Sound System Upgrade Information - Standard (NON-HK models)

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Technicks

Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2015
Messages
22
Ok, i've made LOTS of progress this past weekend!

1. Changed the speakers to Kicker speakers (4" and 6.75" respectively). These are the sizes that will give you the "closest" fit. (I removed the speakers and compared with a variety of sizes at various stores - Fry's electronics, Walmart, my local car audio shop, etc. I got yelled at a few times for opening speaker boxes haha!)
2. Wired my old subwoofer in the trunk.

Here are my observations:

1. There are two speaker types in this system.
- Important: Car's head unit actually has the low-pass and high-pass filters built-in.
- The door speaker (4") has the "treble" (and maybe some mids)
- The kick panel speaker (6.75") has the bass.

Kick panel enclosure, 6.75" speaker:
bzPxqaxh.jpg


Kick panel hole:
TzG7kC6h.jpg


Door speaker:
HxnLO5zh.jpg



2. Speakers will NOT fit exactly as your stock speakers! There are no adapters on the market yet so you have to find creative ways to get them to stay in the door/kick panel. I used some long screws and a few nuts as separators to get the speaker in the door to stay in and clear the bracket behind it. The 6.75" speakers from Kicker (CS-something series) worked relatively well in the existing installation in the kick panel. Just keep in mind that only 3 of the 4 screws will be able to be put back. The 4th will be slightly blocked by the speaker. It's also a pain to put back as you have to hold the cover and the speaker in place with one hand while fiddling with the screwdriver in the other hand.

I thought i had a pic of the hole in the door but apparently didn't take one. There is a bracket there from the window, hence when installing the speakers, they won't go all the way in so they will require separators. Here's how i did mine. They go in more than the stock speakers but do not interfere with the window opening and closing.

1v7fal0h.jpg

UkA6eQwh.jpg

6BUczRuh.jpg


I forgot to take pics of the kick panel speaker, but that's fine, it looks the same way as the stock speaker when installed and goes in the same place without using any nuts. Like i said above, it will require to be held in place so you can get it mechanically secured (sandwiched) in between the two sections of the enclosure.

3. When wiring the speakers, the "head unit" is under the back seat. The seat gets removed by simply pulling up on the front of the seat, there are two clips holding it in, that's it.
Here are the color codes for each of the wires:

Of2go4Xh.jpg


First, note that there are 3 wire sizes for the SAME COLORS! Let me explain... the thickest wires lead to the kick panel speakers (i think these are 16 AWG or so) and carry ONLY THE BASS SIGNAL! The "medium" ones seem to be around 20-22 AWG or so - these lead to the door panel speakers and carry ONLY THE MID/HIGH signal! Finally, there are even thinner wires there as well. Not sure where these go. They seem to be 24-26 AWG. My theory is that this may be low-level outputs to use with amplifiers. I will test this theory over the weekend.

Black/Brown THICKEST -> Negative front left kick panel speaker
Black/Brown MEDIUM -> Negative front left door speaker
Black/Red THICKEST -> Positive front left kick panel speaker
Black/Red MEDIUM -> Positive front left door speaker
Blue/Brown THICKEST -> Negative front right kick panel speaker
Blue/Brown MEDIUM -> Negative front right door speaker
Blue/Red THICKEST -> Positive front right kick panel speaker
Blue/Red MEDIUM -> Positive front right door speaker

4. Wiring to amplifiers wasn't easy - the kicker amplifier i have accepts both high and low inputs. I used this 4 channel amp to power ALL 4 SPEAKERS UP FRONT! First, i had it hooked up to the leads from a RCA cable. This didn't work too well and it turns out, the RCA cable i used has a COMMON GROUND for both channels! This head unit does NOT like that. (Speakers sounded odd, and left-right channel fade didn't work very well). I physically cut the grounding out of the cable so the RCA cables only had 4 wires inside. The 5th wire that was connecting all grounds together i ended up cutting by each connector. This was a planet audio 8 AWG kit, so be aware if you purchase this as the RCA cable included has this issue. Now, you may be asking why i used 8 awg for two amplifiers on the same line. I'll explain that later, but the point is that the amplifiers together don't exceed 30A in peak power even if you blast the music more than you can withstand in the car without getting an instant headache. (Yes, i took out the oscilloscope and current probe, more on that later).
Ok, back to the 4 channel amp - so the input to this was taken from the medium sized wires coming out of the head unit, the same wires that lead to the door speakers. So i cut these, and routed the output from the head unit into the amplifier's input, and wired the OUTPUT of the amp to ALL 4 SPEAKERS - yes, i had to also cut the thick wires that lead to the kick panel speakers.
I used the thick wires that come out of the head unit to connect to the subwoofer amplifier - as these are already on a low-pass filter.

