acribb

Bigger picture you can see.....I didn't realize I had caught that black and purple wire on the wiring harness cover when re-attaching it until I saw this pic.....!

acribb

Ok, here is what I think it is (information from a car audio forum). Opinions?

Just a guess:

brown/white stripe - subwoofer 1 -

red/blue stripe - subwoofer 1 +

brown/yellow stripe - subwoofer 2 -

red/white stripe - subwoofer 2 +

The red/blue stripe and red/white stripe are probobly the positive outputs because the + power wire going to the amp is red and the - ground wire going to the amp is brown...

Does anyone know how to test this with a multimeter? I've never used one before...

socaldodger

Hi:

I'm getting a 530i in less than 2 weeks and I'm trying to decide on what subs to install etc. What do you guys think about a 12" or 13.5" JL Audio W7 with a JL Audio 1000/1 Monoblock Amp? How do you guys think it would sound with the L7?
I would like to avoid the problem that - "John W" - is having regarding the seperation of the sound in the front and back. What could be done? Is this problem only with the L7? If so should I just get the standard system? Also is it possible to run a completely seperate sound system (headunit, subs, tweeters, midrange etc.) in the car without affecting the whole Idrive system? I just want a real nice clean sound hard hitting system.

Any help and or suggestions would be highly aprpeciated.

TIA

subterFUSE

JL Audio W7 is about the finest subwoofer on the market.

A 1000 watt monoblock amp is going to be a SERIOUS drain on your BMW electrical system. Do not even BEGIN to consider that much power unless you do the following first:

1. Install Optima Yellow-Top battery
2. Run high quality power cable for the amp
3. Install at least a 1 farad capacitor OR look into an AccuVolt

Even with all that, you're going to have voltage spikes on your car all the time... especially at night. This will be evident by looking at your headlights flash with the beat of the music. I don't know how well the iDrive will take to fluctuating voltage. This is why I never changed out my E60 stereo. I'm scared to try.


That being said, you are going to have a serious difference in power between the factory audio and the sub. The sub will be so overpowered by comparison.

Personally, I don't think you need all that power. Sure, you don't have to run the amp full tilt, and can have plenty of headroom... but you're still going to have to push your regular speakers hard just to hear them over the sub... which is going to test your stock system's limits. Stock speakers that blow are covered by warranty, but you never know what BMW NA will say about it when there's a 1000 Watt subwoofer in the trunk.


This is why I will ONLY change out a car audio system if I do all, or nothing. Either I change out every speaker, amp, headunit, for high-end gear.... or it's not worth it to me.

The issue John W was having was due to a large power gap between the sub and the main speakers. It had little to do with the Logic 7. To prove this, I will use my last car as an example.

My last car was a Lexus RX 300, which had a serious competition audio system installed. For my main stage speakers I used 2 sets of Dynaudio component speakers. One set was a System 220 MKII which were installed in custom kickpanels. The other set was a System 240 MKII which were in the front doors and front tweeter pods on the dash. Total 4 midrange, 4 tweets up front. I used NO rear speakers at all... because I hate rear fill. Front speakers were run by a 4 channel, 4x100 Watt, Precision Power amp.

I then had 3 JL audio 10W6 subs in the back. They were run by a 1400 watt mono Precison Power amp. So, obviously I had a large gap between the main speakers up front, and the subs in the trunk. But, I had so much power running my main speakers, that it didn't matter. I had a strong frontal image, but the sheer volume created excellent fill throughout the car. So there was no audible gap between my speakers and subs.

So having speakers up front vs. subs in back doesn't matter, but you need enough power to the front to help the speakers compete with the power of the subs. I had this in my last car, and it sounded awesome. John W does not have this because he is using factory speakers and amps for the front, and an upgraded subwoofer. It's a mismatch in quality.

04r1belgium

I installed a Rockford Fosgate Power 1051S rated @ 1100W RMS @ 13.8V @ 4 Ohm, and the headlights do not dim when it hits.

It all depends on what you have already in your car. I don't have any of the heated gizmo's and power hungry options in the car, and the E60 has a BEAST of an alternator.

If you don't have too many power hungry gadgets in your ride, go ahead and add the amp and sub. Just make your power budget calculations and see if your alternator can supply what's needed.

