Uprgrading my speakers

[MattSpoon]

I've read many post about this topic and have so far taken much advice from Luke on the subject, however, I would like to severely improve the sound quality of my current stereo setup.

Currently:
Alpine headunit, just the basic deal
Old as dirt pioneer 5.25inch 2-way speakers
I have the basic BMW setup, no premium package or anything else going for me.

I would like to have a subwoofer in this new setup. I don't want to rattle the doors off, they do that enough on their own, but i would like quality sounding bass that compliments the speaker setup. I know i'm going to need an amp, crossovers, new speakers, and from what I've read from Luke, I've currently removed the rear speakers and speaking as a novice, I "think" it sounds better.

Luke, and whoever else, what do you recommend I buy for this setup?
Speakers
What amp...I am clueless about amps so i will need to be schooled
And I've found many good deals, or so it seems, on JL Audio W3v3 10 inch subwoofers. Is that a subwoofer worth getting? Too much for the e30? Not a quality sub, etc.

Thanks in advance for the help with this. I am a noob when it comes to stereo related things.

[joshuaaa]

my suggestion is get one of lukes boxes.. the quality is so nice.. i get the perfect clean bass without my ears bleeding.

[smonkbmw]

you need to go to your local independent car stereo shop and listen to whatever they have. no one on here can tell you what sounds good to you or how it should sound. i can tell you i like the sound of Diamond Audio, others might say MB Quart etc. take a cd of yours into a shop and tell them to play it on a similar stereo with and with out a amp. then go from there.

i think 4 channels are the best for e30s, this is personal preference though also. cause i believe in the 2 front channels to your front speakers and bridge the rears to the sub concept.

subwoofers are not that big of a deal. as long as the enclosure is proper and you have good power going to them brand name isnt THAT big of a deal. also, even luke points out the $70 sony sub at wal mart sounds good in the right enclosure.

in my list of priority it goes like this.
1.Amp- spend as much as you can on this as the more power you have the better it sounds (not necessarily louder).
2. TIE-head unit-you need clean output sound to amplify, you cant do this with a $75 sony
- component speakers-you hear these cause they are obviously close to you, so make sure to get the best you can afford. also get some IS tweeter pods for the front, these can be had on here or ebay for decent money.
3. enclosure-bass wont sound right without the proper box
4. subwoofer- like i said before, with the proper power and box, you cant tell the difference.

[MattSpoon]

Thanks for the help so far.

My head unit is an Alpine CDM-9803. Is this hu alright for getting good sound output or do you think I need a different one? I'd prefer not to replace it, as it works just fine, however if this is what needs to be done to accomplish good sound I would be ok with that.

[smonkbmw]

sure. looks like it doesnt have sub control but thats not critical. youll just have to find a amp with REALLY good crossovers.

[MattSpoon]

it has it's own sub control built in. in fact, i was just messing with it the other day and i found the sub control. i looked it up in the owners manual and it has RCA outputs for the sub.

[Mless5]

My e30 standard:

5.25" components in the front, get premium tweeter mounts
(1) 10" sealed against skipass
4 channel amp, 2 channels for components, other 2 bridged for sub duty
rear speakers (if you really need them) power by HUs power.

This is just my opinion, I am sure there will be plenty more.

[scabzzzz]

I think the E30 sounds pretty good with unblown ITT speakers from the factory on my Alpine HU. :)

But seriously, in my last car, I really enjoyed Eclipse speakers. You can find them cheap at ikesound.com. But it sounds like you have hte right idea. As soon as Luke posts, its /thread

[33lop]

MattSpoon,

What headunit are you using? It all starts from there. Then upgrade speakers then put an amp. If you're not satisfied yet, then go find a sub. And what type of music do you listen too?

[StereoInstaller1]

As soon as Luke posts, its /thread

Why you gotta be hatin' like that?

I wish you guys could hear my wife's car. Single 12 in ported box (one of the GB ones), half of a small Alpine 4 channel running bass, the other half running a set of stock Premium separates up front, but with upgraded crossovers.

Nice clean detail, plenty of bass, not anything overpowering, just nice clear balanced sound.

The box, amp and sub all weigh less than the factory sound deadning (trunk tar) too.

Next round of sub boxes will be shortly. This will be the last round of boxes as far as I can tell.

Luke

[Old Boy Bergy]

Just got to enjoy my stereo again tonight... windows down, driving to and from my soccer match. I'm impressed. Of all the systems listed in this thread, it's probably one of the 'easiest'.

Sony -cheap- head: $120
Infinity Reference 5.25" components: $150-ish
Infinity Kappa Perfect 10" SVC (sensitivity about 91dB): $90 (sale)
Q Logic ported 'truck' box: $100-ish
Alpine MRD-M501 mono sub amp (275W at 4ohm): $250
Remote level for amp: $25

I'm running the components off the deck (probably only about 20W RMS) in the front, and obviously the sub off the amp.

All I can say is that I'm enjoying this system immensely - and I'm not missing the rear fill in the least. It could be better, but this car is the family beater. I love the remote level, and Infinity Kappa Perfect sounds GREAT. I'm sure some could fault the Q Logic box, but mine must have been one of the good ones. Bass is clean and tight. I can turn it up to the point that the bass makes my nostrils vibrate, or turn it down so that I think someone's in the trunk with a bass drum. Right now the box is lying on its back, firing upward. The components' tweeters are a bit bright, but not harsh using the -3dB setting option on the crossover.

I was smiling the whole drive today.

[Jall]

Running JBL splits up front getting fed 50wrms, just using 2 channels from a 4x50w amp.
Ported 10" Type-R DVC getting 400wrms.
All running from a laptop/carputer source.
Very happy with this setup.