[ElectroVoice]

Originally Posted by T7R_Sky

Ok. I dont 100% understand. But I do kinda understand. But the thing is I have an non-L7 '08 just like you. But since its an '08, does that mean I can't use the stock amp's 12v power? Or can I still use that?

Use stock amp's 12v power as your turn-on signal, draw power for the new amp directly from the battery using a solid 12+ GA cable. Hope this helps.

[T7R_Sky]

Originally Posted by ElectroVoice

Use stock amp's 12v power as your turn-on signal, draw power for the new amp directly from the battery using a solid 12+ GA cable. Hope this helps.

Ok. So take power directly from the batter and connect the stock amps 12V power into the blaupunkt's trigger terminal. That sounds right?

Sorry about all the questions.. but this is my first time ever messing with car audio stuff, lol.

[T7R_Sky]

Originally Posted by ElectroVoice

Use stock amp's 12v power as your turn-on signal, draw power for the new amp directly from the battery using a solid 12+ GA cable. Hope this helps.

Wait... i have one more question... what color is the stock amps 12V cable in an '08? Please help me. Thats the last thing im missing, lol. Im almost done. :P

[ElectroVoice]

Originally Posted by T7R_Sky

Wait... i have one more question... what color is the stock amps 12V cable in an '08? Please help me. Thats the last thing im missing, lol. Im almost done. :P

O.K., without having to open everything up again, looking at my notes:
out of all the cables coming out of the factory amp, there should be 3 thicker pairs; two of them are speaker output for the SUBs, and they are-
SUB LEFT Red/White + Brown/Yellow -
SUB RIGHT Red/Blue + Brown/White -
Shouldn't be hard to figure the 12V+ from here.... (Brown is associated with -).

[T7R_Sky]

Originally Posted by ElectroVoice

O.K., without having to open everything up again, looking at my notes:
out of all the cables coming out of the factory amp, there should be 3 thicker pairs; two of them are speaker output for the SUBs, and they are-
SUB LEFT Red/White + Brown/Yellow -
SUB RIGHT Red/Blue + Brown/White -
Shouldn't be hard to figure the 12V+ from here.... (Brown is associated with -).

Haha. Oh. Got it, lol. Sounds great now, thanks for the DIY!

[Technic]

For those that would like to do this "upgrade" with the minimum wiring possible, there are two options depending on the amp chosen:

- If the amp is that Blaupunkt THA275: this LOC has a signal sensing remote turn on feature built in... http://www.myradiostore.com/noise-fi...eis-loc-t.html ... so only the OEM sub wires are needed to add this aftermarket amp and no other OEM wire.

- Get an amp with signal sensing, high level inputs already built in. That's the easiest way, but most probably the more expensive.

[hkkuf]

I was able to do this upgrade this Saturday. And it is definitely an "upgrade" as I can feel the difference between the stock amp driving the subs and this dedicated amp driving the subs. And I don't really have discerning ears, so if I notice it, I'm sure others can as well. Also I love that remote control as now I can just turn the knob to adjust the bass level rather than going into the Audio menu and selecting Bass/Treble.

It took me about three hours total, mostly because it was the first time for me to take anything apart on an automobile, not to mention an ultimate driving machine...

The wiring was easy enough, although at first I somehow connected the trigger wire for the LVT (yeah, I decided to go the safer route) to the speaker wire from Blaupunkt to the sub, instead of the speaker wire from the stock amp to the converter. After taking care of that little confusion, I was able to experience noticeably improved bass coming out of my stock subs.

Technic, I don't think that device cuts down the number of wiring one has to do, although it will cut down the number of devices one has to install. It seems like the combined converter (from the link) still requires the same number of wiring as a regular converter (4) and an LVT (4).

Although cutting the wires was somewhat nerve racking, I'm glad I went through this experience. With this project under my belt, I feel like I can move on to more advanced projects. Thanks ElectroVoice for your help.

Do you think this amp has enough power to drive the Earthquake SWS subs (150W rms, so probably not, huh)?

[Technic]

Originally Posted by hkkuf

I was able to do this upgrade this Saturday. And it is definitely an "upgrade" as I can feel the difference between the stock amp driving the subs and this dedicated amp driving the subs. And I don't really have discerning ears, so if I notice it, I'm sure others can as well. Also I love that remote control as now I can just turn the knob to adjust the bass level rather than going into the Audio menu and selecting Bass/Treble.

