[RaMsEs]

I haven't seen many discussions of how the stereo sounds. Do the speakers need to be replaced? I'm going to add an Infinity Kappa Perfect 10", but don't know about the rest of it. How many speakers in the stock system anyway? And if any of you have replaced them, was the head unit providing clean output?

------------------
-Shawn

 

[RaMsEs]

Sorry if I mislead, I don't have an M5 in my possession yet...August delivery. That's why I wanted to know about the number of speakers, and if the stock speakers are any good. I am not planning on replacing the head unit, as the electronics involved do not make it easy. I simply wanted to know what to expect from people who had replaced the factory speakers.

 

[MEnthusiast]

Heard the system in a X5 today. It looks identical to the pics of the M5. We all have different music tastes, but overall, it sounded like a 9/10 for a factory system; probably like 7.5/10 if 10 is a real nice after market deal. You can always live with the stock speakers to see what you think.

Thats great on August delivery!

ME

 

[MEnthusiast]

I cant comment on the M5- yet, anyhow

but, with regard to the other BMWs Ive had sonic experience with (M3, 5 series 7 series) When I simply replaced the speakers with MB quart, there was a tremendous difference in sound quality. Particularly with the m3 because I really thought the electronics were terrible- turns out they are ok. Personally, if its possible I like to keep it simple and leave well enough alone, and if the m5's sound is like that in the newer 7 series then Ill leave it alone- but you never know.... I would definately leave the electronics alone- the radio is part of the whole car electronics package- I really wouldnt want to mess with it (Im sure there are talented people who could, but I wouldnt). Ive never heard the infinity car speakers- Im sure theyre good though. If you want something else to try, check out mb quart- they usually please.

ME

 

[MEnthusiast]

I forgot to ask- how does the M5s system sound? are the pictures I see with a tape deck mean the cd changer is in the trunk and the tape deck is up front?

ME

 

[sam]

The M5's stereo system is the best stock system I've ever heard.

Although I've heard better after-market systems, I'd venture to guess that most M5 owners are not of the same company who wants to ensure that anyone in a 200 ft. radius can have their teeth rattled by a huge bass tube.

At the highest volume, the sound is still crisp and the bass is just enough. It is still reasonably quiet outside the car, even with the windows and sunroof open. It's still very loud (this is comming from a former drummer and guitarist with partial hearing damage). I forget how many, but there are A LOT of speakers in there.

The only things that I would do is to have the trunk mounted 6CD changer moved to underneath the passenger seat - I know this can be done with relative ease. There is nothing that can be done to install an in-dash single CD (due to the nav system space constraints)... that sucks.

Other than that, the only other thing I can complain about is that the EQ does not make a dramatic enough change to the sound. And the interface (same as the nav) is awkward at best.

-Sam
'00 E39 Silverstone/Black Exclusive

 

[amfung]

I think the M5 Premium Sound is identical to a 540i/528i Premium Sound;you can audition the system prior to your August delivery. As for the number of speakers I think there are 12 total.
BTW, is the Infinity Kappa Perfect 10" a sub ?

 

[RaMsEs]

It's Infinity's competition grade sub, extremely accurate. They make a 12" but that's gonna be too loud, besides I want to keep the box size down. Just one 10" should do nicely (peaks at 1400 watts). Check out this pic, http://www.crutchfield.com/pics/infinity/H108PERF10.JPEG it's a really pretty speaker too. It's cone is made of drawn aluminum...hell it'll match my Sportive trim!!!

 

[ROBBYD23]

In regards to the premium sound on the 540/528....its an option for either model...and yes the 540/528 gets 12 speakers with the premium---10 stock.
However as far as the M5 goes, it comes STOCK with the premium sound system. Its just not listed as premium. And the M5 gets 14 speakers. If you dont believe me, check out your sticker that was on your side window when it arrived at your dealer. Take it from moi, who happens to have worked at a BMW dealer and is currently in the process of working at another.

FUTURE '01 /\/\3 OWNER

 

[MEnthusiast]

Excellent! Where do all those speakers go?

 

[mkf]

crossovers in the m5 are different as well..

