Hi i have noticed that my stock speakers in my e36 sound crisp. I have tested my Alpine head unit on both cars!



My first choice would be Alpine speakers or to checking wiring as the oems are usually good

Are they easy to remove, i would not like to remove the door panel unless it fits back perfectly as it was, this is a huge problem with e36s as the clips break.

Thanks

P

The clips will break in any BMW if you aren't careful. I just took the door panels off of the wrecked EURO 850 in Florida this weekend and ALL the clips are intact. The speaker removal is somewhat involved and it is more than just a speaker. These speakers are enclosed in acoustic "boxes" so disassembly can be involved.

Oh ok, sounds like a juicy job, i use to install sound systems however feel reluctant on my 8, will give it a try on the weekend. Thanks

P

Don't be afraid! Save money and do it, I did all 10 speakers in mines, Just don't rush it! The small clips don't cost much, Some are also interchangeable, So you can get some from the stealer. Only thing confused me is when i added the Tv tuner and sound processor brain, I've never done that before but it works fine, The local installers wanted $650.00US and up for the install...

cheers 8eights its just that im very technically skilled however have some minor mistakes recently due to me being over carefull.

are ther tweeters fitted at the front on these cars?

I think the sound system in "my wifes" 95' 740 is way better than my 97' 840. Are there different system levels in the 8 as in the 7? Just wondering cause I'm definitely not counting 10 speakers here...
Note: "my wifes" in quotes cause I just let her think it's hers... the big red bow I had on it when I handed her the keys meant nothing... it's mine... really...

I count 12 -
You've got two in each of the doors (4)
One in each kick panel (2)
Three in each of the rear speaker enclosures (6)
4+2+6=12

The tweeters are attached to the speaker grill that's located in the door panel, with the mid-range attached to the door frame itself. Honestly, there's no real "replacing" of the front tweeters-you would need to come up with a different solution than BMW if you're not going OEM.
Here's a link to a pic of the most common location for aftermarket tweeters:
members.roadfly.com/big8bmw/tweeter2.JPG (Since I'm new to this forum you'll have to add the first part of the URL yourself, no www though)

I count 12 -
You've got two in each of the doors (4)
One in each kick panel (2)
Three in each of the rear speaker enclosures (6)
4+2+6=12


12 speakers in "acoustic boxes" and it still sounds alot worse than a `96 Chrysler Voyager... maybe I have some baseline audio version (have a business cd head unit though) but I can`t turn it any louder than the news/talk show volume or it sounds VERY bad.

cheers 8eights its just that im very technically skilled however have some minor mistakes recently due to me being over carefull.

are ther tweeters fitted at the front on these cars?Tweeters are in the door cards, I should of been more clear, I changed all mine to components, Sounds far better! I added some 12' Fosgate P3 Woofers in the trunk and a couple of Fosgate Amps, The sound is full and does what i want it to do! There's a total or 12 speakers total now.

Well, for 1990 - not too many factory systems sounded better.
You might check some of the drivers - when I replaced mine a couple of months ago, nearly everyone was completely rotted away. Frankly, I'm surprised that any sound came out at all.

That having been said-in order to squeeze 12 separate amps into such a small package there had to be one heck of a compromise in regards to power. What are/were we running? 12 watts/channel?

Not defending the OEM sound vs todays technology, but in 1991 there weren't too many factory systems that didn't sound like complete junk...
Built-in CD Changer?
Integrated hands-free phone?

11 watts/channel. Plus the amp is a speaker level amp (From HU to Amp). I replaced my audio system with professionally done component system using MB Quart + JBL + Alpine 440 watt system.

11 watts/channel. ok-I was close :)

A/D/S, Cd43, JL 250/1 + JL 300/4

You guys have all got it good. I have a horrid JVC aftermarket CD headunit with a single jammed CD that as left by the previous owner (luckily it's some banging dance tracks!). The radio and CD changer do not work so dance tracks it is for me. And of the 12 speakers only the one in left footwell works. So i don't want to hear any more moaning!

Prit, how did you get on with yours? If you used to be a sound system installer, do you fancy a job?

Hi Nick hope your well, an upgrade to a Alpine or Pioneer should sound a lot better. I would forget the cd changer and buy a mp3 unit with ipod ready. Should be a breeze to install.

I will definitely upgrade my headunit, probably to a becker like the models being discussed on another thread at the moment. Problem is the wiring is all over the place. The amp in the boot is just a sea of wires that don't seem to connect to anything, it's not pretty. The fact that only one of my speakers is working suggests that the other speaker wiring has been messed with also, so i suspect this job is going to be a major pain in the backside. For now my engine and suspension issues are taking higher priority but i'll get round to this in a month or two, back to my banging dance tracks....

No worries Nick we can sort that out sometime, when im up north, im sure