It took me about three hours total, mostly because it was the first time for me to take anything apart on an automobile, not to mention an ultimate driving machine...

The wiring was easy enough, although at first I somehow connected the trigger wire for the LVT (yeah, I decided to go the safer route) to the speaker wire from Blaupunkt to the sub, instead of the speaker wire from the stock amp to the converter. After taking care of that little confusion, I was able to experience noticeably improved bass coming out of my stock subs.

Technic, I don't think that device cuts down the number of wiring one has to do, although it will cut down the number of devices one has to install. It seems like the combined converter (from the link) still requires the same number of wiring as a regular converter (4) and an LVT (4).

Although cutting the wires was somewhat nerve racking, I'm glad I went through this experience. With this project under my belt, I feel like I can move on to more advanced projects. Thanks ElectroVoice for your help.

Do you think this amp has enough power to drive the Earthquake SWS subs (150W rms, so probably not, huh)?

That LOC only requires the OEM subs input wiring, as the rest of the wires will come from the aftermarket amp (power and ground). No need to look for any other OEM amp wire. Because this particular amp requires a LOC anyways, I think that it will be easier and faster to install than a non-signal sensing one.

This amp will drive nicely a pair of SWS-8 (75W RMS at 4 ohms), just not at optimum power (>100W RMS), IMO. Now, if the upcoming SWS-8 in 2 ohms rating have the same power requirements of the current 4 ohms model then this amp will be capable of driving those 2 ohms SWS-8 at 120W RMS each.

FYI: this amp is not stable for 2 ohms loads in a bridged mode, just in case the idea of wiring the SWS-8 in parallel cross your mind.

[jcarlucci1]

Can somebody help me figure out how to disconnect the wiring harness from the factory amp? There isn't enough room in there to cut and splice the wires because they are bundled together so tightly, and I can't figure out how to disconnect the harness from the amp

[T7R_Sky]

Originally Posted by jcarlucci1

Can somebody help me figure out how to disconnect the wiring harness from the factory amp? There isn't enough room in there to cut and splice the wires because they are bundled together so tightly, and I can't figure out how to disconnect the harness from the amp

I ran into a problem like that too. But i couldn't figure out how to take out the harness. So instead i took out the carpet inside the trunk and cut some of the tape to free up the wires.

[hkkuf]

Originally Posted by Technic

This amp will drive nicely a pair of SWS-8 (75W RMS at 4 ohms), just not at optimum power (>100W RMS), IMO. Now, if the upcoming SWS-8 in 2 ohms rating have the same power requirements of the current 4 ohms model then this amp will be capable of driving those 2 ohms SWS-8 at 120W RMS each.

Well, I guess Earthquake SWS will just have to wait a little longer until I get used to (sick of) the current set up then.

Originally Posted by jcarlucci1

Can somebody help me figure out how to disconnect the wiring harness from the factory amp? There isn't enough room in there to cut and splice the wires because they are bundled together so tightly, and I can't figure out how to disconnect the harness from the amp

I couldn't figure out how to disconnect the harness either even though there was a DIY thread (Phuong?) that briefly mentions how. I fiddled around with it for a while and decided to take the side panel (the grey carpeted wall of the trunk) off by unplugging some plugs shown in DIY thread on CD changer installation. Then I cut open the bundling tape (the black tape holding the wires together), separated the wires and then cut the wires to the subs. I used easy connectors so I didn't have to spend too much time on stripping wires, definitely worth the 2 bucks.

[ElectroVoice]

I think you folks are ready for Part II of "Most-bang-for-the-buck Upgrade".

Before you spend $200 on those Earthquakes, think twice; I do not believe there will be a SIGNIFICANT difference from the swap (those of you who made the swap might disagree, but, how about use your new amp to power the factory subs, and let us know the difference?!) , because they can't defy the laws of physics; the enclosures under the front seats are only so big, and I commented that they sound like 2x10" in the trunk, what more could you ask of 8"s'?

Instead, spend $150 + material on this amp, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F00Q4U?...0&linkCode=asn to clean up the mids and highs. This amp accepts spk level inputs, so there's no need for a converter. I mentioned in the past that I completely did away with the factory amp, and power the mids and highs with my Alpine headunit, and it made a world of difference, which, i'd describe, like 'the sun had just appear on a dark and cloudy day'! I'm actually considering the amp myself because my headunit is running hotter than I'd like, due to the speakers' low impedance.

