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Thread: E36 M3 Coupe - Hybrid Active System - Pioneer DEX-P99RS/McIntosh MC440M/Scanspeak

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
    357
    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3

    E36 M3 Coupe - Hybrid Active System - Pioneer DEX-P99RS/McIntosh MC440M/Scanspeak

    Brief introduction to the car:
    1998 M3 Coupe Cosmos Schwartz Metallic purchased in 2006 from the original owner. The car is now currently sitting at ~106k miles.

    The original owner had installed the following:

    • Alpine CDA-9835
    • Monster Cable 6-Channel RCA's
    • Audison SRX5 5 Channel Amp
    • MB Quart PSC-210 4" Midrange 1" Tweeter components in the doors (behind the factory speaker grills)
    • MB Quart QM-130 5 1/4" Mid Bass in the kick panels (Kick panels lined with DynaMat Xtreme)
    • JL Audio Stealthbox's w/ JL 8IB4 8" subwoofers in the rear deck

    14 years ago I thought this was an amazing system! But as I was laid out with the flu this past Thanksgiving, I discovered DIYMobileAudio.
    Needless to say I was hooked and began planning out a full component upgrade which included:

    • Head Unit: Pioneer DEX-P99RS
    • Bluetooth: Auris BluMe Pro Bluetooth 5.0 LDAC Audio Receiver via Pioneer IP-Bus Aux Input with JL Premium RCA interconnects
    • Amplifier: Model: McIntosh MC440M 6-Channel Amplifier
    • Door Panel Speakers: ScanSpeak Illuminator D3004/6020-00 (1" Tweeter) / Scanspeak Discovery 10F/4424G (~4" Midrange)
    • Door Panel Passive Cross Overs: MB Quart QXD 210
    • Kick Panel Speakers: Scan-Speak 15W/4531G-00 5.5" Woofer
    • Rear Deck Speakers: Pioneer TS-SW841D 8" IB Subwoofer

    I then got to work on acquiring the components, which I knew was going to take some time, especially finding the McIntosh amplifier.
    During this period I acquired a pair of MB Quart QXD 210 passive cross overs. These passive crossovers are some of the best MB Quart ever produced.
    Since the Scanspeak components do not come with passive crossovers the MB Quart QXD 210's with their 2.4khz cross over, By-Pass, and multiple tweeter level dB adjustments allowed the needed flexibility for tuning with the P99RS.
    Here are some pictures of the components and the installation:

    IMG_20200207_173409.jpg

    IMG_20200207_122658.jpg

    IMG_20200313_192126.jpg

    IMG_20200313_191916.jpg

    IMG_20200313_192528.jpg

    More pictures on the next posts...
    Last edited by 97flgst; 09-24-2022 at 08:35 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
    357
    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    MB Quart QXD 210 Passive Crossovers custom mounted using the factory amplifier bracket.
    IMG_20200411_141708.jpg

    IMG_20200411_141906.jpg

    IMG_20200411_143142.jpg

    Scanspeak speakers
    IMG_20200424_210635.jpg
    MB Quart woofer (left) vs Scanspeak woofer (right)
    IMG_20200424_114011.jpg
    97FLGST


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
    357
    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    Scanspeak (bottom) vs. Factory Grills (top) for comparison.
    The tweeter is a perfect fit and the midrange required very minimal trimming of the door panel.
    IMG_20200424_210827.jpg

    The kick panels required a 1/4" to be trimmed for the Scanspeak 5.5" woofers to fit.
    Sound deadened with NVX SDBVK4 Premium Stealth Black (Exterior) / DynaMat Extreme and Polyfill (Interior)

    IMG_20200609_192827.jpg

    IMG_20200609_193750.jpg

    IMG_20200610_170200.jpg

    IMG_20200612_204241.jpg
    Last edited by 97flgst; 10-07-2020 at 06:52 PM.
    97FLGST


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
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    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    The kick panel grills required some shaving on the backside for the speakers to fit and allow some room for excursion.
    IMG_20200613_122325.jpg

