Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 42

Thread: Re-engineering my lame audio system

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is

    Re-engineering my lame audio system

    My car has a Pioneer hands free Bluetooth stereo in it. Decent and will do the job, the call audio is clear.

    My rear speakers are shot, and the front kick panel speakers aren't much good either.

    I have put in Hard Motorsports door panels and have decided not to cut them out for the door speakers.

    I have been looking for matching A pillar gauge pods for both Sides, meaning I would need one LHD and one RHD pod (matching). I would rather have the full pillar covers than the add ones for a new and cleaner appearance. This is where I Want to put the tweeters instead of in the doors. 52mm tweeters seem to be readily available. I want dual gauge pods.

    My plan is to replace the kick panel speakers with upgrades, put in 6×9 adapters in the back.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Yahoo, TX
    Posts
    139
    My Cars
    1997 328is, 1995 540i
    I did this exact same thing a few years ago. Here's what I did: Deleted factory amp in the trunk, bought full range speakers ("2-way") for the kick panels and rear deck, ran new wires from the head unit to the speakers. You won't need separate tweeters with this setup. It may not be the 10 channel bose surround of stock but it sounds fine and works properly. You can leave the entire factor wiring in place just run the new speaker wires under the carpet and dash. Your head unit will now have full control over everything and the factory amp won't be doing weird stuff to the signal.
    Last edited by zachdude1100; 01-30-2018 at 02:16 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Bonney Lake, WA
    Posts
    282
    My Cars
    1998 328I Sedan
    Sounds like a ok setup. I am using the factory amp (my E36 is a non Harmon car), a Pioneer Bluetooth deck, BAVAUDIO speaker kit in the factory locations and a self-contained amplified subwoofer mounted to the trunk side of the parcel shelf. it sounds good for the minimal under $1,000 stereo upgrade it was worth it; its not competition quality but its better than a lot of factory systems. the powered sub is not meant for big bass just a filler and it does a admiral job at that for that.
    Mike
    1999 750 IL (SOLD)
    1990 750 IL (SOLD)
    1989 325IC (SOLD)
    1995 540I (SOLD)
    1999 323 (SOLD)
    1998 328I 195,000 miles and counting
    2017 Ford Expedition Platinum
    2016 Lexus RX350 F-Sport

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Yahoo, TX
    Posts
    139
    My Cars
    1997 328is, 1995 540i
    I think I spent like $250 on mine incl the radio. Yours for sure sounds better but mine is simple, easy, and race car compatible

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    I just want it to sound pretty good, doing the tweeters like I was talking about is pretty unnecessary, mostly for a little "neat factor". I may or may not do that. It would depend on finding a matching set of A pillar gauge mounts. I would have to buy the RHD one from overseas.

    I don't think mine has a stock amp, but I found the wiring for an aftermarket.

    Not even sure I will bother with a sub.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Gulf Coast Fl
    Posts
    275
    My Cars
    98 M3
    On a side note how do you like the hard motorsport panels.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    Quote Originally Posted by Left Coast View Post
    On a side note how do you like the hard motorsport panels.
    They're a big improvement in my book over the stock panels with the age issues.

    I did a write up on the install in my build thread if you want to check it out. It's the Got a "New" 1994 325is thread.

    They are based on the racing panels BMW used in their factory race cars to my understanding.

    I still need to do the cutout for the mirror switch and door pulls.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    Here's a pic of the installed drivers side panel and the current status of my car.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Gulf Coast Fl
    Posts
    275
    My Cars
    98 M3
    nice thanks have been looking at them for a bit.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    Quote Originally Posted by Left Coast View Post
    nice thanks have been looking at them for a bit.
    No problem brother.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    1,734
    My Cars
    1998 BMW 328i
    If you don't care about bass, then you can retrofit the sound system fairly cheaply and still get incredible sound. Id strongly advise getting component speakers with crossovers for a separate tweeter in the front.

