[twodoor]

Hello,

I have an F30 with HiFi (US stock?) speakers and I'm looking forward to an Eton speaker system:
- 2x B 195 Neo
- B 100W (front, back maybe later)

, but I have the stock HiFi amp which I doubt will be able to provide enough power to the speakers.
I have no problems installing the speakers in their sockets, saw all the possible videos about that.

But I have one big question mark on how I connect the speakers to the amp, if I purchase something like an Eton 150.4 amp. There's the Eton BAK Y-cables which connect the subs to the amp, but then what? How does the amp get the signal?

This is my current amp:



I'd love to hear that it doesn't need to be replaced if I just install the Eton speakers/subs, but since the stock speakers sound so basic in the HiFi system I doubt it.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by twodoor

if I purchase something like an Eton 150.4 amp

Don't. The input and output connections used by BMW are proprietary, so you must get an amp specifically made to replace the stock BMW amp.
If you're going to make changes the first thing you should switch is the amp, as that's where you'll get the most potential improvement. You may well find that the stock speakers sound perfectly fine with a better amp. I haven't found a single instance yet where replacement speakers provide definitive objective data that prove the claims made for their superiority to the OEM drivers.

[twodoor]

The only plug&play amp that I could find is the Bimmer Tech BT_PP82DSP, which is $900. I think that's a bit too much to spend only on an amp, and was thinking of a more simple solution involving a custom harness (I saw the Technic harness mentioned throughout the forum), but I need it shipped in the EU.

[twodoor]

I mentioned the Eton amp because I saw a 100.4 in the Eton installation video here, at 4:48 :

[Soul_Glo]

Originally Posted by twodoor

Hello,

I have an F30 with HiFi (US stock?) speakers and I'm looking forward to an Eton speaker system:
- 2x B 195 Neo
- B 100W (front, back maybe later)

, but I have the stock HiFi amp which I doubt will be able to provide enough power to the speakers.
I have no problems installing the speakers in their sockets, saw all the possible videos about that.

But I have one big question mark on how I connect the speakers to the amp, if I purchase something like an Eton 150.4 amp. There's the Eton BAK Y-cables which connect the subs to the amp, but then what? How does the amp get the signal?

This is my current amp:



I'd love to hear that it doesn't need to be replaced if I just install the Eton speakers/subs, but since the stock speakers sound so basic in the HiFi system I doubt it.

Look no further: https://technicpnp.com

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by 37psi

Look no further: https://technicpnp.com

Note the 'fine print', although in this case it's rightfully bold print:
7ch balanced-inputs. The requirement that the amp have balanced inputs complicates matters. You'll find that these don't exist at low price points.

[Encanto]

An Audiocontrol Matrix can solve that OEM balanced-inputs signal for any aftermarket amp.

[twodoor]

Thanks for the info guys.
I wasn't expecting to spend that much for an audio upgrade, not sure if it's worth it especially if I have to make cross-continental orders.
Best case scenario, will grab a pair of Focal IFBMW-SUB V2 at ~$400 and see how they improve the current stock HiFi experience.

[Xsapper]

I changed my base system speakers to Focal (Inc tweeters) & Match subs.
This is a great improvement, however if you use a high res player into the Aux port it takes it to the next level.

Fiio X3II, music stored as Flac

Fiio has a DAC and amp

[twodoor]

Xsapper , and after the speaker upgrade, isn't there any distortion at high volume?

I mean, since the stock amp can power up 5x25watt to mid range speakers and 2x40W to Subs, and all the speakers and subs have more watts than that, doesn't the amp insert distortion in the speakers where a powerful enough amp would insert correct signal?

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by twodoor

the stock amp can power up 5x25watt to mid range speakers and 2x40W to Subs, and all the speakers and subs have more watts than that,

That's not exactly how it works. The power ratings of drivers are thermal, ie., how much power the voice coils can take before they literally melt. There's no need for the amp to deliver the driver thermal rating. The driver will reach full output capability when provided enough power to reach its excursion limit, x-max. That limit can be as little as 40% of the thermal rating. One major problem is that very few auto sound driver manufacturers list the driver x-max, so there's no way of knowing if you have enough power to get full output from the driver, nor if one replacement driver has more x-max than another, or more than stock for that matter.

If you replace a stock driver with one that does have significantly more excursion than stock then the stock amp might not be capable of delivering enough power for the replacement driver to reach x-max, and therefore it won't reach its full acoustical output capability. That's why replacing the speakers alone may not have much effect, if any, other than placebo effect.

