Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

[cOLOr_pEnCiL]

E60 owners, is it possible to upgrade our stock front and rear speakers to component speakers without running any amplifiers and subwoofers? Will there be a significant improvement over the stock? My requirements are not high so anything better than stock, I will be contented. Thanks in advance.

 

[Terras14]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Hi cp, i think you need an amp to power component speaker unless the headunit is able to do so. Even so, the effect wun be as gd as with amp. But for e60, do we even considered having a headunit? i am just speaking with regards to my little ice experience with my previous car. soundwerks do have some upgrades for our ride, maybe you want to check it out?

 

[richlee7]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

possible. result depends on speakers chosen, but best case, only slightly better even w great speakers, imho.

 

[cOLOr_pEnCiL]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Thanks for all replies. My intention is to upgrade a mid-range component for the front and a coaxial for the rear just to enhance the existing sound quality but unsure whether the stock HU can support or not. ICE gurus please advise. Thanks in advance.

 

[vegadonovan]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Yes I did. Added tweeters for the front and back. The holes are already there and pre wired. I also changed the speakers front and back. Lastly I added an amp to drive 2 free hanging woofers in the boot. Sounds much much better than when I first got it...

 

[1111bmw]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

You can just use audio system components if you just want to have a direct replacement , alot of different , if you want more can proceed with amps and processor at later stage . just a friendly opinion .

 

[pengful]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

E60 owners, is it possible to upgrade our stock front and rear speakers to component speakers without running any amplifiers and subwoofers? Will there be a significant improvement over the stock? My requirements are not high so anything better than stock, I will be contented. Thanks in advance.

First, if you want to upgrade to components but leave the stock HU to power them, you can but you will not get the best out of them. Factory speakers were set up for the stock HU for what they can give... mediocre sound. So, no. There won't be significant improvement over stock.

Second, if you are going to spend on a reasonable component speaker set, why not add an amp to drive them? Dabbling in ICE is a "dangerous", some will say "poisonous" affair. Once you start, you will never be satisfied.

Read this thread which contains very good reference for you. However, the minimum spend should be in the region of 2.5 - 3K to make sense.

http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/i-c-e-section/27455-audio-system-upgrade-no-mess.html

 

[pengful]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

You can just use audio system components if you just want to have a direct replacement , alot of different , if you want more can proceed with amps and processor at later stage . just a friendly opinion .

Not necessary. Using stock HU to power stock paper cone speakers vs average component speakers will give you a slightly better sound. The highs and lows (I am not talking about bass yet) will be more distinct but weak. If this is the case, no point paying thousand of dollars for better component speakers.

If you are going to add amps and processors later, be prepared to pay another round of installation costs and endure another round of waiting time. The deal with ICE is that you try to do it once and do it correctly because the system is going to stick with you. Of course, if you are willing to spend a second time, by all means do anything you want.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[Singapore Brummie]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

I only changed my front speakers and added tweeters (all Focal) and the difference was pretty impressive.

The more you spend, the less gain you get so I am going against the majority here.

 

[pengful]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

I only changed my front speakers and added tweeters (all Focal) and the difference was pretty impressive.

The more you spend, the less gain you get so I am going against the majority here.

There is no right or wrong. Everyone's perception and acceptance of an improvement is different.

 

[skip]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Thanks for all replies. My intention is to upgrade a mid-range component for the front and a coaxial for the rear just to enhance the existing sound quality but unsure whether the stock HU can support or not. ICE gurus please advise. Thanks in advance.

If you intend to run component speakers with your stock HU, look for entry level speakers with higher sensitivity (above 90dB). Higher end component speakers typically has lower sensitivity and requires amplifier to drive them.

For your E60 i believe it doesn't come with tweeters, so you will be able to notice the improvement by getting a pair of component speakers for the front. The stock speakers in the front doors are 4" and there are very limited choice of speakers for this size. I managed to squeeze in a pair 5.25" with the help of MDF spacers but you have to make sure the mounting depth of the replacement speaker is shallow enough so it won't hit the glass when you wind down your window.

The pictures below should give you an idea of how I mounted the 5.25" speaker. The 3 bolts around the circumference of the new speaker are the original bolts for the stock 4" speaker, I had to file 3 small grooves around the rim of the new speakers to accommodate these bolts.

Stock 4" vs replacement 5.25":

 

[pongster]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Good insight in sound system or ICE... thank you guys!

