EuroCarFan

I love the Logic7 sound system but the upgrading freak in me is wondering if I can improve on the Harmon Kardon perfection. Although I've seen some awesome custom trunk enclosures like JJ's Blacke60 and Wheelzplus, I don't want to add too much weight to my car so I can keep the performance qualities. So now I'm wondering if I can just upgrade the factory speakers/subwoofers and amp(s).

Has anyone done this and if so, what would be better brands (JL Audio, Polk, Boston Acoustic...etc.). I assume the stock components are all Harmon Kardon which is already an awesome brand.

TIA for the inputs.

my530i

OK, before upgrading L7 sound system, let's analyze it first to see what we can do.
L7 consists of (7ch x 40w for mid and high) + (2ch x 70w for two under seat subs)
Upgrading can be done by just upgrading amps for two underseat sub or the whole system.
For upgrading bass only, you can buy any 300w two-channel amp and replace two underseat subs with Earthquake SWS-8 (150W RMS). These two subs are more than enough for your rattling your seat and license plate. SWS-8 is the only aftermarket sub that can be replaced E60 underseat subs perfectly w/o modifying anything. If you want to go with this, grab sub output signals from amp in the trunk and feed it to the 300w amp. If you buy amp with no speaker level input, you need to buy line-out converter to convert speaker level down to line-out level and feed it to the amp with RCA wire. Upgrading subs only will minimize noise injected into your sound system because signal wire does not travel far from the trunk.

If you want to upgrade the whole system, I would recommend you to replace existing speakers with MB Quart QSD for $99/pair first before adding an amp because RMS of MB Quart match well with L7 RMS. Adding amp to drive high and mid speakers will easily induce engine noise, and I wouldn't recommend.

You can go to the www.the12volt.com to see professional installer asking questions on how to eliminate noise. Search for keyword "noise".

Let me know if you have any more question.

Merzbow

The way not to add weight is to throw out the spare tire. Hey, if it's good enough for the M5...

Heiss5

I must say, my530i knows what he's talking about, I couldn't have recommended it better myself. If you want to keep it light and use the current space of everything, I'd definitely go with everything he said.

I would also recommend Focals, especially the Utopia-Be speakers and woofers. IMO, nothing even compares to these speakers. Don't get me wrong, the MB Quarts are amazing I almost bought them myself, but after hearing the Focals I had to get them. I went with the K2P components and the Polyglass coaxials because Focals are pretty pricey, $800 for mine, and because the '04 530i's have 4" speakers all the way around and this set up worked perfectly in the confined space without having to modify anything.

I would recommend finding a stereo shop and ask if you can listen to both the MB Quarts and the Focals, I know Car Toys has both. They may not have the Utopia-Be speakers but they should definitely have the KPs. I'm not sure if the Focal woofers will fit under the seats, they're very close to the Earthquake dimensions but require a little bit larger mounting depth. However they are very light, and if worse comes to worse you could mount them on the sides of your trunk in the little recesses behind the taillights, this will still give you plenty of space in the trunk. Either way, both would sounds amazing, good luck.

http://www.focal-america.com/

bruce_miranda

I had asked a similar question a while ago. i.e. how to convert the standard UK sound system to the standard US sound system. not L7

Am I right in seeing that the solution of replacing the amp for the 2 sub woofers could also be used for adding an amp and 2 sub woofers because I think that's what's missing between the UK and the US specs.
I understand that it may be a pain to wire etc but gives someone something to think about especially if there are people out there who are anyway pulling the OEM apart.
The idea is save the money you pay BMW for parts that you are planning to upgrade.

vishwen

yes i add a 12" JL audio and JL amp

subterFUSE

I was an old car stereo competitor in my late teens, early 20s..... and have build several high-end, sound quality competition systems.


My advice on this topic, for what it is worth.... is this:



If you want a change a stereo, you should change EVERYTHING..... or change nothing. I will try to explain why I feel this way.


A truly high-end stereo system is made up of various components which must work together in harmony. There are many different pieces of gear out there, but in general you MUST have the following as a minimum:


1. A source unit. This may be a radio, CD player, DVD player, tape player, etc.... any unit which plays recorded or broadcast media.

2. A Preamplifier. Often this part will be built into the source unit. A preamp is basically just a master volume control.

3. Amplifier(s). These units take the preamplified signal, and boost it to drive the speakers.

4. Speakers(s). These make the sound. Big surprise, huh?


These basic components are found in EVERY stereo that exists, in some form. Other components which may or may not be found are:

Crossover networks
Equalizers
Line drivers
Phase shift controllers



The point is.... in a stereo, the overall quality relies on all of these components working together. They form a chain.... and we all know the old saying... "A chain is only is strong as the weakest link." The same is true for a stereo. It is only as strong as the weakest component in the chain.

In keeping with this, audiophiles know that the more equipment that gets introduced to a system, the more potential for problems. (ie, the more links you add to the chain.... the more chances for a link to be weaker than the rest and to cause a break) Each component added to a system will ALWAYS add some degree of distortion. It is also one more component that can break, or suffer problems which must be fixed. Furthermore, once a poor quality component is placed in the signal chain... any components after it will not perform to their potential, since their signal will be degraded before they can work on it.


