The end-all, be-all thread for n00bs

[Benny Z]

Does my BMW have an external amplifier?

In most cases, yes. If you do, it will be in the trunk on the driver’s side behind the carpeted side panel.

Can I replace my factory head unit with an aftermarket head unit and keep the oem amp and speakers? What do I need to do so?

Yes, you sure can. You will need a wiring harness for your particular BMW and a “euro” antenna adapter for the new head unit. You may also need a dash kit, depending on your BMW’s platform (for instance, the E36 does NOT need a dash kit whereas the E46 does).

The aftermarket head unit will have a higher output level than the OEM unit, so the volume will increase substantially more than it would in a car without a factory dedicated amp unless you buy a device such as the PAC OEM-2, which level sets the aftermarket head unit’s output close to that of the OEM deck. If you do this, you should have “normal” control of the volume from the head unit.

Can I keep the factory head unit, but replace the OEM speakers and amp?

Yes, you sure can. You will need a line output converter (LOC) to tie into the OEM head unit’s signal. Be sure to tap the wires with the LOCs in the trunk by the OEM amp, but be sure to tie into the wires BEFORE the amplifier, not after. If you tie into the wires AFTER the amplifier, you will only get part of the signal, as the OEM amp has a built-in crossover network for each speaker output.

You can tie into the factory wiring AFTER the amplifier for the speaker wiring. To do this, run speaker wires from the new aftermarket amp’s speaker outputs to the input of your new aftermarket component speakers’ crossover networks. Then, extend the OEM speaker wiring so that they can reach the new crossovers and simply connect them to the appropriate outputs from the crossovers. If you are using a 2-way component speaker set, you will not utilize the midrange speaker wiring. Just leave those wires disconnected.

My OEM speakers sound like crap. Can I replace them?

Yes, you sure can. However, you cannot replace JUST the speakers. You will need to replace the OEM amplifier along with the speakers. There is no way around this, as the OEM amplifier is designed to work proprietarily with the OEM speakers. Plan your budget accordingly.

What size speakers fit my car?

Simple answer to this question. Search! It’s covered here all the time. If you have an E36, you have 5.25” woofers, 2.5” or 3” midrange drivers in the doors, and ~1” tweeter. Yes, there is a 3-way component set that will fit the OEM locations. Look into the DLS UP-35 component set. But, in the end, you should pick a component set that sounds good to you. A lot of people replace the speakers with a 2-way component set and leave the OEM midrange driver in place, but disconnected.

Yes, you can fit a 6.5” or even an 8” woofer in the kick locations, but it will likely require modification via cutting a larger hole in the metal or adding a speaker baffle to accept the larger woofer. Again, search. Lots of info on this here.

Whatever you do, pick your speakers first and then purchase an amp suited to the new speakers’ power requirements.

What if I want a cheap and lightweight alternative to a complicated system that will produce better sound than stock?

Easiest and most cost effective way to improve the sound in these cars is to buy an aftermarket head unit and a pair of coaxial speakers. Mount the coaxials in the OEM woofer location and install the aftermarket head unit. Instead of tying the speaker outputs of the head unit to the OEM wiring, run new wiring directly to the new coaxials. This will send power and a full range signal to the new speakers. This is a quick, easy, and dirty way of doing things, but should still be a vast improvement over stock.

What is the best way to install a subwoofer in my car?

Lots of debate on this. Really, it depends on your music listening tastes. If you want a loud obnoxious system, you would likely be best off with a ported or bandpass subwoofer enclosure mounted in the trunk. You can remove the rear deck speakers to allow more of the bass to enter the cabin. You can also cut out the ski pass if your car does not already have one cut out. If you have folding seats, you don’t have to worry about this, as the bass will penetrate the seats (or you can simply fold them down).

If you prefer sonically accurate and tight bass response, you should consider a sealed subwoofer enclosure. You can either mount the sealed enclosure in the trunk and do what is mentioned above to port it into the cabin, or you can mate the enclosure directly to the ski pass to directly pressurize and rarify the cabin. This design produces, hands down, the best sounding bass in our cars. For a standard one cubic foot enclosure for a single 12” woofer, see this tutorial thread on how to accomplish this design.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...t=e36+ski+pass

Please, if anyone else can think of commonly asked questions, post them (and try to answer them) here.

[el.duderino]

Benny, this is great!

