[vern321]

I had the BMW Alpine upgrade for my 2012 F30 (Base stereo) fitted today – I hope anyone thinking of this upgrade finds this useful.

I took the car to my local BMW dealer yesterday(Monday) morning and they ended up having it for 2 full days I picked it up Today(Tuesday) late afternoon. Initially they said one day but the “coding” was essentially still going on past closing time Monday. So I needed to pick it up the following day.

I ended up paying £822 Inc VAT which was around £30 less than the original quote, I was told it was around 2.5 hours labour (£196.88 Ex VAT). The upgrade kit was (£433.34 Ex VAT) and the window surrounds (£44.10) the Alpine badges (£11.09 Ex VAT)

First Impressions
The first thing that struck me was the “sound stage” and stereo image. I have not experienced this is a car before, it was simply stunning. It was like the artist I was listening to was on a stage above my gear selector. (I had L7 in an E60 5 series and it didn’t come close. But then again I always ran it with L7 on and not is straight stereo)

The second thing was the full range of sounds produced by the new tweeters and Mids in the front doors, I could hear the individual instruments with clarity and separation from the other instruments (I had the base and treble controls in the middle) and this was about right. I also noticed that some of the older music had lacked some dynamic range (Blondie Parallel Lines) , but some of the new stuff (Alyssa Reid & Gabrielle Alpin) was fantastically produced to the point I could hear limitation in the voices of some of the artists.

I also noticed that I could listen to the music at a reasonable volume for my entire drive home (45 minutes) without having to turn it down because in the end it sounded like a “din” and gave me a headache….

The Base was improved and I could hear the improved performance of the standard under seat subs (but they didn’t produce the same level of base as in my E60 with L7) see “what next?”

Was it worth it?
No doubt there are “better” upgrades (BimmerTech or the like for the amp with more power) but the Alpine Upgrade is a complete package with speakers/amp etc, with Warranty and coding done. Also the thought of a cable running all the way to the back of the car didn’t work for me. BMW HiFi already has the amp in the boot so if I had this it would have been simpler. Would I pay for it again, well the answer is simple for me here, If I was looking for another used F30 I would not make Hifi/HK a mandatory Option. I would stick to Pro Nav, Xenons knowing that I could upgrade the sound system. Buying new I would tick the HK box (as its cheaper) and probably go the Bavsound speaker upgrade route (more money though)

The Tech Stuff
I owe a lot to a couple of other folks on this Forum, but the Alpine upgrade is a 6 channel Amp driving Left/Right (front & rear) and under seat subs (Left & right) so a proper 6 channel amp rather than the 4 channel driving 6 speakers in the original base set up (the under seat subs are parallel wired with the front speakers, splitting the power)

I was running all my music from a 32GB USB stick, at 256kbs, 44.100KHZ

There has also been some debate on the part number for the Upgrade itself. The number on the box was 65412293994

What Next?
I have ordered a set of Rainbow IL-X4 F series speakers to replace the rear speakers. I like having the F/R fader in the middle and thought getting a better range from the rear speakers would enhance the sounds, also a set of trim tools and Dynamat (I have to fiddle a little myself with the set up) . I will also replace the standard 6.5 inch under seat subs (heat gun/hair dryer at the ready) but still need to fully convince myself that the base system enclosures are deep enough to accommodate a replacement (Bavsound I think are fine based on the video) not sure about some of the others.. (Focal, Rainbow etc) any recommendations? – I will probably also add Dynamat to the front door install as well. I could feel (so loosing definition) the door trim move so would probably benefit from some sound deadening.

Thanks for reading.

[bsidethecside]

Possibly a bit of a thread hijack… but as a follow–on from the above that I found very useful, I hope you’ll allow a newbie to post to this existing thread and contribute to knowledge…

I have just had the self same system installed in my F30 LCI with basic speakers. Like the OP, I wanted to keep the warranty intact (used purchase with 2 yrs left), but as I spend my 35 minute commute in this vehicle, my opinion was that the only thing outstanding about the stereo is BMW’s gall in actually installing such a mediocre set up in a premium car.

By means of background, the previous car I had was an early F30 which I had a speaker upgrade & amp in. I had a Hertz amp in the boot and new front Rainbow speakers. As it turned out, the upgrades worked, but with limitations. The HU wasn’t recoded, so it sounded very bright, quite harsh really and I would the treble down to compensate (wasn’t aware of the recoding requirement). Also, with the power lines to the boot mounted amp next to the aerial lead, DAB performance suffered greatly. The fitter had to put filters to mostly restore the DAB reception.

Back to the current F30 LCI. The local dealership fitted the Alpine upgrade over 2 days for me (the coding appeared to take some time) and when I got it back it sounded good. I had an immediate and noticeable improvement: clearer all round and with a higher sound stage. The installation was neat, with the only noticeable change being the grey mids in the doors visible behind the grille and the addition of tweeters by the door mirrors with a neat Alpine badge.