[T7R_Sky]

Originally Posted by ElectroVoice

I think you folks are ready for Part II of "Most-bang-for-the-buck Upgrade".

Before you spend $200 on those Earthquakes, think twice; I do not believe there will be a SIGNIFICANT difference from the swap (those of you who made the swap might disagree, but, how about use your new amp to power the factory subs, and let us know the difference?!) , because they can't defy the laws of physics; the enclosures under the front seats are only so big, and I commented that they sound like 2x10" in the trunk, what more could you ask of 8"s'?

Instead, spend $150 + material on this amp, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F00Q4U?...0&linkCode=asn to clean up the mids and highs. This amp accepts spk level inputs, so there's no need for a converter. I mentioned in the past that I completely did away with the factory amp, and power the mids and highs with my Alpine headunit, and it made a world of difference, which, i'd describe, like 'the sun had just appear on a dark and cloudy day'! I'm actually considering the amp myself because my headunit is running hotter than I'd like, due to the speakers' low impedance.

If you end up doing this, let us know how much better it sounds. I'll probably do that mod also, lol.

[jcarlucci1]

Originally Posted by hkkuf

Well, I guess Earthquake SWS will just have to wait a little longer until I get used to (sick of) the current set up then.



I couldn't figure out how to disconnect the harness either even though there was a DIY thread (Phuong?) that briefly mentions how. I fiddled around with it for a while and decided to take the side panel (the grey carpeted wall of the trunk) off by unplugging some plugs shown in DIY thread on CD changer installation. Then I cut open the bundling tape (the black tape holding the wires together), separated the wires and then cut the wires to the subs. I used easy connectors so I didn't have to spend too much time on stripping wires, definitely worth the 2 bucks.

Thanks for the info..what do you mean by easy connectors?

[ElectroVoice]

Originally Posted by T7R_Sky

If you end up doing this, let us know how much better it sounds. I'll probably do that mod also, lol.

In my case, I've already 'cleaned-up' the mids and highs' with the Alpine headunit (it made a WHOLE WORLD of difference), and, since these factory speakers are fairly efficient, the Alpine amp probably won't make much difference on how my system sounds, but rather, would help the Alpine headunit run cooler (I hate to risk all that heat on the 7" LCD)

There's a saying in software coding: "Garbage in garbage out". BMW does install decent speakers on these ultimate driving machines, they came up short on the more expensive parts like amplification; if you did the Blaupunkt, the 'weak link' in your systems now, is the backbone of the mids and highs.

[hkkuf]

Originally Posted by jcarlucci1

Thanks for the info..what do you mean by easy connectors?

I used these for the speaker wires and trigger wire.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family
You just put the wires in there and squeeze.
These are for the thicker wires
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

It worked for me.

I think there are other kinds that do the same but with less bulk, but I didn't want to shop around.

[jcarlucci1]

Finally did this today as well..for the money I paid..$20 for amp, $40 for loc and wiring kit, its a pretty damn good deal. Took about two hours. Even with a 50X2 watts amp, gain is only a third of the way up. Anything higher and you can begin to hear the speakers "pop" a bit. At low volumes, it does sound like a 10" in the trunk when you turn the bass up, but when the volume gets above halfway, bass has to be turned down quite a bit. Still much better than stock, very natural soundstage, much deeper bass..its almost perfect. I need a bit more volume and bass, so I may eventually upgade to the sws-8 subs. Very happy with this for right now, this was a great idea.

[ElectroVoice]

Originally Posted by jcarlucci1

Finally did this today as well..for the money I paid..$20 for amp, $40 for loc and wiring kit, its a pretty damn good deal. Took about two hours. Even with a 50X2 watts amp, gain is only a third of the way up. Anything higher and you can begin to hear the speakers "pop" a bit. At low volumes, it does sound like a 10" in the trunk when you turn the bass up, but when the volume gets above halfway, bass has to be turned down quite a bit. Still much better than stock, very natural soundstage, much deeper bass..its almost perfect. I need a bit more volume and bass, so I may eventually upgade to the sws-8 subs. Very happy with this for right now, this was a great idea.

$20 for an amp? pre-owned? what brand is it? I felt 'guilty' when someone wanted to spend $50 on installation kit (that's nearly as much as the amp!!), so I thought of ways to buy 'bargain cables'.

