04-10-2016, 05:04 PM | #1 |
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F30 Base Stereo Upgrade - Alpine Hi-fi retro fit?
Newbie post so please don’t be too hard on me!
I have looked at all the post here and other forums so I think I have a pretty good picture of what I am trying to achieve. I am looking to upgrade my base stereo (1 speaker in each door & sub under each of the front seats & no tweeters) in my 2012 F30 UK spec, I have Pro Nav, not sure if this makes a difference. I had the Logic 7 in my previous E60 which was a lot better. Here are my thoughts but would appreciate others The BMW Alpine Hi-fi upgrade – I have been quoted £853 for this from my local BMW dealer including the front window surrounds and Alpine badges and coding. Advantages 1) Keeps Warranty intact (My car is approved used, so this kit would keep it intact without question) 2) This is probably the most important aspect? – provides an amp for the (replaced)front Mids & (new)Tweeters as well as the (existing)subs under the front seats. I understand the rear speakers in this set up would be driven by the original HU. 3) No loss of boot storage including the left side of the boot as the amp installs in front of the glove box. I am not sure the wires go back to the left side of the boot in the base system, for an easy PnP option with my system? 4) Provide a reasonable base system for additional upgrades i.e front under seat subs and rear door speakers. Disadvantages 1) Cost? 2) Others? Other Options (front speakers only) 1) Bavsound - I have looked at the Bavsound Stage 1 kit (which appears to be 4 coaxle speakers for my car) this kit looks well made and the videos are very informative, this particular kit does not seem great value (at the moment for my car) when compared to the Hifi or HK options which appear to have greater discount, plus the addition of import tax when importing to the UK. 2) Focal - Either IFBMW-C in the front doors or IFBMW-S in the front doors utilising the HK (or probably the Hi-fi) window surrounds to accommodate the tweeters. Other specific questions 1) If I upgraded the subs with Focal IFBMW Subwoofers 1) will they fit, either width or depth, the spec sheet does not specifically mention the F30, and I have read a post that said depth could be a problem. Also the size(width), I am pretty sure they are 8” or 200mm, in the F30, but I did read they could be 6.5” – Bavsound definitely indicated they are 8” just different drive units for Base/Hifi/HK and probably “glued in” the base system. The Bavsound Goast subs are also an option, any other plug in and play options? 2) Rear door speakers – If I upgraded these should I go for a coax design (like the IFBMW-C) or stick with some form of mid range, not sure if the Alpine Hi-fi Upgrade changes the EQ to the rear speakers so their might be no point in a coax design in the rear, I assume in the base system the real speakers are the same as the front. Any help appreciated. Last edited by vern321; 04-10-2016 at 05:19 PM.. Reason: Adding in Model number |
04-11-2016, 07:09 AM | #2 |
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I went though the same process as yourself with a base audio car and as you say the sound quality was poor (very disappointing)!!
I ended up just putting Rainbow IL-C4.2 speakers in the front (they come with tweeters so you need to purchase the window surrounds). They certainly made a big difference and even I can tell that things are a lot clearer but like most people will say, you really need to get an amplifier in as well for the best upgrade. If I could have justified the cost I would have done the audiofile-incar.co.uk stage 2 upgrade for about £1K but I only use the car at weekends!! My car is a 2012 model and the Alpine upgrade would not fit for some reason - I did look at this route. HTH Andrew |
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04-11-2016, 08:11 AM | #3 |
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If you have ASD (active sound design) the alpine kit won't fit.
This is because the alpine amp is fitted in the front, but the ASD amplifier is in the back were the hifi and HK amp normally is. Apparentely the way the alpine amp is wired in the front, doesn't work with the ASD amp. |
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04-11-2016, 05:32 PM | #4 | |
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04-11-2016, 05:37 PM | #5 | |
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04-12-2016, 02:23 AM | #6 | |
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They come with 2 crossovers which need to be affixed to the door panel at a suitable position - this was the hardest part really and not that bad to be honest. HTH Andrew |
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04-12-2016, 10:26 AM | #7 |
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Hey, I had the same issue as you and I've gone down the Bavsound Stage 1 route.
