Sound System Improvement Stage One

Originally Posted by Bufalo

Anyone ever do true measurements of rear clearance on the front speakers? Crutchfield has Boston SE45's on sale right now, and if they fit, I'm making the move. I've had BA speakers in most of my cars, and I'd love to do the same in my recently acquired '07 X3. I like the way those Earthquake subs fit right into the stock "enclosures," I think I'll be doing a simple system of four 4" coaxes and a pair of those 8's running low midbass and semi-sub. Should be fine as an upgrade over stock, which I've quickly grown to dislike!

2 and 1/8 is the most, but that is not the real issue. The size (diameter) of the magnet is the thing that is hard to measure. There is a gentle slope to the metal directly behind the speaker placement.

I know these will fit:

Alpine SPS-400 and 410

Infinity Kappa series (older ones) with neodymium magnet.

Focal v100 low profiles.

I have heard the BA will fit (very snug) but fit. I can't say for certain as they do use a very large magnet. BA's are my favorite sounding speaker so I would go for it if you can return them in exchange for the Alpine's are they are close in sound to BA. Not harsh but nice even tone and very good imaging for their price point.


That will be a very nice set up.

PS nice to see people taking this step. 4 years ago when I first mentioned changing the sound system in the X3 I was considered some sort of Pariah and lots of negative comments. Now I see many people realizing they can do so much better for very little money.

Good to hear some others have tried the Boston's, I'm also considering a set of Rockford Fosgate's. Knowing that there are some reliable 2nd options out there, I'd just as soon try out some other speakers to see if we can increase the number of "known-good" configurations. If they don't work, then at least we know, and I know I can fall back on others to move forward.

I had read some of the older threads about stereo upgrades, and it baffles me the mentality of some folks who think that something that increases the enjoyment of your vehicle as much as improving the stereo does is somehow some kind of blasphemy in a BMW. It's just a car, right? I'm with you though - give me something that's worth listening to! I've never kept the stereo stock in any car I'v ever owned.

Originally Posted by elevatorguy925

I have replaced the door speakers with the Alpine sps-410's and added a powered sub.
Do you think the stock amp would drive the earthquakes?

Nope. I tried it. Nothing there.
The earthquakes are not as sensitive I think so need more power to drive them than the stock unit has.

Oiler,

Do you have the 4 ohm or 2 ohm SWS-8's? I've read that the 2 ohm are a direct replacment without adding an amp. Thanks,

Robert

Originally Posted by rwhitman

Oiler,

Do you have the 4 ohm or 2 ohm SWS-8's? I've read that the 2 ohm are a direct replacment without adding an amp. Thanks,

Robert

4 ohm

I think my sig is wrong . . . 8X is 2 ohm and I definitely have 4 ohm.

Originally Posted by deafwish

Following some advice from one of Australia's top Car Audio designers (FHRX Studios), I ended up sealing the under-seat enclosures & Dynamatting them.
The supposed ported enclosure the stock speakers are in, is a joke. It has 2 openings that could not possibly be tuned.
The supposed port does not go in to the B pillar, as there is sound insulating foam there.
Having a small, sealed enclosure should also assist in their power handling - when amplified.
Midbass sounds far more accurate (less boomy) in the sealed enclosures and I've fitted a pair of inductors which has removed the high-end superbly (thanks Jim!).
FYI - my X3 has 6.5" midbass - not 8"! The top looks 8" but the woofer itself is a 6.5"!
It's sounding pretty darn reasonable now, with the staging back up just above the centre of the dash (inductors worked wonders with this) - just need to sort out the loud mid's with some more EQ...

What did you end up using for the inductor value on the under seat subs?

Originally Posted by x3oiler

4 ohm

I think my sig is wrong . . . 8X is 2 ohm and I definitely have 4 ohm.

That definitely proves that there are two different speakers underneath.

My subs under the seat are 2 ohms.

Elevatorguy925 - I recall using 0.52mH Inductors.

Originally Posted by x3oiler

Nope. I tried it. Nothing there.
The earthquakes are not as sensitive I think so need more power to drive them than the stock unit has.

Thanks, guess I should have read a bit more as it as addressed already. I thought more power would be needed.

Deafwish, thanks for inductor info

No problems, but x3oiler was the brains behind the values neded! :-)

Here is a link to a site that has a nice calculator for figuring out the inductor needed for various low pass filters. Looks like .52mH will give a cut off of about 1200Hz with the 4 ohm speakers.

http://www.carstereo.com/help/Articles.cfm?id=2

Has anyone tried fitting JL Audio 4" speakers in the doors ? I like their sound better than Alpine's
http://http://www.sonicelectronix.co...o-C2-400x.html

Thanks

The JL's generally have a wonderfully warm sound to them.
I'd had 3x sets of VR600 CSI's in my past few cars & can't fault JL's sound reproduction.
Let us know if they fit!

Originally Posted by Bufalo

I'm also considering a set of Rockford Fosgate's. Knowing that there are some reliable 2nd options out there, I'd just as soon try out some other speakers to see if we can increase the number of "known-good" configurations. If they don't work, then at least we know, and I know I can fall back on others to move forward.

