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      12-29-2022, 02:32 AM   #1
defragg_
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The millionth e91 base audio upgrade thread

Hello everyone!

I've been reading for weeks in order to upgrade the whole audio setup from my BMW. I've gone to bed and waken up to the same e90post thread, figuring out (or trying to) how to fix the awful sound that come out of the speakers. I've learnt what a harness cable is among many other things!

I am a complete noob when it comes to electrical/car wiring and I have still a lot of questions, due to many of the information being outdated sometimes (the whip is old man, it's crazy they still manufacture speaker sets) or to my lack of expertise. I work with computers so any proximate analogy will definitely help.

So far I've found out that my e91 2006 lacks everything. I have base audio system (no hifi with amp) and that's it, professional head unit that I changed to an Eonon q65. I know speakers are directly powered by the head unit and this system can be sum up as pure dogwater.

I used to drive an e87 with alpine hifi retrofit done by official BMW vendor and while it was definitely an upgrade, it still lacked everything. Maybe the twitters would highlight a little bit but I found them poorly equalized and not being used completely.

---------------
After reading all the links gathered by ctuna over the years, I've made the conclusion that the best equipment for a e91 would be replacing all the speakers and adding an amp to power them. 2x Subs, 2x tweeters, 2x mids, right?

So far, the recommended options are basically a 'plug n play' kit. Brands that I've seen are Focal, Gladen, MB-Quart, Mosconi and SWS / JBL (from more to less recommended).

· What type of sound do they give? I've heard Focals are "harsh" while Morel are "warm". I will mostly prioritise the listening to death metal and psytrance. How about Gladen or MB-Quart? How do they compare between each other (knowing that this is completely subjective)?

· Is it correct that pnp speaker kits can replace the stock components hassle free? Dismount, plug out, plug in, go? If not, what cables are required for so? I know technic makes harnesses and whatnot but I can't order from them as I'm EU based. Is there any other EU vendor that makes the same cables or similar and sells them along the speakers?

· In case I wanted to add more speakers, how would I approach this? Buy the interior door panels with the speaker enclosure and add 2x mids? Since rear mid speakers are not usually worth it.

· Respecting the wiring, and as I said, I'm a completely noob; How do I connect the amp to the battery? Do these wires that are sold with the kits just plug to the battery? If they're not, what type of cables do I have to run around the car for all the speakers? Is there any where I could document myself on this?

Oh and while I want something really good, I'd love to keep it under 600-750€ amps or dsps included.

I'll gladly appreciate any help you can throw. It's my first real DIY project and I'd love to learn along the way.

Thanks for your time and replies
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      12-29-2022, 03:12 AM   #2
Raghza
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You got some good questions there, for which I would like to hear the answers myself as well.
What I noticed was your budget. This would pretty much cover just an amp. If you want to replace all the speakers and control all of them through a good amplifier, you will need to at least double that.
Alternatively you can look into used parts and combine something together.
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      12-29-2022, 03:47 AM   #3
ctuna
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Gladen/Mosconi is good combo .
Audiotech Fisher BMW 7 or 86DSP with the Gladen speaker or at the higher
end Morel Jehnert.

Audio tech Fisher also makes some speakers for these .
Impossible to sample all this stuff it's to rare but the above are generally the
ones people rave about .

The Base system upgrade is many of the posts I have put up .
It tells you what must be done .
The equipment mentioned above is better and more current than
what's originally in that guide.

Usually the upgrade comes in around 1500 or more US.
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      12-29-2022, 10:13 AM   #4
defragg_
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Raghza View Post
You got some good questions there, for which I would like to hear the answers myself as well.
What I noticed was your budget. This would pretty much cover just an amp. If you want to replace all the speakers and control all of them through a good amplifier, you will need to at least double that.
Alternatively you can look into used parts and combine something together.
Yeah, I've read all the recommendations but was hella wrong regarding the prices

Quote:
Originally Posted by ctuna
Gladen/Mosconi is good combo .
Audiotech Fisher BMW 7 or 86DSP with the Gladen speaker or at the higher
end Morel Jehnert.

Audio tech Fisher also makes some speakers for these .
Impossible to sample all this stuff it's to rare but the above are generally the
ones people rave about .

The Base system upgrade is many of the posts I have put up .
It tells you what must be done .
The equipment mentioned above is better and more current than
what's originally in that guide.

Usually the upgrade comes in around 1500 or more US.
After reading you so much the past weeks, I feel like I'm talking to a celeb!

Okay, I've read some pdfs and threads many times (e90 Audio Upgrade Guide-2.pdf, Alpine Retrofit Kit II.pdf...) but due to my brain limitations, it sounds chinese to me .

I somewhat understand what to do, although not all the speakers/sets recommended are still sold nowadays (https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...69&postcount=7), so for shopping, I think I have it clear (it'll come down to whatever is easier to get, my budget is limited and if I can save it by mounting it up on my own instead of ordering it, hey, that I save) but regarding the wiring I start convulsing, I can crimp rj45 easily or even solder small SMTs/circuits, but here e.g https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...t=Ultimate+Sub..

I just can't wrap my head around it, that's why I need either a big first timer documentation to learn about car audio wiring or the most plug and play solutions out there to minimize personal hazards.

· Regarding pnp kits, how do I know what speaker is compatible? For example (spam not intended, I just want to see if it's a good shop and it has good prices, I'm up for anything EU really) https://powermusic.es/altavoces-para-bmw/ many from here would suit me as it's the country I will be ordering from and it says it's compatible with e91. I understand it's compatible with shape/size, right? If so, do I just choose 4 mids, 2 tweeters, 2 subs + 1 amp?

