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Thread: E39 Touring Stereo System Install

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    E39 Touring Stereo System Install

    My wagon came equipped with the HiFi system which in Touring spec included 3 speakers in each front door, tweeters in the rear doors, mids in the ceiling of the cargo area and a small subwoofer enclosure in the rear passenger side compartment. After swapping my CD player for one which can support Aux in it became apparent I needed to address the lack of bass.

    I had a system in my old E39 M5 which included DLS 6.5" components, 2 12" Image Dynamics IDQs, a JBL MS8, and 2 Alpine PDX amps. It was awesome although my needs for such strong bass have diminished a bit but considering I listen predominantly to bass-music; dubstep, trap, hip hop, etc. I needed SOME bass. This stereo build started out as adding a sub and amplifier but morphed into an economical "complete" build.

    I also own an E61 which has the BSW stage 1 speakers, 2 shallow 8" Earthquake subs, a JBL MS8, and a JBL MS-A5001. This system sounds "OK" but I was really let down by the subs in the stock (under front seats) location. My E61 is down for repairs so some of this stereo equipment was "borrowed" from the E61.

    The goal was to gain respectable audio performance while keeping unnecessary costs down and keeping the system simple. You can fall deep down the rabbit hole on stereo builds so I wanted to avoid getting in over my head.

    More on my E39 Touring Build here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ring-Build-Log

    Hope you enjoy,
    Evan


    COMPONENTS

    JBL MS8 Processor
    JBL MA-A5001 mono amp
    Kenwood KAC-8405 4 channel amp
    JBL GTO508C Components (front stage)
    Sundown SD3-10"
    Basser E39 Touring Enclosure

    The E39 Touring:



    So this all stared with gaining Aux-In capability via a late model CD player and 3.5mm adapter cable. It took me 2 tries to get the CD player right, the first time I got the build date correct but had the wrong software version.




    Borrowing a JBL MS-A500.1 from my E61. Pretty cool amp! It has DSP to help set the input sensitivity and decouple that from the rest of the tuning, it also has a small footprint, and puts out 500w rms at both 4ohm and 2ohm which is very convenient and one of the features I loved about the Alpine PDX series. Although I took this from my E61 they can be purchased for $100-$200 which is pretty good value IMO.



    Digging in



    Line Out Converter Installed



    Mounted the sub amp with some hardware as it "floats" over the stock amp for proper cooling.



    Nice having this amp and it's features accessible.



    I had to replace my air compressor and took the opportunity to add some ducting insulation to aid in sound deadening, not sure how much it helps but I guarantee it doesn't hurt.



    Moving up to the front doors.



    Some people were saying the HiFi systems didn't have the 3rd speaker in the doors, (mid-woofers?) but my touring did!



    I was piecing together a component set on Parts-Express with some Peerless woofers and tweeters but once the crossovers were added the total price was around $140 which is still a good value but more than I wanted to pay. I found a set of JBL GTO 5 1/4" components on clearance for $70 shipped, hearing good things about the GTO series in general (mainly amps and subs) I figured it was worth a shot.




    JBL GTO vs stock



    Nice match depth-wise.



    Tweeters were going to be a tight fit so I removed the grills



    I tried to fit into the stock tweeter location but it required so much trimming the mounts were rendered useless so I switched my attention to the mid-woofer locations by the air vents, I was pleasantly surprised to find that after a very small amount of trimming to the mounting ring the tweeters *snapped* into place, no need for epoxy or other mounting solution.





    The JBL MS8 is the crutch for all of my stereo builds, after hearing the results in my M5 I was a believer. I don't have the time or skill to tune a system properly. The 18w/ch the MS8 sends would be "fine" but I picked up a Kenwood KAC-8405 locally for $20, I got the amp before buying the GTO speakers so I was expecting the speakers to be 4ohm and consequently the amp would send 60w rms per channel. Interestingly the GTOs are 2ohm so they get 90w rms fromm the Kenwood.



    I took advantage of the distribution block in the rear of the wagon, it made all the power connections nice and clean.



    Speaker connections soldered into oem wiring.