So I can say from unfortunate experience that the Rockford Fosgate 4" coaxes do NOT fit. Their frames have a great mounting set up that matches the stock BMW speaker bolt pattern, but the extra mount points hit on the tweeter housing and the bolt holes would need drilled out. Neither are huge issues, but I'm trying to avoid too much extra work just to fit speakers. Also, the cones are pretty big, and the speaker surround would be crushed by the plastic mounting hole - would basically suffocate the speaker's ability to move, stifling any proper response. I didn't think to take pics, and the car is back together now. Just suffice to say they don't work without customization, and I would doubt they're a speaker that's worth the extra work when other (probably better) speakers are already proven to drop in.

Soooo, it's on to trying something else. Something more "traditional" for a 4" coax.

Now is when I really get disappointed that "car stereo shops" don't exist like they used to. I'd love to go LISTEN to some speakers and see what I do and don't like. 15 years ago this was no problem, there were plenty of independent shops with speaker displays, now it's about impossible. The only game in town is friggin Best Buy, they only have Pioneer 4", and then the display doesn't even work right!


I don't necessary dislike alpine (which has been recommended a bunch here), but they've never been my favorite, either. Still, I would suppose anything is better than the stock junk I just had to re-install into the car, huh?

Originally Posted by Bufalo

So I can say from unfortunate experience that the Rockford Fosgate 4" coaxes do NOT fit. Their frames have a great mounting set up that matches the stock BMW speaker bolt pattern, but the extra mount points hit on the tweeter housing and the bolt holes would need drilled out. Neither are huge issues, but I'm trying to avoid too much extra work just to fit speakers. Also, the cones are pretty big, and the speaker surround would be crushed by the plastic mounting hole - would basically suffocate the speaker's ability to move, stifling any proper response. I didn't think to take pics, and the car is back together now. Just suffice to say they don't work without customization, and I would doubt they're a speaker that's worth the extra work when other (probably better) speakers are already proven to drop in.

Soooo, it's on to trying something else. Something more "traditional" for a 4" coax.

Now is when I really get disappointed that "car stereo shops" don't exist like they used to. I'd love to go LISTEN to some speakers and see what I do and don't like. 15 years ago this was no problem, there were plenty of independent shops with speaker displays, now it's about impossible. The only game in town is friggin Best Buy, they only have Pioneer 4", and then the display doesn't even work right!


I don't necessary dislike alpine (which has been recommended a bunch here), but they've never been my favorite, either. Still, I would suppose anything is better than the stock junk I just had to re-install into the car, huh?

Ten times better. I had to reinstall the stock ones for about a week (the sps-400's blew from running my amp too hot). When I finally got the replacement sps-410's back in, it was night and day. All of a sudden stereo imaging was there again and subtlies of hearing someone pulling their fingers away from an acoustic guitar string (Al Dimeloa) where there again.

At this point I bet the pioneers sound better, but I hear you. Would be nice to do A-B comparisons with speakers like the old days, and I won't buy anything from Best Buy. I hope that chain crumbles. They destroyed the small shops we loved like Clear Channel destroyed radio.

heres some pics of what i did....very hard to take pics and do the work...especially when you get so caught up in it and forget to take pics lol sorry

Betcha' it sounds ten times better.

Did you get a nice laugh when you saw what BMW was passing off as speakers?

the clarity.....is....amazing....and i cant believe that they could call that a speaker lmao...anyway took like 15 mins and came out amazing...i did the T tap as you recommended

Originally Posted by gzep23

the clarity.....is....amazing....and i cant believe that they could call that a speaker lmao...anyway took like 15 mins and came out amazing...i did the T tap as you recommended

Saw it in the picture. Makes it so much easier to put thing back to oem when selling.

I know can you believe that a world class vehicle could put a speaker like that in any car.

Originally Posted by Wongway

Anyone have any comments on Polk Audio's DB401s for the door speakers? Compared to the Alpine SPS-400s?

I know this is from the first page almost 2 years ago, but I can say that with a little adjustment to the stock tweeter mounts, DB401s will basically drop in and sound fantastic. Stage 1 complete, on to stage two and three.

whats stage 2 and three?

really wanna replace the subs under the seats...is that the other stage?

UPDATE: The JL C2-400X speakers are now installed in all 4 doors - they fit !
and sound GREAT

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...o-C2-400x.html

^^^ How loud & clean do they sound from the standard Head Unit - given their average sensitivity (85db)?

Hi, open question to anyone who can help...

I want to replace the subs with a pair of sws-8xi, which I believe are 2 ohms impedance.
I have an old 5 channel alpine amp (MRV-F353) that I want to deploy.

The 4 channels will naturally drive the 4 door speakers, but the mono 5th channel is rated at 150w at 4 ohm (14.4 V). I am planning on wiring the 2 earthquakes in series to achieve the 4 ohm. Is this advisable? will it get loud enough, I have read here that the 8xi are not that efficient.

Any advise/opinion would be welcome.

alex

Wiring up your SWS' in that tiny enclosure will be more of a midbass than a subwoofer - in it's frequency response.
If you can spare the room, get a 10" sub that efficiently works in a tiny enclosure (e.g. Rainbow Hammer in 0.5cu ft nett) and place it in the boot.
The output should be a night & day difference!