I have had car systems of varying complexity. My last system was extremely complex, featuring the following components:


Alpine CVA-1005 Navigation TV/ Source Unit
Alpine 6-disc CD changer
Precision Power PAR-245 parametric EQ / Preamp
(2) Precision Power DEQ-230 1/3 octave 30-band equalizers (separate EQ for left & right channels)
Precision Power FRX-456 6 way Active crossover
Precision Power Phase shift controller
Precision Power 4 x 100 watt amplifier (for main speakers)
Dynaudio System 220 MKII 5.25" component speakers (in custom kick panels)
Dynaudio System 240 MKII 7" component spkeakers (in front doors, pillars)
Precision Power 1 x 1400 watt amplifier (for subwoofers)
(3) JL Audio 10W6 subwoofers, sealed enclosure
Alumapro C.A.P. 15 farad capacitor
Optima Yellow-Top, Deep-Cycle gel-cell battery

Needless to say, this system was a lot of work to maintain. If I wanted to tune it, there were a number of pieces of gear to be fiddled with. And if something were to go wrong, I had to troubleshoot everything to find the culprit.



In the case of the Logic 7, the Source unit and preamp are built into the same unit... the in-dash CD player. I will assure you that the quality of the factory source unit is absolutely horrendous... at least if you compare it to aftermarket equipment. If any audiophile wanted to upgrade the stereo in the E60, the first thing to go would be the factory source unit. If you can't start with a good quality signal, then your chain will NEVER be strong. It really doesn't matter if you add good components after the source..... they would still not perform to their potential.

Removing the source unit in the E60 is not an easy task. The iDrive integration is a major issue, and the shape/size of the E60 radio unit would require custom mounting/installation for any aftermarket replacement. This is not to say it isn't possible.... for the right price, ANYTHING can be done. Just know, that it isn't easy.... and it will void portions of your BMW warranty.



Some people here have kept the factory source unit, and upgraded other components. So it is certainly possible to do this. I, for one, would not do this to my car..... because of what I mentioned above. Adding high-end gear to a signal chain which begins in a degraded state will never yield the intended results. Why spend $1000 a pair for Dynaudio speakers, and then more $$$ on high-end amps and install... if they are going to run a CD played from the factory headunit and preamp? To me, it makes no sense.

Plus, I just don't trust any car stereo installers to disassemble my $70,000 BMW. And this is coming from someone who has owned several car stereos which cost from $16,000 - 20,000. I just don't trust anyone to take apart my car. When I owned cheaper cars, like my Acura and Lexus.... this didn't bother me as much. But with my BMW, I have had a change of heart.

One of the best lessons I learned from my last car stereo was that if I ever did another system, try to reduce the number of components as much as possible. Every component added leaves an extra door for Murphy to find his way in. In the case of my E60, I made the decision to live with the Logic 7. I knew when I was shopping for my new car that the stereo was a major consideration..... and if I got the E60, I would be buying an expensive car which I don't want disassembled by some high-school dropout stereo installer.



If you want to change components in your system..... you can certainly do so.... and you may achieve results better than the stock system.

I just wanted to explain why I won't do it.... even though I am someone who has gone all-out in the past.

my530i

subterFuse,
My upgrade already cost me ~$1300 for for parts and they're not high end.
Here are breakdowns:
1. Infinity 560 Watt 6-Channel Power AmplifierRMS)56W x 4 + 107w x 2 at 4 ohms: $340
2. Two Earthquake SWS-8 300 Max 2 1/8" mounting depth: $250
3. MB Quart RVF-210 - $250/pair for the front
RMS Power Handling: 40 - 90 W
Frequency Response: 55 - 32.000 Hz
Diameter: 4 Inch
Sensitivity: 90 dB
4. MB Quart 2 X DWC100 4" Midranges - $120/pair for rear
2 X RTC-19 .75" Tweeters
2 X DXD Crossovers
Impedance - 4 Ohms
Frequency Response - 65-32k
Power Range - 30-70 Watts RMS
5. Wiring $250
...

There is no other subwoofer than can fit exactly the ones under the seat like SWS-8. These two subs are waayyy more than enough to bounce my butt off the seat with 1/3 of the gain. It sounds fantastic.

For the amp, I mount it in the trunk upside down below the rear deck. This amp is a very good one, but I'd prefer to have a better one with 90+ dB Signal-to-Noise ratio.

My original plan was having either Mcintosh (sorry for misspelling) or Diamond Audio or Zapco amp, and MB Quart QSD 4", but they're all out of my budget.

Those speakers I mentioned about fits perfectly to BMW OEM speaker mount. If you plan to go for 6", making holes is a must which I don't want to destroy OEM look and make my car look racy.

I really want to buy DynAudio speakers but they're not available for 4".
Diamond Audio Speakers are made in Shanghai, and MB Quart are made in Germany.

subterFUSE

Its good that the high-end stuff is out of your pricerange.... because if you keep the factory headunit, you don't need to be spending money on super-good speakers, amps, etc...


Like I said.... chain.... weakest link.... yada yada yada.


You put Dynaudios in the E60, and run them with the factory source unit.... that would be a joke. It's like buying an M5 with the speed limiter set at 50 mph. You'll never come close to its potential.

The same would be true of McIntosh amps. It's overkill if you keep the factory source unit.

In fact, even in a competition setup.... most people don't think the Dynaudios sound very good. This is because Dynaudios are about the most acoustically neutral car speaker made in the world. So they sound different because they don't color the sound. They take about 1000 hours just to break-in. You can even get a special CD from them just for the break-in period. Most people are used to listening to garbage speakers and they have grown accustomed to the colored sound.... so when they hear a neutral speaker for the first time, they don't like it.

subterFUSE

I would caution against mounting an amplifier upside down under the rear deck.

Heat rises, and amps need to cool. When I asked my first stereo installer to mount my amps there, he said no way.... they would overheat and shut down all the time.

I suggest you mount your amps vertically.