Audiotec-Fischer MATCH 7UP amp

[MarcoZandrini]

I’ve been modifying the audio system in my bimmers since the late 1980s. My 3rd bimmer, a 1985 325e (a tank) had 3 different audio systems in the 15 years I owned it. The last system was a full blown Alpine setup including an equalizer that was mounted in the lower part of the dash left of the steering wheel!

In September 2017 I took delivery of my current bimmer, a 2018 M240i. He (his name is Gerhardt) was delivered with the HK system. In comparison to the upgraded system in my fourth bimmer, a 2001 330Ci (speakers, amps, crossovers and subs), the sound basically sucked. I chalked it up to BMW investing so much in how the car performed on the road and the track, where he’s a beast. So I started by replacing the speakers. I relied on recommendations from the folks at 2 Addicts (https://www.2addicts.com/forums/), the forum for the F22/F23. I installed Eton component speakers in the front and JL 2 way speakers in the rear. A noticeable improvement. Btw, the factory HK speakers had rather small magnets and cheap paper cones. So I kept digging. I took the plunge and installed the Audiotec-Fischer MATCH 7UP BMW amp (https://www.crutchfield.com/p_975UP7...H-UP-7BMW.html). With the exception of a small mod to the amp’s connector (2 extra ribs in the connector; I removed them with a very sharp blade screwdriver), the install was plug and play. Without tuning the amp the sound was slightly better. I borrowed a friend’s laptop, connected it to the amp via a USB cable and started tuning. The software https://www.audiotec-fischer.de/en/d...ool-version-4/), written for the company’s amps; it's very comprehensive if a bit daunting. After a couple of tuning sessions I found the sound to be much improved but not quite “there.” So, I installed the company’s HEC/MEC USB interface module (https://www.audiotec-fischer.de/en/m...p-7bmw/up-7dsp) that plugs into the amp’s circuit board. Basically I ran a 10 foot long USB cable (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) from the console to the amp. The only 2 console parts I had to remove were the panel that holds the USB port and the rear fascia where the controls for the rear ventilation are located. I used www.newtis.info for the removal/re-installation processes. Both came out fairly easily with standard removal tools. The back seat cushion had to come out as well as the C pillar cover and the right bolster. The hard part was running the cable under the carpet between the console and the back seat cushion area. Gott im Himmel, what a PITA! I also had to buy a lightning to USB adapter for my iPhone 7. Apple wants $40 the adapter so I bought it from fleabay for $15 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lightning-t...UAAOSwpclcg4z4).

After I got everything installed and the USB cable wire tied to the factory harness, I plugged in the laptop and lit off the audio system. Basically I had to do only a couple of things. First, I configured the amp to switch to the USB input whenever the USB cable was sending the amp digital data. Then I adjusted the USB audio input sensitivity.

I plugged in my iPhone and selected the Little Feet playlist. OMG the sound blew me away! The difference is like night and day. The sound is so full and rich, as if I had the best seat in an acoustically perfect concert hall while, in this case, Little Feet was performing on stage!! I tried some Rachmaninoff. Holy crap, the piano sounded so crisp and clear. I’m in auto audio nirvana!

Ok, so what did this upgrade cost? I bought the amp from Crutchfield, so I paid full price plus Virginia sales tax. Basically that came to $1050. The USB module from Crutchfield was another $160. The 10 foot long USB cable (I needed all 10 feet btw) was $15 from Amazon. The lightning to USB adapter was $15. So basically I spent $1250, but it's worth every frigging cent.

Update: my iPhone doesn’t seem to like the fleabay adapter as the phone gives me a warning that the adapter isn’t made for Apple. It’ll sometimes stop playing music. So, I ordered the $40 Apple adapter. Also, the adapter gets power from the USB port in the console via the adapter. The phone occasionally gives me a warning that it can’t send music to both the car’s system and the amp at the same time. I may have to mod the cable that plugs into the car’s USB port for power to cut the wires that carry data. Or, I may install a second power only USB port.

Update: it seems my iPhone and the fleabay lightning to USB adapter don’t play well together. I keep getting the message on my iPhone that the adapter isn’t an Apple product. Secondly, this adapter is trying to send the data (the digital music) to both the Audiotec-Fischer amp and the car’s head unit. So, I bought the ($40!!!!) official Apple adapter. It sends only power via the lightning port in the adapter. I’ll update this to see how it goes. Btw, bought the remastered Dark Side of the Moon album. Funny this is the songs (files) were “.cda” format. Ripped them to “.wav” format in iTunes, and loaded the album into my iPhone. Holy cow (no relation to Devin Nunes)!

Update #2: the Apple adapter wouldn’t charge the phone! So I went back to the fleabay adapter and everything other than the initial warning from the iPhone, everything is fine! Now, I’m going to make a short power only USB cable so that the adapter can’t try to send audio data to the car’s audio system. I’ll keep the Apple cable in the glovebox.

[kniaugaudiskis]

Hey, I have a 2014 BMW F10 535i which came with the Hi-Fi (option 676) stereo system. I didn't like the sound quality of it so I went ahead and replaced the stock amp with the MATCH 7UP BMW, the stock speakers with the Bang&Olufsen and loaded a custom tune on the amp. The sound quality is SO MUCH BETTER now compared to stock, however, I'm quite intrigued by the things you've mentioned with the extension card for the amp and I wouldn't mind improving the sound quality more. My only question is, can you still adjust the volume through the steering wheel/car stereo controls once you plug your phone directly to the amp? Thanks a bunch!

[MarcoZandrini]

Unfortunately no. What happens when you install either a Bluetooth or USB module in the amp is the amp chooses between the head unit input or the module’s input. The real solution is for someone to design a modification to the factory head unit that replaces the mediocre digital to analog circuitry with circuitry that uses a high end digital to analog converter (DAC).

[kniaugaudiskis]

Thank you for the reply One more question - is there a particular reason why you've chosen the USB extension module over the bluetooth one? The bluetooth module should be very convenient as you don't have to run the USB cable throughout the car. Or maybe there's a significant quality loss compared to the cable?

[MarcoZandrini]

I tried the Bluetooth module but my iPhone doesn’t like to interface properly with it. First, after enabling the interface when I select a song to play there’s a pop in my left rear speaker! After a few weeks the Bluetooth module won’t recognize any other device such as my wife’s iPhone. Crutchfield sent me a new module AND a new amp but the symptoms remain. So, I switched back to the usb module and I bought a FiiO M3 Pro digital audio player with a usb output jack.

[kniaugaudiskis]

Oh I see, it looks like the USB module is the way to go then. Also out of curiosity, did you notice any change in quality between the bluetooth and USB modules?

[MarcoZandrini]

Yeah, it was a bit of pain running another usb cable from the console to the amp. The first usb cable is used to tune the amp using AF software. I keep this cable’s usb-A connector under the console part that has the factory usb connector. The software is f’ing amazing and complete. The hard part of running the cable was running it under the carpet that’s between the console and the back seat cushion.

To answer your question, no there’s no difference in the quality of the sound. I’ve go Dark Side of the Moon with .wav files. Holy crap the sound is so unbelievably rich. Why? A .wav file is a lossless type of file. It contains all of the music as it was initially recorded. An mp3 file is missing so much music “info” it almost sounds like elevator music!! They created the mp3 algorithm so that an entire album of music could fit on a cd. I’ve searched the internet and there are a few sites that sell albums in a lossless file format such as .wav. But, an album in a lossless file format ain’t cheap-$20. And the files are huge. A single song can be as big as 50MB! Luckily the FiiO can handle a micro-SD card as big as 256GB.