Upgrading the E39 Hifi Loudspeaker System

gunslinger · 19th April 2011, 15:41

I believe there were 4 levels of sound system on offer in the UK on E39 saloons:

Stereo system: no additional amp and only 6 speakers.
Hifi Loudspeaker: additional amp and 10 speakers.
DSP: same speakers as the Hifi Loudspeaker syste but better amplifier with equalizer controlled through headunit and the additional of a Nokia-built subwoofer located under the parcel shelf.
Individual Audio: (aka M Audio) same as the DSP but with higher quality woofers, no mids in the rear doors and much better subwoofers to replace the Nokia shelf.

I have teh Hifi Loudspeaker which is reasonable but lacks bass (no subwoofer) and it can sound a little harsh.

IMO, it was too much hassle to upgrade from the Hifi to the DSP or Individual system due to needing to run a cable from from to rear, software upgrade, additional wiring required for subwoofers, changing the amplifier and connectors etc...........

I wanted to spend under £500 and, where possible, to be able to return the car to 'stock' if the upgrade did not suit the next owner of teh car - i.e. I could remove easily before selling.

I had decided to install the speakers from the Individual/M Audio system and to power teh subwoofers using a separate amp which I could fit in place of the redundant TrafficMaster box (most discs are now supplied with TMC enabled) when I came across the all-in-one Pioneer TS-WX77A TS-WX77A Space-Saving Amplified Subwoofer (200W) - Pioneer which fits perfectly across the back of the seats! I will let you do teh reading on this piece of kit but needless to say I am writing this article because I feel it is a great piece of kit for the money and all you need to do is to follow the BSW wiring instructions for fitting their subwoofer to an E39 and it's done! Armed with the information to hand, it took me 2 hours in total - it's that simple! I removed the knock-out plates on the underside of the parcel shelf to let as much bass through to the cabin as possible. Others may prefer to cut a section out of the metal plate behind the rear centre armrest but I am not convinced this would provide anything significantly more as the drivers are internal to the unit.

Phase 2 will be to fit the 4 individual audio woofers which I purchased for £150. I know I cold have got better speakers but I need dual coil for the front to support the telephone and the most third party upgrade kits do not have dual coils.

I iwll post a photo shortly

gunslinger · 20th April 2011, 11:54

ok, the individual audio/m audio speakers have arrived and the midrange are positioned on a bridge on top of the woofer (not what is shown on realoem on the front door image!) but this now explains why the rear doors on cars originally fitted with individual/m audio have no speakers in them.

does anyone know if I can use these midrange drivers straight off my hifi amplifier? does the hifi amplifier have built-in crossovers like the dsp amp?

thanks in advance for any guidance!

chowdah · 20th April 2011, 21:56

You're going to want to visit the e39 main forum, and look for the audio links in the FAQ sticky.

dlfourty2 · 21st April 2011, 23:51

Post pics if you can.

M5 Russ · 9th May 2011, 04:03

Not 100% sure but I dont think we got the crap Nokia shelf set up in the UK. I have only seen DSP cars with the decent subs in the boot.

TimW21 · 11th May 2011, 10:35

I seem to have 2 8" subs in the boot, I think that is the M Audio?

chowdah · 11th May 2011, 17:08

Perhaps. The M-Audio configuration is in the sticky FAQ here:
E39 M5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

rassi · 25th May 2011, 08:30

I also installed the Pioneer TS-WX77A sometime ago, but mounted it under the parcel shelf as I have the folding rear seats. I have the Hifi option, and the subwoofer does provide the bass lacking otherwise although it is certainly not a very powerful subwoofer.