The one thing I would suggest is that you take the E list (bavarian soundworks has one on their site) and make a table of speaker sizes and complements. Most of the retail SW only shows major speakers F and R.

http://www.bavariansoundwerks.com/pr....php?pageKey=8

[JPWheelr]

I tried the speaker sizes thing already. Noone cares, they still ask.

Ben, I applaud your thread; and started on something a lot less simple not too long ago and have just been saving it. Mind if I dump it on your thread?

[Benny Z]

dump away!

[JPWheelr]

Hi, welcome to the quickly locked/deleted/baninated thread.

PM activity has picked up again with private message questions and I thought I'd answer them here, as well as questions that never seem to die.

I do not want this stickied, I do not care; it would just be nice to point to a thread instead of re-answering or posting "search"

This is not going to be organized or anything like that. it will just be raw content, as it comes to me. if you have further input, or something contradictory to what I put, fine, post it, more reference material. if you want to clean it up or cliffs notes this - awesome; i'm not.


Let's start with car models and questions for each

3 Series owners:
Radios:
E30 - 1991 and earlier cars (with the exception of convertibles, e30 - which go to 1993) Your car has a common ground setup. No, there is no wiring harness. No, there is no wiring diagram AFAIK (use the leads coming off of the radio, they will essentially tell you what they are). No, there is no easy way to put a radio in.
Two options:

Obtain a device called a common ground adapter, use the radios (old and new) and the wiring (car and new radio) and follow the instructions that come with the device

Re-wire the whole car, also mandates you install new speakers (will be covered later)

option 1.5 and 2.5, get someone else to do 1 or 2

your choice of cd changers to work with factory head are factory, and fm modulated

E36 - 1992-1999 3 series (coupe & convertible to 99, 4 door to 98, convertible starting in 94)

1992- 09/1995 - you need a wiring harness to install a new head unit, you also need an antenna adapter (mini plug to motorola) - YOU DO NOT NEED ANY OTHER DEVICE
Your changer options include factory, and some sony/pioneer aftermarket peices (rare, and all of them suck - tendency to jam, skip, just be bad; switch to aftermarket)

10/95-End



Speakers:
E30, E36, E32, E34
Your speakers are probably powered by the amp (90% chance) You need to bypass your amp (only if you have a new head unit) - provided you have speakers that can be powered by your head unit or you need a new amp (still have factory head) Best solution is new head and amp and wires. Recycling old wires is fine. the 92+ wiring diagram is the same = http://www.dakarm3.com/e36 200w_stereo_pinouts.gif

[JPWheelr]

that's all I had before I got tired

never went back to it.

[Benny Z]

that's all I had before I got tired

never went back to it.

psh...weaksauce!

i typed up that first post in the spare 1/2 hour that i had before lunch this morning.

[addnon]

the link to the wiring diagram is dead. can you post a new one?

[Infuriatus]

alright, sticking with this ....

What size speakers are stock in the back ? I do believe e36's are 4's and 1's.
How about what can actually fit into there ? I think there is a 6x9 adapter floating around perhaps somebody can post a link to it. Is it possible to fit something like a 5.25 and 1 set in there ? How complicated is it to rewire the car ?

[black five]

anybody with in a e39 with dsp cannot take the signal before the amp with a line output converter, to my knowledge its digital and will not be recognized by the LOC

[BostonRog]

the link to the wiring diagram is dead. can you post a new one?

try this... http://www.dakarm3.com/e36_200w_stereo_pinouts.gif

[tbreihan]

alright, sticking with this ....

What size speakers are stock in the back ? I do believe e36's are 4's and 1's.
How about what can actually fit into there ? I think there is a 6x9 adapter floating around perhaps somebody can post a link to it. Is it possible to fit something like a 5.25 and 1 set in there ? How complicated is it to rewire the car ?

There are three possible options: The early cars have a 4-inch woofer and a small tweeter (1/2-inch?). They are mounted in a sealed plastic enclosures and the 4-inch woofers are ported.

Later cars ('96-on?) have 5-1/4 inch woofer and small tweeter (1/2-inch?) mounted in an infinite-baffle configuration.

Later H-K cars have 6X9 component set mounted infinite-baffle in the rear deck. This is the H-K 'subwoofer' as it described by BMW.

As for pre-'96 H-K cars, I'm not sure what they have in the rear deck, but I believe it is a 5-1/4 inch component set.

Rewiring the car is easy enough. Your new amp is going to be in the trunk, most likely, so you'll need to get 2 or 3 RCA cables from the dashboard to the trunk and you need to get anywhere from 2 to 6 pairs of speaker wire from the trunk back up to the dash, depending on what component set you go with (2-way, 3-way) and where you mount the crossovers.

