Audio help

SCOTITUDE · 03-08-2004, 07:57 PM

Hey guys,
Time to upgrade the audio in my 1994 325ic. I would like to keep the head unit for aesthetics and just change the speakers (definitely) and the amp (if needed). The front speaker setup seems marginal but the rears are just garbage. I am looking for loud clear acoustics witht he top down. Not wake the neighborhood bass like the kiddies these days. I want it loud and clear. I used to be the local stereo installer amongst my friends but I have been out of the market for a looooong time. So simple swaps of equipment I can handle but anything more complicated will need pro installation. Please tell me what is good these days and what you have found to fit our cars and how they sound. I would like to keep the whole project around a grand. Thanx,
Scott

ettsn · 03-09-2004, 05:59 AM

That deck is awful too. If you want to improve the sound while maintaining a factory look, try to find either the Business CD or the non-HK tape deck from a Z3. These will fit nicely and look great while the electronics are leagues ahead of what's in your car now.

For speakers, which front speakers do you have? Do you have the 4" and tweeter in the door too?

-Paul

SCOTITUDE · 03-09-2004, 09:09 AM

The Bimmer has the larger speakers in the front footwells and the two speakers in each door panel. The rear has a 5.25" mid and a tweeter. I also have the factory cd changer in the trunk. Will these two head units also control that? and is it plug and play? Thanx.
Scott

M3griff · 03-09-2004, 03:55 PM

Scot....

You might do a search on Bimmerforums or Sounddomain (sp?), but as I recall, the BMW stereos have the crossover set up in a nonstandard way. There may be an exception, but I think you have to replace speakers AND amp together because of this.

FWIW, I replace my headunit in my 95 M3 with a Clarion 835MP and it improved the sound tremendously - plus gave me CD capability (I did not have the changer).

Jeff

Jared at Pelican Parts · 03-10-2004, 02:30 PM

Some suggestions:

JBL
Infinity
MB Quart

However if you are going to put decent stereo equipement in there, I highly reccomend that you run dedicated wiring formt he head unit to a good amplifier and out to the speakers. The stock wiring on these cars is a bit goofy IMHO.

ettsn · 03-10-2004, 04:37 PM

The later decks will not control your changer. The switch for E36s was in late 1996 to the newer (Alpine) style.

MB Quart speakers are fantastic, but not when driven only by a deck. They need some real power, something with a transformer that can provide enough current to control the voicecoils.

Your best bet is to chuck the whole shebang and strat from scratch. It'll sound miles better, and frankly be no more money if you do the labor yourself.

-Paul

Roundel Guy · 03-14-2004, 08:55 AM

MB Quart's Q series is really the best around in terms of pure, clear sound quality (Ahh German Engineering). Unfortunately, they are also prohibitively expensive, and definately need to be amped. As a classic rock fiend, I, like you, also seek clear and crisp sound over heavy base, and have been saving for Q-series speakers for some time. Its risky to buy used speakers over eBay, but if you know someone who can get you a good deal on these speakers, or sell them to you used (make sure he never blasted his radio) do it! The only disadvantage other than price is that the midbass is a little less loud. A really helpful site you might enjoy is www.carreview.com. Speakers, amps, and head units, among other things, are all reviewed here by the people who own them. Good luck!

blkongry · 03-15-2004, 09:10 AM

Ahh... you've got the same ride as I have, a '94 325ic, and you are doing the same thing I am... changing out the sound system but keeping the factory head unit and changer (convertibles are just too easy to break into and get your stuff ripped off from... nobody wants the factory head unit enough to steal it). So, here's the skinny on what you need to know:

First off, there are some funky cross overs and bass enhancements in the these E36 audio systems... but they are in the factory amp, not in the head unit, which is good for us. You need to drop the factory amp, but use the wiring. There are a couple of links that can be found on the web that give pinout diagrams for your wiring harnesses. With these, you can find line levels from the head unit, and speaker wires for your output.

Secondly, the speakers in these cars are crap... nasty little paper cones units. Yeah, they are separates, but they still suck. The speakers down in the foot wells are 5 1/4"... you won't be able to squeeze a 6 1/2" down there, so stick with 5 1/4". The speakers in the door just need to go away. As far as imaging in car audio, you don't want speakers right up by you... you want them as far away as possible. With that said, get a super nice pair of 5 1/4 coaxial two ways for the foot wells, then just disconnect the door speakers. The speakers in the rears are junk too, and they can be easily replaced with Infinity's 4" plate models. The plates give you some nice separates and they drop right into the holes (you'll need to seal them up though).

Lastly, get yourself a nice 4-way amp to drive everything. There is a link somewhere on this board to a guy who replaced his amp in his E36 cabrio. If you look for the right size, it will fit nicely under the plastic trim behind the rear seat (driver's side). After that, you are pretty much done.

In short, get some nice kick a$$ 5 1/4" two-ways, some high end plate mount speakers for the rear, and finally get a powerful and clean 4-channel amp. The sound will be nice, clean, and clear. If you want more depth to your system, you can mount a single 10" in the trunk under the rear deck. It'll be a tight fit, and you'll need to make a custom box, but it is very, very doable.