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Audio upgrade in E60 535d


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Depends what you want. If you upgrade the subs you need the 5 channel amp, well a 3 channel would do but they don't offer one.

You can buy the 2 channel amp and use that to upgrade the factory front speakers and subs that are in there, this, along with new tweeters is a nice upgrade.

You can also fit the amp up front and not have to worry about running cables to the battery, the 2 channel amp will run of the power going to the head unit.

The amp is small and will fit in the gap under the glove box or tucked behind the carpet in the passenger footwell.

The tweeter comes with cable and a plug on it, the mid in the door has the correct connecter for that tweeter to plug into.

5 minute install for £30, in fact do that even if you do nothing else.

You only run new cable to the subs if you upgrade them, not to any other speakers, that is the point of this plug and play system. +++

Yeah the paddle shift retrofit is a nice little touch.

Went to dealer yesterday and the tweeters were £40 each! They were listed as Top HiFi - is that the same as Logic 7? The speakers were listed as standard (no tweeters), Hi Fi and Top Hi Fi. No mention of Logic 7.

If I went the 2 channel route, would there be any point in upgrading the mids in the doors to Top HiFi? Also, the Logic 7 subs are bigger (8" compared to 6.5") so I assume this would be a good upgrade as well?

Anyone know how much the Logic 7 (or Top Hi Fi) subs are? Alternatively, if Earthquake release the 2 Ohm ones I guess those could go in as well?

To summarise, I'm thinking 2 Channel amp, Top HiFi tweeters and replacement Top HiFi Subs.

Or 5 Channel amp, Top Hi Fi tweeters and Earthquake SWS-8 subs.

Need to price both options yet. I've seen the 2 channel amp (THA 275) for £130 compared to £240 for the 5 channel. There is a 4/3/2 channel amp as well (THA475) but that's almost as big as the 5 channel one and I guess the power supply would need to be direct to battery so you might as well get the 5 channel one. Don't know how much the Top HiFi subs are or the Earthquake SWS-8's yet.

Any thoughts on how the sound would compare with both options?

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:grin: Does this mean I can put better subs in my Logic7 equipped 3 series in place of the OEM units? +++

Gizze - are you saying then that the Logic 7 subs ARE Earthquake subs? Would there be any benefit to changing them then?

I'm guessing the Logic 7 ones are designed to run in parallel to the door speakers whereas the Earthquake (currently) is designed to run on it's own straight off an amp?

Sorry for the question overload!

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Me again!

Anyone know what the power rating is for the hifi and logic 7 amps?

Just wondering, as if I go the 2 channel amp route I will be powering the new tweeter, the door mid and the sub from each channel. This would obviously need more power than the hifi amp as this powers only the tweeter and door mid from one channel and then the sub from another channel.

Thanks again!

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Paul, disconnect the battery before removing airbag.

The subs are made by Earthquake but they are different. They are releasing a 2 ohm one that is designed as an upgrade for people with the Logic7/top hi-fi/dsp system (different regions call it different things that is all).

I would by the 2 channel amp and tweeters or the 5 channel amp, tweeters and Earthquake subs, not worth buying the L7 subs, they are £400 and not worth it.

if I were doing it again I think I would just buy the 2 channel amp and tweeters.

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The factory amp has 45wpc for mids and 65w for the subs, but this is not all channels driven like the 75wpc is from the Blaupunkt, it powers it fine, I ran the 5 channel with 55wpc driving some DLS speakers and the subs for a few days.

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Paul, disconnect the battery before removing airbag.

The subs are made by Earthquake but they are different. They are releasing a 2 ohm one that is designed as an upgrade for people with the Logic7/top hi-fi/dsp system (different regions call it different things that is all).

I would by the 2 channel amp and tweeters or the 5 channel amp, tweeters and Earthquake subs, not worth buying the L7 subs, they are £400 and not worth it.

if I were doing it again I think I would just buy the 2 channel amp and tweeters.

OK. Cheers.

