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Superior alternative to HK sound system for $550 plus labor

 
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Alveolus



Joined: 17 Dec 2000
Posts: 1
Location: Minneapolis, MN

PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2000 9:08 am    Post subject: Superior alternative to HK sound system for $550 plus labor Reply with quote

My BMW dealer referred me to a sound engineer who has a (fairly) simple alternative to the HK system that sounds far better. I just had it installed on my 330i with in-dash CD, and it is awesome!

Here's what he did:
Panasonic GM-X544 50w x 4 amp, $300
Panasonic TS-C1653 component speakers, 6-1/2" woofer, 7/8" tweeters, $150
Panasonic TS-W253F 10" free-air sub, $90

Using the design theory of "front-stage/rear-fill", he left the rear speakers alone. They work great for fill purposes. The speaker outputs for the front speakers from the stock amp (which is in the trunk) go as high-level inputs to the GM-X544 (which has adjustable input level control). The A-channel on the new amp then feeds the front speakers, and BMW uses 14-gauge braided speaker cable stock, so you don't have to run any new speaker wire. The B-channel on the new amp is bridged to mono (it's designed to be able to do this) and feeds the subwoofer. He mounted the sub and the amp to a fiber board plate cut to fit perfectly on the underside of the rear deck, and covered it with factory gray fabric to match the trunk interior. The only alteration to the car is cutting a 10" opening through the metal of the rear deck for the sub (power nibbler), but he left the interior surface of the rear deck intact (subs don't need grilles). The only drawback to this setup is that the sub hangs down into the trunk by 7-1/2”, taking up cargo room under the deck. I didn’t get the fold-down rear seat, so no big deal to me. The doors apparently aren't too hard to disassemble, and the stock woofers and tweeters were removed and replaced with the Pioneer components. He deactivated the front mids and left them there.

The amp is pretty high-end, with MOSFET circuitry to maintain voltage, balanced isolator input circuitry, and variable crossovers built in. There is no alternator whine. The front speakers include crossovers that tuck inside the door.

Compared to HK, the bass is much tighter and deeper, there is way more than enough power, and the sound stage is more natural with audiophile-caliber horns and vocals, and crisp highs for a fraction of the cost. It does not have the speed-sensitive EQ, however, and no digital effect to create the illusion of a larger room like the HK system does. I ended up spending about $850 since I had the dealer-recommended sound guy do the installation for $300. Worth every penny!
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cjang



Joined: 31 Dec 2000
Posts: 5
Location: SF, CA, USA

PostPosted: Sun Dec 31, 2000 12:45 pm    Post subject: Superior alternative to HK sound system for $550 plus labor Reply with quote

(Q) You used your stock BMW CD head unit?
If you did; Did you use RCA jacks to connect
amp?
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