Originally posted by ROBBYD23:
In regards to the premium sound on the 540/528....its an option for either model...and yes the 540/528 gets 12 speakers with the premium---10 stock.
However as far as the M5 goes, it comes STOCK with the premium sound system. Its just not listed as premium. And the M5 gets 14 speakers. If you dont believe me, check out your sticker that was on your side window when it arrived at your dealer. Take it from moi, who happens to have worked at a BMW dealer and is currently in the process of working at another.

FUTURE '01 /\/\3 OWNER

 

[kuzibimun]

Hi all car stereo enthusiasts,

Disclaimer: This is not a flame. I just wish to share something I have learned over the years by being an audio-nut for my home stereo system. And I don't put fancy stereo in my car.

As an 8-year frequenter(sp?) on rec.audio.* newsgroups on usenet, I wish to share something I have learned from reading the posts there from loudspeakers design experts there (you can read posts from Dick Pierce or John Dunlavy--both are speaker system design experts):

Replacing drivers w/more expensive units do not necessarily mean the sound reproduction will be more accurate. Of course, not everybody loves accurate sounding stereo system, and by all means, you should get something you are happy to listen to. The misconception, however, lies in thinking that replacing stock speakers with something that has larger voice coil magnet or higher price tag will automatically result in "more accurate" sound.

The acoustic system consists of the driver, the enclosure that the driver is mounted to, and the listening area. When measuring accuracy, all 3 factors and how they interact with each other must be taken into account. It is also not trivial to measure frequency response and other attributes of audio reproduction accuracy, and most car stereo shops and car stereo enthusiasts do not have the equipment or facility to do so. A microphone, pink noise generator, and spectrum analyzer fall far short of yielding enough information. Optimizing to the information gathered by these instruments sometimes can be misleading and yield worse perceived sound quality.

If you _prefer_ the sound of new speakers instead of the stock ones, definitely go for them, but doing this does not necessarily imply that you are getting more accurate (i.e., flatter frequency response, more linear phase response, better step response, etc.) sound reproduction.

At the end of the day, only the joy of listening to music matters. Modifying stock stereo system can actually produce BOTH better accuracy and more joy of listening, as car manufacturers may cut corners on stock stereo equipment, but sometimes just replacing some equipment with more expensive parts do not yield superior results.

As for shaking every car in 200-ft radius with quad 18" woofers, I do not have an opinion there

Just my $0.02,
-kuzibimun

 

[MEnthusiast]

very interesting. while I agree with you- I can tell you that simply replacing the stock speakers in my 96 m3 with mb quarts that cost like 250/pair made a very nice difference in sound quality. IMHO car audio is very hard to get "accurate". I can also tell you that theres an extreme unlikelihood of my replacing the stock stuff in my M5- its not worth the trouble; but if the sound is not pleasing or distorts I would consider replacing the speakers.

 

[RaMsEs]

14 Speakers?! Even if there are 3 speakers in each corner of the car that's 12...so I guess there are 2 subwoofers? No wonder this car is slightly overweight Does anyone know where the sub(s) is/are located? They might (just maybe) be candidates for weight saving removal.

After seeing what some of you have to say about the quality of the stock system, I think I might be happy with it...sort of. I haven't EVER heard a stock subwoofer that does not distort somewhat under heavy loads. I'm thinking about getting a custom made fiberglass enclosure (very lightweight) for the Perfect 10", heck the weight might even be a near wash after the stock crap is pulled, and maybe I can get the fiberglass enclosure made to fit into the stock sub compartment...talk about stealth! I guess I'm gonna just have to wait till August to sort through this.

------------------
-Shawn

 

[Slvr 540S]

I currently drive a 00 M5, and yes i kept everything stock including the head unit. I did however ADD 2 10 inch JL Audios in the back deck. I went to a professional installer and he took out the back seats and removed the whole back deck and carefully cut out 2 perfectly round holes where the woofers are. I got a Punch 150 amp that I had in my M3 and boy it sounds insane. Which ever kind of music u listen too it just simply cranks. My friends sit in the car and look around and try to find tweeters and all that S-H-I-T, and simply cant believe their ears. All I would do is buy these JL Audio 10 inch woofers and thats where the bass comes from. The stock speakers are very good and there is no need to replace them at all.

 

[RaMsEs]

Slvr,
Let me get this straight...your M5 (when stock) had 2 subs in the rear deck, and you had them cut out so that the new subs took their place. So is this a free-air set up? Also, how did you get your Punch150 to power two JL10's? (bridged, 2-Ohm I assume??)