Summary:

4-channel amp
- input: medium thickness wires left and right channel
- output: both medium and thick wires leading to the speakers in the door and kick panel

Subwoofer amp
- input: thick wires that used to go to the kick panel speakers
- output: directly to my woofer box

Here is a photo of how the wiring looks. The shiny blue cable is the RCA going to the 4-channel amp. The lower connectors are hooked up to the amp output and lead to the speakers. I took this photo before wiring the subwoofer.
MmaCVJZh.jpg

qZqXnJXh.jpg


Location of kicker amp:
Note that i had to bend the fan a little bit out of the way for the RCA cables to fit in properly.
6zmosdxh.jpg

83tcatmh.jpg

s7Tygh8h.jpg


Note that i removed the styrofoam support for the left side of the seat to be able to fit the amp. I don't have anyone too heavy sitting in the back seat, and as a 200 lbs guy, i sit on that side of the seat and nothing happened, it's still quite sturdy even without the support.

5. Door panel removal instructions:
- At the top, where you pull the door from, to close it, there is a black piece of plastic (As you grab the door to pull it closed, the back of your hand is almost touching this piece). Take this out by pulling out from the top of it. There are two clamps at the top, then it slides right out. Remove the two screws behind this piece.
- Behind the door opening latch, there is a round piece of plastic - pull this from the bottom and it slides out. There is one screw behind it that needs removed.
- Once the three screws above are out, pull from the top of the door, gently (from the top-end of the door, opposite of the mirror). There are plastic clips on sides and top. The bottom is hinged, so after you release sides and top of door, gently pull up and door will come out.
Here's a shot of the door released from the plastic clips and before pulling up to unhinge it:
BfiwWKFh.jpg


6. Kick panel speaker removal instructions - this is time consuming as you have to remove basically about half of the panels in the car. You should start by taking the covers off driver side (panels you step on when you get in the car - pop them up but not all the way, then slide to one side to get them off the clips - DO NOT PULL TOO HARD or you risk breaking the clips!), then take off the panel above the pedals (passenger side has the fuse box so you can't remove that there), then the center cover, directly under the dashboard, in the center, then the entire lower dashboard (comes off as one piece, there are two screws behind the center cover that hold it in). Now remove the two screws holding the right kick panel - and remember there are some switches to disconnect. Repeat for left side (no switches here). There's also a clip holding the kick panels in. Finally, now there's access to the speakers - remove the 4 screws that hold the front cover and take the speaker out.

IMPORATNT: DO NOT REMOVE THE WIRE FROM THE SOS SPEAKER WHEN TAKING OUT THE COVER ABOVE THE PEDALS! It will trigger an error and SOS will be disabled for a while. If will eventually reset, but you won't be able to use it until it does. Took 2 days for it to reset on my car. Basically, DO NOT do what i did in this next photo. I left the speaker there and disconnected wire. You should remove speaker and keep wire connected:
GPCZpVfh.jpg


Panel above the driver pedals:
IFJmzVsh.jpg


Center cover being removed:
4QernM6h.jpg


This pic shows the center cover removed, exposing the two screws that hold the lower dashboard in.
bnVgakrh.jpg


Couple shots of the lower dashboard being removed:
pIuFZAvh.jpg

SBvSrK4h.jpg


Note that there is plenty of room behind these speakers, so if you want to add 6.75" subwoofers, you definitely can - here's a pic of the hole:
vPY0oTfh.jpg

TzG7kC6h.jpg


Some more pics:

KjufWHph.jpg

54WOda0h.jpg

5fWKfOBh.jpg
 
Power Usage - measured with my portable oscilloscope and DC probe:
kEafInkh.jpg


All testing was done with both bass and treble MAXED OUT on the vehicle, and both amplifier set to minimum (there is absolutely no need to increase gain as it gets quote loud without adjustments). Filters all left on FULL (aka left the head unit do the HPF and LPF conversion)

- 4-channel amp ONLY (no subwoofer), high volume (more than you'd ever use when listening to music in your car day by day - IGNORE LEFT SIDE of graph). 3-4A on average (<56W total)
The readings here show PEAKS.
mvoNaukh.jpg

- 4-channel amp ONLY, super high volume (speakers distorting already, not something you want to keep listening to) - Average is seen somewhere between the top and bottom of graph, in this case, about 7-8A with peaks at around 10A (140W). On-board buck charger is 150W, so this got it quite to the limit. What did we learn? Don't blast the music as it sounds bad and can cause damage at this point.
1ii5Rkih.jpg

- 4-channel amp + subwoofer amp (1000W peak rating for both), as i was ramping music up (had a song with lots of bass playing). Top-right of graph is very high volume, more than you'd listen to - but not maxed either (it started distorting so i stopped).
MMm4gplh.jpg

- 4-channel amp + subwoofer amp, ramping down from MAX to a very loud level still, but with no distortion (cristal clear sound) - same song as above, good mix of bass and treble. Max at loudest volume was 15A (peak) with 12-13A average, or about 210W max.
Bo50i2Ah.jpg



Other thoughts and considerations:

1. I am not going to leave the 12" subwoofer in my trunk - it takes up WAAAY too much room. I'll eventually get some 6.5" subwoofers and put them in the kick panel. Something like this: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2064CRT672/Kicker-40CWRT672.html?tp=111&awkw=75640464145&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47622229825&awdv=c

2. After doing the test above, i am getting occasional crackling in the speakers (sub works fine) - i have a feeling i toasted a fet in the kicker amp (i've had this for a few years), i'll have to replace it, so try not to do this kind of testing at home. I'll post an update once i get it replaced to confirm it was the amp causing the issue.
UPDATE: I had a loose wire - corrected issue, everything sounds flawless! The Kicker amp still sounds as awesome as the first day i got it!

3. I will probably install the 6.75" speakers somewhere else, maybe on the sides of the back seat like the HK system has it. This will be tough as it will require some cutting and adapting.

4. There is plenty of room to add some tweeters in the window column. I may end up doing this as well. Here are some pics:
aLrcTbCh.jpg

NVSPcBAh.jpg

nz0It6Nh.jpg


5. I'll have access to a 3D printer soon - when i have some time i'll make some adapters for speakers - if anyone is interested let me know so i can hurry it up :)

6. If anyone is looking for instruction on how to run the wiring from the battery to the amp under the back seat, there is a guide someone put together on the facebook group.
Link is here, but note that you must be a member of the group to see/download it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BMWi3/764648010275729/

7. (Update): No noticeable range difference observed so far.
 
I've checked out http://www.realoem.com/ - this website has a lot of details on what parts exist and where. I've managed to identify locations of all speakers for both the standard and HK models, including wiring information. Additionally, here's a good picture of the door panels and how they are mounted: http://realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=1Z43-USA---I01-BMW%20i-i3%20Rex&diagId=51_9441
 
Nice! :lol:

Thanks for posting the pic, I might actually attempt this now I see the actual photo...

Thanks!
 
Great post and information, thanks for sharing. I came across this YouTube from BavSound for a (HK) speaker upgrade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3BLFmBLJtM

The YouTube video is very detailed regarding speaker installation. I attempted to email/call them for more information and to see if they will offer speaker upgrades for non-HK. No response from two voicemails and an email. Anyone have any experience with them?
 
Just an update on the post above. I spoke to BavSound and they are releasing their Stage 1 product for the i3 in about 3 weeks.
 
Hello,
New to the forum here and am thrilled with your write up. I ordered the bavsound stage one door speakers just for the perfect fitment they promise, they on the other hand do not offer the kick panel speakers. I wanted to know if you actually replaced the kick panel speakers with 6.75 inch speakers (I ordered a set of focal 6.75 mid speakers for the kick panels). Also the link on the facebook page for the amp power is not available (I'm not able to open it) so I was wondering if you had a copy. Some people also stated on the facebook page that those kick panel speakers are 6 inch. Can you please confirm, based on your write you know what you are doing! I on the other hand just want to follow in your footsteps to upgrade my base system in my i3.
Thanks
Ray
 
I know this thread is old but can someone explain how to get power from the frunk to under the rear seat. Sorry, but I dont have access to the Facebook page as referred above. Also, if I have the Rex is it easier to tap the power there instead?
 
DUnit said:
I know this thread is old but can someone explain how to get power from the frunk to under the rear seat. Sorry, but I dont have access to the Facebook page as referred above. Also, if I have the Rex is it easier to tap the power there instead?
BMW's procedure for charging the 12 V battery includes connecting the charger to 12 V terminals under the rear cargo area cover. This location would be much closer to the area under the rear seats than the 12 V terminals on the battery in the frunk.
 
alohart said:
DUnit said:
I know this thread is old but can someone explain how to get power from the frunk to under the rear seat. Sorry, but I dont have access to the Facebook page as referred above. Also, if I have the Rex is it easier to tap the power there instead?
BMW's procedure for charging the 12 V battery includes connecting the charger to 12 V terminals under the rear cargo area cover. This location would be much closer to the area under the rear seats than the 12 V terminals on the battery in the frunk.

Aloha Art,

What does it mean when it says, "Disconnect high-voltage system from power." I'm afraid I might electrocute myself if I tap that red wire... LOL!

Necessary preliminary tasks:
Disconnect high-voltage system from power
Remove service cap in luggage compartment

1VnXVh4QBJ
 
When I looked, there was a link in the instructions on how to disconnect the HV. Essentially, there's a piece you slide up to do this. It has a hole in it so you can install a lock to prevent resetting it accidentally. You don't actually remove the cable to do it. This needs to be done when changing or removing the 12vdc battery as well.
 
jadnashuanh said:
When I looked, there was a link in the instructions on how to disconnect the HV.
That's correct. The orange high-voltage disconnect is under the Velcro-ed cover to the right of the frunk box when facing the rear of the car.

jadnashuanh said:
Essentially, there's a piece you slide up to do this.
On our 2014 BEV, the plug portion of the disconnect slides down to disconnect. However, it could have been mounted in any orientation.

No high-voltage exposure is involved. This disconnect is apparently in the 12 V power line to a high-voltage switch.
 
Technicks said:
Ok, i've made LOTS of progress this past weekend!

1. There are two speaker types in this system.
- Important: Car's head unit actually has the low-pass and high-pass filters built-in.
- The door speaker (4") has the "treble" (and maybe some mids)
- The kick panel speaker (6.75") has the bass.

I used the thick wires that come out of the head unit to connect to the subwoofer amplifier - as these are already on a low-pass filter.

Though already old, this is a very interesting thread!

Does anybody know what is the frequency range of the bass (in kicker panel) signal in standard (non-HK) set up? Is there only a low-pass filter or is the lowest end also filtered away (in order to minimize the power requirement)?

I'm planning to use this signal as an input for an active subwoofer and I hope the input frequency would go down to 40 Hz or lower.

Does anyone know what is the power output of the original amplifier?
 
Maybe I missed it, but what are people using to remote turn on the amp on a non-HK model. That is the only piece of info missing from the guide,
 
dspan said:
Maybe I missed it, but what are people using to remote turn on the amp on a non-HK model. That is the only piece of info missing from the guide,

Indeed, no info on remote turn on. However, when I tried probing around, I havent found a 12V source that would go OFF when radio turns OFF. Upon further investigation, the headunit communicates via ethernet/canbus so I suspect no oldschool 12V remote turn on is feasible. https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i01-i3-94-hat/components-connectors/components/components-with-a/a37-hi-fi-amplifier/1VnXX3TRY3

I plan on either building a passive circuit with zener diodes which would switch a relay on when above 13.5V (when car is charging or is turned ON) or using an Arduino. Easiest way would be to use a active woofer with sense feature which turns ON when it detects an audio signal.
 
I havent found a 12V source that would go OFF when radio turns OFF

Almost all the 12v circuits in the car go off automatically about 10 minutes after the car is shut down.
 
Wanting to add 2 speakers to the rear doors. I have the standard stereo, I.e. non HK.

Does the stock amp have rear speaker high level outputs, but maybe not wired?

If so, the amp might auto-detect these 4 new wires and and also enable front/rear fader control ?
 
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