My E53 Audio Upgrade - Stage 1 - Subwoofer & Monoblock

[Lexicon740iL]

Hi guys. I'm kind of new here so I thought I'd contribute a bit and do a build log for my 06 X5.

My mission with stage 1 of my audio upgrade was to add low end to the stock system.
My SAV has a stock 16:9 Screen, Navigation, bluetooth, steering wheels controls ect. it has the premium sound package with a DSP amp and 10 speakers so I figured a good way to start would be add a LOC interface/keeping my head unit and features and running a decent 12" sub and 1000-1500RMS of clean power.

I already had a line on the 13aV.2 though a friend and I have ran alot of their stuff I the past and liked it. And having heard them already on a Nine.1 I knew they could get pretty low and still sound pretty accurate as well.

The enclosure is custom.
Kerf Port/Recessed Mount/2.4 cubes/33hz

I grabbed the Nakamichi PA-1500 for a steal and after running their stuff in the past I'm thinking the sound quality and clean power will be there and match well with this single sub SQ orientated install.

I went with the Audio Control LC2i for the factory integration piece.
An audio engineer recommended something with bass restoration for my application with the stock DSP in the mix and the LC2i has their Accubass processing to prevent roll off at higher volumes on stock systems.

I plan on sourcing a DLS Component set, LC6i or LC8 and a mid amp for the stage 2 upgrade in the near future.

For wiring and fuse distribution I went with KNU. I Ran 0GA into the block with dual 4GA out for adding that mids amp for my stage 2 upgrade. 150A fuses on each circuit.



Elemental Designs 13A.v2 Dual 2ohm



This is one heavy woofer...And I love the surround I can't wait to see this thing flex!





Nakamichi PA-1500 1200WRMS @ 1ohm



Audio Control LC2i



Knu KonFused Distro KNF-12 Single 0 or 4GA in to Dual 4 or 8GA out "Fused at 150A Per side"





Now for the install..

Obviously it helps to give a step by step guide for others that haven't been there before.

The bare canvas...



Remove panel by changer/nav drive



Remove panel over stock sub/fuse Panel location this is the home for the LC2i so adjustments can be made easily.
I removed the stock subwoofer enclosure last week in anticipation of this install.
* It's just a couple of 10mm bolts on the floor pan and a Allen bolt behind the fuse block.



Now with those panels out of the way pull the floor panel up and expose the spare tire.
Remove the wing nut/retention plate and use the pull handle to lift the tire up out of the well it's a nice feature to save on broken backs. "Just don't forget to put the webbing and handle back under when returning the tire to the well.



After the tire is removed you will be left with the pod that houses the air pump for the self leveling rear air suspension. *Be careful not to stress or pinch any airlines coming out of this unit when working in this area. Remove the two 13MM bolts from the rear of the frame and two 13mm from the front of the bracket.



BEFORE CONTINUING DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE!

Now with the frame removed and set aside we can remove the cover for the radio module. It's secured by 3 Philips Head screws.



Once cover is removed we can pull some tape off the harness going into the radio module and connect into a 12V switched signal for our remote turn on wire for the amp.
"The wire we want is Purple with a white stripe"



Next we solder, shrink wrap and zip tie the remote wire into the radio module harness



Now we can remove the cover on the floor by the former sub enclosure area.
It's secured by 2 10MM plastic nuts.




With the plastic cover removed it's time to tap the harness from the stock subwoofers to get the signal for the LC2i.
We are after the twisted pair of Solid blue solid brown and solid yellow solid brown. The brown wires will be - and the yellow and blue wire are +




Time to add some length to get the signal wires back to the LC2i cubby.



The Ground is next. I've added a Ground wire for the LC2i as well.



It will be connected to a factory frame ground point. No paint, bare metal. One 10MM nut secures it.



Now for the Power and fuse distribution. OGA into the KNu block with 4GA out to the Nakamichi and a small 12V lead for the LC2i. The holder is zip tied to the frame rail hole noted in pic and small 12V routed to LC2i cubby.



With 12V, Speaker Level inputs and ground supplied to the LC2i that can call be connected and put aside.



And on to the amp.... I wanted it to be clean with accessibility to adjust and keep cool. So I decided to place it in front of my enclosure mounted to the floor with all the wiring hidden coming up from under.

So I did some measurements checked the underside for clearance and screwed it down into the floor cover. Now it time to drill out some wire routing paths.



Drilled out and wiring routed.



Now for some speaker wire connections for the box. My SMS Box has brass bolts so I'm using these guys from the knu kit for now. I'll prob switch to a ring in the future.



And the final result after cleanup and enclosure placement.

I'm very happy with the results