E46 speakers - any good?

[ikester]

I have an E46 M and I'm thinking that the Harman/Kardon speakers (if they actually are Harman/Kardon speakers) sound like *****. It seems like there is enough power to drive the speakers but for the amount of money we spend, they don't have the quality. Any ideas/suggestions on how to improve on the qualtiy?

[matthew-m]

I've been trying to improve the sound in my car forever! I think the reason it sounds bad is because of the large seperation between the mid/high (on the door) and bass speakers (in the kick panel). If you just replace the stock speakers, there is no guarantee that what sounds good in the store will sound good in the car, plus it may not be as loud since (if I remember correctly) BMW speakers are 2 ohm and aftermarket are 4 ohm. If you have an automatic, and are willing to give up the dead pedal, you can make a custom enclosure in place of the dead pedal. This puts the speakers closer to each other plus seperates the left and right channels even further, for better stereo effects. Ask around, and try to find a stereo shop that has a good reputation. Be prepared to spend at least $500 for labor, plus parts and accesories. Of course you could do it yourself if you are familiar with fiberglass, mdf and bondo, and know how to take apart your car...Good luck!

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

BMW sound systems really arent that great in my opinion. I had the Harman kardon system in my own car, and ended up tearing it out and going to a custome Blaupunkt/MB Quart system with a JBL bass tube in the trunk. I think the factory amps in these cars oly put out around 50watts (although looking at the sixe of the amp makes me think even less). You might be better off just replacing everything.