My 2005 X5 Aftermarket Radio Install Thread

[Crowz]

Originally Posted by FastEddie313

If one was to run one of those android head units I wonder if you could just find an android app that would give you Xovers, EQ, gain, and time alignment on every channel..

Couldn't be that easy though, not in the real world.. Could it?

Not without external hardware.

Eq sure.

Some time alignment and xover but your limited to 4 channels max since that's all the radio has. Way more than 4 speakers involved

The ideal setup is xover on each pair of speakers. This means ALL the speakers are playing ONLY the frequencies they are designed to handle. Zero distortion.

Also time alignment is dead on which you control all channels separately.

Last thing is you set eq PER speaker pairs. Again no distortion and all speakers are allowed to "shine" in place of having some walked over by others.

[btrvalik]

Really cool mod, seems too good to be true so there are obviously a number of trade-offs. I have the base business CD radio and have a few questions:

• Will the info display in the instrument pod still work? If so, how do you reset MPG, select trips, etc.

• Will the AMP in the aftermarket radio power the speaker or will it use the factory amp?

• I seen a few references to boot times. Does the unit cold boot every time you turn the car off / on or does it go to sleep and wake up quickly?

• How is the OS upgraded? I seen a few references to new ROMs - can these units be upgraded just VIA USB or over the air?

• I've seen a few reviews that said the glare can be bad with the OEM looking units - would this unit: https://goo.gl/Xi4TLw be any better since the screen is more vertical? I wish it still had some hard buttons.

Might be a good spring / summer project - so I have a bit of time for 8.X to mature.

[Crowz]

Originally Posted by btrvalik

Really cool mod, seems too good to be true so there are obviously a number of trade-offs. I have the base business CD radio and have a few questions:

• Will the info display in the instrument pod still work? If so, how do you reset MPG, select trips, etc.

• Will the AMP in the aftermarket radio power the speaker or will it use the factory amp?

• I seen a few references to boot times. Does the unit cold boot every time you turn the car off / on or does it go to sleep and wake up quickly?

• How is the OS upgraded? I seen a few references to new ROMs - can these units be upgraded just VIA USB or over the air?

• I've seen a few reviews that said the glare can be bad with the OEM looking units - would this unit: https://goo.gl/Xi4TLw be any better since the screen is more vertical? I wish it still had some hard buttons.

Might be a good spring / summer project - so I have a bit of time for 8.X to mature.

1. With the ibus adapter and its app you can see the reset button beside each thing your asking about resetting.

2. Factory amp works perfectly with it if you don't have dsp. If you do have dsp it will work if you have the business cd with one extra wire connected and the dsp app that is part of the ibus app stuff.

3. The boot time on the Seicane that this thread is about is actually much faster than the stock navigation unit. Basically no boot time to speak of.

4. Upgrades either come from the radio manufacturer or you can find new firmware/roms to download on various sites. Normally you don't need to do upgrades. The upgrades are done by putting the new firmware/rom on an usb thumb drive.

5. I only have the oem looking one so I cant comment on that one.

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Update---got the DSP amp estimate to fix. Much less to purchase used DSP amp, which I have done. Scheduled to be here by 2/2.

Any updates?

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by Overboost

Any updates?

Just returned from audio shop. The DSP amp I purchased needs to be re-programmed. Appears the amp was not set up for the X5. Only the driver side speakers work and then only for 30 seconds. Shop's programming unit connects but will not allow amp reprogramming. They are picking up another scanner that should be able to make the change. Plan is to return later today and see if that works. If not, I guess I will need to return the one I bought and purchase another one.

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Just returned from audio shop. The DSP amp I purchased needs to be re-programmed. Appears the amp was not set up for the X5. Only the driver side speakers work and then only for 30 seconds. Shop's programming unit connects but will not allow amp reprogramming. They are picking up another scanner that should be able to make the change. Plan is to return later today and see if that works. If not, I guess I will need to return the one I bought and purchase another one.

Ah. I thought you bought an X5 DSP amp. Gets more confusing every day...

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by Overboost

Ah. I thought you bought an X5 DSP amp. Gets more confusing every day...

It was supposed to be for an X5 but was not. It has now been programmed and works. Have Seicane unit up and running. re-programming solved the 30 second and off problem, have constant sound. Going to make sure backup camera works. Have to find post that explains wiring.

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

It was supposed to be for an X5 but was not. It has now been programmed and works. Have Seicane unit up and running. re-programming solved the 30 second and off problem, have constant sound. Going to make sure backup camera works. Have to find post that explains wiring.

Woohoo! Finally! What did you have to reprogram?

[Crowz]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

It was supposed to be for an X5 but was not. It has now been programmed and works. Have Seicane unit up and running. re-programming solved the 30 second and off problem, have constant sound. Going to make sure backup camera works. Have to find post that explains wiring.

Congratz !

[bcredliner]

There are several DSP amps that are the same model number. The key is to buy one that came out of an E53, the same year is best but all X5 E53 DSP amps should work. Some DSP amps from other model BMWs may work without reprogramming but that needs to be carefully verified. If the DSP amp is, for example, from an E70 or a 525 the speaker setup may be programmed differently in the amp. Therefore, to use a DSP amp that is not from an E53 it may be necessary to re-program the amp. The dealer can do it, or, in my case, the shop had the very expensive scanner that could get into the DSP amp setup.

Backup camera has been test wired for transmission in reverse. I still have to wire it so it can be used when vehicle is not in reverse. Currently my subwoofer (aftermarket) sounds great when I play music from my iPhone but is fuzzy when I use the radio. I need to run an RCA line for the Subwoofer to replace the current setup. That could be the problem or if the Seicane has separate equalizer settings changing those could be the solution. May simply be an adjustment to the equalizer or the subwoofer gain. With the IBUS with the DSP add on I have two ways to adjust sound, from the DSP screen or using the Seicane offering. They don't work together. Probably won't work on it until tomorrow.