I've not yet added an amp but I've been in touch with Fischer Audiotec and they've been very helpful and I plan to install one when funds permit. The beauty of this set-up means I don't have to splice or cut any wires as the MATCH PP 62 or 82DSP is plug and play. Fischer Audiotec provide all the necessary cabling and adapters too so it can be removed without any problems (or so I'm told). The Bavsound speakers are also incredibly easy to install and Bavsound provides everything you need to install them including tools and trim. With regards to quality, I think the Bavsound (BSW), speakers are far superior to the Alpine ones. They are a lot more natural sounding and the tweeters are beautifully detailed. The Alpine ones sound harsh and sometimes too metallic for my liking. While you won't get much volume without an amp, they sound a hundred times better than your base stereo and when you compare the speakers side by side, you realise why. The BMW speakers are genuinely complete trash and it's an embarrassment they even allow them to be installed in base model cars. Other options include Focal and MB Quart. Both have very good reviews but I can't comment on them personally. All I will say is the BSW S1 is excellent and others in the forum gush about them once they are amplified with a good amp / DSP. Hope this helps! |
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04-12-2016, 11:35 AM | #8 | |
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04-12-2016, 11:47 AM | #9 | |
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04-13-2016, 05:03 PM | #11 |
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04-14-2016, 03:35 AM | #12 | |
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For me, this included:
I also bought some dynamat acoustic mats which I installed on the door panels. Installation took 3 hours, carefully prying the door panels off, removing the old speakers and installing the new ones. It was very easy to do (if a little painful on the finger-tips), and the results were excellent. I highly recommend it. Regarding the Alpine kit, I had this on my E87. It's good but only replaces the front speakers and ignores the rears. (It won't drive these either). I think it's very expensive for what it is and you're far better off going down the Bavsound S1 and Bimmertech amp route. It is more expensive but not a huge amount more and it'll give you far better quality and enjoyment than the alpine route.
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Current car: 2017 BMW G30 520d M-Sport, BMW F46 218d Grand Tourer
Previous cars: 1989 BMW E30 316i, 1998 BMW E36 323i Coupe M Sport, 2009 BMW E87 116d, 2013 BMW F31 320d M-Sport |
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04-14-2016, 05:40 PM | #13 | |
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Thanks for the details, I am leaning towards the Bimmertech amp route now as well, as it will drive all 5 channels (front left & Right, rear left and right, plus front underseat subs) all with separate EQ... Lovely... the Alpine won't drive the rears or provide EQ. Your other post on the amp specific stuff really helped. As for speakers, I am still undecided, BSW stage 1, Focal, Rainbow, Glayden, Rockford Fosgate are all options, but will probably do all from the same manufacturer. Will also do the speakers first. With the EQ setting of the Bimmertech it can all be tuned perfectly. |
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04-15-2016, 02:15 AM | #14 |
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The Alpine kit for F30 is different than the one for E90. The new version for F30 is a 6-channel amp driving front mids/tweeters + underseat subs + rear speakers.
Nethertheless I'd prefer another system, but just for your info. |
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04-15-2016, 11:50 AM | #15 | |
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but the bmw website for the F30 makes the following statement about the Alpine Hi-fi upgrade. "The ALPINE HiFi system significantly improves audio performance with its natural sound quality. All components of the 420 W three-way loudspeaker system were developed exclusively for BMW and are specially adapted for the acoustics of the vehicle" I guess this could mean Left, Right & Subs each with 2 channels Also if there is significant more power to the rear speakers (which are unchanged as part of the upgrade as I understand it) wouldn't there be a danger they could blow if powered by the Alpine AMP? Also the BMW website makes a similar "three-way" statement for the E90. |
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04-15-2016, 02:46 PM | #16 |
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At least in Europe the F30 Alpine system contains a 6-channel amp and new mids&tweeters for the front. That's all.
Underseat subs and rear speakers remain stock. The amp drives them as written in my last post. |
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04-15-2016, 04:59 PM | #17 |
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ok thanks, I'll dig deeper to see if the UK set-up is different.
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04-18-2016, 08:32 AM | #18 |
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Looks like you want to go quite a bit further than I wanted to when upgrading, but just adding HK tweeters and replacing the mids in my doors (F36) made a huge difference in my car...
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...5#post19269535 |
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04-18-2016, 09:44 AM | #19 | |
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04-18-2016, 10:18 AM | #20 |
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Well, I'd had the treble cranked up anyway a bit to try and get more high end out of it. So yeah, I turned it back down once I did the install. I'll update if i'm wrong but I think I have it just sat in the middle now.
I've come from a Golf GTI with a factory upgrade on the audio. I was really disappointed with the quality of sound my new 4series compared to that. I had to do something, and thought adding tweeters would make a big difference. I was right, It's much much better now without spending too much money. I'd looked at most of the options you have before I decided that was what I was going to do. Just thought I take a punt on trying that first. |
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04-19-2016, 04:36 PM | #21 |
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OK so I have decided to go for the Alpine Hi-fi upgrade and it is being done next Monday all being well at my local BMW dealer.
Clearly there are "better" options with more power and DSP, the Bimmertech route would have been a no brainier if I had hi-fi, but the thought of running the cable from the boot to the back of the HU did not work for me. Perhaps I will regret it. Although the Alpine upgrade has its limitations (power and user defined DSP) it is better than base and if I don't like the sound of the speakers Bavsound, Focal or Rainbow replacements are all possible. The amp is a proper 6 channel driving the front rear and subs so I would expect an improvement Also the coding needed to Flatern the output of the HU. again this is covered by the Alpine upgrade (although Bimmertech have this covered to ad I understand it. Anyway I ran some sound tests using pink noise a crude sound meter on my phone at the weekend it will be good to compare post the upgrade. I am also thinking of replacing the rear speakers and the subs, Bavsound are the obvious choice but there are others like Focal & Rainbow. Thanks everyone with the help and advice so far. |
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