A few weeks later, the speakers have opened up and overall I’m very happy with it. As others have commented, the fact that the subs under the seats are retained can manifest itself as a slightly muddy bass, missing something in the upper part of bass as well. The rear speakers are unchanged, but the fronts do most of the work and I don’t sit in the back anyway! I had Focal drop-ins in the back of my last car in the rear, but although they do sound great, with a very rounded and accurate sound, being unamplified, they made little difference. So, probably won’t bother in this car.

Overall, I don’t regret it and find myself with a much clearer stereo with a sound stage lifted up. I like the fact I have done nothing to affect the warranty and I do enjoy listening to DAB and music on USB during my commute. I don’t listen to music very loud, so the extra spectrum and definition are the bits that interested me as I prefer higher definition sources (avoid FM if I can).

There was one snagging issue in that when the starter was turning the engine over during the stop/start cycle, the amp cut out. This was due to the load the starter took leaving nothing spare for the amp as they two were on the same circuit. This was checked out and was wired up according to BMW instructions. A couple of calls logged to BMW by the dealer and the car was back to try another circuit. It was moved and all fine now.

Interestingly, the courtesy car I had for the day was a 3 series with the full HK setup, so allowing me to contrast directly with the now run in Alpine. The HK scores for the surround sound with more powered speakers in the cabin, a little bit more definition and slightly richer bass. Not the night-and-day I was expecting though, which helped me validate my decision for the Alpine. If I were buying new, the HK is still significantly better value being cheaper and better. Not a choice for me buying used.

To improve the bass, I have bought a pair of Focal IF-BMWSUBs and will fit this weekend…

[Cooper25]

In my opinion, HI-fi Alpine kit plays very well for its money

[Welsh springer]

Hi besidethecside,

Are you able to post the changes that were made to the coding for the retofit alpine kit. I am looking to jnstall a kit in a few weeks time when my f32 lci arrives. There is also a fellow member struggling in the uk with the necessary coding required to be done. Any information would be grateful

[bsidethecside]

Unfortunately, I left the whole show to the dealer, so I really cannot add to knowledge here. The only thing I have done myself is the Focal subs...

Speaking of which: I installed these and they do seem to have made the bass richer and given a bit more to the low/mid range. Fitting was a significant PITA.

Following the widely available demo's out there, I removed the 4 seat bolts each side and rocked the seats back. Then removed the old speakers and removing the fabric fronts to expose the speakers, softened the glue with a hot air gun to remove the speakers from the enclosures. Working around with a screwdriver to start and then a plastic trim tool, I removed the speakers without much damage to the mounts.

The Focal instructions mentions some newer cars have shallower enclosures and with my LCI this was the case, so the Focal kit provides spacers to prevent the bottom of the speakers from touching the enclosures and these were fitted as well. The domed metal cover was then placed on top and all screwed together to make one unit for refitting. So far, so good.

I returned to the car and refitted the speaker unit. I then tried to fir the trim cover. No way was that going to sit on top of the domed cover. I tried longer screws, but it just sat on top all bent to the screws. Leaving that off wasn't so bad I figured, as it's all hidden under the seat and less plastic in the way of the sound.

I then tried to refit the seat. The rails on the base fouled the domed cover and if I removed the spacer, the speaker didn't sit in the enclosures properly... I tried just cranking it all down but then stopped, fearful the enclosure might fail and the side vents wouldn't align as well as the risk of popping out the breather on the floorpan.

Basically, there was no way this was going to fit as intended. After some deliberation (and my wife retreating with our 4-year old in case he managed to extend his vocabulary in an unwanted direction), I concluded that the only way to get this lot together was to 'adjust' the domed covers. Using the scratch marks in their paint as a guide I got the required adjuster out if the toolbox and hammered in a line along the marks.

Well, it fits now. Kind of. As I torqued the seat bolts down, the whole assembly was visibly being forced down. Not too far, so I hope the vents to the side are still working. There is one interesting side effect: with the now solid connection between seat base and speakers, you can feel bass through the seat at higher volumes. Not too noticeable unless you listen at high volumes and stationery, which I don't really do anyway.

It sounds better I grant you, but was a bodge to get it all in. The vibration may just be the new solid physical connection between the seat and speakers, hopefully not the cones topping out in their motion on the new low ceiling I created. I am disappointed that despite these being the v2 Focals, I still had to do this to get them in. IMHO these are NOT compatible with my F30 LCI's shallow enclosures, as to fit them makes the whole thing too high. I could have left the metal covers off altogether, but that would surely risk the speakers to damage? Re-using the BMW floor covers was also an option, but they seemed to be so close to the cones, that they would surely hit the plastic and so distort and possibly cause damage.

