Originally posted by wongster12 The question I have for you guys is what are you trying to achieve? I have been slowly trying to figure out a way to tap the wires to add a subwoofer and an aftermarket amp.
Jimmy-
Thanks for your photos and info. Perhaps a little background is in order. My '00 M5 is the first Bimmer of my last three without some form of audio upgrade. I should note the prior two had non-DSP systems.
*On my 95 E34 540i/6, I added an Xtant 3-channel amp and an Eclipse 10" sub in a sealed Q-Logic enclosure firing thru the ski-sack pass thru. I raised the amplification level to all the stock speakers (mids/tweets) and built up the low-end with the sub. LOOOOOVED it. Unfortunately, so did the buyer for that car.
*On my 98 E39 540i/6, I basically replicated the earlier system, only this time I used a Kicker SoloBaric 10" in the sealed enclosure, and I upgraded all the mids/tweets with Boston Acoustics Pro 5.2 series components. Again, LOOOOVED IT. Also again, the new owner felt the same way, and bought it with the car. Lucky for me the new owner is my big brother.
Now, after reading about E39 DSP Audio Upgrades for as long as I've known about this board, I've been stocking up for the plunge. Actually, I had all the pieces assembled about a year ago, but my young son Jack arrived, and blew away all those weekend projects!
Here's what I'm doing: Phase One: fix the flabby bass
Remove Nokia bandpass enclosure and use speaker-level outputs to power a sub-only amp feeding two 10" speakers in an infinite baffle ("free-air") configuration. Maintains all DSP functionality, as added power is for subs only, and takes a hi-level output.
I opted to go this route after two successful sealed boxes w/ single 10" subs because.....I thought it would compromise trunk space less. Simple as that.
Subs: two a/d/s/ a-10s single voice coil 4-ohm speakers
Amp: MTX Thunder500D D-class monoblock sub amp; stable down to 2 ohm loads; has speaker-level inputs (built-in line converter)
By wiring the speakers in parallel, I'll have a 2-ohm load, and the amp will put out 500w RMS at 12.5V.
Phase Two: fix the muddy highs and poor imaging.
Based on the experience of several others, I bought two sets of MBQuart Referenz RSB215 component sets. I will replace the factory drivers (only!) with these units.
Then I will be done. Being that my Beast has 42K miles on her, I'd better get cracking. Then again, it's gonna be awhile before my E60 M5 deposit means anything
Originally posted by Richard in NC Teutonaddict;
I had this done to my 540i with the DSP system at a shop in Charlotte a few years ago....I've heard the best solution is to fire a 10 inch thru a ski pass thru but I never did that.
Thanks for the response, Richard. Actually the pre-Beast I referred to in the response immediately above is running around Charlotte with the 10" ski-sack pass thru system. That makes a lot of sense to me, but not for this car.
If you see a Montreal Blue E39 540i/6 with 18" AC Schnitzer Type-IIs rolling around the South Park area, that's my brother! I've missed those kickin' tunes since the day I took delivery of my Beast (03/31/00).
Re: The quality of this Board continues to amaze me as well
Quote:
Originally posted by mofo_knows I really am glad I could "give something back" after all the help I have received
Just got thru reading the printouts of the pinout-related threads. FWIW, two additional valuable details from your prior thread:
(1) Benefit of installing subs from the top-side of the rear package shelf. While my subs are mounted to a custom deck made from 3/4" MDF, I was still trying to mount them from inside the trunk. I was NOT successful. I will try again after removing the rear seat and package shelf.
Mental image: Picture a 6'3" 270 lb man all the way inside his trunk trying to hold this heavy (two big-*** subs, monoblock amp and heavy-as-sh*t deck) assembly up and into place as he curses his 18v DeWalt screwgun for not tapping a drywall screw into the package shelf. Owner supports heavy audio assembly with three points: one forearm/elbow in between the subs, and two kneecaps at the back edge of the deck assembly. Not a pretty sight. At this point I'm wondering, "do 2000-model BMWs have an inside trunk-release?"
Now I'm in digression. There was another gem:
(2) Recommended tracks for kick-drum material. Gotta admit I've had Rush's Moving Pictures and Filter on heavy rotation already. Now I gotta get RATM, Tool, and Van Halen back into the changer...
well i don't have the pinouts..
and bmwtips.com only has it for the infinity basslink as checked last time.
i hope you find it somewhere..
i just went with the easiest and perhaps not the cheapest way for adding more bass to my car and added the Infinity basslink from bavauto.com which includes a wiring harness.
