phenryiv1 325ic Stereo Install & Interior Thread

[Cephas]

[*]The OEM tweeters actually keep up with the E34 mids pretty well. I will report back on how the Daytons change the overall impression.[*]Using Pandora as a source is a bad representation of how the stereo can sound. The compression is crap and the tonal quality is very flat...but until I can get the antenna situation figured out I am going with it.[/LIST]

The Dayton tweeters are so much smoother than the e30 premiums. I added them along with the e34 mids that you have all around in my coupe and couldn't be happier. I was EQing the top frequencies down 6db and the stock tweeters were still terribly harsh. Get the Daytons in there and enjoy. I now run a completely flat EQ curve other than a 4db bump in the sub-bass. This really brings out the e34 mids low end.

Pandora is terrible for sound quality, for sure. Also, don't use bluetooth streaming for audio. Your mid-bass and clarity will suck just as a result of the compression through the signal.

[84driver]

Also, don't use bluetooth streaming for audio. Your mid-bass and clarity will suck just as a result of the compression through the signal.

Modern Bluetooth codec (SBC or AptX) bitrate is over 320Kbps, higher quality than most source material and basically transparent in a double blind test. Much better than it once was, and I'm an audio nut with my entire collection lossless. Just an FYI.

[Cephas]

Modern Bluetooth codec (SBC or AptX) bitrate is over 320Kbps, higher quality than most source material and basically transparent in a double blind test. Much better than it once was, and I'm an audio nut with my entire collection lossless. Just an FYI.

Could be the case, but on my 2015 Highlander and my Sony Mex4000 headunit in my e30, I can tell a difference and so can my wife who couldn't care less about such things.

It could be they use a different BT codec, but I doubt it. It could be my source material as well, but I have every MP3 at 320 and the rest in FLAC, so I don't know.

Ive heard this debated and in the end, I can definitely tell the difference. So in the end, do what sounds good to you!

[84driver]

Could be the case, but on my 2015 Highlander and my Sony Mex4000 headunit in my e30, I can tell a difference and so can my wife who couldn't care less about such things.

It could be they use a different BT codec, but I doubt it. It could be my source material as well, but I have every MP3 at 320 and the rest in FLAC, so I don't know.

Ive heard this debated and in the end, I can definitely tell the difference. So in the end, do what sounds good to you!

There's a lot of units with a cheap DAC for sure, those issues are probably from poor digital to analog decoding or other circuitry -- but not bluetooth itself. I don't know that auto manufacturers publish any DAC specs for their HUs, it would take some digging.

[Cephas]

There's a lot of units with a cheap DAC for sure, those issues are probably from poor digital to analog decoding or other circuitry -- but not bluetooth itself. I don't know that auto manufacturers publish any DAC specs for their HUs, it would take some digging.

Yes, good call. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they both had cheap DAC circuits. Why spend the money there when most people just stream Pandora or Amazon Prime and encode mp3s to 128kbps, right?

[phenryiv1]

The Dayton tweeters are so much smoother than the e30 premiums. I added them along with the e34 mids that you have all around in my coupe and couldn't be happier. I was EQing the top frequencies down 6db and the stock tweeters were still terribly harsh. Get the Daytons in there and enjoy. I now run a completely flat EQ curve other than a 4db bump in the sub-bass. This really brings out the e34 mids low end.

I hope to install them in the next week or so.

Pandora is terrible for sound quality, for sure. Also, don't use bluetooth streaming for audio. Your mid-bass and clarity will suck just as a result of the compression through the signal.

I do a direct wire as opposed to BTA. It is bad enough with the direct wire.

[phenryiv1]

Just experienced a totally random issue with the stereo. Out of the blue I am getting alternator noise. Everything was good and now the noise is present when the amp powers up. Nothing has moved but the noise is clearly there. Looks like I'll have to investigate that as well.

[KrautnotRice]

Enjoyed reading this thread. Any updates?
Did you fix the alternator whine issue?

[phenryiv1]

Enjoyed reading this thread. Any updates?
Did you fix the alternator whine issue?

Nothing in a while. I picked up an e36 convertible that I am working to fix up and the e30 is mostly used for its intended purpose- DRIVING it. I need to finish the stereo (tweeters, final HU install) but free time goes to the e36 these days.

As for the whine issue I figured it out (RCA cable) but have not fully remedied it yet. I can re-create it by moving the RCAs but I need to route them in such a way that a bump or jumble does not move them into a position where they induce the whine.