CBM5

I just had the dealer replace my radio tuner and amp per a little known service bullitin. My radio was going from mono to stereo and back. Now that problem is gone and the sound of the new amp is better. Also, I think the M-Audio is better and tried both before buying. Sure, MB Quart speakers are great but the stock all covered by the factory warranty.





02' Carbon Black/Black
Luxury
M-Audio
Folding Rear Seats

M5Kid

A good aftermarket speaker is going to be very good quality and durable, I highly doubt you would have any kind of durability/reliablity problems with them. Most to all audio companies offer or carry a warranty on their products, and many stores offer an extended one. Spend the extra few bucks to be covered by warranty, and enjoy your aftermarket audio equipment.

Travis

gra8fuldd ed

CB:

Do you happen to know and can you POST which Service Bulletin this is as well as the Service Bulletin Number?

Did they ever figure WHAT exactly the problem with either the Tuner or the AMP was?

I'm glad that it all now sounds the way it is suppose to!

CBM5

The problem was the tuner software so the factory has an updated unit. They will replace it "Upon consumer request" .

Since you are in the LA area call my service guy at Century West BMW in Universal City. His name is Chet Hamann. He is great.

KBK

I've got a box of 'Skanning' 5 inch woofers..perhaps I should put them in the doors. Maybe not. They're $350 each. Ouch. (for home audio) I've been keeping the drivers for over a year now, it seems, for design project that hasn't taken place. They'd be right at home in a pair of home speakers that would retail for about $8k a pair. Should be good enough for the car!

but seriously..... 5.5" drivers go in the doors?

and the tweets are what, 1 inch? I'll stick some Morels in there..but..I also have to match the outputs too. The crossover is fully electronic and DSP in orign. I think. I didn't analyse the boards too carefully. A schematic would help!

I've had the DSP amp apart to upgrade it's sound quality and it makes a -very- noticable difference. Now, I can crank the system and hear the woofers 'crack', which I've never heard it do before. The 'crack' sound comes from over-excursing a woofer.

Hmm..how to spend my evening. Fixing the car speaker plastic door cabinets..or.. fix a DLP projector. Decisions...

More than anything, anything at all.. the plastic cabinets that the door speakers are in, MUST..I repeat MUST, MUST... MUST be lined with some form af acoustically absorbant foam.

If this is done..intelligibility of the system will take a tremendous leap forward. I can hear the 'can' or 'cupped hands' type of sound coming off the system..as clearly as the sun shines.

I design audio equipment for a living, so yes, I know what I'm saying - and I know exactly what the problem is - and I know exactly how to cure it.

This car system is not too dang good in this regard. Fix it and a very large amount of people's complaints about the system will vanish.

__________________
A Foolish Consistency is the Hobgoblin of Little Minds. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson.
"Once again...Stuck on de limter...." -Gustav

ernie

wow, this post is back from the dead.

ernie

mjshira

what years did DSP come in? I have a 2000... thanks and congrats

KBK

Look for photos of the trunk of the car, with the left side of the trunk, where the NAV unit is, opened.

If in your car, you have the big black rectangle/amplifer, in your car, up against the outer fender of the car..then you have the DSP system. This black amplifier will be behind the NAV CD unit and the CD changer -- closest to the outside of the car. It was almost miserable to get it out of there....

I will say that it is Mil-Spec in it's build quality! Likely to be one of the last parts of the car to ever fail!

I could be wrong about that (maybe the M-audio package uses the same amp) so wait for the really knowledgeable folk to chime in.

__________________
A Foolish Consistency is the Hobgoblin of Little Minds. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson.
"Once again...Stuck on de limter...." -Gustav

KBK

Just looked at the price of the MB quart PCE-213 system.

the crossovers are useless..and constitute about 1/5-1/4 of the price of the component set, so..no thanks. And, at $450.00 a pair, I can do considerably better for considerably less. Car audio mark-up and margin makes BMW parts look cheap.

I'll post some alternatives soon, as I'm doing this upgrade myself. I'd like to keep the DSP crossover working..so..all i need is a set of wide dispersion, long excursion, wide bandwidth 5.5 inch drivers, designed for high output in small sealed enclosures. I've likely got information on about 200 or so drivers to choose from.. ug. too much like work.

I might put a kit together, one I can supply..'on demand', for the E-39 chassis. Easy enough.

This would include the 'acosutical grade' foam I speak of, which is not available anywhere..at any price. There is plenty of stuff on the market, but not like this. Not of this type and quality.

This is important, vital in fact.

The backwave of the drivers must be absorbed, as much as is possible, to cut interference from the re-radiated noise in the enclosure from contaminating the driver's cone..again..as it bounces around in the plastic enclosures.

PS, I can easily design a woofer for these cars...but I'd need guarantees for about 25 sets. They'd be pretty cheap, actually, about well..can't release costing information so casually, can I?

Oh yes. some preliminary specs. 90 db efficency. 1 full inch of throw, or woofer travel. A VERY serious mid-woofer. Should be doable, but I have to get the door panels off and take a look. See what spaces are in there.

maybe take apart an E60 too.....

__________________
A Foolish Consistency is the Hobgoblin of Little Minds. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson.
"Once again...Stuck on de limter...." -Gustav

mjshira

many thanks. I just had some guy tell me over on Pelican that "real M5's have v10s"... nice guy huh?