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      02-18-2020, 08:59 PM   #1
jaydaman93
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hifi audio upgrade

Hi all,

i am planning on upgrading my sound system from hifi system to either bavsound or bimmertech system. Any comments on which amp/speakers are best?
Also planning on doing it in steps. What would be the best bang for the buck to upgrade first, amp or stage 1 or underseat subs?
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      02-18-2020, 09:31 PM   #2
Billfitz
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The BMW electronics are weak, so if improvements are to be made that's where to start. There's nothing wrong with the BMW speakers. Do a search, there's plenty of reading here on the subject.
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      02-18-2020, 11:16 PM   #3
johnung
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydaman93 View Post
Hi all,

i am planning on upgrading my sound system from hifi system to either bavsound or bimmertech system. Any comments on which amp/speakers are best?
Also planning on doing it in steps. What would be the best bang for the buck to upgrade first, amp or stage 1 or underseat subs?
Don't believe the marketing from those companies. BMW speakers are fine. The weak point in the BMW audio system is the underseat subs and their limited size boxes.

I did a very specific upgrade which turned out fantastic. My wife and friends thought that I had changed out the entire audio system.

I used Earthquake subs which are made to work great in the small BMW boxes along with an AudioControl LOC/amplifier to separately power them. A custom harness from Technicpnp made it easy to wire up.

I've written a lot of detail about my project if you search. I don't have the links handy. Good luck!
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      02-23-2020, 04:17 PM   #4
chowser51
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Start with the amp and see how your factory speakers sound. That's all I did.
I replaced the amp and was happy.
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      02-24-2020, 02:31 AM   #5
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Definitely amp first. No point upgrading speakers and sub if you can't drive them properly. You can slowly upgrade the factory speakers after the amp if it's not up to standard. I can't comment on Bavsound or Bimmertech speakers as I don't have any experience with it. But I believe if it's driven with enough power, it should sound better than Hifi speakers. Based on my experience, if you listen at low volume then there's no point upgrading. But I like lively music and aftermarket speakers does deliver on sound quality I seek for while stock hifi speakers will sound harsh once I pass 50%. Even my wife who don't care much about SQ feel the stock speakers are annoying when playing at high volume giving her headache.

Some of the forumer feel the stock speakers are fine. Not in my experience as I had compare both HK speakers and Hifi speakers vs DIY speakers with custom crossover. If you are satisfied with stock speakers, then don't listen to other BMW with upgraded speakers. Ignorance is bliss. That's what happen to me after I upgraded my F10 with Eminence SD28/Faital Pro 4FE32. Initially I'm very happy with my upgrade. After I bought my wife a X3, I try using different speakers combo with Scan Speak D3004 and 10F4424 mid. Big mistake as I can hear the difference especially vocal and more airy. Now I need to hack my sail panel to fit the tweeter as it's too big to install internally. I swear after this is done, I'm not going to listen to other car sound system to stop the upgrade.

Last edited by pierreye; 02-24-2020 at 03:02 AM..
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