This being said, the trunk to the E60 is very well isolated, meaning a good part of your bass stays in the trunk. I did almost manage to rattle my license plate off in 2 days of use

I think my Boston Acoustics Pro 12.5LF is a bit overpowered by the amp. I'm looking into replacing it with an Adire Brahma 15" or Resonant Engineering XXX 15". That should do the trick rather nicely

subterFUSE

Well.... In my Lexus, the PPI amplifier running the subwoofers drew over 160 amps of current by itself when running hard. That's about the limit of the BMW alternator.... and was WAY past the limit on my Lexus alternator. Add to that the other amp, which was also very strong, then run headlights, wipers, A/C, and the rest of the audio gear (CD changer, Nav, EQs, processors, etc...).... and my car was sometimes like a damn strobe light. (I'm exaggerating, but I could notice it sometimes)

I used to have Rockford amps in my old Honda Civic, and they can be brutal too. I don't really keep up with Rockford anymore, but I would honestly be interested to see you run a voltmeter on your battery while running your system hard. I seriously doubt it stays anywhere near 13.8 volts while running during the day. Particularly if you have one of Rockfords higher-end amps, those things can draw some current. Although, having the battery in the back certainly does help lower the resistance. My Lexus had the battery in the front like most cars.

Then again, maybe Xenon bulbs don't dim like halogens either?

Anyway, I had the car computer shut down on me a couple times during the 5 years I owned that Lexus. The stereo just taxed the alternator so bad it deprived the computer of power and caused it to turn off briefly.

When I remember that, I worry about what might happen to the iDrive.

John W

I'd have to agree with you subterFUSE. I think the subs were overpowered relative to the rest. The L7 amp's only putting out 40W per channel, if I recall correctly.

In my old E39, I just swapped the crazy stock sub box with the M5 subs, using the factory amp and sub outputs, and it sounded just right - well matched.

I'd guess that either

a. putting a more modest amp and subs in the back or
b. upgrading the amp running the underseat subs (disconnect the lines going to them and put a somewhat bigger amp in place) though you'd probably blow them, not knowing what they can handle. or
c. replacing the underseats, with what would surely take some mods to the enclosures and running a moderate amp to them, keeping them up front.

would work better. I'm still not happy with the mid-bass and low end of the L7, and I'm still not convinced that the gap in the mids wouldn't be accentuated with even a well-matched set of subs. It's still going to be there.

subterFUSE

If you are SERIOUS about wanting a truly high-end audio system for your E60, allow me to make a suggestion which I had considered myself.


Look into buying some Compression Horns for the front stage. There are several advantages to HLCD (Horn Loaded Compression Drivers).

1. Mounting location - Horns mount underneath the dash, allowing you to leave stock speakers alone. Furthermore, the location under the dash makes for more equal distance between driver and passenger sides.... bringing you more into the sweet spot.

2. Sound Quality - HLCDs are known for exceptional sound quality. They replace midrange, midbass & tweeters with a single unit. This makes for a less complex amplifier setup needed, as well as improved focus due to the fact you have a single point source for most of the frequency range of music. (example, component speakers usually have tweeters separated, and the distance between the midrange and tweeter can cause phasing problems)

3. Efficiency - HLCDs are very efficient, often requiring only a fraction of the power a traditional midbass speaker needs.



Check out Image Dynamics horns. Image Dynamics



I had these in my old Acura Legend, and I loved them. The imaging is incredible. The best part is, you can add them without removing the stock speakers.

If I did change out my stereo, I would get a pair of Image Dynamics CD-2 Comp horns.... without a doubt.

John W

My brother-in-law's running them in his GMC and they do sound great - but the system ran about $16K all in. Took a $40k truck to about $70 in mods, lift kit, wheels, sound, security, DVD, etc.

subterFUSE

Well the system in my Lexus was $16K - 20K after install, I lost count somewhere in that area.... That's not the point.

The compression horns can be purchased and run by even a modest amp, and they don't have to be outrageously expensive, or to affect the factory speakers. Yes they are often used in expensive stereo systems, but they could also be used in a more basic setup. They were certainly more economical than my Dynaudio speaker setup in my Lexus.

And they would certainly fill your car with more sound than the factory equipment.

If I was going to add a stereo to my E60... Image Dynamics is the way I would go.