· What is the difference between let's say;
Focal FPX5.1200 and Gladen Audio RC 150c5? Spec wise they seem similar, but price wise they're not that close, and if I were to look at specs, Focal can even move less watts than the Gladen. In the end, the better amp, the clearer the audio? more power-capable?

Thanks for your time guys! I hope you don't mind me asking questions that seem completely out of the way or really stupid, I'm applying my personal logic here and most of the times it doesn't work but bear in mind that I will save all the info you guys provide and sum it up in hopes I can end up making a BMWAudioFromScratch mega tutorial.
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      12-29-2022, 10:28 AM   #5
ctuna
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BMW stereo types
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=352586
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...2&d=1266451970
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...2&d=1260829447
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...1&d=1209780865
http://bmwcoders.com/forum/3-er-8/bm...1-e92-e93-291/
http://technicpnp.com/menuDiagrams/d...e90_92_93.html
http://www.musicarnw.com/page-2/
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...3&d=1169133185
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...1&d=1209780605
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=641323
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...4&d=1278871872
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=343673
https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/e...n-752.1275694/
base system wiring pre/post 3/09
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...tDpLJPcGkw_ui_
Base System Guide
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...5&d=1493273253

The only thing that is not pretty straight forward in this is the parallel connection between the Front Doors and floors according to model year .
earlier than 2010 connections made in door sill for front speakers rather than at
the underseat speaker connector .
The other thing people have trouble with is coding to Hi Fi or not.
DSP's will take the place of eq flattening devices as long as they have enough
range.
The Base Guide is really well documented only thing is it uses pretty old equipment
and a eq flattening device.
Please read it.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/attach...5&d=1493273253



There are many drop in speaker sets now pretty much all of them will be better than
stock. The MB quarts where on sale for awhile. I have seen people rave about
gladen/ mosconi setups . There use to be a shop outside of London that one gut was touting that sold this setup for around 750 lbs. I think it was called Monster Audio or something like that.
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      12-30-2022, 05:22 AM   #6
Tambohamilton
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ctuna View Post
I think it was called Monster Audio or something like that.
Seems to be monster audio design, but they seem to be defunct now
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      01-04-2023, 05:00 AM   #7
Ssopus
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Long time lurker, first reply...
Identifying your budget and what kind of sound you are trying to achieve (spl or sq) are good starting points. You’re not confined to the normal equipment selection that you see in typical installs. It’s not bad advice to spend a good portion of your budget on sound deadening. I’ve heard some pretty good systems that were put together with somewhat inexpensive components get great results. A lot of variables control the end result...most important being the install.

Do the research...consider impedance and sensitivity and how well they preform off axis when choosing drivers...setting gains properly...if using a DSP read everything you can about level adjustments, setting filters, experimenting with crossover points and time alignment. Education and knowledge are the best tools that benefit you during a diy install. Sound is not subjective, sound is consistent, however the perception of sound is subjective. If you have the opportunity to demo before purchase I highly recommend it, although I rarely get the chance to.

If you have the budget for Audio Developemet W800 Neo’s underseat (powered by discreet channels)... I recommend them. A very sound (pun intended) mid bass selection. They take a custom adapter (which is an easy diy if you have a router) but well worth the effort. Mounting a good quality tweet in the sails is also an added plus. Fiberglass resin and body filler are your friends. If you want to save yourself some time, select a DSP like the MiniDSP c-dsp Dirac unit. It’s capable of room correction which (via microphone) auto sets your levels for you (oversimplified).

You can spend as little or as much as you want to achieve a result. An automobile is a terrible environment for audio, but with the right install you can make an inexpensive system sound good and a higher dollar system sound superb. It’s a rabbit hole that once you fall into its very hard to crawl back out of. A hole that, after 30 years, I continue to tumble down.

Last edited by Ssopus; 01-04-2023 at 05:23 PM..
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      01-08-2023, 12:20 PM   #8
markob
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Hello

my question is that i have basic radio professional 2005 year and i have pixel problems on lcd. Can i upgrade radio professional with newer one from 2011 year? From 2008 and to 2011 year i think pixel error was repaired. So the same radio but newer production year. I need to program it, but is there the same comunication protocol and so one
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      01-09-2023, 12:20 AM   #9
ctuna
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Nope they that will never be fixed as long as they use the same display .
You can put another Radio in it just needs to be programmed to your
car.
They never changed the programming method till well into beyond the
E9x models .

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ighlight=pixel

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=687463
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      03-22-2023, 06:24 PM   #10
defragg_
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Hello I'm back! You thought I would have overcome my stupidity but haha you're wrong!

I've actually learnt so much stuff lately that I decided to just do it

I bought the stuff:

· Gladen Alpha One 201 (2x mids, 2x tweeters + crossover, 2 subwoofers)
· Gladen RC105C4
· Gladen WK20 (Audio kit with battery connectors + 2RCA 5m)
· Extra 2RCA (5m)
· 30m Speaker cable

Easy part was getting all the cables around. In order to connect the mids to the amp (that never existed) I had to mingle around the door and the side of the driver where everything connects... There was no way except drilling a small hole in the cable that handles all the door wires, and I squeezed the speaker cables through there. I only connected one side of the car (driver's side) and

Now the fun part: I have two issues.

1. Only the mid is playing stuff somewhat ok. The tweeter sounds really high pitched (kind of distorted) and low volume.The subwoofer is doing nothing

2. I discovered that my aftermarket HU (Eonon Q65Pro) has a CAN-bus that probably codes something weird in the ECU since NCExpert and ISTAP can't figure what the fuck is going.

· NCExpert shows 1RAD only, with no option to code hifi as it would give error while reading the ECU.
· ISTA/P says there's an issue with MASK/H-ASK and needs to be replaced. I simulated the replace, then let it do its thing, nothing.


What the hell do I do now? I have the old HU, it's a Business CD and it's awful.

Pls halp
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