[ChadR]

Ok so I went from an 06 330i with L7 to an 09 335xi (e92) with regular sound. I have 2 major complaints - complete and total lack of bass (looks like the sws-8 install would fix that) and the fact that the soundstage seems really off.

With the L7 you have the center channel and the DSP making things sound like they are coming from a stage in front you of you, on my e92 I very distinctly hear the speaker locations and I am not fond of that.

So, all that in mind, I am no audiophile but I would like to get a more realistic soundstage and more punch on the low end. I have idrive and want to keep everything stock looking at least (interior, I am not adverse to amps in the trunk if needed) and want to do it fairly cheap.

I have read through a lot of the posts here and get a bit lost because it looks like the 2009 systems changed a good bit from the <2008 systems.

Any input/ideas?

[deletedelete]

I must be bass sensitive because on my non-logic system I keep the bass at the middle setting. Any higher and my heart start thumping. Lots of posts on this subject and lots of experts around here. Im not one.

[AWM3]

Originally Posted by Thrice

Ok so I went from an 06 330i with L7 to an 09 335xi (e92) with regular sound. I have 2 major complaints - complete and total lack of bass (looks like the sws-8 install would fix that) and the fact that the soundstage seems really off.

With the L7 you have the center channel and the DSP making things sound like they are coming from a stage in front you of you, on my e92 I very distinctly hear the speaker locations and I am not fond of that.

So, all that in mind, I am no audiophile but I would like to get a more realistic soundstage and more punch on the low end. I have idrive and want to keep everything stock looking at least (interior, I am not adverse to amps in the trunk if needed) and want to do it fairly cheap.

I have read through a lot of the posts here and get a bit lost because it looks like the 2009 systems changed a good bit from the <2008 systems.

Any input/ideas?

Sorry, you are pretty much out of luck with your system. You can't cheaply upgrade it and get any kind of decent sound. If you want something that sounds about as good as your previous car, you'll need to replace the amplifier and 10 speakers, plus installation and miscellaneous bits, and you'll need to find someone who's done it before and isn't just experimenting. There are no good cheap 4 inch midrange speakers or 8 inch woofers, which is what BMW used, so you will spend a lot on speakers. And then amps can be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on how golden your ear is. Be prepared to spend between $1000 - $2000 minimum.

[weissja]

I have a Reus Audio system that I love. The car looks completely stock but sounds incredible. www.reusaudio.com

[ChadR]

Originally Posted by car62

Sorry, you are pretty much out of luck with your system. You can't cheaply upgrade it and get any kind of decent sound. If you want something that sounds about as good as your previous car, you'll need to replace the amplifier and 10 speakers, plus installation and miscellaneous bits, and you'll need to find someone who's done it before and isn't just experimenting. There are no good cheap 4 inch midrange speakers or 8 inch woofers, which is what BMW used, so you will spend a lot on speakers. And then amps can be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on how golden your ear is. Be prepared to spend between $1000 - $2000 minimum.

Yeah I didn't expect to be able to get away with greatly improved sound for $200 or anything of that nature. I figured I would probably do the subs first since they can be done as a separate upgrade - only way I would not do that is if I can replace the entire amp section in one go with something that is basically plug and play.

Just not sure if I need use any type of converter on the factory HU outputs in order to make them amp ready. I know the older units had fiber outputs but I thought that changed in 2009.

[VP Electricity]

Originally Posted by Thrice

I have 2 major complaints - complete and total lack of bass (looks like the sws-8 install would fix that) and the fact that the soundstage seems really off.

...on my e92 I very distinctly hear the speaker locations and I am not fond of that.

So, all that in mind, I am no audiophile but I would like to get a more realistic soundstage and more punch on the low end.

I will share what I would do if you were a client:

I would change the front 4" and tweeter. The E92 is very shallow in the 4" location. I think I would need to use the 4" mid from the MB Quart RUA 210 kit (I don't use the tweeter, see below).

I use a tweeter that plays a lot of upper mid to get it farther forward and higher. I like the Hertz HT25, or the Morel MT22 or 23, or the Rainbow Cal25.

Then I use the Zapco DC 360.4. This amp has a DSP section with time delay, crossover filter, and parametric EQ options. I actually put one of these in a 09 Boxster earlier this week on factory speakers and I was blown away how good we got it to sound. No idea how long the OE speaks will last on it, but it sounded great after 20 minutes of tuning. The tuning allows us to lift the image and create that perception of front stage.

Drop in the SWS8, and you have an invisible system! (I put the amp under the R deck in the trunk).

That does run about $2K installed here.

[ChadR]

So with the 360.4 you would still need another amp for the SWS correct? I was thinking the 650.6 and using that to drive all the speakers. Thinking that perhaps the amp + sws8 was the first thing and then replacing the front midrange and tweeters and moving on in that manner. Sound reasonable?

I was also considering finding a Logic7 amp out of a wrecked 3 series and just retrofitting logic 7 into my car and having the dealer code the new amp into place.

[VP Electricity]

Originally Posted by Thrice

So with the 360.4 you would still need another amp for the SWS correct? I was thinking the 650.6 and using that to drive all the speakers. Thinking that perhaps the amp + sws8 was the first thing and then replacing the front midrange and tweeters and moving on in that manner. Sound reasonable?

Sorry, I said it unclearly:

Half the 360.4 would run the underseat woofers, and the other half would run the front door mids and tweeters. The rear mids and tweeters would stay powered the way they are.

A DC650.6 would be better, yes.

I have used DC amps on OE speakers, and you can tame their weaknesses significantly, IF you know what you're doing with the DSP, and IF you don't melt their tiny-whiny voice coils with the bigger amp.

Originally Posted by Thrice

I was also considering finding a Logic7 amp out of a wrecked 3 series and just retrofitting logic 7 into my car and having the dealer code the new amp into place.

I think that would suck.