[Wilko84]

Hi all

As per title, I'm looking for a better sound from my current base system in my 2016 f30.

I'm no wizard when it comes to audio installs but I'm not a novice either. I've read a few threads about mentioning the stock amp (in the case of my base system there isn't one) if upgraded can give more power to the current speakers.

What I'd like to achieve is a deep, rich bass and some crisp mids. Subwoofer under the seats are mostly mids and I understand that for the deep bass I'm after, I'll need to install one in the trunk. Would appreciate Any 'how to' or advice on what and how to achieve this.

I'd like to replace the speaker set up as well and understand I will need the tweeter covers as I don't currently have any tweeters installed. Could I use a vibe Powerbox65.4 for powering the speakers in the cab and then use either a separate amp in the trunk for the sub? I've read the vibe Powerbox400 can be linked together with the Powerbox65.4 in the cab but not sure what benefit that would be? Would a separate amp for both speakers and sub be the best way in terms of delivering the power?

Any ideas, pictures, guides or diys you guys have done that would apply to me would be really really appreciated.

Thank you
Steve

[Billfitz]

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1475424

[Wilko84]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1475424

Thanks Bill... Will check it out

[LaNcE01]

Hey Bill!

Just read thru that link provided on the top, I blew my front L/H speaker. I was thinking of instead of buying a Oem replacement why not upgrade it. Is there other alternatives to just being bimmertech / Bavsound or are they the easiest out there? would you happen to know what the front speaker sizes are?

thanks!

[Wilko84]

Originally Posted by LaNcE01

Hey Bill!

Just read thru that link provided on the top, I blew my front L/H speaker. I was thinking of instead of buying a Oem replacement why not upgrade it. Is there other alternatives to just being bimmertech / Bavsound or are they the easiest out there? would you happen to know what the front speaker sizes are?

thanks!

Hi Lance

Its a 4 Inch if its the speakers in the door you are on about?

You can use pretty much any replacement of the same size, but will need to get adapter rings for the speaker if the fitment is different. And then have to look at the type of connection the replacement has and adapt factory speaker cable to fit.

There are some direct replacements that you can get on ebay etc if you look hard enough.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by LaNcE01

Is there other alternatives to just being bimmertech / Bavsound or are they the easiest out there? would you happen to know what the front speaker sizes are?

I've yet to see any definitive data that backs up the claims made by either of those outfits. Your best bet is probably someone who fell for the hype and bought replacements and now is selling their OEM. Besides, you want all four to match in any event.

Its a 4 Inch if its the speakers in the door you are on about?
You can use pretty much any replacement of the same size,

That's not the case. Not all four inch drivers are created equal by any means. To get the best result requires that their Thiele-Small specs fall within a given range and that they have adequate extension into the midrange. The OEM drivers do.

[Wilko84]

I found a pretty good video on YouTube explaining and showing the process in depth for a novice like me. I've watched it a couple of times now and understand it quite well, finally!

I guess you can also adjust this process by tapping into just the underseat subwoofers instead of all speakers, to run cables back down to trunk of the car to a line converter and then to the amplifier and a sub of some sort? I could probably get away with a mono amplifier for just the subwoofer?

I ordered the vibe Powerbox that will give some more power to the OE speakers in the car and if that is sufficient, I'd just want a subwoofer installed for the low end. On the other hand, I could of got a 5 channel amplifier and powered all speakers (as in video) and then the 5th channel could be used for a sub.

I might not make much sense or I'm wrong, please correct me if so

[Wilko84]

So update so far...

I purchased a Vibe Powerbox65.4 amplifier to give the speakers some extra power. Figured that replacing the stock speakers with better models wouldnt do much difference with the same ammount of power going to them. I got them from Vibe's Official ebay store and it came with a T Harness for my model car. I stored the new amp in the glovebox so that I could tweak the gain etc and see how warm it got with the view of storing it under the Idrive system as there is enough space perfectly for this amp.

This improved the sound a great deal. After tuning the gain and the bass, I was really pleased with how the stock system started to sound.I was really pleased that the T harness gave me some additonal wiring so that I didnt have to splice into any cables on either the vehicles main ISO or the new T harness. BUT the bass was obviously missing which is a big part of the music I listen to.

So the next step was to get a Subwoofer, I opted for a cheap Edge 12 Inch Active Sub and the 8 Gauge wiring kit from halfords.

I spoke to the guys at Vibe regarding the powerbox 65.4 regarding if I can connect a Sub directly to the amplifier so that I wouldnt have to spend time splicing cables in the original wiring harness.

They advised me to connect the RCA from the sub to the female RCA on the amp labelled 'Low in Rear'. There is also the same connections 'Low in front' which can be used for additional subs (replacing the underseat with true subwoofers?). So I ran both the remote wire and the RCA cables from the boot/trunk to the HU along the passenger side trim, through the bottom of the glovebox and into the backside of the dash and connected the RCA cables. Then all I had to do with the remote wire was to simply strip the end and connect to the supplier remote out connection on the new T harness and crimp. So easy! And no splicing or stripping any of the cars original cabling or the new harness which is what I was prepared to do. The power and ground cables both connected and my new Active Subwoofer was up and running. This took 30 minutes at the most! The powerbox65.4 helped massively with this and also has improved the quality of sound in the car due to the additional power.

So to conclude, for the price of the powerbox and T harness £130, and the cost for the active subwoofer and wiring kit £160, my car now sounds amazing.

Thanks for the help guys
Steve