Audio system upgrade for E46

jaskin

jaskin

Well-Known Member
Legendary 10 Years
There are a couple of thread previously discussing this topic. Try searching as some are pretty recent.
Generally, you can go to Tye Electronics, Hong Guan and Audiotronic to check out their services.
If you are planning on keeping the Head Unit then Tye has a Lanzar package for around $2K.

Cheers
Jason
 
Thanks Jason.

I checked out PML at East Coast and they quoted me $2500 + GST for a Lanzar system.

Also went to Audiotronic but they were so busy that they were avoiding me. Managed to talk to no one.

I went to JM Audio near Kaki Bukit through a recommendation. They were very helpful. Rather expensive speakers though - like Genesis, Euthopia (cannot remember if I spelt it right) and another silver cone speakers. The speakers (2 speakers and 2 tweeters) alone costs around $1k. Sound quality was good. Have you heard of such brands?

Thanks again for your help.

Lee
 
I'm not experience. Still pieceing together my setup. Just bought a Audison VR 404 4CH amp. I think you should visit Hong Guan.
The price PML quoted you probably is the same at Tye Audio. I remember the guy telling me that PML send their cars there for the audio upgrade.
 
You guys should try going to fook hai in JB. The boss over there gave my friends and myself a spin in his ICE. The speakers and subwoofer is basically blasting so damn loud that the techno beat will cause your heartbeat to jump along.

But if you wanna upgrade to say better sound quality I think he can do it as well. Pretty good stuff. Though RPM have to be kept at higher idling to recharge the batt. correct me if I'm wrong ;)
 
Go to Tai Electronics talk to them. They deal pretty extensively with BMWs, and if you tell them your budget and what you want to do, they can piece together a package for you...
 
aberdourpunk,

I am no guru on sound systems but did a bit of research the last time round and these are some important points you might want to consider...

1) A car audio system will never sound as good as a home audio system which in turn will never sound as good as the setup you hear in that small room in the audio shop. It has to do with lack of insulation and space constraint. Hence you might not want to spend so much on car audio

2) Different setup sounds different. Similar setup in different cars sound different. Different people have different ideas of what sounds good depending on the music genres they listen to. Hence, blasting volume in a small enclosed area with bass blasting your ear drums till they nearly burst and thumping your heart till they nearly jump out (probably more out of fear rather than excitement) may appeal to some but there are others like myself who place importance more on sound clarity, timber,definition and depth. Deciding on what you look for in sound reproduction is important as it will determine which equipment works best for YOU and your vehicle. Believe me, in ICE, more does not equals better. And the typical Singaporean does not understand this as most of us equate more to being better. Ever heard of that guy next door who spends 25K on ICE in his Nissan Sunny only to listen to Hokkien songs which at best, still sounds crap on the expensive setup??? The story can be repeated many times.... you get what i'm driving at....

3) Talk to people who know. Go to the ICE forums and ask around. They're really friendly! Go to their meetups. Usually at Yishun or is it Seletar reservoir. That is an excellent way to sample different setups all in one afternoon and ask all your questions. No single opinion is correct just like no two ears hear the same thing. Remember that!

4) It is good to customise your own setup. ie... buying different high grade products on your own from different places and getting an installer to do it. But always remember that there is such thing as compatibility esp with speakers, amps and head unit. Eg. whatever speaker you buy, it is only good if the amp is powerful enough to drive it. Eg. if you're looking for clarity, no amp/speaker combo will deliver that crystal clear sound if you're using a crap head unit like the ones in our BMWs. See what I mean when I said it's no point to spend so much money on the peripheral equipments esp if you intend to keep our head unit as it gives really crappy sound reproduction in terms of clarity and depth.

5) Go do some research before you buy. The local ICE scene is really limited. No surprise because the installers themselves carry products so they are more inclined to recommend you the stuff THEY sell, whether it is to your liking or not. Go buy some foreign mags and see how they do stuff. You'll get some inspiration and not to mention tons of product knowledge!!!

Happy hunting!!

Arsony
Topaz Blue NOT and audio guru...
 
Arsony said:
aberdourpunk,

I am no guru on sound systems but did a bit of research the last time round and these are some important points you might want to consider...

