re:325 stereo upgrade (long)

[Mike Schaublin <mschaublin@xxxxxxxxx>]

     <You wrote>
     I'm also looking to upgrade the factory stereo in my '95 325i.  
     Nothing fancy, just a wattage increase with a CD changer.  Any 
     suggestions?
     
     Keith
     '95 325i
     
     
     
     Keith,
     
     I feel your pain - the stock e36 radios are pretty rotten.  I have 
     a '94 325, which I think had the same radio configuration as yours. 
      Let me give you some info and share with you what worked for me:
     
     The head unit on 92 - 95 e36 cars provides speaker level outputs of 
     about 5W per channel to an amp in the drivers side of the trunk 
     (behind the trim where the gas door would be if it were on the 
     drivers side).  The amp delivers 10 -20 watts to each of the four 
     corners.  (The factory rating of approx. 200 watts for the system 
     are at 100% distortion - usable power of the system is barely 
     adequate for AM radio.)  
     
     The problem I had with my system was that on the freeway with the 
     windows open, the sound was completely drowned out by the wind 
     noise.  My plan was to install new speakers all around, replace the 
     amp, and replace the in-dash unit.  However, I didn't really want 
     to put $2500 into the stereo, so I started by replacing the in-dash 
     (so I could at least have an in-dash CD).   
     
     I wanted to match the red dash lighting, so my choices were limited 
     to a very few - Coustic, Rockford-Fosgate, and Blaupunkt's 
     Toronto/Sydney units.  I bought the Blaupunkt 7-series Toronto 
     in-dash CD with 35 watts/channel for $440 delivered from Continental 
     Imports in Gainesville, FL (www.continentalimports.com).  The unit 
     is a perfect match for the dash style, and the lighting is 
     adjustable in color and brightness to a near perfect match.  
     
     What amazed me the most was the quality and volume of sound that 
     resulted.  There is plenty of punch for most rock, R&B, and enough 
     bass for all but the most hard-core rap fans.  Like most people, I 
     always thought the speakers were the weak link in the stock system; 
     however, really good sound can be produced with the stock amp and 
     speakers as long as you drive the stock amp with enough power.  I 
     no longer feel an urgent need to upgrade the rest of the system - 
     there is plenty of volume, good bass response and a natural tonal 
     balance - the papery sound of the stock system is gone.  
     
     All I can figure is that the stock head unit didn't have enough 
     power to drive the stock amp to full power, and the distortion was 
     actually coming from overdriving the in-dash unit, not the 
     amplifier.  
     
     BTW, if you do replace the head unit, you need to buy the Blaupunkt 
     speaker wiring harness separately (about $5, but a pain if you 
     forget to order it).  I would recommend buying a wiring adapter at 
     a local electronics store.  I got mine at Circuit City for $20, all 
     the wire color coding was accurate on the package.  And the screws 
     holding the stock radio are behind covers that you can pry open on 
     either side of the radio face.  The screws actually require a 
     special pentagon shaped driver ($18 at the dealer - ouch!) but you 
     can wedge a small screwdriver or a 4 or 5mm allen key into the 
     screw to remove, there's not much torque on them.  
     
     Check out Dale Beunings site at www.eskimo.com/~dalus/bmw to get 
     more background on stereos, and all other things BMW.
     
     All the usual disclaimers...
     
     Good luck,
     
     Mike Schaublin
     '94 325i still stock - haven't figured out the UUC thing yet

------------------------------