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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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2010 Standard Stereo Upgrade - Rear Speaker Filter?
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01-29-2010, 11:48 PM | #1 |
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2010 Standard Stereo Upgrade - Rear Speaker Filter?
First forum post –greetings to all from Kansas. I picked up my 2010 335d last month and was disappointed to find out the standard stereo was no longer amplified and had rather poor sound quality. Following some research on this sight (http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182752) I found out BMW offers an upgrade for the standard stereo, but it is not available in the on this side of the Atlantic. I did not want to order the BMW unit from a dealer in Europe, so I replicated the system with aftermarket equipment.
For the amp I used a Sony XM4S. It has high level inputs and a signal sensing turn-on feature so it was very straightforward to wire. This amp is also small, so it fits in the area under the trunk floor adjacent to the rear seats. This is important in the Diesel since the urea tank takes up all the other area under the trunk floor. Wiring the amp is similar to the diagrams in the thread above- taking the high level inputs from the wires going into the subwoofer below seat and then running one channel of amplified output to the subwoofer and one to the door speaker on each side. The hardest part of installing the amp was taking off all the trim to run the wires down the side of the car. Note for novices like myself - after prying the trim off, remove the brown retaining clips from the car and install them on the trim prior to reinstalling the trim. Also buy quality wire strippers and crimpers. For the door speakers I used MB Quart RUA 213’s as shown on this post: (http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290683 ). These were very tight on depth and I had to really fiddle with the driver’s side so the window would not hit it when going up and down. I also found it more straightforward to mount the crossovers on the door panel and not on the door as pictured in the above thread. I just fabricated some aluminum brackets and screwed them into the polystyrene at the bottom of the door panel. I also ordered the BMW window trim pieces (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...13&hg=51&fg=10 ) so I would have a place to mount the tweeters. The MB Quart tweeters fit perfectly with a bit of Dremeling to the plastic surrounds on the speakers so the standard BMW tweeter mounting clips would work. Installing the window trim took a bit of perseverance, but as I said, I’m a novice at removing trim. The result of installation was good. The performance of the stereo is now about as good as the Hi Fi system in my previous 335xi for an investment of about $300 in parts. I did not even need to remove the head unit. Now to my problem -- since amplifying the front speakers was so easy, I decided to add another XM4s amp for the rear speakers. Unfortunately after doing this, it is clear that the input to the rear speakers has a high pass filter on it. Does anyone know if this filter is removable or is it integral to the head unit. Is there another good way to get a full input signal for the rear speaker amp? |
01-30-2010, 07:58 AM | #2 |
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I take it you do not have iDrive. I say that because I have read on here that a connector going into the iDrive are different for MY 2010. There are several posts by Technic regarding this. Technic will also likely be able to answer your precise question.
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01-30-2010, 08:01 AM | #3 |
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if you can live without fader (you'll still be able to adjust the front to rear balance with the amp gains), split the input from your front channel amp
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01-30-2010, 08:42 AM | #4 | |
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When I split the high level input between amplifiers will I have to turn up the gain? I already split it once between the front and rear inputs of the "front" amp. |
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01-30-2010, 09:42 AM | #5 |
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The OEM HU/iDrive outputs the high pass signal to the rear speakers internally, not thru external filters.
So if you want a full range signal in the rear speakers you will need to split the front signals into your amps F/R inputs. |
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01-30-2010, 09:44 AM | #6 | |
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- your rear highpass xover - your front subsonic xover - your front and rear fixed EQ curve But let's get right to the really important question: How loud is your gong? |
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01-30-2010, 10:36 AM | #8 | ||||
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For my rear doors, however, I installed the crossovers to the door panel as you did. Very good info to the forum. Quote:
Cheers Max |
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01-30-2010, 12:02 PM | #10 |
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01-30-2010, 02:57 PM | #12 |
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the RUA213's will fit the e92 with some modifications to the basket (sort of thankfully it's plastic and easy to Much easier than I had expected, with the exception of the extra time to grind down the "legs" of the basket. They work fine afterwords though, with improved midbass. I had assumed they would be harsher than they are, and started out with the tweeter level at -6db, but think I'm going to settle with it at -3db. Pretty pleased with them for the cost and considering they aren't broken in yet.
On to the rears now, hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised with how easily they install too.... |
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01-30-2010, 03:03 PM | #13 | |
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I'm reasonably happy with the sound of the system now. The rear amp is powering inexpensive Kicker KS400 speakers in the rear deck and a Sony 10" enclosed sub mounted on the back of the back seat. The input for the sub is from the front speakers, but after I set all the gains, I can live with not being able to use the fader on the sub, as I can just lower the bass setting on the head unit if necessary. With the sub working in back, the high pass filter on the rear deck speakers is not a big deal either. Interesting information on the programming though, I wonder if the dealer would do that? |
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01-30-2010, 06:38 PM | #14 |
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Dealer can't. Dealer SW does not support it.
I'm glad you like what you have. It's better than stock, I'm certain. Ever hear a really nice hi-fi home setup? Like two-channel, audiophile stereo goodness? |
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01-31-2010, 07:14 AM | #15 | |
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One more question regarding phase that I did not find answered with a quick search: In theory, should I run the fully enclosed sub in the trunk opposite phase with the subs under the seats, since I believe the stock subs are firing downward and vented to the cabin? |
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