    GTO woofers installed



    TIS was a great resource to confirm wiring



    The GOODS! Sundown SD-3 D4 10" Bought it refurbished directly through Sundown $130 shipped.
    [IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FGoSTx4B7XPiz5PhrqoTiEzExYzYQ2evkVFxXyVpEX_EhD***L 71KkeghmtG_w0MTMJ0dxRN2Dw_h1lTl2mV1lWYmI2Z8uZf0gxI 1YPOtFDyqdp9ENwYvjGk7R7KGpj9uFGl5UmPYBIEMtE9-Eu08p8zrq7e-OpI_Aaa1_671b2_PEQZsWgbeIDVolwCRSZvKaDBLwinxfTyRDa qwHGQ1--8Vu7zmctroxnCcQiqAAsuuDwEXblANS0SZkJXkY31raH2RfbaW 4KgKsSlHaq23q66ymuhb7Wi3bpyCJ5vIV0tg7zqebGzi2P5pzI 30iuwH5yC1XKMK-Q05sjHXW7XscF_7w1x4HZ6Sfyo3zgYK59_py_Z80ybSAtRU45r KmNL9J_my9511HEJftC6qRjmsjuNb8A71mLB5J3ujuTRfzo6NN pSns9ygGpXWYWHMfSpaauiQDLnRBQHHccnc2vQofPLOlHXzDoM C5xUYB4Vgd2BworRY7ZDvcmCXilPPcRJ0WqvrDCCr-logATqdM2_zGUtvGmFrCW6oPxsCR4vDrZiu8q-3qJZ6JmffOp3HfQih9ME85NVRItoAPEAFBrD61JoT2gszeSui8 _gdSUt=w1316-h987-no[/IMG]


    Sundown vs stock. That is what I call and upgrade!




    After researching and considering building my own box it became apparent this BASSER enclosure is a really great value. The enclosure offers .5 cu/ft which is pretty impressive considering the space it's working with, Sundown recommends .4 cu/ft for the SD-3 and with .1 cu/ft of displacement this enclosure should work well with the sub. You can see how the enclosure maximizes internal volume but extending into the small pocket of space. It is a tight fit and there is some reorganization and trimming to get the box to fit properly but totally worth it IMO.



    In addition to some work getting the enclosure to fit properly I needed to bore out the speaker opening to accommodate the large basket on the Sundown, a couple passes sanding took care of this.



    The best part about this enclosure is it doesn't eat up any cargo area.



    ....which Annie was stoked on!


    Put my Bosch laser level to use.




    I didn't have any fancy tools to cleanly cut a 9" circle so after I had the middle marked I used a mixing bowl to trace a circle and then it did many passes with a razor to score the cutout, after it was deep enough I used a hammer to chisel it out.



    All things considered I was happy with how it came out, I really wanted to avoid the frayed/hacked-up look and utilizing a razor I get a nice clean edge.



    Although the sub is recessed behind the trim panel I will likely install a grill. I was hoping to get a flush mesh style grill but considering how low the sub sits to the floor the grill would likely sit higher and be offset from the sub which would drive me crazy. There are the horizontal bar style grills but I would prefer to have something that covers the perimeter of the hole I cut. Still researching options.



    This wasn't going to work...



    Spent $13 on a 2-sided 24" table top from Home Depot.



    Prepped to be an economical amp rack.



    Happy with the results; simple, clean, and effective. Since the rack floats I have room below for my jumper cables and various emergency supplies. I still have the carpeted cargo tray which resides above this (but still under the cargo floor) so in addition to the cargo area not being compromised I still have 2 tiers of storage above and below the amps.




    Last edited by ucsbwsr; 03-27-2018 at 12:14 AM.

  2. #2
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    Clean install! Congrats on the upgraded audio!

    Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

  3. #3
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    Nice work man! I just wish I had some of your motivation and free time!
    I gotta gut out my whole sound system in my Touring, got a Kenwood Excelon head, Precision Sound 5 channel amp, a JL Audio amp for the matching 10” JL sub. For drivers, I got Alpine Type R, 6.5” 3 way separates for the front door, and 6x9 Type R’s for the ceiling. Gonna be a lot of custom mounting, I know, but I have done it before on my older Touring. Should make for a decent sound, definitely better than the crap that came with the car.
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  4. #4
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    Very nice work! I like the fact that you retained the original CD player and MID. The P.O. of my touring had swapped out to an aftermarket head unit but I just didn't like the way it looked so I went back to the OEM units. Fortunately he hadn't hacked the wiring harness.

    Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by BimmrMeUpSnotty View Post
    Nice work man! I just wish I had some of your motivation and free time!
    I gotta gut out my whole sound system in my Touring, got a Kenwood Excelon head, Precision Sound 5 channel amp, a JL Audio amp for the matching 10” JL sub. For drivers, I got Alpine Type R, 6.5” 3 way separates for the front door, and 6x9 Type R’s for the ceiling. Gonna be a lot of custom mounting, I know, but I have done it before on my older Touring. Should make for a decent sound, definitely better than the crap that came with the car.
    So custom mounting meaning you will cut into the roof to mount the 6x9s? I would be curious to see how you tackle this. I would love to add some more midbass in the future. Rear ceiling seems like the obvious choice since building a custom enclosure for a an 8" midbass, although ideal, doesn't interest me. I assume the MS8 could work some magic and bring that midbass fill up front from the ceiling with it's processing power.