    While the door panels were off the car, I took the opportunity to prep and reinforce the door panels.
    I installed the Turtle Laboratories Door Panel Repair Kit along with re-gluing all of the plastic mounts and map pockets with 3M Window Weld. I also replaced all of the door panel clips with the revised e46 foam gasket door clips.
    Fastenal had perfectly sized 3" 18ga metal washers for mounting the midrange speakers. I used 3D printed rings for mounting the tweeters. Black hex head machine screws and nylon lock nuts were used throughout.
    PXL_20200924_010413518.jpg
    Also installed new vapor barriers and 3M Window Weld Butyl Rope:
    PXL_20200924_000122472.jpg

    Completed Door Panels:
    PXL_20200924_013604043.jpg

    PXL_20200920_172030503.jpg
    Last edited by 97flgst; 10-07-2020 at 11:08 PM.
    97FLGST


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    East Coast, USA
    Posts
    741
    My Cars
    E36 x3
    Diggin the attention to detail during the install! I would like to see the factory grills installed simply to keep the oem look. What are your thoughts on the sound quality from the old system versus current setup?

    WTB
    : 94 325is M-Technic

    -----> Pm me if you have or know of one. <-----

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
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    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    I too would have preferred keeping the OEM grills on the door panels. I quickly realized though in the world of SQ audio not many options are available that would allow the retention of the particular OEM grill setup the E36 uses. Gluing the speakers to the backside of the door panels, like the previous owner did, did not hold up over time. When I removed the door panels the midranges literally fell right off the door panel.
    There are custom grills available for the Scanspeak midrange speakers but they will look too bulky compared to the door panel.
    The sound improvement was immense. I set my amplifier gains using an oscilloscope and used the Pioneer DEX-P99RS Auto T/A and EQ. The MB Quart components were always a bit harsh for long listening, even with the Tweeters set -6dB. The Scanspeak components are incredibly smoother in comparison. I still have plenty of tuning ahead of me as I am now beginning my research on tuning using a RTA microphone.
    Last edited by 97flgst; 10-08-2020 at 01:47 PM.
    97FLGST


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
    357
    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    If anyone is interested I am keeping a more in depth build log on diymobileaudio: https://www.diymobileaudio.com/threa.../#post-5867804

    Most recently I added some flare to the trunk.

    The McIntosh logo and the meter glow in the dark! If you are curious, I bought the pin from Audio-Relics.com.

    PXL_20201107_173012676.jpg
    97FLGST


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    In da OC
    Posts
    811
    My Cars
    97 M3, 23 A5 Sportback
    Is that factory amplifier bracket in every E36 M3?

    One of the last remaining members of the E36 M3 original owners club...a dying breed indeed.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
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    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    Quote Originally Posted by SIIDEWAYS View Post
    Is that factory amplifier bracket in every E36 M3?
    I believe so. I turned the factory bracket ~180 degrees before mounting it to a custom wood board that I then mounted the passive cross overs to.
    IMG_20200411_134725.jpg
    97FLGST


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
    357
    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    Update: Swapped out my 80amp Valeo alternator for the 140amp Bosch alternator. The old 80amp Valeo alternator was barely keeping above 12v at idle with the stereo on, headlights on and both the aux fan and electric radiator fan running. The car is now a solid 13.8v at idle with everything running. Worthy upgrade for anyone running a larger amplifier (+400 watts class A/B).

    I should state that I installed a new Autocraft Platinum AGM Battery - Size H6 - 760CCA - 70AH - 120min Reserve Capacity before I started this stereo upgrade project.
    Last edited by 97flgst; 04-04-2021 at 09:22 AM.
    97FLGST


  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    The Sunshine State
    Posts
    357
    My Cars
    98 Cosmos M3
    Update: I just just swapped out my Auris BluMe HD (aptX HD) Bluetooth receiver for the Auris BluMe Pro (LDAC) Bluetooth receiver.

    I would say it is a worthy upgrade especially if you subscribe to a HiFi streaming services such as Tidal.

    As of late I have been focusing on a few other mechanical upgrades, but soon I will be circling back around to investing in a RTA mic and fine tuning the system.
    97FLGST


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