 

[cOLOr_pEnCiL]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Thanks for all the valuable advises. Anyway for those running on amplifiers, do you have a pre-amp installed as well? If I were to just upgrade the front and rear speakers without amplifiers, is there any brands to recommend? I am not a ICE hardcore, not into heavy bass and loud blasting, just want to have an overall improvement than stock, in simple cheap and good. Lol

 

[1111bmw]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

try the brand audio system . you will like it one . direct replacement for the front

 

[skip]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Thanks for all the valuable advises. Anyway for those running on amplifiers, do you have a pre-amp installed as well? If I were to just upgrade the front and rear speakers without amplifiers, is there any brands to recommend? I am not a ICE hardcore, not into heavy bass and loud blasting, just want to have an overall improvement than stock, in simple cheap and good. Lol

I installed a 4-channel amp (2 channels for front components, 2 channels for underseat 8" subwoofers) without any pre-amp. I used the speaker output from behind the stock HU to feed the amp. I'm not too bothered with the rear speakers so i left them stock rear-fill purpose.

You can replace the front with a pair of component speakers and the rear with a pair of coaxial. CDT and Rainbow offer good value for money component speakers. CDT CL and Rainbow CSX range can be driven directly from the HU. You should be able to notice the improvement over stock, but honestly speaking you are not realizing the full potential of these speakers without an amp.

Hope this helps.

 

[cOLOr_pEnCiL]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

What about the underseat speakers? What size do you guys replaced it with? Any modifications needed? What do you guys think of Pioneer and Alpine speakers, Morel entry level and DLS entry level speakers? Considering one of these brands.

 

[skip]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

What about the underseat speakers? What size do you guys replaced it with? Any modifications needed? What do you guys think of Pioneer and Alpine speakers, Morel entry level and DLS entry level speakers? Considering one of these brands.

The stock underseat speakers are 6", you can replace them with a pair of Earthquake SWS-8X 8" speakers. The SWS-8X fits perfectly in the original enclosure but you will have to seal the void left behind by the connector of the stock speaker.

Some pictures below to show what i did for mine.

Stock 6" speaker and enclosure:

Stock 6" vs new SWS-8X:

I fabricated a pair of MDF spacers to seal the void in the enclosure:

Sound deadening material applied to the base of the enclosure and weather strip around the perimeter to ensure air-tight fit:

New SWS-8X in enclosure:

Please note the HU will not be able to drive the SWS-8X speakers directly, you will definitely need a power amp to drive these.

Hope this helps. 8)

 

[pengful]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Skip, great job. Did you buy those SWS yourself? How much and how's the bass? I am using Hertz Space K8 component.

 

[skip]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

Skip, great job. Did you buy those SWS yourself? How much and how's the bass? I am using Hertz Space K8L component.

I was looking high and low for the SWS-8 and finally found them at a local installer but the price quoted was exorbitant so i ended up buying them online. I bought them from the following store:

Earthquake Sound SWS-8X (sws8x) Black, Shallow-Mount 8" Single 4

Free shipping within the U.S. and I used a forwarding service to have them shipped to Singapore.

Bass is pretty good. My friend's E60 is using the Hertz Space K8L too, but I somehow feel the SWS-8 sounds cleaner. Just a gut feel, didn't actually have the chance to do a side-by-side comparison and maybe because I am biased towards my own setup... 8)

 

[pengful]

Re: Non-LCI E60 Speakers Upgrade

I was looking high and low for the SWS-8 and finally found them at a local installer but the price quoted was exorbitant so i ended up buying them online. I bought them from the following store:

Earthquake Sound SWS-8X (sws8x) Black, Shallow-Mount 8" Single 4

Free shipping within the U.S. and I used a forwarding service to have them shipped to Singapore.

Bass is pretty good. My friend's E60 is using the Hertz Space K8L too, but I somehow feel the SWS-8 sounds cleaner. Just a gut feel, didn't actually have the chance to do a side-by-side comparison and maybe because I am biased towards my own setup... 8)

Good find. 2 years ago, when I was looking for these SWS speakers, I was dumbfounded with 2 ohm/ 4 ohm discussions which confused the hell out of me. So to play safe, I looked to the Space 8s which was highly recommended by Soundwerkz. Anyway, too bad I already had them, I heard the SWS produce deeper bass.