,except for stripping a little insulation of the power cables,
or crimpers with the VP Kit.
All the wires are pre wired to the technic harness they go into a single connector
in the harness you just throw the lever plug in connector put lever back run the power wires and your done.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ght=door+wires

Do not unplug the seat connector or take the seat out no need to do this.
If you unplug the seat it will cause and air bag error that will need to be reset
by the dealer and Indy with a programmer a Bav Tool or a coding setup from the
coding board.

mathematics · 12-02-2011, 08:16 AM

Don from Unexpected Creations and I (I did some minor things like sub mount and wire routing), did the system in my car. I live near Edison, NJ, now, which is by him, but I am in Queens on the weekends if you want to meet up and hear/see it.

ctuna · 12-02-2011, 11:54 AM

Did you mount your old Head Unit in the trunk to avoid the typical
Head Unit problems. If you did not how are you handling those ?

bimmer757 · 12-04-2011, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngjizzle

how do you like the alpines in the front?? im still lost on what kind of speakers i want

love the alpines even with just the stock amp for now. Ill be upgrading the amp soon obviously, most likely when christmas rolls around, and ill get back to you on how they sound amped with 3 times as much wattage as before

youngjizzle · 12-06-2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mathematics

Don from Unexpected Creations and I (I did some minor things like sub mount and wire routing), did the system in my car. I live near Edison, NJ, now, which is by him, but I am in Queens on the weekends if you want to meet up and hear/see it.

yeah definitely i would love to hear it before i buy anything. ill shoot you w/ a dm

youngjizzle · 12-06-2011, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bimmer757

love the alpines even with just the stock amp for now. Ill be upgrading the amp soon obviously, most likely when christmas rolls around, and ill get back to you on how they sound amped with 3 times as much wattage as before

yeah bro let me know cause ill probably be purchasing speakers with some Christmas money from relatives

. in my e46 i never really got to put the system i wanted in it because i knew i was gonna get an another car. i wanna go all out this time

mathematics · 12-28-2011, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

Did you mount your old Head Unit in the trunk to avoid the typical
Head Unit problems. If you did not how are you handling those ?

did not mount old HU in trunk. the only problem is not being able to reset the tire pressure monitor, so i have a triangle warning with the exclamation point in the cluster. other than that, no issues or problems.