[twodoor]

Thanks Billfitz, I keep seeing this ping-pong between upgrading the amp or drivers. I found the stock Match PP82DSP (not bimmertech) in my country for almost half the price, but need to check with the retailer if the Match PP82DSP has the F30 harness adaptor.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by twodoor

need to check with the retailer if the Match PP82DSP has the F30 harness adaptor.

That's what you must be sure of, as the output connection of the BMW head unit is not generic. Also, if you're going to switch amps you need to at least double the power compared to stock to make it worthwhile. Doubling power may seem like a major improvement, but that's only a 3dB increase, which is not much. To sound twice as loud requires a 10dB level increase, and that requires ten times the power, and nearly four times the speaker cone excursion.

[twodoor]

Doubling the power means connecting the amp directly to the battery, that wouldn't have been an issue.
The problem is that the retailer doesn't have an F30 harness, and I don't think that harness exists for F30 with HiFi, just for standard audio, because the PP-AC13A harness indicated on the Match website is for standard audio only:


And I don't see how this PP-AC13A harness can be connected to the stock HiFi harness:


So from what I see it, I have just 2 big fat options:
1. Aftermarket amp (JL XD600/6) + Technic harness
2. Bimmertech PP82DSP with harness included

Both involve shipping from US...

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by twodoor

Doubling the power means connecting the amp directly to the battery, that wouldn't have been an issue.

I meant the per channel power output of the amp.

Bimmertech PP82DSP with harness included
Both involve shipping from US...

I thought they were in Poland, with 'free' delivery worldwide. There's no such thing as free, of course, shipping is included in the price, but at least you don't pay more based on where you live.

[twodoor]

Actually you do pay more based on where you live ...
I just went on https://www.bimmer-tech.net/ and added the PP82DSP in the cart, after I selected my country I had a +23% tax (which also applies to other EU countries, I think all of them), that brought me to a total of $1106.

I asked the support guy from the chat about this tax and this was his response:
We have a several shipping locations. Apparently there is a tax added when an item (in this particular case an amp) is being shipped to Romania. You can also take a look here:
https://www.bimmer-tech.net/information/shipping

And if it weren't enough, that 23% tax doesn't include Romanian customs which is another ~20%. It's incredible how some shops come up with stupid taxes just because they want to...

[Billfitz]

Shops don't come up with taxes, countries do. Still, for that price I'd drive to Warsaw and pick it up in person.

[twodoor]

Ok so after I contacted them, the bimmertech support dude was awesome and offered me a discount, reducing that exact tax amount (not including customs though).

BUT !!!

Here's the deal - I had a closer look to the Eton BAK:
http://www.eton-gmbh.com/en/products...e/product/bak/
, I thought these cables offer the possibility of using a separate amp just for powering up the subs, but it's even more awesome that it somehow also routes mid signal to a separate amp. So you can use a 4 channel amp to power the subs and front mid-highs. I'm so happy, will definitely put my hands on a complete Eton kit.

[Encanto]

That Eton cable is not for HiFi systems -you have a HiFi system

Originally Posted by twodoor

Ok so after I contacted them, the bimmertech support dude was awesome and offered me a discount, reducing that exact tax amount (not including customs though).

BUT !!!

Here's the deal - I had a closer look to the Eton BAK:
http://www.eton-gmbh.com/en/products...e/product/bak/
, I thought these cables offer the possibility of using a separate amp just for powering up the subs, but it's even more awesome that it somehow also routes mid signal to a separate amp. So you can use a 4 channel amp to power the subs and front mid-highs. I'm so happy, will definitely put my hands on a complete Eton kit.

[twodoor]

Encanto , could you please detail a bit why this setup isn't compatible?

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by twodoor

Encanto , could you please detail a bit why this setup isn't compatible?

That Eton harness is for non-OEM amp systems.

[ahlq1977]

Originally Posted by twodoor

Doubling the power means connecting the amp directly to the battery, that wouldn't have been an issue.
The problem is that the retailer doesn't have an F30 harness, and I don't think that harness exists for F30 with HiFi, just for standard audio, because the PP-AC13A harness indicated on the Match website is for standard audio only:


And I don't see how this PP-AC13A harness can be connected to the stock HiFi harness:


So from what I see it, I have just 2 big fat options:
1. Aftermarket amp (JL XD600/6) + Technic harness
2. Bimmertech PP82DSP with harness included

Both involve shipping from US...

Hi! I bought the Match PP82dsp from an european ebayer and the plug and play harness from bimmertech (they sell the harness separatly if you ask them)

Works perfect for me :-)