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Re: E36 Stereo System
<Does anyone know if the distortion comes from the system or the
speakers. I'd like to know of any experiences with replacing the
speakers. Will replacing the speakers fix both the distortion and poor
bass?>
The disotrtion is coming from a combination of both. The head unit, made for
BMW by Alpine, is slightly underpowered and while I haven't seen any specs
for thd (total harmonic distortion) on the unit, I'd say its high.
The second problem is that the Nokia speakers used in the system are total
GARBAGE! It wasn't until I replaced my speakers that I realized how cheap
they were. Just holding them in you hand and looking at them will tell you.
The problem with poor bass is another story. This is the point where you need
to determine what you're willing to spend on the system upgrade. In my
opinion, it's silly to spend $1000+ for a stereo upgrade on a $29,000 car,
and even worse for the manufacturer to spec such a poor system.
Step One: if you're not willing to spend mega-dollars, forget the concept of
trying to reproduce the bass you get from your home stereo speakers in your
car. The power required to do this is not found in the BMW head unit. The
other consideration is road noise. Most road noise is in the same frequency
range as good clean base, so the two are always conflicting. The irony is
that for me, part of what I like about the car is the road feedback, which
includes the road noise. If I wanted to totally tune out the outside world
and just hear music as I drove, I should have bought a Lincoln; so I put up
with the trade-off.
Step Two: speaker replacement. Car speakers are a matter of personal taste.
Again, it's what you like, and what you're willing to spend. My 93' 318iS has
the 6 speaker set up. For similar systems, there are (2) 4" speakers in the
rear, (2) 5 1/4" speakers in the kick panel in the front, and (2) 3" tweeters
in the front doors. I decided to replace the rear and kick panel speakers.
According to the Crutchfield speaker measurement guide, the rear speaker
choice is limited because of size restrictions. I found this to be incorrect,
however. I have installed a pair of Polk Audio EX402's (retail $80) in the
rear and had no problems. The black speaker boxes in the rear need extra
insullation, so add some while you're in there.
I also added a pair of Polk Audio MM5520's (retail $120) in the front kick
panels. Here again, the Crutchfield measurment guide, which is normally very
accurate, was incorrect. I had to make a slight adjustment while installing
them.
Final Result: for about $200, and a couple hours of my time, I've
substantially improved the factory system's sound. It's not goint to impress
a car audio fan, but it meets my needs.
Regards,
Jeff
93' 318iS
84' 318i