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JL XD600/6 Amp Installed!

91K views 123 replies 47 participants last post by  zonerc 
#1 ·
Just finished the install of my new JL XD600/6 Amp with Technic's harness.
As I had a few requests about posting pics I thought I'd oblige.

Install took about 2 hours, but was taking my time, enjoying the process.
As complete noob, I'd rate the difficulty as mild to moderate. Thanks to Technic and previous posts on this forum in making the whole process easier.

I ordered Technic's harness for my F30 Hi-Fi (non HK) and wired it up to the amp first. I disconnected the 50 amp fuse.
The harness makes this plug and play process so much easier. For me it was worth the $.
Electronics Wire Technology Electronic device Electrical wiring


Here I removed some of the trim in the trunk.
Vehicle Trunk Car Auto part Compact car


To remove the rest of the trim required unscrewing the metal tie down anchors with a star shaped screwdriver bit.
Wire Technology Cable Auto part Electronic device


Here is the trunk with all of the trim removed.
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Trunk Auto part


Close up shot of the exposed OEM amp and wiring.
Vehicle Car Trunk Engine Auto part


Close up shot of the exposed battery and distribution block.
Vehicle Engine Auto part Car


I removed the amp by removed 1 screw and then sliding the amp and it's holder out. The existing harness is removed by moving a small plastic latch. The amp seemed quite light and unsubstantial compared to the JL xd600/6.
Here it is disconnected.
Auto part Automotive exterior


I used industrial strength velcro between the amp and the exiting amp compartment.


Here it is velcro-ed down but not connected yet.
Electronics Technology Auto part Vehicle Engine


Then I attached the brown ground cable to a metal bolt above the existing amp compartment. There was already another harness being grounded here.
Wire Electronics Technology Cable Electronic device


I then (very carefully) unscrewed the nut under the red flap containing the positive bolt on the battery. Once the nut is loosened you can actually pull the entire metal connector off the battery. I removed the nut and bolt completely and put the ring from the amp power cord inbetween the clasps that squeeze together when the bolt is tightened. (you'll get a better idea when you are actually doing this step). I had to do it this way rather than outside of the clasp touching the nut directly because the ring was too wide and could not make the nut sit flush against it.
Then it all tightened back up again.
Auto part Wire Engine Vehicle


Here is a clearer shot of the entire battery and distribution block.
Electrical wiring Auto part Wire Vehicle Technology


I decided to run the power cabling along the back of the trunk. I used plastic ties to keep some of the cabling in place.
Vehicle Car Boat City car Trunk


Then the fuse was reattached and the trim pieces put back in place. All done!
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Trunk Luxury vehicle


Sound Quality:

I tried researching other users' settings for the amp but couldn't find a lot relevant to F30s.
So I tried a variety of combinations.

Speaker gains at 10% and subs at 40%. High filter at 200. Low filter at 200

Then a variety of different filter settings. HF at 150. LF at 150.

I only fiddled for about 20 minutes, though it appears this process could take a while longer. I left it at the following before I came inside:
Speaker gains at 20%. Sub gains at 50%. HF at 120. LF at 110.

So overall the sound is better. The bass is definitely "punchier" and more distinctive. I didn't hear many ups and downs in bass signal the way I used to. It was more consistent.
I would say the highs were slightly muddier though.
The sound is definitely different than with the OEM amp.
Certain albums sounded better. Eagles Hell Freezes Over and John Mayer' Room For Squares sounded truer to my home sound system.
ACDC's Back in Black and Shoot to Thrill sounded "flatter". As did Metallica's Master of Puppets.
However the bass line on Take Six's Sing A Song made me smile. Super tight and plucky.

I think I need to fiddle much more with the settings on the amp, as I noticed that even small changes in Freq and gain produced large variations in sound.

Also wanted to note that the only music tested so far was the music imported on the the hard drive from CDs. I haven't checked any of the songs on my USB key which I downloaded online.

Does anyone have any suggestions for amp settings?

Thanks and special thanks to Technic for his help.
 
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#120 ·
So from reading multiple forums this seems like a good fit for my 328i 2008.
Also been reading that the aux cord input no longer works once the the amp is installed?

Any answers to those 2 questions? Also fairly new to understanding the car speakers and amps, also unsure why my amp just blew out of no where.
 
#121 ·
If your system is HiFi then the installation of this Jl Audio amp in an F30 described in this thread applies to your 2008 E9x HiFi.

There is no disconnection of any OEM source (AUX, USB) caused by replacing the HiFi OEM amp.

So from reading multiple forums this seems like a good fit for my 328i 2008.
Also been reading that the aux cord input no longer works once the the amp is installed?

Any answers to those 2 questions? Also fairly new to understanding the car speakers and amps, also unsure why my amp just blew out of no where.
 
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