11-29-2011, 04:48 PM	#24
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	The rear speakers do not contribute that much To the overall sound unless you have surround sound. VP at Musicar says "rear speakers are a communist plot" I think he is right Don't rush into this consider all the possibility's first. Don't start buying stuff till you have a total plan. If you are not going to do this yourself go see 6sp coupe try to find some one who has a system and check it out . people go with the SWS-8 if they like hip hop or a lot of bass if you want a full range system with tight accurate bass but not boomy bass the Jehnerts are what you want. Last edited by ctuna; 11-29-2011 at 04:54 PM..
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11-29-2011, 09:19 PM	#27
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	Go back to the post 2 in this thread There are two links to the MusicarNW Site . The skills you should have to do this . Some ability to wrench on cars. The ability to use a Volt/ohm meter. set up a home stereo system and understand what you are doing the ability to work logically and patiently , and plan out your actions. Musicar can some times suggest and installer in your area that will do there kits if you don't want to DIY In my opinion the subs are easier than the doors.
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11-29-2011, 10:49 PM	#31
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	FYI http://bavariansoundwerks.com/produc...dan_Logic7.pdf https://dl.dropbox.com/u/47031/BMW%2...%20-%20PDF.pdf You can have it look stock with the proper spacers the above is just and example to show access to the underseats. http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=540446 http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...light=speakers These will give you an idea of the difficulty. Since I have no idea of what your abilities are I don't want to send you down the wrong path. It not that difficult but you have to have some basic skills an aptitude for this kind of stuff. Well nothing is difficult if you know how to do it but first times can some times be a bitch. I went real slow on mine and I have a background in electronics repair. Musicar may have trusted installers in you area. Last edited by ctuna; 11-29-2011 at 11:04 PM..
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11-30-2011, 05:20 AM	#32
dmatre Captain 665 Rep 740 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Sedan Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: The Carolinas iTrader: (0)	To be honest, if you already have the right tools (trim removal tools, torx sockets for seat mounts, etc) then the install is very straight-forward and easy. If you don't have the right tools, don't even start. The trim removal tools are available from Harbor Freight for around $10. The Torx socket set is available there as well (if needed). There are plenty of DIYs for exchanging door speakers and underseats, which guide you step-by-step through the door panel removal, speaker exchange, and door panel re-installation. Underseats are covered as well - I would recommend NOT removing the seats from the car, but simply unmount them, and lean them back to gain access to the underseat speakers. This way, you don't risk damaging the seats or the door trim during the removal process. I was originally going to purchase from MusicarNW and have a local installer put it in, but after I saw that everything was pre-set, and pre-wired, with all factory connectors; I decided to give it a shot myself. After studying the DIYs for a couple of days, I started on Friday after dinner, and worked until 10:00pm (approx. 3 hours). In this time I exchanged both doors and the amp. Saturday morning only required another 2 hours to do the underseats. Then it took a couple of days of tinkering with the gains for each channel pair to get the system tuned in. (not continuous working, but make an adjustment, evaluate it for a couple of trips, then tune it a bit more). In terms of difficulty (1-10), I would rate it a 5 or 6. There's nothing there that requires special know-how - only special tools. If you take your time, work slowly, and THINK before you act, you can save yourself about $700 (estimated install cost) - or apply this to an upgrade to get an even better system.
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11-30-2011, 12:51 PM	#34
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	Then the musicar kit is the solution Its as close to plug and play as you can get . The amp JL xd fits in the stock location they provide and amp mount. It looks totaly stock they will give you tech support if you need it . The amp is preadjusted for the speakers that come with it. They have a selection of Hi Quality components for you to select from so its not a fixed kit. When you get in touch with them they will ask you what you listen to and make suggestion they will also lay out a description of the various levels of systems that are possible. You won't have to mess with the wiring at all accept to run power lines to the battery from the amp. Everything else is on factory connectors where necessary. I can send you more helpful DIY's when you decide what you want to do. They won't sell you anything that isn't a direct fit or doesn't sound good. You will have an eargasm. You can see VP's comments at the end of the current BSW thread. Its a good description of what they do. Last edited by ctuna; 11-30-2011 at 01:30 PM..
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11-30-2011, 03:41 PM	#35
dmatre Captain 665 Rep 740 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Sedan Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: The Carolinas iTrader: (0)	+1 for MusicarNW kit. It was only after I saw that EVERYTHING was pre-wired, pre-terminated, and pre-set, that I thought that I would attempt to tackle the installation myself. Ken had already recommended a quality install place for me to get the work done, and I was planning to go that route until I saw that all I was doing was mounting.... all of the wiring was already done. It's completely plug & play.
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11-30-2011, 11:40 PM	#36
youngjizzle Enlisted Member 6 Rep 34 Posts Drives: 08 135i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Queens, NY iTrader: (0)	So the only kit I need to get is from musicarnw and everything else is plug and play right
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12-01-2011, 06:59 AM	#37
dmatre Captain 665 Rep 740 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Sedan Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: The Carolinas iTrader: (0)	Precisely.
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12-01-2011, 10:48 AM	#38
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	You might want to get a little soundeadner I put a little soundeadner in the door. Its probably not absolutely needed but as long as it was off I thought it was a good idea. I would buy some Velcro to. plus pry Tools and Torx Drivers A cheap hot glue gun for additional tacking on the tweeters and sealing the hole where the woofer wire comes through the spacer http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi For soundeadner and Industrial strength Velcro. You won't need wire cutters ,except for stripping a little insulation of the power cables, or crimpers with the VP Kit. All the wires are pre wired to the technic harness they go into a single connector in the harness you just throw the lever plug in connector put lever back run the power wires and your done. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ght=door+wires Do not unplug the seat connector or take the seat out no need to do this. If you unplug the seat it will cause and air bag error that will need to be reset by the dealer and Indy with a programmer a Bav Tool or a coding setup from the coding board. Last edited by ctuna; 12-01-2011 at 11:24 AM..
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12-02-2011, 08:16 AM	#39
mathematics Captain 69 Rep 994 Posts Drives: 08 328i e93 alpine white Join Date: May 2009 Location: Queens, NY iTrader: (0)	Don from Unexpected Creations and I (I did some minor things like sub mount and wire routing), did the system in my car. I live near Edison, NJ, now, which is by him, but I am in Queens on the weekends if you want to meet up and hear/see it. __________________ iPhone 6 Plus (iTunes library/iTunes radio/Waze, etc) to Airport Express via AirPlay. Toslink out of Airport Express to Helix P-Six DSP. PHD AF 1.C tweeters, PHD FB 4.1 midranges. Jehnert Door Cards and mid-bass'.
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12-02-2011, 11:54 AM	#40
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	mathmatics Head Unit ? Did you mount your old Head Unit in the trunk to avoid the typical Head Unit problems. If you did not how are you handling those ?
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