  6. #6
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    The Type R Alpine speakers are really shallow I’m thinking if they still won’t fit in there without tearing up the headliner, pick up the regular Type R 6.5’s which will fit, and then fab up a speaker box for the 6x9’s and get rid of the tool caddy in the tailgate. Hell, running the wires into the tailgate will be the bigger pain in the ass to me. But only ‘cause I’m weird and lazy like that. Lol
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  7. #7
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    Very clean and nice.

    What's with the stack of projector modules on the wall?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by BimmrMeUpSnotty View Post
    The Type R Alpine speakers are really shallow I’m thinking if they still won’t fit in there without tearing up the headliner, pick up the regular Type R 6.5’s which will fit, and then fab up a speaker box for the 6x9’s and get rid of the tool caddy in the tailgate. Hell, running the wires into the tailgate will be the bigger pain in the ass to me. But only ‘cause I’m weird and lazy like that. Lol
    So you are putting the 6x9s in the ceiling or the rear hatch? I assume if you would build a fiberglass enclosure for the tailgate or would you leave it IB?
    Quote Originally Posted by makenzie71 View Post
    Very clean and nice.

    What's with the stack of projector modules on the wall?
    I build high performance headlights.

  9. #9
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    Yup saw your post on the facebook group after I saw this. I'm the dude swapping Murano projectors into a pre-facelift halogen housing.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by ucsbwsr View Post
    So you are putting the 6x9s in the ceiling or the rear hatch? I assume if you would build a fiberglass enclosure for the tailgate or would you leave it IB?
    My inner tailgate's panel is so screwed up, what with broken tabs from the plastic being so brittle, sick of all the noise coming from it, I am actually thinking I will be junking it, and fabbing aluminum panels, match the existing shape of the stock panel as much as possible, powdercoated dessert tan, accommodating 2 10" JL's, behind aluminum screen, also powdercoated tan. The next issue will be finding stronger struts....

    I originally bought the 6x9's with the intention of making custom mounts to accommodate them in the existing 6.5" ceiling speakers, if I have to cut the headliner I will, as long as I can at least still keep it looking semi factory. If I can stuff them behind the round speaker grills, then that would be awesome. If it is not doable, then they will go into the tailgate. I will most probably build off of the inner panel, but will also have to rebuild the broken tab sections, and reinforce the existing ones first.
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  11. #11
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    Hi Evan,

    Always good to see fellow enthusiasts go for a good project! your overall project for the whole car is also a great read as well - keep up the good work!

    There's some aspects to your install which aren't quite optimal and you'd get better results/performance with a few relatively easy and not too difficult 'adjustments' to what you've done so far. Please to take this as postive/constructive feedback !

    1. The current location of the new JBL tweeters isn't optimal, funnily enough, the oem locations in the corner of the front door windows is a very good location without going all 'audiophile performance levels'. The technical aspects are that it's most likely the tweeters in the JBL set aren't optimized for off axis location/fitment - they'll 'project' the higher frequencies 'forwards' as it were. When you place them almost at 90 degrees away from your ears then the sound from them will be projected 'sideways' in front of you. In the OEM tweeter location, they'll 'project the sound' from in front of you which is much more natural for music reproduction. I've previously heard a friends M5 that was similarly done and it wasn't so good for soundstage and imaging as the tweeters were firing across at each other. My advice would be to re-locate the JBL tweeters to the OEM locations.

    2. The oem plastic enclosures in the front doors are for the oem speaker. When you place a much better performance speaker in it, then they tend to become more 'midrange' pronounced and as above, it's doesn't sound right. Also the oem enclosure isn't very 'solid' and so will resonate relatively easily. There's the very good quality MDF/Birch baffles from 12V electronics in the USA or there's some basic cheapy baffles on UK Ebay for around $25/30 USD which I'd say would be the minimum to go for (shipping would perhaps be another $20/30 or so Id have thought. When installed, these will allow your upgraded speakers to 'play' much better by using the door cavity as it's enclosure and the result is that you mid bass performance will improve.

    3. I used the JL Audio 8W3 v3 subwoofer in my custom made enclosure which fits on the 'other' side of the load area. I know in yours you have your JBL processor unit, in my car it was empty space. The same fundamental aspect applies in that once the hole is cut in the trim piece, the subwoofer cone is unprotected. I'm always carrying stuff so for me it was a must have that the driver be protected by a very strong grille. Fortunately, the JL Audio grille available for their driver is indeed very strong and robust and covers the whole sub driver surface. It's saved my sub from being punctured by something plenty of times and currently, it is a little bent due to the sides of an engine hoist I had to transport one time which hit it! I'd suggest purchasing a JL Audio grille as they are available separately.