    For the rear I opted to completely remove the 6x9's and put a ported sub box in the ski pass with its own dedicated amp. This doubled the cost of my setup, but the difference is night and day. You can actually feel the music. And i got a nifty JL control knob to manually adjust bass levels from my dash.

    Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    I just got Blaupunkt 6x9's with adapters, 5.25's, and a powered compact 8" sub box. I will have to run new wires from the speakers to the head unit but that's fine. The RCA's are already in the trunk for the sub.

    The head unit isn't stock, it's a Pioneer.

    I think it will be good enough, and it was only about $150 for all of it.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Edmonton, AB
    Posts
    375
    My Cars
    '93 320i
    Right now it sounds like you're where I was last year - my car had the 6 speaker system with blown rears. A previous owner wired in a pair of tweeters that are mounted on the mirror covers above the door panels which is another option to look into. After replacing a bunch of things when I did my interior swap, here's where I ended up last summer:

    Installed a newer Alpine headunit (had 3 pre-outs, so I ran 2 pairs of RCA's to the back of the car for future stereo mods)
    Aftermarket tweeters in the mirrors
    OEM HK Kicks
    OEM Mid & tweeters in the doors (got new door panels and ended up wiring them together to make it easier to plug and play)
    3 way 6x9's

    That setup was good. I ran the 6x9's off the headunit for a month or so but decided to run them off an amp which gave them some extra bass the car was still lacking. The 8" sub should fill the lower bass notes nicely.

    For me I'm now at the point where the old 6x9's are starting to go (which isnt surprising since my Dad gave me them from his old Lincoln Lowrider he had and are over 20years old!!), so I'm thinking of taking them out and running a set of 6.5" to better go with the 350w 10" Sub I just added. Didn't need highschool kid loud stereo, just wanted a nice OEM sounding one and I feel I'm pretty close to that now.
    Last edited by Silenced; 02-12-2018 at 05:02 PM.

    '93 Bmw 32oi /// White leather, H&R race springs, Style 125 reps, Evo X wing

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    1,734
    My Cars
    1998 BMW 328i
    Quote Originally Posted by Deus Ex Machina View Post
    I just got Blaupunkt 6x9's with adapters, 5.25's, and a powered compact 8" sub box. I will have to run new wires from the speakers to the head unit but that's fine. The RCA's are already in the trunk for the sub.

    The head unit isn't stock, it's a Pioneer.

    I think it will be good enough, and it was only about $150 for all of it.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    Does the oem system run speaker wire to the head unit? I thought the head unit ran to the amp and then the amp ran to the speakers.

    Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    Quote Originally Posted by Silenced View Post
    Right now it sounds like you're where I was last year - my car had the 6 speaker system with blown rears. A previous owner wired in a pair of tweeters that are mounted on the mirror covers above the door panels which is another option to look into. After replacing a bunch of things when I did my interior swap, here's where I ended up last summer:

    Installed a newer Alpine headunit (had 3 pre-outs, so I ran 2 pairs of RCA's to the back of the car for future stereo mods)
    Aftermarket tweeters in the mirrors
    OEM HK Kicks
    OEM Mid & tweeters in the doors (got new door panels and ended up wiring them together to make it easier to plug and play)
    3 way 6x9's

    That setup was good. I ran the 6x9's off the headunit for a month or so but decided to run them off an amp which gave them some extra bass the car was still lacking. The 8" sub should fill the lower bass notes nicely.

    For me I'm now at the point where the old 6x9's are starting to go (which isnt surprising since my Dad gave me them from his old Lincoln Lowrider he had and are over 20years old!!), so I'm thinking of taking them out and running a set of 6.5" to better go with the 350w 10" Sub I just added. Didn't need highschool kid loud stereo, just wanted a nice OEM sounding one and I feel I'm pretty close to that now.
    Sounds about right. I am ditching all of the stock speakers, the wiring is stupid and the speakers are totally done. The door speakers are probaby ok but I am not putting them back.

