Quote:
Originally Posted by adrianBMW99
I know this has been discussed like a 1000 times before but as we all know the base stereo sucks miserably. I have an early 2011 build e90 which has the Base Stereo (completely inappropriate for a 50K car). Not only do the speakers pop when turned up, the overall sound quality is horrendous. I was wondering, are there any within reason ~$500 upgrades available for me to make this stereo considerably better (which probably won't take much  !). I know I don't want to replace the head, so maybe an amp, speakers/tweeter combo and head reprogram of some sort. Note: Upgrades need not be BMW OEM but I would prefer to keep stock speaker look and would prefer no drilling if it meant adding speakers on the inside of my mirrors (where the HIFI speakers would normally be). Does anyone make speakers outside of HK/BMW that would nicely fit in that location?
Thank You |
The problem with your system is that it has a nasty EQ curve in the front OEM HU outputs. If you replace the front full range speaker with components you will notice an exagerated emphasis in the highs -made by design as there is no tweeters in your system.
This means that any decent aftermarket upgrade to your system will require a DSP processor to normalize that OEM EQ curve. That will add at least $200 to your total budget (Cleansweep).
You can try the OEM Alpine upgrade (amp, pair of OEM Logic7 speakers, harness) which is made specifically for this system for $500 or so, installation extra. That keeps the OEM woofer and the rear speakers in place and
may keep your OEM audio system warranty if you let your local dealer install it -it is after all an OEM part, but it is European.
That will blow your $500 budget in no time.
For ~$750 I would do:
- SSMB8 woofers ($170)
- HiFi tweeters ($80)
- OEM tweeter pods ($60)
- Cleansweep ($210)
- Pioneer GM-6400F 4-channel amplifier ($140)
- Stereo harness ($65)
If you are close to Ft Lauderdale I would be willing to install all that for free just to show how the Stereo harness would work for a combo like that. That will make up for the extra $250 over your budget.