You shouldn't hear any 'pop' from your subs if the amp put out clean sound. When I recommended the Blaupunkt, it was an awesome deal but not a compromise. Never compromise on any part of the install, including the cables (I remember suggesting buying 'spool-left-over' cables from electronics shop, but never used ones). I've also mentioned elsewhere that, the factory subs are decent speakers. You might be damaging a good speaker by driving it with a not-so-perfect amp. Does the amp have a built-in crossover? If not, this might be the reason that the speakers are 'breaking up'. Lastly, the subs are 2-ohm, which means you need a 2-ohm stable amp to drive them (not all amps are 2-ohm stable). My Alpine headunit comes with a BassEngine, it's like a turbo charge for more bass, I disabled it, because the bass is too 'overwhelming'; just to show you the potential of these factory subs. Good luck.....

[jcarlucci1]

Originally Posted by ElectroVoice

$20 for an amp? pre-owned? what brand is it? I felt 'guilty' when someone wanted to spend $50 on installation kit (that's nearly as much as the amp!!), so I thought of ways to buy 'bargain cables'.

You shouldn't hear any 'pop' from your subs if the amp put out clean sound. When I recommended the Blaupunkt, it was an awesome deal but not a compromise. Never compromise on any part of the install, including the cables (I remember suggesting buying 'spool-left-over' cables from electronics shop, but never used ones). I've also mentioned elsewhere that, the factory subs are decent speakers. You might be damaging a good speaker by driving it with a not-so-perfect amp. Does the amp have a built-in crossover? If not, this might be the reason that the speakers are 'breaking up'. Lastly, the subs are 2-ohm, which means you need a 2-ohm stable amp to drive them (not all amps are 2-ohm stable). My Alpine headunit comes with a BassEngine, it's like a turbo charge for more bass, I disabled it, because the bass is too 'overwhelming'; just to show you the potential of these factory subs. Good luck.....

Here is a link to the amp..picked it up on ebay for $20. Its the only amp i can find that fits under the carpet in the e90/335. Only have about 9x7 inches to work with

http://techronics.com/index.cfm?fuse...TOKEN=52331496

my stereo is logic 7 so the subs are 4 ohms.

The amp not only has an adjustable crossover..set to about 100 hz, but also has a subsonic filter..set to filter out anything below 30hz. I dont think these subs can handle any more power..I shouldn't have said they are popping, but the sound becomes unnatural when you try to move too much air with them..you can hear them giving out at lower frequencies..

[Lane]

Originally Posted by jcarlucci1

Here is a link to the amp..picked it up on ebay for $20. Its the only amp i can find that fits under the carpet in the e90/335. Only have about 9x7 inches to work with

http://techronics.com/index.cfm?fuse...TOKEN=52331496

my stereo is logic 7 so the subs are 4 ohms.

The amp not only has an adjustable crossover..set to about 100 hz, but also has a subsonic filter..set to filter out anything below 30hz. I dont think these subs can handle any more power..I shouldn't have said they are popping, but the sound becomes unnatural when you try to move too much air with them..you can hear them giving out at lower frequencies..

What place do you mean by this "under the carpet 9" x 7" "? Any pics?

[jcarlucci1]

Originally Posted by Lane

What place do you mean by this "under the carpet 9" x 7" "? Any pics?

look at pics on page 2 of this thread. Its the "empty secret compartment" pic..in the trunk under the removable carpet/flooring there is some space there..I believe it is where they install the cd changer

[ElectroVoice]

Originally Posted by jcarlucci1

Here is a link to the amp..picked it up on ebay for $20. Its the only amp i can find that fits under the carpet in the e90/335. Only have about 9x7 inches to work with

http://techronics.com/index.cfm?fuse...TOKEN=52331496

my stereo is logic 7 so the subs are 4 ohms.

The amp not only has an adjustable crossover..set to about 100 hz, but also has a subsonic filter..set to filter out anything below 30hz. I dont think these subs can handle any more power..I shouldn't have said they are popping, but the sound becomes unnatural when you try to move too much air with them..you can hear them giving out at lower frequencies..

I've heard of Alphasonic, but never seen one at work. It sounds like the amp is under-powered, or it might not be in perfect working condition.

You can get more power from the amp by bridging the amp (it states that it is bridgable) Connect the subs in series, then follow the manufacturer's direction on bridging the amp (it might be marked on the amp). Since the result impedence is 8 ohms, you will only get a slight, but noticeable boost. You might consider buying another identical amp, and have both of bridged, one for each amp.

p.s. You might get some extra thump from tuning the bass control on the headunit.