My Stereo Install Pics

[herragge]

Hey guys,

I just recently installed my entire system, and although I don't have a step by step guide, I wanted to show pics of my setup and give some pointers and possible tips that would have helped me along the way.

Big props to Luke, many of the tips I am reciting are in fact, tips from him. Super helpful.

On to my setup.

Alpine Type X SPX-137R 5.25" component speakers
-ultra high performance speakers
-they fit directly into e30's, no hacking required
-very high quality construction, usually Alpine stuff is shit, but these are not made by alpine but by a very high end manufacturer, and is branded as Alpine

Hifonics 600Watt Zeus Amplifier
-glows blue in the trunk, ballin
-in the same division as MB Quart, so for those die hard "BMW German" douchebags, this may appeal to you

Infinity 10" Basslink Subwoofer
-passive radiator style, so air is displaced through the opposite side of the sub
-self amplified
-doesn't need a box, designed to work in its own dimensions

Eclipse CD5000 with Ipod Interface Console
-8V pre outs giving a much more precise signal to the amp, reducing noise
-time alignment
-7 band parametric equalizer
-it also changes color to red, which was a big deal for me (and many BMW owners I presume) but the center screen still remains white, only the dials/buttons changed to red
-the match isn't 100%, but then again that is a hard task to accomplish, it matches decently

pics- still need to clean up the wires in the trunk






Install guide to follow

Mike

[herragge]

These are some tips that would have helped save ALOT of time...

-Removing the stock PS (premium sound) tweeters was a BITCH! Didn't have a dremel, so we tried using a vise grip with no luck. We ended up using a small drill bit and drilling small holes around the tweeter and just punching it out. Pretty ghetto but it got the job done. I also tried using goo gone and I let it sit for a good 4-5 days and that did shit.

-used the battery as a ground as advice from luke.

-I wired my Ipod interface console in the glovebox, so when I want to listen to my Ipod through the deck, I just open the glovebox and plug it in and I have direct control over it through the deck. Love this feature. So handy, prevents you from having to burn a new CD every time you want to listen to a new song. Any other suggestions for where some people mounted the cord to go to the Ipod?

-Wiring. I know there are better ways to prevent interference from other wires but I pretty much wired everything through the drivers side. I have read some people have wired it through the middle console, I didn't try that, and I'm not sure how much more/less difficult it would be in comparison. RCA's are a bit chunky, so they kind of leave a bulge in the carpet but no one will notice that except me.

-Wiring for the tweeters was a bit tricky. We couldn't find the stock PS tweeter speakers that were supposedly mounted behind the woofer (as per Luke, we probably didn't look hard enough). We found it easier to just put all new speaker wire through the door panel and through the grommets in the door up into the tweeter area. We put a hole through the rubber grommet in the door and used some loom to tie it all up so no water would get to it. However another way to do it (as per Luke again) is to use the stock PS tweeter speakers, I wouldn't make THAT much of a difference in sound quality anyways.

-Overall the sound of the system is INCREDIBLE. Super crisp, super sharp. And we haven't even fully tuned it yet. Once it is tuned I am expecting the sound to be very sweet, crisp, sharp and have good mids. For the time alignment, I found that the right woofer was predominant in sound...this may be due to less obstruction to the drivers ear to the speaker. The drivers side woofer must pass through more obstacles like the hood latch, your leg, the upper panel that protects the steering column etc. We adjusted the time alignment accordingly.

-We kept the rear speakers in tact, however we are playing with the idea of removing them and porting them like Luke has done to allow more displacement of bass into the cabin by the subwoofer.

By all means I am open to suggestions on possible ways to make it better. It is not a perfect system as it is all about compromises but the sound speaks for itself. Hope this makes for some good searching material.

Cheers

[smonkbmw]

i would have mounted the amp to the seatback. used spacers to run the wire under the amp itself, makes for a cleaner look. same for the cross overs, be cleaner on the back of the seat, or hidden in the stock amp location. needs the stock battery cover also.

[Mtriple]

Aside from the trunk... I always paint the radio cage black before install. Just a nice touch that makes the install a little cleaner.

[doogie howser]

We kept the rear speakers in tact, however we are playing with the idea of removing them and porting them like Luke has done to allow more displacement of bass into the cabin by the subwoofer.

i just removed my rear shelf speakers a few weeks ago. i don't miss them @ all. my highs and mids actually sound better and cleaner. i suppose it has a lot to do w/ the sound bouncing off the window and headliner causing distortion. i'm pretty amazed w/ the results. also, now my tiny 10" sub and 300 watt amp sound booming coming through the open air grill on the shelf. i didn't make a port, but i don't feel the need to at this point.

[Schnitzer318is]

Clean up that trunk install :) But you already knew that. Other than that not bad. I'm sure it sounds worlds better than the POS stuff from BMW.

I HATE the stock 5.25" speaker locations with a passion. I installed a set of alpine 3 ways (amplified). Sound better than before but the sound is too low, low by your feet, not low as in frequency. I will be doing an install in the door cards asap with components.

[Turf1600]

Clean up that trunk install :) But you already knew that. Other than that not bad. I'm sure it sounds worlds better than the POS stuff from BMW.

I HATE the stock 5.25" speaker locations with a passion. I installed a set of alpine 3 ways (amplified). Sound better than before but the sound is too low, low by your feet, not low as in frequency. I will be doing an install in the door cards asap with components.

I just did the door card components. It's really easy to do. I'll have some pics up of the location soon.

[StereoInstaller1]

I really should have taken shots of those Momo separates. they were HUGE and I made them fit with no real changes.

Yay for late model doors!

I still like my location better...

[einstein57]

Amp rack stat

[CorvallisBMW]

Looks awesome, nice work!