Just had my DSP stereo upgraded! One word.... NICE! - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

FAST 5 · 11th October 2003, 22:23

Hi Guys,
I got my car back from the car stereo installer and they did an awesome job with the install of the speakers.
I have the DSP system, so all they did was replace all of the stock OE speakers with aftermarket speakers, add two sub woofers in place of the Nokia woofer enclosure and power the new subs with its own power amp.
Here is what I had installed:
2 sets of MB QUART speakers (premium series) PCE 213
2 JL AUDIO sub woofers, 10 IB4
and an ALPINE amp, MRV T320

This combo is abolutely perfect! The difference between the above mentioned system and the original stock speakers is day and night. The car really pounds if you want it to thump hard.
Special thanks to CHRIS "aka Boomer" of Fort Worth Texas for recommending to me the JL AUDIO Free Air speakers. Perfect choice, since they spound excellent! The total cost of this job was approx. $2700.00, including the above parts, misc. parts and labor charges.
Robert

ernie · 12th October 2003, 02:39

fast 5,

is there a large difference in the sound quality from the surrounds as a result of changing the stock speakers to mb quarts?

ernie

V-10 4 Me · 12th October 2003, 10:01

Sounds Great!! no pun intended...

Now not only are you Fast 5 but you sound good too

MIB · 12th October 2003, 10:58

Congrats Rob,

I was thinking of a light Stero upgrade, later on. (emphasis on LIGHT.) I don't want additional weight.

One Question, Did they run new thicker wire or did they just change the speakers and leave the Stock Wiring.?

If it was just change the speakers it would be Fast and cool. But somehow I think you are going to say a Full rewire. DSP and M audio is Stock in all Beasts in OZ.

ernie · 12th October 2003, 17:11

Quote:

Originally posted by MIB
Congrats Rob,

I was thinking of a light Stero upgrade, later on. (emphasis on LIGHT.) I don't want additional weight.

One Question, Did they run new thicker wire or did they just change the speakers and leave the Stock Wiring.?

If it was just change the speakers it would be Fast and cool. But somehow I think you are going to say a Full rewire. DSP and M audio is Stock in all Beasts in OZ.

mib,

i was thinking the same thing. if i were to upgrade the audio i would prefer a simple drop in speaker replacement rather than adding amplifiers and additional wiring. i wonder if the stock amp can power a set of aftermarket subs?

ernie

FAST 5 · 13th October 2003, 20:20

The aftermarket speakers, in this case MB QUART PCE 213's are mind blowing, when compared the orignal stock speakers.
try an experiment with your stock stereo speakers. Boost up the treble all the way up (maximum) on your DSP EQ. The treble would be the last two slide controls on the right side of the EQ screen. Now that you've done this, do you hear any difference????? I'll bet you'll say "NO" ! No difference at all.
Now, d the same for the bass setting. Boost up the bass all the way to it's maximum. The EQ controls for the bass are the first and second slide controls from the left hand side of the EQ screen.
Is there any difference in bass sound? Again, the answer will be "NO"! When you change the stock speakers to the MB QUART speakers, Boy, what a difference it makes! It's literally day and night difference in sound. You now can actually hear the "highs" treble sound come through the tweeters. The mid-bass speakers (five and a quarter inch door mounted speakers) now have a clean sounding and firm punch to them, which deliveres your mid-bass sounds. You would have to get rid of the DSP woofer system and its enclosure. By doing this your actually shedding pounds off from the car. The DSP woofer weighs approx. 30 pounds! Its a huge piece of junk! Its also made by NOKIA.

In place of the DSP woofer system you'll add two 10" woofers (free-air), which should be powered by its own amp, mounted off to the side of the trunk. The amp and the two woofer speakers don't come anywhere near the weight of the DSP woofer system, so again, your actually shedding weight off from the car. The woofers will need their own extra thick gauge wiring, going to the power amp. The replacement speakers are drop in plug and play. You still utilize the factory amp for the speakers and the factory wiring. All of this remains unchanged. Without exaggeration, my car now sounds like a night club if I pump up the volume.

sean_w_smith · 13th October 2003, 21:39

FAST 5 Wrote:

The aftermarket speakers, in this case MB QUART PCE 213's are mind blowing, when compared the orignal stock speakers.
try an experiment with your stock stereo speakers. Boost up the treble all the way up (maximum) on your DSP EQ. The treble would be the last two slide controls on the right side of the EQ screen. Now that you've done this, do you hear any difference????? I'll bet you'll say "NO" ! No difference at all.
Now, d the same for the bass setting. Boost up the bass all the way to it's maximum. The EQ controls for the bass are the first and second slide controls from the left hand side of the EQ screen.
Is there any difference in bass sound? Again, the answer will be "NO"!

Please don't take this the wrong way. But if you can't hear the difference in the test you talk about above check two things. Make sure the eq works by having someone else test it. if the EQ is fine I would highly recommend you see a ear doctor immediately because something is wrong with your hearing. Normal people should have no problem hearing a 3db difference on one of those settings. If you honestly can't hear a 10B difference in the EQ either the EQ is broken or your ears are.

Hopefully its just the EQ because if not you most likely have suffered some serious damage to your hearing.

Good Luck... sounds like a nice setup.

did the sub amp use the DSP amp outs or what? I just got my M5 and I'm still decyphering all the posts about how to deal with the DSP Stereo....

Sean Smith
00 Apline White M5
Raleigh, NC

ernie · 14th October 2003, 00:04

fast 5,

just a couple more quick questions if you dont mind!

1) if i were to get the mb quarts that you got, would they drop right into the stock speaker locations with no modification? would i have to reqire anything or will they also plug right in as well?

2) do the subs simply bolt right up or is there significant fabrication involved?

thanks very much, i really appreciate all the help!

ernie

MEnthusiast · 14th October 2003, 00:33

Fast,
congrats! Can you tell me which shop did this work for you?

FAST 5 · 14th October 2003, 21:20

Okay, okay Sean, there may have been a bit of exaggeration on my part, when stating that one couldn't hear the difference when doing what I spoke of, but.......... if you compare the stock stereo setup with the "end result system", which has the new replacement speakers, that's what one would say NOT LITERALLY but rather figure of speech. Okay.......

j/k

Ernie, the MB QUART speakers are drop in plug and play type. No need to modify anything. Regarding the woofer system mounted under the rear deck, the stereo shop guy had to make a baffle enclosure that goes around or surrounds the two 10 inch bass speakers. This is a must as part of a free-air woofer system.

Jerry, the stereo shop that did the job is TOP NOTCH ! I did my research and determined that they were the best, with the most experienced installation technicians employed at the stereo shop.
They are: SAMM SOUND located on Bloonfield Avenue, Caldwell, NJ. Tel. 1-973-575-8910. If you go there and have them do your car, make sure you have "GREG" the technician ONLY do your car. he's the best out of all the techs there! Let me know if your going to deal with them. PM me and I'll tell you more info, okay.
Robert