    I am the same as you, I have zero care about rattling bolts loose in my car with bass, I just want something to fill out the lows.

    Quote Originally Posted by XnWarden View Post
    Does the oem system run speaker wire to the head unit? I thought the head unit ran to the amp and then the amp ran to the speakers.

    Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
    It probably does, I haven't had enough time to worry about it. The rear speakers were running a low circuit and a high range circuit (4 wire). I ID'd the positive wires and tested them at low volume to see what was up there. It's a garbage setup, and you cannot run 6x9'S with the wiring (well not without either losing all lows or blowing the tweeters).

    I will remove the factory Amp if it is there somewhere and when I locate it. I will smash it with something heavy. If possible I will remove every wire as if it never existed. But it will probably be too much trouble so I will likely just make sure the wires are dead and get rid of what I can get to without dismantling the car.

    Since I am forced to pull the head unit, I am looking at a Blau AUS440 single DIN touchscreen unit to match the speakers. I started a thread to see if anyone has used one without problems, but no response. I will probably delete the thread and take my chances. The unit is just $125, I am pretty sure they don't make it any more.

    The powered sub I ordered has a "remote" bass knob you can mount up front sort of like what you mentioned.
    Last edited by Deus Ex Machina; 02-13-2018 at 12:12 AM.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    1,734
    My Cars
    1998 BMW 328i
    The factory amp is behind the trunk carpet on the passenger side. The wires run under the rear seat and carpet up to the front.

    In order to run your powered sub youll need to run new rca cables to the built in amp on the sub. After that im Not sure. On a standard sub with standalone amp, you have to connect the amp to the battery directly. You also need to connect remote turn on lead from the head unit to the amp. A powered sub might be different since my understanding is that they are self contained

    Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    Quote Originally Posted by XnWarden View Post
    The factory amp is behind the trunk carpet on the passenger side. The wires run under the rear seat and carpet up to the front.

    In order to run your powered sub youll need to run new rca cables to the built in amp on the sub. After that im Not sure. On a standard sub with standalone amp, you have to connect the amp to the battery directly. You also need to connect remote turn on lead from the head unit to the amp. A powered sub might be different since my understanding is that they are self contained

    Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
    I have all new speaker wire,connectors and a 10 gauge amp wiring kit that includes a new RCA and an inline fuse on the power wire coming. I am going to run all new wiring to the head unit including the remote wire. The powered sub wires up pretty similar to a regular sub and amp. The power will be easy since the battery is in the trunk anyway.

    The remaining parts I need including the Blaupunkt Austin 440 head unit are on the way and are supposed to be delivered by Friday for a weekend install. I also ordered an Erwin/Vise Grip quick stripper with built in terminal crimpers to make things easier.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    Just waiting on the Rockford Fosgate amp wiring kit now and the Auto strip / Terminal Crimp tool.

    I will be waiting at the end of the driveway in my BMW tomorrow to make sure I don't get USPS non delivery due to rain.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    I got the amp kit and tool I needed, and the LHD and RHD matching dual gauge pods came in too. They are universal so I will get a spare set of A pillar covers and some fitment and assembly will be required.

    The 52mm speakers for the gauge pods had to be ordered from overseas so they will be a while coming.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    I ran brand new wiring with clean solder connections, gait everything installed. If sounds pretty spectacular in my opinion.

    I had an issue when I turned it on. The display screen was installed backwards on this unit. I got it straight from Wal-Mart dot com first party, and they have live chat available at 3 AM so a new unit is on the way.

    I ordered a second one from Amazon, it was a warehouse deal for $86. I never want to have to solder the in dash harness connections again for a new plug.

    I just slid it into the dash short of locking in until I get the replacement or the Amazon prime one, whichever makes it here first.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    My replacement unit will be here tomorrow, and I ordered a spare just because and a backup camera.

