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Thread: Upgrading the E34 Stereo Tutorial

  1. #176
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Great White North
    Posts
    11,299
    My Cars
    various
    Quote Originally Posted by 123zorn View Post
    So are the 92-93 amps plug in compatible with 89-90's?

    My '90 amp is experiencing some channel drops and I want to replace it as inexpensively as possible, but if there is better sound to be had from the later amps, I'd search for one of those...
    I don't believe so. 89/90 we're common ground setups. Everything since is separate ground. Early e34 stock audio sucks. Even the stock nokia speakers in later cars are better than the 89/90 ones.

  2. #177
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    STL
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    655
    My Cars
    2017 M3 6sp
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark185 View Post
    Upgrading head unit and amp can't be done if you keep stock speakers and do nothing else. You have not understood what I wrote at the beginning of this thread about how our stereos come from the factory. Upgrading requires one of 3 approaches.

    1. Replace amp (and maybe head unit) and replace speakers with coaxials or component sets that include their own crossover filters. This approach means you only need 4 channel amp. I don't really recommend this but it sounds like this is what you want to do. Let Crutchfield be your guide if you want to do this.

    2. Replace factory amp and use Luke's crossover to drive the stock speakers. (This is easiest path in terms of labor and sound quality. This is described well in this thread.)

    3. Replace factory amp with 6 or 8 channels of amplification that includes active crossover filters to drive the stock speakers. This is my preferred approach but most expensive one also.
    Mark (hope you are still reading this forum)
    Do you have any current recommendation for a budget 6-8 channel amp with active crossovers?

    Anybody knows if GAS is around?

  3. #178
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Driverseat
    Posts
    3,420
    My Cars
    e38 Msport, 2 e53 x5 4.6
    I used to speak to mark on the regular. Haven't heard from him in quite sometime. As well I havent been around either but I still get notifications on threads Im subscribed to.

    To answer your question it depends on your budget. There are several out there from low 100 and up. Being Im on a different platform I can say that many of the chinese audio companies I see others using are right on the coat tails of the more well known audio companies. Not saying they are better. Just saying many of the old options have changed. The IMO check out the market to see what's available.

    - - - Updated - - -

    And yes luke is still around

  4. #179
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    5,614
    My Cars
    E34 540i 6sp 1995-03-28
    anybody care to guess what is causing this clicking? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VREN...ature=youtu.be

  5. #180
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Capital City of Salt, UT
    Posts
    162
    My Cars
    1994 540i/6, 1992 325ic
    Thread bump, since whenever reading about e34 stereo stuff, this thread pops up.
    I recently went through my previously hacked up stereo in my 95, and fixed everything up. I am running an external amp in the trunk, using all the factory speaker wires. There is a very good wiring diagram file on the Facebook group posted by Justin Murray.
    I am running a 3 way passive system with a 3 way crossover from a late Porsche 944 turbo with the 10 speaker system. It used some of the same speakers as our cars. So it runs a 5.25 Nokia driver in the kick panel. Others have mentioned the importance of installation. It is key. The stock kick panels vibrate with any sort of power sent to the front. I did seal off the edge of the driver with cheapo home Depot insulation foam tape. For the mids, I bought some tympany peerless 3.5" from parts express, they we're $14 each I think, and they rock. Reused stock tweeters. Added a sub woofer and the whole thing rocks. There is more to be gained with switching to more amplification channels and a proper DSP, but this whole install was inexpensive and sounds great.
    Total cost breakdown...
    Nokia 5.25 speakers - free from Porsche 944 turbo
    3 way passive crossver - free from Porsche 944 turbo. A suitable substitution, is the 3 way audiopipe crossovers. They are cheap.
    Peerless by tympany 3.5" drivers -$28 for the pair
    Headunit, used pioneer unit -$50
    RCA cables from head unit to trunk - free already installed
    Kicker 700.5 amp - used... $100 I have tried other amps that I had laying around as well and some persistent shopping should be able to get you a good 2 channel full range amp with 100wpc or more for less than $60
    Kicker comp vr 12 sub with box - $90.
    Total, looking at...$330. could be done for under $300 easy, and it really sounds quite good. My next step will be to make custom kick panel speaker mounts, the plastic ones are a weak link in the chain.

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