2020 M Sport F40 model 160D - Sound System Upgrade
Discussion
Depending on how bothered you are about sound quality, it can be annoying to upgrade the sound on a BMW. If you have any sound system with tweeters next to the wing mirror, then you should be good to swap speakers and the amp. There are places that do kits. Some of the Audiotec Fischer Match sets are plug and play. You will need to learn what system you have as plug and play kits vary depending on what they connect with.
If you do not have tweeters then it is less straight forward. BMW apply a horrific equaliser profile to account for the lack of tweeters, so depending on what you spend you may not see the sound quality you should expect. You can use a DSP amp to tweak the equaliser to improve things or you can get the stereo coded to remove the equalising, which can affect what amp you need to use. Or you can try swapping the head unit for an aftermarket one, but then you lose some onboard computer features and have to sort replacing any USB/aux or microphone connections.
I did the DSP amp route and tweaked it by ear. It's been good enough for me.
Also, remember that the woofers (if fitted) are under the front seat(s) and can't be changed without taking the seat out. You may also need to source a new sub enclosure if the underseat one is less than 8 inches. I didn't bother with the underseats and just put a small boot sub in because I didn't think any replacement would be good enough with the small space available.
If you need to add tweeters you may also need to source a trim piece to hold them. These are usually cheap.
You can always spend more to do it thoroughly, but unless I had thousands sitting around I wouldn't bother, just pick a budget and go with that. It's a car and you still have the engine and road noise to contend with.
Be careful of plug and play amps that claim unusually high power without connecting to a battery, because these can overload the existing wiring and cause a fire risk.
If you do not have tweeters then it is less straight forward. BMW apply a horrific equaliser profile to account for the lack of tweeters, so depending on what you spend you may not see the sound quality you should expect. You can use a DSP amp to tweak the equaliser to improve things or you can get the stereo coded to remove the equalising, which can affect what amp you need to use. Or you can try swapping the head unit for an aftermarket one, but then you lose some onboard computer features and have to sort replacing any USB/aux or microphone connections.
I did the DSP amp route and tweaked it by ear. It's been good enough for me.
Also, remember that the woofers (if fitted) are under the front seat(s) and can't be changed without taking the seat out. You may also need to source a new sub enclosure if the underseat one is less than 8 inches. I didn't bother with the underseats and just put a small boot sub in because I didn't think any replacement would be good enough with the small space available.
If you need to add tweeters you may also need to source a trim piece to hold them. These are usually cheap.
You can always spend more to do it thoroughly, but unless I had thousands sitting around I wouldn't bother, just pick a budget and go with that. It's a car and you still have the engine and road noise to contend with.
Be careful of plug and play amps that claim unusually high power without connecting to a battery, because these can overload the existing wiring and cause a fire risk.
Some great ideas here: https://www.audiofile-incar.co.uk/audio-upgrades/b...
I have a 420d GC (F36?) coming tomorrow and will be looking to do something similar as it has the standard rubbish audio.
I have a 420d GC (F36?) coming tomorrow and will be looking to do something similar as it has the standard rubbish audio.
whowhatnow said:
Depending on how bothered you are about sound quality, it can be annoying to upgrade the sound on a BMW. If you have any sound system with tweeters next to the wing mirror, then you should be good to swap speakers and the amp. There are places that do kits. Some of the Audiotec Fischer Match sets are plug and play. You will need to learn what system you have as plug and play kits vary depending on what they connect with.
If you do not have tweeters then it is less straight forward. BMW apply a horrific equaliser profile to account for the lack of tweeters, so depending on what you spend you may not see the sound quality you should expect. You can use a DSP amp to tweak the equaliser to improve things or you can get the stereo coded to remove the equalising, which can affect what amp you need to use. Or you can try swapping the head unit for an aftermarket one, but then you lose some onboard computer features and have to sort replacing any USB/aux or microphone connections.
I did the DSP amp route and tweaked it by ear. It's been good enough for me.
Also, remember that the woofers (if fitted) are under the front seat(s) and can't be changed without taking the seat out. You may also need to source a new sub enclosure if the underseat one is less than 8 inches. I didn't bother with the underseats and just put a small boot sub in because I didn't think any replacement would be good enough with the small space available.
If you need to add tweeters you may also need to source a trim piece to hold them. These are usually cheap.
You can always spend more to do it thoroughly, but unless I had thousands sitting around I wouldn't bother, just pick a budget and go with that. It's a car and you still have the engine and road noise to contend with.
Be careful of plug and play amps that claim unusually high power without connecting to a battery, because these can overload the existing wiring and cause a fire risk.