    I will be perfectly happy with the setup once that is straightened out. The color and display text match the factory gauges and OBC well.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Deus Ex Machina; 02-23-2018 at 02:13 PM.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
    Posts
    1,105
    My Cars
    1998 328i
    How much does the screen affect the center vent? I don't know if my HVAC dampers are 100% effective but I get most of my effective heating and cooling from the vent in the center and would be afraid to block it. A couple brands make screens that come out and down but they lack the features I am interested in. I really want a nice android auto unit.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    I looked at the flip down units as well, they were only available from Boss and Sound Ordnance, maybe one other.

    I haven't driven it much in the few days I had it operational. If you close the center vents the pressure should move to the others. When I am just listening to bluetooth music or a CD I will not likely even flip it out. The audio EQ and sound field/fader/balance features are a lot better on a touch screen vs. a standard unit. The touch screen calling and back up camera features are pretty sweet.

    It is February and it was 80+ degrees the last two days, so heat is probably out of the question and my A/C compressor is locked tight. I don't think it is really going to be an issue for me personally. Even when I fix the A/C, I never direct the vents right on me anyway I push them toward the roof so the flow goes over and cools the whole cabin. I can't stand direct A/C blowing on me. When I get in the new Jeep my wife always has them that way and I move them all back up.

    I run a Galaxy 8+, I avoid any units that seem to be I-phone centric. This one works well for what I need, but if you want album art and track info from the bluetooth connection this one doesn't have that. I could care less about that part personally. It's not like I am surfing the latest pop channels for new music and want to know what the band is. New music lately is about 99% crap.
    Last edited by Deus Ex Machina; 02-23-2018 at 02:37 PM.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
    Posts
    1,105
    My Cars
    1998 328i
    Thanks for the info. My wife and I are the opposite with regards to vents, she can't the air blowing on her and shuts them off or turns them away. I don't really know anything about Boss or Sound Ordnance but I wouldn't expect much from them. I gave in and subscribe to Spotify and want a really nice interface for it rather than picking up my phone, the pioneer flip up units look cool but I was concerned the vent. A double din would be great but I don't want to hack up the dash unless I know it will work out or be undone. A cutom double din unit that absorbs the OBC functionality and moves the climate controls in its place would be ideal but I think the OBC is smaller than the climate control.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Adairsville GA
    Posts
    488
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325is
    Quote Originally Posted by gdavid View Post
    Thanks for the info. My wife and I are the opposite with regards to vents, she can't the air blowing on her and shuts them off or turns them away. I don't really know anything about Boss or Sound Ordnance but I wouldn't expect much from them. I gave in and subscribe to Spotify and want a really nice interface for it rather than picking up my phone, the pioneer flip up units look cool but I was concerned the vent. A double din would be great but I don't want to hack up the dash unless I know it will work out or be undone. A cutom double din unit that absorbs the OBC functionality and moves the climate controls in its place would be ideal but I think the OBC is smaller than the climate control.
    I would like a unit that mirrors your phone and let's you run the apps from the touch screen. I am sure they are available but from what I have seen they would be prohibitively expensive at the moment.

    I mostly use Iheart and create stations based off of a band I like, then give songs the thumbs down until there isn't any chaff left. Then I just let it play and really don't need to mess with it.



    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Help Troubleshoot M Roadster Engine Whine in audio system
    By lcjhnsn in forum Car Audio & Electronics sponsored by Bavsound
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-17-2008, 01:49 PM
  2. Help Troubleshoot M Roadster Engine Whine in audio system
    By lcjhnsn in forum New England - US
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 05-17-2008, 01:48 PM
  3. Help troubleshoot M Roadster Engine Whine in audio system
    By lcjhnsn in forum New York / New Jersey / Connecticut
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-17-2008, 01:48 PM
  4. New Power and Ground for my Mobile Audio System
    By BlackSapphire in forum 1996 - 2003 (E39)
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 04-26-2008, 10:46 AM
  5. Re-doing my system - need some advice
    By ToplessBMW3 in forum Car Audio & Electronics sponsored by Bavsound
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-07-2003, 06:35 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •