Alpina_Matt

Hi Technic,

great that you took the time for this detailed answer.
Patryk already stated to me, that you're the man who "knows BMW sound systems better than anyone".

Because I'm new to the topic - i'd ask s'more stupid questions.

[quote You wrote] the CIC has no built-in amp for powering speakers directly.[/quote]
- How can it be that currently the 8 speaker of the "old" Hifi system work after CIC retrofit w/o change to the wiring in Quadlock?

[quote You wrote] the CIC Hifi system outputs 4 low-level balanced signals into a 6-channel amp.[/quote]
- That means the signals aren't full range?

[quote You wrote] The CIC when outputs full range balanced is the best foundation for a great sounding aftermarket system.
[/quote]
- Did you coded the CIC to output full range?

So what would be your recommendation when you were in my situation?
Buy an aftermarket amp and place it behind the glovebox to not have to extent existing speaker wiring + exchange existing speakers + add speaker in the center console and rear doors?
How is it possible to program the amp similar to good home hifi to adjust signal delay between speakers a.s.f.?

br,
Matt

Georgieb

Technic, this is like having the holy grail. As Alpine_Matt suggests, I'm working with Nelson as we speak to get some crazy sound upgrades for my car. Have you guys seen these doorboards from Jehnert in Germany? Nelson put me on to them a few days ago. Combine these with new speakers, mid-range, a good dual-channel amp and JBL MS-8 processor and you're well on your way to a great sound system for your car.

I feel a whole new thread starting in the near future. Ha ha.

Patrys

You guys are in good hands with Technic and Nelson helping you out with the audio upgrades

Technic

Yes, it only applies to the CIC installed in an E60 LCI from factory or retrofitted into an E60 LCI with a M-ASK/CCC.

My post above should be edited for that.

nelson29

Technic,

I'm pretty you meant to say "Yes, it only applies to the CIC installed in an E60 LCI from factory or retrofitted into a Pre-LCI or LCI with a M-ASK/CCC"

My car along with Nigel's are both Pre-lci models.

Technic

It "works" with the caveat that this configuration is not designed to work as is as the speakers are being driven by a low level signal. A low level signal does not have enough current to drive a speaker by itself by definition.

It could be technically possible that the IC amp in the CIC is smart enough to detect the OEM speakers low impedance and switch itself to high level, but I really do not know what IC amp is that and much less if it is capable of performing such an automatic switch. That could explain why it seems to work with the "old" HiFi system but only in the front/rear speakers as those are the only 4 outputs of the CIC. For the woofers the CIC outputs need to be re-wired to supply the signal to the OEM amp in the trunk by tapping a pair of the 4 outputs as the source.

The CIC also has a Stereo output configuration, 4 high level outputs (25W per channel) which the 2 fronts are full range, heavily EQ and the 2 rear are high passed at around 150Hz and also EQ. This configuration is used to drive 6 speakers directly.

The CIC HiFi signals are full range, flat, balanced and high voltage low level (5-6V).

Yes, I coded my CIC to both Stereo and HiFi for comparison. It came from factory in the Top HiFi output configuration (MOST).

In your situation I would get a JBL MS-8 processor, and a full set of Morel speakers (front, rear and underseat woofers), an Individual Audio OEM center speaker and two JL Audio HD600/4 amps. If you want a sub in the trunk then it is one HD600/4 and one HD900/5. No need of rear door speakers with this setup. This combo will give you a much better Logic7 processing than OEM, allow you to custom tune/adjust it in minutes, and adjust signal delay to any seat in your E60. And it will sound much better than the Individual Audio OEM system.

To connect all this you will need a Stereo harness (from the CIC outputs to the MS-8, and from an HD amp outputs to the front and rear speakers), a Top HiFi harness (from the output of the HD amp to the woofers), an OEM center channel harness and trim (available at your dealer) and a set of OEM speaker connectors for the doors and rear deck speakers. The woofers can be connected to the OEM connector by using Tyco blade pins. No single OEM wire needs to be cut, spliced or tapped. I sell all those harnesses and OEM connectors.

Technic

It looks like I'm not thinking too clearly today...

Technic

Yes, indeed... great setup!

Georgieb

Lets switch back a minute to another challenge we had along the way.... LCI Climate Control Integration

(Don't get me wrong, I'm loving all this sound system talk. Technic, thanks for the input and info. It's always welcome in the forums. I'm pretty sure Nelson is ordering/or has already ordered harnesses from you for my sound system install. (He's doing a bunch of upgrades himself and I'm taping into to his much superior knowledge regarding Audio enhancements for the E60. We should really start a new thread for this. I think many peeps are interested).

So back to the reason I was posting. The CIC mod is being discussed in other forums also and a poster (benhur65) on M5board.com shared a solution to our problem with integrating the LCI Climate Control with our CIC. Thanks benhur65!

Here is what he said regarding pin 21:
What I think he means is that we need to cut wire 21 (blue) and extend and connect the harness/sensor side to ground. On the other side of the cut wire he connected 12V (feeds back into CIC) which he taped into from the Climate Control power harness (yellow/red wire).

Now here comes the fun part. I'm not sure what updates were necessary and if he updated the Climate Control firmware itself (how possible) or if he was referring to the CIC firmware which was updated.

Patryk,
If you're out there can you shed some light on the programming portion?

Patrys

The LCI A/C panel might work without any coding or programming after you modify the way it is connected. It depends on the software version of your panel. There is no problem to code it and if it still needs to be programmed we can arrange that too.
Just make the changes benhur65 suggested and let me know how it goes.