This chap has got it covered. I upgraded a base system with JBL tweeters, then coded the head unit to remove that horrific EQ curve. That transformed it as the stock system is like having a blanket over the speakers. If you do not have tweeters then it is less straight forward. BMW apply a horrific equaliser profile to account for the lack of tweeters, so depending on what you spend you may not see the sound quality you should expect. You can use a DSP amp to tweak the equaliser to improve things or you can get the stereo coded to remove the equalising, which can affect what amp you need to use. Or you can try swapping the head unit for an aftermarket one, but then you lose some onboard computer features and have to sort replacing any USB/aux or microphone connections.
I did the DSP amp route and tweaked it by ear. It's been good enough for me.
Also, remember that the woofers (if fitted) are under the front seat(s) and can't be changed without taking the seat out. You may also need to source a new sub enclosure if the underseat one is less than 8 inches. I didn't bother with the underseats and just put a small boot sub in because I didn't think any replacement would be good enough with the small space available.
If you need to add tweeters you may also need to source a trim piece to hold them. These are usually cheap.
You can always spend more to do it thoroughly, but unless I had thousands sitting around I wouldn't bother, just pick a budget and go with that. It's a car and you still have the engine and road noise to contend with.
Be careful of plug and play amps that claim unusually high power without connecting to a battery, because these can overload the existing wiring and cause a fire risk.
I was doing it again, I'd also add one of those tiny pioneer 4 channel amps and just upgrade the f/r door speakers to coax units which have a built in tweeter. Make sure you use the correct outputs for the amp, as the rear speakers output is also limited..
Not much fun to upgrade these and the stock speaker sizes are pitiful.
gstar said:
Hi - Looking to upgrade a standard BMW sound system/ speakers - anyone done this? Any help on specialists who can sort and pricing indications would be great! Imagine 18 year old driver...not me, bit too old for high decibels
…as the 18 year old driver, I can say the the bass is where it is really lacking, maybe I could just get away with grabbing a sub? The car does not have any tweeters as far as I have observed, so it’s probably not going to be the cheapest job by the sounds of it if I wanted to get the whole system done. My experience here with upgrading cars is pretty minimal - most I have really done being adding an air freshener. Would rather go through the route of getting someone to install for me for added security, but my budget here is also quite tight. Are there any places/people that specialise in this sort of thing, but also won’t break the bank (Ideally around/under 1k)?CousinDupree said:
This chap has got it covered. I upgraded a base system with JBL tweeters, then coded the head unit to remove that horrific EQ curve. That transformed it as the stock system is like having a blanket over the speakers.
I was doing it again, I'd also add one of those tiny pioneer 4 channel amps and just upgrade the f/r door speakers to coax units which have a built in tweeter. Make sure you use the correct outputs for the amp, as the rear speakers output is also limited..
Not much fun to upgrade these and the stock speaker sizes are pitiful.
Thanks, so w/out tweeters - need to consider integrated ones in speakers. Then it's a qu of Amp. Most folks seem to be pricing around 2k-2.5k... bit tippy for what car is worth - c10%. I'd imagine OEM KH will be in the 2.5k range also. So c1k maor all-in, sounds like a challenge. Will see what we can do. Thanks allI was doing it again, I'd also add one of those tiny pioneer 4 channel amps and just upgrade the f/r door speakers to coax units which have a built in tweeter. Make sure you use the correct outputs for the amp, as the rear speakers output is also limited..
Not much fun to upgrade these and the stock speaker sizes are pitiful.
Plenty of options rather than the plug n play kits.
I'd suggest an amp & sub you could use in this one, and then your next car. All car systems are rubbish.
Something like the JL Audio XD700/5 and a 8 or 10" in a box in right pocket of boot. JL needs a pretty small sub enclosure. You could just add tweeters to existing speakers, the wiring will be there already.
I'd suggest an amp & sub you could use in this one, and then your next car. All car systems are rubbish.
Something like the JL Audio XD700/5 and a 8 or 10" in a box in right pocket of boot. JL needs a pretty small sub enclosure. You could just add tweeters to existing speakers, the wiring will be there already.
bigdom said:
Plenty of options rather than the plug n play kits.
I'd suggest an amp & sub you could use in this one, and then your next car. All car systems are rubbish.
Something like the JL Audio XD700/5 and a 8 or 10" in a box in right pocket of boot. JL needs a pretty small sub enclosure. You could just add tweeters to existing speakers, the wiring will be there already.
Thanks/ will price up some of these and see how it look in totality.I'd suggest an amp & sub you could use in this one, and then your next car. All car systems are rubbish.
Something like the JL Audio XD700/5 and a 8 or 10" in a box in right pocket of boot. JL needs a pretty small sub enclosure. You could just add tweeters to existing speakers, the wiring will be there already.
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