2002 E39 Audio Upgrade

[530dave]

I have a 2002 530i sport with standard audio system and the sound quality is trully awful compared to the X5 i used to have which had DSP.

my question is:
can i upgrade to OEM DSP so that i can control it all through my sat nav/ tv screen as if it were fitted from the factory?
Also do cars with DSP also have more/ better quality speakers installed?

Thanks.

[Jezza]

I have an E39 540 with std business audio. I take my music seriously (and used to work in the trade), but wanted a realistic upgrade. The existing mid and top end from the standard BMW unit is surprisingly good, and would not be improved significantly by replacing with £600 speakers in the same position. The BMW DSP option itself won't help much unless you get the additional bass units as well. Unless you are prepared to spend well over £1k or more, the most cost effective option is to fit a stand alone bass unit in the boot or cut out the rear shelf for much bigger bass units. I went for an Infinity Basslink in the boot, easy to fit and compact, and it transforms the whole system. The best bit is total cost was £140 from ebay and no mods to any existing speakers and full control from your existing head unit.

[530dave]

thanks for reply. i had no idea reto fitting the BMW DSP and Bass unit would be so expensive. The problem I find with the current sound is that it is muffled and lacks rich tone (despite playing with tone options) which i thought would be best addressed by fitting a better amp. am i correct in thinking that its not really the amp that is letting the sound quality down?

if i fit a seperate amp and bypass the amp in the head unit does this mean i would loose control of volume and tone settings from the SatNav console?

[WindowPro]

Originally posted by 530dave@Jan 5 2005, 08:04 AM
thanks for reply. i had no idea reto fitting the BMW DSP and Bass unit would be so expensive. The problem I find with the current sound is that it is muffled and lacks rich tone (despite playing with tone options) which i thought would be best addressed by fitting a better amp. am i correct in thinking that its not really the amp that is letting the sound quality down?

if i fit a seperate amp and bypass the amp in the head unit does this mean i would loose control of volume and tone settings from the SatNav console?

[snapback]264699[/snapback]

530dave,

You may want to check out BMWTIPS.COM. Just search the site for DSP info, etc. I remember seeing a very detailed write-up and several links about BMW sound systems, upgrading, settings, etc. You may come across some additional info that will help.

Jim