I'm back to work tomorrow, so will play around on my usual commute to see how it all feels in regular day to day use. I suppose 2x4 spacers of about 3-4mm in height under the seats could give the gap if this does become and issue, but ideally not something I want to fiddle around with.

[bsidethecside]

A couple of days commuting... the sound has rounded off nicely and it has filled that little bit of mid-bass out. To be honest, it is pretty good as standard and this was a job for those inclined to do such things, rather than a necessity. Having said that, I feel it is somehow a more complete sound and will leave well alone from now on!
I don’t notice any ill effects or vibrations from the sub’s fitting adjustments during normal use and as the rears are not amplified, I don’t think that the current setup can drive them hard enough to make any real difference. So, that’s it for this car.

[BEM-S4]

Try a FiiO X1 instead of the USB stick will make a huge difference and its cheap.

[THE_AVIATOR]

Originally Posted by bsidethecside

There was one snagging issue in that when the starter was turning the engine over during the stop/start cycle, the amp cut out. This was due to the load the starter took leaving nothing spare for the amp as they two were on the same circuit. This was checked out and was wired up according to BMW instructions. A couple of calls logged to BMW by the dealer and the car was back to try another circuit. It was moved and all fine now.

Do you by any chance have any idea how they rewired the circuit? I installed my Alpine kit myself and have the same problem with the starter cutting in. If you could help here, would be very much appreciated!

[realcam]

Where did you take plus from? Did you route a designated plus cable from the engine bay like it said in the installation manual ? I fitted the alpine myself and did exactly as it says in the manual and no issues.

[THE_AVIATOR]

Originally Posted by realcam

Where did you take plus from? Did you route a designated plus cable from the engine bay like it said in the installation manual ? I fitted the alpine myself and did exactly as it says in the manual and no issues.

I did exactly so. But in the manual it shows engine bay of pre-lci with two links from the B+ one goes to the starter and one just standing there. So, the manual says to connect to the one just standing there.

In LCI there's only one going to the starter!

[Cuninho]

I installed the Alpine kit by the instructions. Fed the positive from the engine bay and never had the cutting out issue either.

[realcam]

Originally Posted by THE_AVIATOR

I did exactly so. But in the manual it shows engine bay of pre-lci with two links from the B+ one goes to the starter and one just standing there. So, the manual says to connect to the one just standing there.

In LCI there's only one going to the starter!

In the manual it says connect it to the plus that is meant to be used when needing jump start assistance. Didn't realise the layout is different in the LCI but I suppose it is a different engine so makes sense.

Bottom line is you don't have the right plus.

[ulker32]

Maybe as a help, the latest partnumber is 65412413270

The ones before are:


65412293994
(07/01/2013 — 11/02/2015), nonexchangeable retrospectively
65412220058
(08/05/2011 — 08/22/2013)

[soundwave]

I had the Alpine upgrade kit and liked it a lot. I also had Gladen sub elements under the seats, which boosted the bass nicely. BUT... I then retrofitted the NBT and the sound changed A LOT -> now there is way too much bass and the sound stage clarity and position also changed to worse.

I am not sure WHY this happened? I plan to remove the Alpine kit, resell it and replace all the speaker elements to probably Gladen and install a configurable DSP amp, maybe Mosconi. Then I can tweak the sound to my liking.

[Cornel_t]

Originally Posted by soundwave

I had the Alpine upgrade kit and liked it a lot. I also had Gladen sub elements under the seats, which boosted the bass nicely. BUT... I then retrofitted the NBT and the sound changed A LOT -> now there is way too much bass and the sound stage clarity and position also changed to worse.

I am not sure WHY this happened? I plan to remove the Alpine kit, resell it and replace all the speaker elements to probably Gladen and install a configurable DSP amp, maybe Mosconi. Then I can tweak the sound to my liking.

You should check the settings and code accordingly the output of NBT unit and/or add the retrofit into car VO. I can confirm from my experience that after installing the Alpine kit but without coding, the sound was horrible. However after changing to HiFi output the sounds clarity got as expected. There are several options you can toggle on NBT ECU, don't try HK as it's got the audio signal via fiber optic connection.

[RoundRound]

Hello,
I'm considering this upgrade for my 2017 330e - and have a question,
If the amp is 6 channels and powers the twitters, mid range and 'sub' does that mean there's a crossover and each driver is on it's own channel?

Also what's the DSP bit, can you change/eq the system any more than the basic Bass and Treble?

Thank you!

EDIT:
Also what happens to the speakers in the rear after the upgrade? do they stop working? Are driven from the HU like before?

EDIT 2: no worries, looks like this upgrade isn't available for 330e cars in the UK, no other alternative (from BMW)

Thank you!

[ivanivanusic]

Does anybody have NBT EVO ID5/6 Heaunit with the Alpine Hi-Fi?