I would really like more bass and if the standard system has 6 1/2" subs compared to the Earthquake 8" then it sounds like the 5 channel route would be better, if dearer and more involved to install.

Thanks again for all the info. Top thread - I didn't think upgrading the sounds would be so simple.

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Thanks.

Just went to another BMW dealer and was again told the Logic 7 tweeters were £40 each - Gizze where did you get them for £30 a pair?

Also, the guy said that you can't upgrade the speakers as the wiring and connectors is different for the different levels of hifi. Even the subs under the seats as I tried to find out how much the Logic 7 subs were but he said you can't change them. Surely the connectors at the speakers are just normal speaker terminals aren't they? He said you couldn't even add the tweeters to the base set up as there's no upgrades listed.

Anyone else have experience of this?

If Gizze says you can put the tweeters in where there are gaps at the moment then I believe him rather than the parts guy but why would they say that?

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Loads of people have done it on the 1 series and 3 series forum.

Take your door card off and have a look at the speaker. where the cable connects to it take a pic and post it up here. There should be another connector the same right next to it.

Someone on E60.net they had added them too, so unless things are different age cars I woukld be very suprised if you can't.

They will also tell you that you can't retrofit i-drive and nav to a non i-drive car, but you can. You can do anything with these cars, and the L7 sub definitely just swaps over for non L7 ones, the connector is the same.

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Lots of good information here - cheers guys.

Now if i order Logic7 with my car (as it is effectively free to me as the company pay for it) am i correct in assuming that i can then change the logic 7 subs to an aftermarket Earthquake sub (2 ohms impedance) and improve the system???

Where do i get these from?

Cheers

Nev

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Very very good thread and many thanks to gizze for taking the time to put this information out there....

I am going to order the PnP cable from Blaupunkt and want to confirm the part number with anyone who has already bought it.

Looking at the bluespot site they list the following for the 5.5m cable ....

Manufacturer's part references: Vehicle cable 7607622016, Extension cable 7607622011

This is for an E60 545i with uk basic system.

Also, can anyone recommend a reliable supplier in the US for the SWS-8 speakers ?

Best regards, Peter.

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A couple of more questions I have...

1. If my car has the 6.5" speakers installed what is involved in fitting the 8" SWS speakers ?

2. Are there any good documents available regarding the removal of the radio/cd unit on the E60 5 series ? It would appear to be no easy task involving the removal the trim along the dash and the entire face of the central console. Is this correct ? Certainly it is more complicated than doing it on the 1 series as depicted. Has anyone else done this ?

Thanks in advance !

Best regards, Peter.

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1. Removing seats, taking out the subs, reove drivers. Then you need to put some sealant round the enclosure and mount the new sws8 subs with new cables and put them back together and run teh cables to your new amp. Bingo!

2. Remove the alu/wood trim. Remove the airvents. Remove the climate. Then use a long screwdriver to prise the fascia off the radio, you can now remove it.

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Gizze - Would it be possible to put in 2 SWS8s and add a 2 channel amp (THA275?) and the L7 tweeters using the existing wiring to all the fronts?

Which version of the SWS8 would I need to use - the original or the new 2ohm?

Would this sound as good as doing the full THA555 with seperate wiring to the subs? What are the limitations power-wise for the original wiring (I'm thinking power supply and speaker)?

Cheers.

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I don't know if I would risk it, I am not sure it would add that much??

The 555 amp has 200w for the sub channel and these subs need at least that really.

Fair point. Just thought the 2 channel route would be a lot simpler (and cheaper). Having the smaller 6.5 inch speakers under the seats I really do want to get the SWS8s so it sounds like the best bet is to go the whole hog with the 555 amp in the boot.

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I am very disappointed with the sound from my 330d, only has the basic speaker system so am keen to add the plug in 2 channel amp and mirror post tweeters.

Question is I have the Pro Nav fitted so where do the connectors plug in? presuming at rear of this unit, also does anyone know the cost of the HiFi tweeters and replacement trim for a 3 series.

Thanks in advance

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