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Thread: Rear Speakers - E36 w/6x9s (DIY)

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Rear Speakers - E36 w/6x9s (DIY)

    Ok guys, wanted to put this together in a new thread, as the information I used varied from multiple threads.



    First off...the 'confusion' for this is that IF you have the 10 speaker system, you have a mid and a tweeter in each rear corner, so you can't just toss 6x9's back there (unless you forgo the tweeter and just hook up the mid range). (If you have the 6 speaker system, they're an easy drop in).


    Here is the DIY replacement for the 6 speaker system: (removal process is the same for 6 or 10 speaker system).
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...36-with-Photos

    then you need these BSW 6x9 adapters. I paid ~$30 shipped from ebay uk.
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CT25BM01-B...item2a0b8bb3f4


    now for the sort of tricky part. With the 10 speaker system, you want to find 2-way 6x9 speakers. (I got some from amazon...GF's xmas gift ).

    Then clip the leads that connect the sub to the tweeter. You want these to act as two separate speakers.
    This page shows it, however it's buried in the thread...
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ring%20speaker

    From the thread above^^

    c678e083.jpg

    d9d5845a.jpg


    Now he^^ also mentions this wiring:
    Here is the rear speaker color codes for the 10-speaker non-HK system in my '95 [COLOR=red !important][COLOR=red ! important]M3[/COLOR][/COLOR]...
    (Note: this speaker [COLOR=red !important][COLOR=red !important]wiring[/COLOR][/COLOR] may be different for older or newer E36's)

    yellow = left tweeter positive
    yellow/black = this one goes to the (-) of your left 6x9
    yellow/grey = (+) of your left 6x9
    brown = left tweeter negative

    blue = right tweeter positive
    blue/grey = this one goes to the (-) of your right 6x9
    blue/violet = this one goes to the (+) of your right 6x9
    brown = right tweeter negative



    What I did though, to keep it more OEM-able was to cut/break out the original harness that the factory speaker boxes had.

    If you look, there is a 4 prong connector that has the leads for the tweeter/mid. You can get that out of the box if you work at it (I used a chisel...I should've been a bit less wreckless).

    My old speakers.
    319988_852396473537_810839818_n.jpg

    Then you can take that connector w/leads and connect them to your 2way 6x9. The tweeter you'll have to soilder. The mid you can just connect with the leads.

    64294_852396383717_453741318_n.jpg


    This allows you to use the OEM harness and is pretty plug'n'play. I would suggest adding more wire though to the connector. It's a tight fit.

    547672_852395884717_1965675785_n.jpg

    Then bolt in the adapters like the first DIY link, and you're done!


    Hope this helps. Sound is a lot better - more bass from the back (although I have a small sub in the trunk). (Also still have the oem headunit).
    BMW CCA Illini Chapter Vice President
    1995 M3
    - My Favorite DIY's and FAQ's



  2. #2
    Join Date
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    2004 330 vert 2004 X5
    Excellent. I was about to post a thread in the audio forum on this very subject. After 20 years my rears are toast.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
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    Romania, Iernut
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    My Cars
    E36 325i m50 Vanos
    i've done this but did't hook up the tweeter in my 6x9. just the two wires from the midrange. it sounds better than original but now my rear deck rattles from the bass )

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    Egypt
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    95' 328i 2dr / 00' 728iL
    Did it a while ago ... made a big difference because my OEM speakers were toasted

    95 E36 316i coupe
    M52B28 swap, Electric heated leather sport seats, Mtech steering wheel, Mtech bumpers, PDC, Illuminated gearknob, Chromeline interior, 4300K Bixenon ( Hella evox-r ), Koni Str.t/Eibach prokit, Eibach swaybars, Z3 steering rack, 17" BBS RC304, Michelin pilot sport tires

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    fyi these are sounding awesome. Almost thinking about removing my sub. Definitely increased bass.

    (quality is still meh from having the oem head unit...)

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by flyfishvt View Post
    Excellent. I was about to post a thread in the audio forum on this very subject. After 20 years my rears are toast.
    you won't regret the wait for the adapters.
    BMW CCA Illini Chapter Vice President
    1995 M3
    - My Favorite DIY's and FAQ's



  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    Redmond, WA
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    1,054
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    02 330xi i || 01 X5
    Something else to consider about getting the best sound out of your old or new speakers, is playing with any crossover settings you may have on your headunit. My 328 came with an Alpine headunit that at first annoyed the crap out of me because I thought all the crossover and EQ settings were overkill and took too much effort to get to sound right, I was used to having a simple bass/treble adjustment. I was actually able to eek out a LOT more sound from my stock speakers by spending some time fiddling around with the crossovers built in to the deck, turns out the stock speakers can go a long way in the volume department if they're getting the right signal.
    Yoy.

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