Upgrading Stock System - BMW Forum

waleckaa · 10-25-2004, 07:06 PM

i have a completely stock 94' 325is audio system. For maximum improvement of sound quality on a budget what is the last component you would replace? i am leaning towards replacing the front and rear speakers with an infinity or alpine setup and keeping the stock hu and amp if possible, only if it is not underpowered. by the way i have a 6 disc changer in the back.. also what is the difficulty of installing these parts? or is it better if i just have someone do it for me? im moderately inclined.

sean · 10-25-2004, 08:49 PM

replacing all of the stock speakers is a good place to start. if you do this however the stock amp will be underpowered for the new speakers so you would want to get a new amp for those to get the best "bang for the buck" so to speak. installing new speakers and an amp isnt too complicated, you can get some pretty good instructions from crutchfield to help you along too if you really need it. it will however take some time to replace the speakers and wire the amp and such. if you are moderately inclined then i don't think you would have too much troubles doing the install yourself.

also this isn't too bad of an idea, because if you got a new head unit then your 6 disc changer wouldn't work. so you would have to buy a new one of those and that just means you are spending even more money...

thats just my 2 cents anyways...there are some other members on here that are far more "stereo inclined" so to speak than myself...

PMB · 10-26-2004, 03:25 AM

Sean is right. However, if you chose your replacement speakers wisely the HU will drive them fine. The front components of the E46 use a 6" bass. It is possible to stick in Infinity ref. or JBL GT components both of are efficient. The JBLs are particularly easy to install as there is no big crossover box to find a place for.

Look for components with a sensitivity of 90db or higher.

The problem is whatever you do replacing the front and rear speakers you will now get any bass. My advice here is to forget the rear speakers all together and invest the money in an Infinity Basslink sub. This is cheap and will provide reasonable bass.

POWER///M · 11-01-2004, 05:44 PM

The best sounding speakers I've heard at a store is the infinaty speakers. There cheap and sound good. Also you won't need a more powerful amp to power them. Good luck, if you need instalation or wiring tips, holla.
Also an easy way to ge goodquality bass is to buy a single 10" sub facing into the back seat through the ski hole. If you find you have a rattle let me know because I've canceled out my friends car so there is no rattle inside or out.
Late
-Charlie

jllphan · 11-01-2004, 09:57 PM

The guys give sound advice. Infinity Reference or PolkAudio are both efficient and good sounding.

Replacing your Head Unit will greatly improve sound quality, but you do loose your changer, as already stated.

brien4787 · 11-02-2004, 04:11 PM

I went from an old aftermarket sony to a new alpine headunit. It changed the sound quality sooo much. It sounds a lot better. I also added a single 12' infinity ref. Next i am getting infinity ref kick panels / tweeters. i think my kick panels are gone because they distort like crazy at higher volumes

waleckaa · 11-04-2004, 09:30 AM

now my friend just replaced the hu in his 97 318i. I figured since it was the stock alpine and had some extra features the sound quality couldnt have gotten worse from my stock system. so i installed it and it works just fine with slightly better clarity at higher volumes, but for some reason it wont recognize the changer in the back. The changer should work with this radio as well? maybe ill just have to check the connections again..

Rookie · 11-12-2004, 10:22 AM

It all depends on what you are going for and the kind of cash you want to throw at it. If you already have the HK system in the car then, you will have to go a high quality to hear the difference.

I tend to like really expensive shit, as I threw about $1,900 at my sub system, but it is the clearest damn thing I have ever heard. The next step is new fronts, with their own amp followed by the rears and an amp. The fronts will be RS Pros, unbelievable, but the speakers and the amp will be about $1,700 for just the fronts. So you can see why a budget is good.

Polks are pretty good I had a set in my past vehicle, but the guys are right when you upgrade to aftermarket speakers they are meant to be coupled with a sub system, or amped up pretty good, to get the response out of them. If you go polk and go with the MOMO edition speakers, you will need an amp.

I have a polk 10" sub, and a pair of momo 6.5"s that definately need an amp that I could sell you for a not so bad price let me know. By the way Zapco amps are the shit!

ilovezumabeach · 11-13-2004, 03:37 AM

www.cbrstereo.com best bang for you buck site cheaper and has better quality products than best buy shit or kmart or whatever. if you want a bang for your buck sound system thats reccomend going with some audiobanh subs focal speakers and what ever head unit you want my friend purchased his audiobahn subs from that site.