    4. The oem locations for the roof speakers is a complete and utter waste of time/money/effort. They play directly downwards to the boot/load floor. If you want 'good' rear fill then you'll need to make the D pillar pods to hold the likely 4 inch co-axial speakers so that they face forward into the cabin. I went this route in my car as I do like a nice bit of rear fill (I've turned my gains down to perhaps 30% or so for the rears). Those touring owners thinking they'll fit 5.25 or 6" speakers up there shouldn't waste their time as from the single viewpoint of 'physical space' .. there isn't any to be able to fit them! there's perhaps an inch n half or so of depth, and a diameter of maybe 2.5 inches so the rear basket metal of speakers won't 'fit' into that space.

    5. I thought also to put my amplifiers in the location you have and was about to as I really wanted to use some excellent quality Genesis amplifiers. I didn't want any issues with heat build up as the units I was looking at were quite large and I think Class AB or B, which run hotter in normal operation. If you crank them, then more heat is dissipated and thus, cooling has to be given consideration. That means perhaps opening up some vents to allow the heat to escape becomes necessary. I didn't want to do that so went with Class D small footprint amplifiers. If I didn't want/have mine on show, then I'd have placed them in the same location as I have them now or, indeed, in the same location as you have. Another advantage of Class D is that they're very efficient so I didn't have to uprate the car's electrical system capabilities.

    6. I also listen to many different genres of music but I wanted excellent performance no matter what I listen to - be it classical/filmscores/theatrical soundtracks to pop music, world music, Jazz and also hip hop, soul, RnB to deep house/progressive trance and electronica. I purposely designed my setup so that I'd have no electronic processing, but I also went with a high quality head unit which gives out better audio performance than the OEM audio modules. I've 'angled' my tweeters so that the 'focus' is more to the driver side of the car and it's provided me with a really good soundstage and imaging performance. The upshot of all this is similarly, I don't want 'big bass' nor want to go to higher levels of spend and audio products. Even when playing at louder levels, inside the car it sounds 'like' big power/bass, yet even with my windows down, just outside the car there's not much leakage, certainly nowhere near the usual 'stereotype' of being obnoxious/pavement rattler! I've a few tweaks to do and then I'll have a few of the guys I know within the UK's competitive car audio scene do separate listening tests with my setup and get their feedback again. So far, they've all been very positive of how it sounds and the way and why I did my install the way I have. Sometimes I wish I could ship my car over there and drive around to all the various E39 Touring owners to have a listen

    Cheers, Dennis!

  12. #12
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    I took a 2018 Audi A4 drivers door apart last week that had a speaker which caught my eye. It was an opening for a 6.5" speaker, but had a 6x3 speaker in it. I will get proper measurements tomorrow and shoot a picture. That might make make a good roof speaker, the speaker is mounted sideways, not facing out. I'll post the picture tomorrow to show what I mean. I have never pulled my ceiling speaker down, so I don't really know how deep the space is. Thanks Dennis.
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by DennisCooper View Post
    Hi Evan,

    Always good to see fellow enthusiasts go for a good project! your overall project for the whole car is also a great read as well - keep up the good work!

    There's some aspects to your install which aren't quite optimal and you'd get better results/performance with a few relatively easy and not too difficult 'adjustments' to what you've done so far. Please to take this as postive/constructive feedback !

    Cheers, Dennis!
    Thanks for the feedback, I am far from an expert and am always looking to learn more. Here are some remarks on your suggestions...

    1. I tried mounting the tweeter in the factory pillar location but had to trim the oem mount to much that it was rendered useless and I didn't want to explore custom grills to accommodate a protruding tweeter. I may reinvestigate this by using some 3M VHB (awesome stuff) and plastic wedges/blocks to get the correct tweeter aim.

    2. I ran those mdf 6.5" baffles on my old M5 with DLS MS6A components and wasn't overly impressed with the midbass. However I didn't give much attention to maximizing the bass response no that setup, I threw some CLD tiles on the door and called it good. Given this is a budget build I opted against them. Given the way my front stage sounds currently I might reconsider but first I am going to double check speaker phase and make sure the amps and processor are all setup correctly. Did you have a link for the baffles on UK eBay? I looked and didn't see them.

    3. See below. At the time you wrote this comment I had already installed a grill. Options were limited given how low the sub sits towards the cargo floor. Pretty much the only option is the bar-style semi circle. Since the trim panel cutout is a smaller diameter than the woofer (again limited by the floor) I ended up with an 8" grill for the 10" sub. I would have loved to have a real stealth looking mesh style grill but unfortunately for me that wasn't an option. :/


    --------------------------------------------

    Subwoofer Grill arrived.


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