sound upgrade on e 60!

[dante]

Regards from Romania,
I've just bought a BMW 525 - 2005 model and I have found out that I am not pleased with the "standard german sound" - 6 speakers. I asked some BMW dealers about some options to improve the sound quality but all said that is very complicated and very expensive. Well, I couldn't believe and I have started to do it on my own. . I opened the car speaker locations, I replaced them with better ones and I added an 4 chanels amplifier. After all this work I have realised that it sounds worse than before (no bass and no clear sound). I don't want to give up! I think that the problem was that I have taken signal for the amplifier from the front doors wires and I guess that the sound is hi-pass filtered by the bmw cd head unit. Does anybody know how to solve the problem?

Thank you guys and hope to give me some feedback!

Dan

[drz]

I am not familiar with the sound system in your car. However, I can tell for sure that you can't use the signal from the front door speakers to feed the amp. As you suspect, they are high-pass filtered. I don't know if your headunit has an unadultered (i.e., straight-up, pre- band filtering) output.

What you can do is use separate amps for each band. Personally, I would only bother with an amp for the midrange and one for the bass. Why amplify the tweeters/trebble? Then again, I am not a big music/soud head as many people are.

Once the energy in any given frequency band has been filtered out, you cant really make it reappear. That is why you need to amplify them separately.

Anyone feell free to chime in. My contribution here comes from my academic knowledge of electronics, signal processing, filtering, and communications. You all may have a street edge that I lack.

Dan, good luck with everything, and welcome to UB.c.

- Dan (yes, me too )

[dante]

I thought about your suggestions and I realised that the best options would be to use 2 amps. 1 -4 channel (front and rear mid and high) and 1 - 2 channels (bass -under the seats) . I invested almost 4000$ in speakers (Focal Utopia) and I couldn't not let tweeters on crapy head unit amplifier ( 10 Watts maximum). Thnx Dan for your reply and I will let you know next week how it sounds.

Regards,
Dan

[drz]

Seems like you'll have a really nice setup once you get it all done. Any pictures of your car?

[josseys]

IM IN THE PROCESS OF DOIN THE SAME TO MY CAR.

although there are a few problems

adding a amp straight to the hi level putputs (sepaker outputs) will create stupid loud and aweful sound! BUT you can solve 2 ways get a amp with high level inputs (not easy to find)

or a converter to change high level into RCA outputs so your normal phono leads.

Now then! outputs on bmw sound system 40watts per channel i hear on the standard head unit.

what i have done is worked out what wires i need to add to wire up a fresh install and try keep the head unit in to keep idrive and add a jvc dvd player and sound system underneath. using audio converter to rca using the idrive for radio and cd and running in the audio in of the new system and through that amp and then adding a 3000watt amp in boot for the bass.

please note you cant get very base'y speakers in the doors at all so dont try buy good slim ones and use your boot for the bass.

So either buy a converter for the amp and use that or try a fresh install which you can put the dvd player or cd player under the normal head unit (stereo)

also if your looking at adding a head unit get the rgb converter and use the monitor as a tv its cool and stops the wife talkin to me as much! BONIS!

[dante]

Hi josseys,
Do you know where I can find this converter? I don't want to install an AUX. I am concerned only about sound as time as i don't have a wife!!! )

[josseys]

cgi.ebay.com/CAR-STEREO-HIGH-LEVEL-TO-RCA-LINE-CONVERTER-HIGH-LOW_W0QQitemZ140104188203QQcmdZViewItem

this is the type of thing you need. not sure wat country your in so i cant honestly say where is your area.

its normally known as a high level to rca converter. self powered if possible or will be a pain to install.

http://www.m-99.co.uk/Car_Audio/High..._adapters.html

thats the one i have. although try find one with a variable volume control so you can get the nest sound out of it.

if your still struck get back to me and Make sure the unit is placed behind the stereo and attach to the wires behind the head unit not near the speakers.

GOOD LUCK! it will attach to the speakers normally setup as the back speakers so you can turn the sub down using the fade of the rear end. and then the rca leads plug into the unit which go to the SUB!

IF poss use a power cap which will stop unwanted battery DEATH!