1) A car audio system will never sound as good as a home audio system which in turn will never sound as good as the setup you hear in that small room in the audio shop. It has to do with lack of insulation and space constraint. Hence you might not want to spend so much on car audio

2) Different setup sounds different. Similar setup in different cars sound different. Different people have different ideas of what sounds good depending on the music genres they listen to. Hence, blasting volume in a small enclosed area with bass blasting your ear drums till they nearly burst and thumping your heart till they nearly jump out (probably more out of fear rather than excitement) may appeal to some but there are others like myself who place importance more on sound clarity, timber,definition and depth. Deciding on what you look for in sound reproduction is important as it will determine which equipment works best for YOU and your vehicle. Believe me, in ICE, more does not equals better. And the typical Singaporean does not understand this as most of us equate more to being better. Ever heard of that guy next door who spends 25K on ICE in his Nissan Sunny only to listen to Hokkien songs which at best, still sounds crap on the expensive setup??? The story can be repeated many times.... you get what i'm driving at....

3) Talk to people who know. Go to the ICE forums and ask around. They're really friendly! Go to their meetups. Usually at Yishun or is it Seletar reservoir. That is an excellent way to sample different setups all in one afternoon and ask all your questions. No single opinion is correct just like no two ears hear the same thing. Remember that!

4) It is good to customise your own setup. ie... buying different high grade products on your own from different places and getting an installer to do it. But always remember that there is such thing as compatibility esp with speakers, amps and head unit. Eg. whatever speaker you buy, it is only good if the amp is powerful enough to drive it. Eg. if you're looking for clarity, no amp/speaker combo will deliver that crystal clear sound if you're using a crap head unit like the ones in our BMWs. See what I mean when I said it's no point to spend so much money on the peripheral equipments esp if you intend to keep our head unit as it gives really crappy sound reproduction in terms of clarity and depth.

5) Go do some research before you buy. The local ICE scene is really limited. No surprise because the installers themselves carry products so they are more inclined to recommend you the stuff THEY sell, whether it is to your liking or not. Go buy some foreign mags and see how they do stuff. You'll get some inspiration and not to mention tons of product knowledge!!!

Happy hunting!!

Arsony
Topaz Blue NOT and audio guru...
Click to expand...

Wah.. you write so much, you sure you not a guru... hehehe

But honestly, audio is all about what you feel is best for you... as long as you like the sound and its what you want, then go for it... don't let people tell you what is supposed to sound good.
 
How many speakers are there altogether in a E46?

I was quoted the following by hong guan:

MTX Pro400x5 used $650
Eton 6.5" front ($450 i think)
Cadence 5.5" coaxial rear ($250 i think)
Cadence pre-amp ($380)
Cables ($350 i think)
Installation ($100 i think)

Any comments on this setup?
 
CyberTron said:
How many speakers are there altogether in a E46?

I was quoted the following by hong guan:

MTX Pro400x5 used $650
Eton 6.5" front ($450 i think)
Cadence 5.5" coaxial rear ($250 i think)
Cadence pre-amp ($380)
Cables ($350 i think)
Installation ($100 i think)

Any comments on this setup?
Click to expand...

General thoughts...

1. The Eton 6.5' are separate components or they come with tweeters? Or separates then you might want o change your tweeters as well. If not, you might not get a balanced sound. Also, with component speakers, the tweeter more often than more needs to be placed near the 6.5" in order to get the best sound.

2. $350 for cables? thats pretty expensive in my view. In my opinion, cables are not as important in car stereo as home audio. As long as your RCA cables are thick enough and shielded then it should be alright already. Not need to splash too much for the cables.
 
Can we actually buy the cables ourselves? Roughly how long should we buy?
 
CyberTron said:
How many speakers are there altogether in a E46?

I was quoted the following by hong guan:

MTX Pro400x5 used $650
Eton 6.5" front ($450 i think)
Cadence 5.5" coaxial rear ($250 i think)
Cadence pre-amp ($380)
Cables ($350 i think)
Installation ($100 i think)

Any comments on this setup?
Click to expand...

Hi,

I have done up my Audio system last week.

From my experience, its possible to hook up the OEM head unit(HU) to Hi-Lo converter.
However that would not be sufficient as you have no ability to tune the system other than the BASS/TREBLE on the Head unit.