It was just plug and play..and i love the sound on my car now..
better than M audio..
__________________
-Young
2001 540ia
Orient blue/Grey interior
-AC Schnitzer-poster boy
Previous Cars:
why bother? I don't have them anymore
Pin 1 = blue w/ white stripe (SUB 1 +)
Pin 2 = yellow w/ black stripe (SUB 2 +)
Pin 3 =
Pin 4 = WHITE (radio on/antenna)
Pin 5 =
Pin 6 = yellow w/ brown stripe (SUB 4 -)
Pin 7 = grey w/ brown stripe (SUB 3 -)
Pin 8
Pin 9 = blue w/ brown stripe (SUB 1 -)
Pin 10 = yellow w/ grey stripe (SUB 2 -)
Pin 11
Pin 12
Pin 13 = yellow w/ white stripe (SUB 4 +)
Pin 14 = yellow w/ red stripe (SUB 3 +)
Pin 15 = brown (ground)
So I decided I will use the 4 wires from the 12 pin connector to convert to RCAs. As for power, I will get it straight from the battery. For ground I will connect to metal. Lastly is the remote connection for the amp (pin 4 on 15 pin connector)
Tell me if this plan sound right.
Last edited by Bluewater M5; 14th July 2002 at 07:48.
Originally posted by wongster12 So I decided I will use the 4 wires from the 12 pin connector to convert to RCAs. As for power, I will get it straight from the battery. For ground I will connect to metal. Lastly is the remote connection for the amp (pin 4 on 15 pin connector)
Tell me if this plan sound right.
Jimmy-
That sounds exactly right. In fact, it's the same approach I'm going to take, except for the remote lead. My amp uses the speaker-level inputs to trigger a 'smart' power-up, so the remote lead is redundant.
I'm sure you've seen the thread on bmwtips.com that shows how to tap into an empty port on the fuse block on the passenger side of the trunk, near the tail lamp.
When you have dual subwoofers, if they are in phase, they will compliment each other, if they are out of phase, they will cancel. I could try to explain this but I probably wouldn't do it justice - out of phase has to do with one pushing air while the other is simultaneously pulling, in exactly the opposite direction.
In my experience, proper phasing is detected most easily in the low frequencies.
The best way to test is to hook up a switch that allows you to reverse polarity on one quickly, and do an A/B comparison. It is immediately obvious which is right and wrong - you get deeper, more punchy bass when they are in phase - the speakers are complimenting each other, not working against each other. A good recording mixer has an A/B phase switch on every channel. Even with this switch, it gets hard to get everything right when you have 16 or 24 tracks, but with 2 tracks or 2 subwoofers, it's easy.
Now, if you have a semi-trained ear, with the right music and a controlled situation, it is possible to tell if the speakers are in phase by wiring them up, playing a passage, then reversing the wiring on one, and listening again. A car stereo with a track with the bass drum playing quarter notes is a pretty controlled situation.... There will be a difference, if you know what you are listening for, that will survive your "memory" while you switch from A to B. I have spent over 15 years in front of mixing boards and speakers, so I admit I may be more sensitive.
In the case of my own subwoofer install, I was very careful to replicate the wiring of the original subs. Then, I hooked them up one at a time and listened. If there was a phase problem, you would expect the bass to get worse, or not better, after you plugged in the second speaker. It definitely got better when I plugged in the second sub.
Anyway, that's my semi-scientific answer.
MoFo
__________________
Mofo - drummer, face-off man, entreprenuer.
2000 BMW M5
Carbon Black/Caramel with black floor mats
Sport Exhaust
UUC Short Shift
2001 M Audio Subwoofers
Xenon Angel Eyes/ Clear Corner Conversion
PIAA super white fog lights
Other cars owned include 2002 M3 Convertible, 2000 Audi S4, 2000 Audi A6 Avant, and 2002 WRX
The evolution of my nickname is exactly that - I was Mofo, and then it became, Mofo Knows...... I was even in a band named Mofo Knows in the late 80's early 90's in Boston. Nothing special, but the only time they ever "gave the drummer some...."
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