Audio upgrade in E60 535d

[gizze]

Depends on the year of the car.

Earthquake subs yeah still.

I would go with some 4" Morels if you can find them, sweeter than the DLS.

I would also now consider using an Alpine Class D amp (around £120-200) maybe a Pioneer, or a JL Audio XD400/4 if you can afford it.

You can take the signal from by the sub woofers, rather than using the plug and play amp harness, actually easier install wise.

The head unit signal goes to the woofer and then splits to it and the front speakers, so you take the signal to the amp from there and then run cables back from teh amp to the woofer and the front speakers (although you simply hook up where you have split them by the woofer).

So really easy.

[ratbag530]

Depends on the year of the car.

Earthquake subs yeah still.

I would go with some 4" Morels if you can find them, sweeter than the DLS.

I would also now consider using an Alpine Class D amp (around £120-200) maybe a Pioneer, or a JL Audio XD400/4 if you can afford it.

You can take the signal from by the sub woofers, rather than using the plug and play amp harness, actually easier install wise.

The head unit signal goes to the woofer and then splits to it and the front speakers, so you take the signal to the amp from there and then run cables back from teh amp to the woofer and the front speakers (although you simply hook up where you have split them by the woofer).

So really easy.

Gizze

Thanks for the quick response. My car is a 2008 LCI 530d Msport.

I had been thinking about the JL Audio amp or the Pioneer GM-D8604 which would be the lower cost option. With Earthquakes at £400, Morels at £300 it is looking like a £1000 upgrade.

As I plan to keep the car, this is do-able if it gives a good improvement.

I have just spent an hour trying to remove the front door panel. When the rain stops I'll have another go having found a You tube video offering some instruction.

Again, thanks very much for the info.

[ratbag530]

Gizze

I have ordered and received today the Morel Dotech Ovation 4 Comp. They are 4" 2Way Component Speakers. I'll start the installation later today/tomorrow and I look forward to getting an immediate improvement on the BMW standard install.

I just bought a pair of the 4 ohm Earthquake SWS8 subs.

As for the amp, the best install position is likely to be under the rear shelf. Therefore the FM interference problem rears its ugly head with a D Class amp. I had considered the JL Audio XD400/4, but am now thinking that a Class A/B or GH would be a better choice.

Here are the options that I have found so far:

Vibe LITEBOX Stereo 4;

JL Audio JX360/4;

Vibe DeathBox Stereo 4;

Do you or any other member have experience of these or is there another that folks would recommend that I should consider?

Does anyone have experience of the Earthquake amps?

there is another option, of course, to run the front and rear on the installed HU and put an amp in for the Subs only. Would this be workable? Would it give a good result?

I would really appreciate some guidance.

[gizze]

I ran the litebox stereo 4, and it was good, but the build on them is dire.

Great amp but you must buy new with warranty.

I bought a used on a couple of months back and the pot for adjusting one of the channels gains was off, this is quite common.

The XD400/4 is superb though, I wouldn't write it off.

If you are going to mount under the shelf seriously consider a nice Genesis Stereo 4, just such a sweet sounding amp. You will need a line level convertor for it, but worth it.

I would definitely want the mids and tweeters amped.

[ratbag530]

gizze

Just collected the SWS8 subs and the Morels are here.

Spoke to Gordon Taylor at Amp Doctor who is assembling a new Genesis Profile 4 Ultra for me with the line level converter built into it this week.

I am now putting together a list of the other bits required and planning how and where to install the amp under the rear shelf. The controls are all on the same side as the inputs and outputs, so will need to have access. It looks like a beautiful amp it will be a shame to hide it!!

I have mastered removing the door panels, but need to replace some of the fasteners!! There is a foam type of lining between the door panel and the door skin. Is there any value in sound deadening underneath it on the door skin or on top of the liner? What about sound deadening under the sub on the floor? Will this make any difference?

Thanks a lot for your help. I'll keep you updated on progress.

[gizze]

I did put some deadening on the door cards, just a little around the speaker, not sure if it was needed or not but for £20 just did it.

With the fronts being crossed at 125hz or higher it is not too much of an issue.

I put a couple of strips on the enclosure too, only as I had it there. Probably useless.

I had a profile 4 ultra running in my old 530i and it worked really well.

Gordon is such a nice guy, I had an issue on one channel and he talked me through what it was likely to be, so sorted it there and then with a solder iron, most people would just say 'ship it back'. Refreshing!

Oh, leave the foam stuff, it is a waterproof seal.

[gizze]

Also, ask Gordon about mounting the Profile 4 upside down, the fan is on the top, it may need to be mounted with the fan facing up?

[ratbag530]

Thanks I'll do that.

[Eddie 535D]

Hi. Really happy to see that ur still on this thread Gizze. I have found lots of information on here+++ Just want to ask a few questions.

I have a standard 6 speaker system with 2 6.5" subs. Allready installed a monoblock amp with high level input converter and a twin sub in the boot, but not very happy as most of the bass stays in boot as well. So i think the best would be to order two Earthquake 4 ohm subs and get two logic 7 tweeters as you recommended. Just cant decide on what amp to get

And if powerred by the right amp how good the Earthquakes are? I like listening to bass heavy music like dubstep or drum n bass.