Remove the rear seat bottom and, if you have a sedan with a solid back seat, remove the seat back as well. If you have a coupe with fold-down rear seats, remove the left (driver's side) back bolster. In coupes, remove the left rear 'door' panel/wing panel.

On the trunk bulkhead, under the upper left corner of the seatback, there is large, square rubber washer with a number of round holes punched in it. This is where all of the accessory wiring enters the trunk. Run you wiring through this and bundle it with the factory harness. Remove the plastic door sill cover(s) and run tne wiring from the back of the car to the dash by pushing it under the carpet and into the wiring chase that runs along the length of the interior of the rocker panels. Again, just follow the factory harness.

When you get up to the front, you can run the wiring up above the crash panel beneath the steering wheel to the console, and that;s pretty much it.

[Tobias]

Mount the coaxials in the OEM woofer location and install the aftermarket head unit. Instead of tying the speaker outputs of the head unit to the OEM wiring, run new wiring directly to the new coaxials. This will send power and a full range signal to the new speakers. This is a quick, easy, and dirty way of doing things, but should still be a vast improvement over stock.

The OEM woofer locations are the speakers in back? Right?

Edit: I edited this post so it for a short perod of time read "The OEM woofer locations are the kick panel location? Right?" I am sorry if anyone responded to that post.

[Benny Z]

there are oem woofer locations in the back, yes, but i was referring to the oem FRONT woofer location. the music should be coming from in front of you, not behind you.

front oem woofer location is in the kick panels down by your feet.

[Tobias]

there are oem woofer locations in the back, yes, but i was referring to the oem FRONT woofer location. the music should be coming from in front of you, not behind you.

front oem woofer location is in the kick panels down by your feet.

Thank you for the clearification!

[el.duderino]

Thank God... I was wondering where you were...

[Tobias]

I posted a link to this thread in the "Useful links" thread with Benny Z approval. This is good info! Somebody should have done that a long time ago!

[Tobias]

Poor man's question:

There seem to be two cheap ways to go here. What solution would be better?

Just replacing the HU and use the original stock speakers and amp, or replacing the HU and just install new coaxials in the kick panel thus bypassing the stock amp and speakers all together.

I understand that "better" is subjective, feel free to apply your own subjectivness though!

[Trager]

Heh. As usual, my '98 vert with HK option isn't described.

I don't know when they made the switch, but the '98 E36 vert has 5.25" woofers in the back in a very annoying plastic mount with an embedded 1" (or so) tweeter. In addition, there's what looks like an 8" subwoofer in the ski-pass (although I haven't taken it out of the car to measure it yet). The HK door mids are smaller than the stock 3" ones.

[el.duderino]

Poor man's question:

There seem to be two cheap ways to go here. What solution would be better?

Just replacing the HU and use the original stock speakers and amp, or replacing the HU and just install new coaxials in the kick panel thus bypassing the stock amp and speakers all together.

I understand that "better" is subjective, feel free to apply your own subjectivness though!

What about keep the OEM HU and get new speakers and amp?

[Tobias]

What about keep the OEM HU and get new speakers and amp?

Had not thought about that at all. I thought the single "worst" item in the system was the HU.

[Gray Bishop]

said it once I'll say it again.................
for the years the e36 are from their systems were bounds above Honda's
lol
why isn't this thread parked by now?

[CMPNS8N]

hope I'm not inn-noobiating this thread with myquestion.. but when I get the answer and complete the work, I'll recontribute details.

Not sure how many others even want to undertake something like this.. but my 11/94 build e36 M3 does not have a CD changer in the trunk. There appears to be hardware support there.. can I just plug one in? or is there more?

{edit} nothing? can't be that uncommon.. to have the option code for 'prewirewd for cd changer'...

[clumpymold]

Okay, I skimmed this thread but read mainly the first post. You stated that I can only add aftermarket speakers WITH an amp and cannot use the stock amp. I basically upgraded my rear deck speakers and the two midrange speakers up front from the stock to HK. I kept my stock speakers for the tiny tweeters and then swapped out my lower kickpanels for some Infinity Kappas. All using an HK amp. Is that bad?

So far, I've been running this setup for about 2 years now with no problems.

[Benny Z]

oh god. now you're infesting this thread.

back to your thread, boy, back to your cage. i'll answer you there.