What I have setup are the following:

1.JBL GTE422 Analog EQ. (I took this because it has a speaker line input, so no need Hi-Lo Converter. Also it has an 11 Band EQ for Front and rear or for Sub etc.)
2. Front Speakers, running DLS UP6. From what i understand, this is one of the rare few speakers that FIT in the e46, without having to Cut the door metal to accomodate the magnet. Tried a Rainbow Profil CS265 but the magnet was too large although the midbass was better.
3. 2 Channel Amp, used a PPI PCX-280
4. Mono Amp, used a PPI PCX 1250
5. Sub Woofer, using a boston competitor C110 sub.

There are some issues you have to consider before starting on the project
1. Do you want to cut the hole on the front doors?
2. Do you want to mount the sub on the speaker board? This is clearly better but you have to cut a big hole in the metal beneath the speaker board. :screwedu:
3. Even if you take the enclosure path just like I did, you might want to consider cutting a hole in the rear speaker board to allow the low frequencies through. From my experience between my friend's car and mine, there is a distinct difference.
4. You did not mention an AMPlifier board, this is needed to mount the AMPs and fuses etc.

Finally, I had an extremely good experience with my Installer, no rattles whatsoever after installation, tuning was also good given my very limited knowledage on it. :thumbsup:

Do let me know if you want to sit in and listen. Did a lot of research over a month on various pricing of speakers, amps etc before committing.

Do PM me if you want to listen to mine, will be most willing.

In the meantime, still enjoying the running in of the system ;)

Regards,
 
aberdourpunk said:
Thanks Jason.

I checked out PML at East Coast and they quoted me $2500 + GST for a Lanzar system.

Also went to Audiotronic but they were so busy that they were avoiding me. Managed to talk to no one.

I went to JM Audio near Kaki Bukit through a recommendation. They were very helpful. Rather expensive speakers though - like Genesis, Euthopia (cannot remember if I spelt it right) and another silver cone speakers. The speakers (2 speakers and 2 tweeters) alone costs around $1k. Sound quality was good. Have you heard of such brands?

Thanks again for your help.

Lee
Click to expand...

My installer is JM Audio and I must say that his work is good. I think you mean the Focal Utopias. These are very good speakers and they do not come cheap. If you want similar quality, ask Jimmy to let you try the Polykevlar ones. These are very decent drivers which I am using on my ride.

Focal is a French made speaker and they do have a home audio arm call JL Audio or JM Audio...can't remember cos the floor standing speakers also cost a BOMB !! The Utopia floor standing unit cost 30K per pair !!!
 
I just pop by Tye at Depot Lane. The Manager Tony was pretty friendly. Driving a e46 sedan. There's a current Lanzar package for about 2k, including tweeters, front component speakers, back coaxial speakers , one 10" subwoofer, one 4 way amp, one 2 way amp.

Key considerations which requires input from fellow forumers

1. Speakers are 5".Tony say bigger sizes cannot fit, which is a surprise cos i recall reading here that both front and rear are 6.5".

2. Need to drill the back speaker panel for the subwoofer, so the fit is just like the back speakers instead of a box. It does look neater, but concerned that he will cut a 10" hole on the board.

He also propose option (B), which is to install a 2 way amp and the subwoofer first, and including the infrastructure for quick future installation of amp and changing the speakers..all at $800. This he claim will add depth to the sound. I feel aprehensive altho he sound pretty convincing as he is the supposed expert on this. So i asked him, what if i do the other way round... i change the speakers and add a amp first...then later add the subwoofer. He advised against it cos he say the sub will add the low range first, which is lackin in the stock setup.

so...gettin more and more confused...
 
oneHeadlight,

He is right. If you're not such a discerning listener or an audiophile, adding an amp with a subwoofer would probably be the best bang for the buck on our stock setup. You will notice a LOT of difference after doing that alone. You can sit in my car to listen and compare with yours as that was the only thing I did so far.

If you're already satisfied just with that, then the best thing to do is to invest in the best amp and subs combo! My personal recommendation would be a Kicker Monoblock with a ID-2 subs!!!! Awesome!!! Bass is not just punchy but tight and clear!

Arsony
Topaz Blue NOT punchy...
 
I remember say some 6.5's would fit but you have to worry about the depth of the speakers as they might not fit our doors.
 
Hi Guys, tot upgrade to the lanzar package too, but got some question here, where they mount the tweeter ? and also is lanzar taiwan made ? :roll:
 
oneHeadlight,

No probs. email me your contact and ill call you...


Arsony
Topaz Blue NOT called...
 
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