Thanks

[gizze]

What budget for the amp?

The Earthquakes are good, 2 8" subds directly under you will always be OK.

Oh, and these are getting good reviews....

GermanMAESTRO - Powered by MAESTRO Badenia

[Eddie 535D]

I guess for the right amp i could pay 200-300 euros. Are the mids in the doors good enough to be amped? And how bad would it be to just get a 2 channel or a mono amp and just power the subs?

[gizze]

I would get a 4 channel amp first and a set of Logic7/Top Hi-Fi tweeters from BMW, power the mids and tweeters off the front channels and the under seat subs off the rear channels of the amp.

See what you think of that, the oem subs will sound so much better amped, you may find you don't need to go further, but if you do you will have an amp in place that can drive some decent under seat subs.

Just let the head unit drive the rear speakers for a bit of rear fill.

[Eddie 535D]

I think ill just get the two subs as well as i sold my current 2000w rms sub and mono amp so have a few funds available. Lets say i get the earthquake subs what 4 channel amp would be best value?

[Eddie 535D]

How about this one? PIONEER GM-D8604 4 CHANNEL 1200W CLASS-D CAR AMP | eBay

[Mitja Štrakl]

Hi all!

 

I have read most of the topic trough, and first of all, a big thanks to everyone who shared their experiences from BMW audio upgrades, especially the author of this thread.

 

I have a 2008 E61 LCI, with stock standard audio system. Of course, as all the E60/61 owners know, the sound quality is awful. I wanted to do some minor upgrades for some time now, and I never really got to it. Finally I decided to get some more info about it, so here I am, hoping for your help. 

 

My first question would be what would you recommend me to do? I want some more sub, and better sound all in all sound quality. And if it would be a bit louder, that would also be great. But I don't need an acoustic perfection. The budget is as low as possible, about 500$ at max.

 

After reading this thread, I (maybe?) can do the following:

 

5 channel amp to standard mid's; add tweeters in front (logic 7 or some simmilar)

some 8" subs under seats, like Earthquake  sws 8"

 

Is that about OK, or should I replace the standard mid's too? Maybe also add tweeters in the back?

 

I am from europe (Slovenia) and it would be great if you could link me some stuff that I can also buy in ebay europe (UK or Germany)

 

I am a complete moron, when it comes to car audio, no experiences what so ever, but I do have some knowledge about electronics, so wiring, soldering, and installing stuff, shouldn't be a problem. 

 

PS: Sorry for my bad English.

[Jezza8]

Hi Gizzie and all, hoping someone can shed some light on my Logic 7 system. I have Googled for hours but can't seem to find anyone with a similar problem. I have just bought  a 2008 E61 estate 535d with the L7 factory upgrade. The problem is the bass is really bloated and flabby sounding. By adjusting the graphic and tone controls the worst is tamed a bit with both 100Hz and 200Hz settings turned down a good few notches but it is still horrible and dominates the music.It doesn't particularly sound like anything is broken, I can imagine some people might not be too bothered by the sound but it isn't right. I do come from an audiophile background and believe it or not designed and manufactured the Class D amp and 1 ohm speaker system that was standard fit in the Aston Martin in the late 80's, but I haven't been involved with car audio for many years now.

 

For reference my previous car was an E39 ALPINA with the DSP upgrade and that sounded really nice once the graphic was adjusted correctly, with great bass extension and no boominess, just a bit lacking in power.

 

Have I got a lemon, am I missing something obvious? I would love to run a notch filter in the top end of the sub. Everyone seems to rate the L7 upgrade as good for OEM, whereas I find it severely flawed.

[Pete7811]

On 01/05/2013 at 5:59 PM, gizze said:

I ran the litebox stereo 4, and it was good, but the build on them is dire.

Great amp but you must buy new with warranty.

I bought a used on a couple of months back and the pot for adjusting one of the channels gains was off, this is quite common.

The XD400/4 is superb though, I wouldn't write it off.

If you are going to mount under the shelf seriously consider a nice Genesis Stereo 4, just such a sweet sounding amp. You will need a line level convertor for it, but worth it.

I would definitely want the mids and tweeters amped.

Hi. I have heard that some people run into troubles when amplifying signals from basic head unit as it also amplified the gongs and parking sensors to unpleasantly high levels. Does anyone experienced this issue? If you did how did you tackle it please. I have upgraded my door and parcel shelf speakers to Logic 7 ones and also added tweeters, which lowered the impedance and weakened the sound output of my 6.5" subs (4 ohms). What if I install the 2ohm subs from hifi setup, would it bring some of the volume and punch back or am I just delusional :)? Sorry spent way too much thinking about this and I am no pro so some advice would be highly appreciated. Cheers guys! 

[DJKR]

My Blaupunkt THA 555 PnP has finally died on me after all these years. Anyone know what is available on the market today that I could use to replace it without much modification to wiring?