Premium sound speaker upgrades?

drod · #1 11-26-2009, 03:10 PM

I made the mistake of not getting the premium sound with my 08.. and ultimately went through a tedious upgrade project which included swapping out the OEM speakers to Polk Audios and adding a second amp.

the load is now balanced between two amps..

the sound is obviously much better than stock but it didn't really give me the true surround sound feeling I was looking for...(like it needed more speakers)

I never did like the idea of only having one central speaker in the dash..(when most vehicles have left and right, in addition to the ones on the doors)

I did however have limited options since my goal was to keep things looking stock...with no boom boxes in the trunk or oversized speakers mounted anywhere...

compared to the BMW factory stock system, the premium sound pkg comes with slightly upgraded speakers, additional speakers in the rear of the cabin and a 600 watt 9 channel amp.

I am making a new X5 purchase soon and was wondering if adding the premium sound pkg makes a huge difference or should I stick to the stock system and perform another upgrade...(obviously with a different solution)

maybe getting the premium sound and just upgrading the stock speakers to better quality speakers may be the best way to go...(kind of like the best of both worlds...)

thoughts??

shashankmittal · #2 11-26-2009, 03:23 PM

If you are a true audiophile, you'll hate the premium system too. I did not get the premium system with my X, but instead upgraded the system with audiophile quality speakers, amplifier, subs and a sound processor. (Get custom boxes fabricated for your subs and hide them behind the carpeted wall in the trunk and you'll not need boom boxes. You might need to put a grille in front of the sub for the free air movement)

As far as number of speakers are concerned, in a 'small' cabin like that of X5, whether you have 10 or 16 speakers, it really doesn't matter. A nice 10 speaker system can sound hundred times better than a stock 16 speaker system if the speakers and amplifier are of good quality and have been tuned really well. Tuning makes hell lot of difference!

Trust me, my system can blow away any 'stock premium system' by leaps and bounds! A friend of mine has Bowers & Wilkins premium system in his Jaguar XF and he feels my system sounds better! I did end up spending lot more than a premium system, but at least I had the flexibility to choose the components and tune the system to my taste.

m5james · #3 12-09-2009, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shashankmittal

If you are a true audiophile, you'll hate the premium system too. I did not get the premium system with my X, but instead upgraded the system with audiophile quality speakers, amplifier, subs and a sound processor. (Get custom boxes fabricated for your subs and hide them behind the carpeted wall in the trunk and you'll not need boom boxes. You might need to put a grille in front of the sub for the free air movement)

As far as number of speakers are concerned, in a 'small' cabin like that of X5, whether you have 10 or 16 speakers, it really doesn't matter. A nice 10 speaker system can sound hundred times better than a stock 16 speaker system if the speakers and amplifier are of good quality and have been tuned really well. Tuning makes hell lot of difference!

Trust me, my system can blow away any 'stock premium system' by leaps and bounds! A friend of mine has Bowers & Wilkins premium system in his Jaguar XF and he feels my system sounds better! I did end up spending lot more than a premium system, but at least I had the flexibility to choose the components and tune the system to my taste.

I have custom MB setup in all 14 locations in the 740iL, then using a simple tweet/mid/woofer pre-packaged combo in the M5. How do you feel about MB's vs Focal? I can't say if I've ever heard Focal's in person, but I know they're supposed to be a good brand. I'm trying to find something for next summer on ebay and I'm hoping to find a good (hopefully pre-matched) set of replacements for the stock speakers in the X.

shashankmittal · #4 12-09-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drod

great work!! looks really nice..
it's definitely something to think about...
does anyone know what the specs are on the upgraded premium sound system? size and type of door speakers and subs?
what would a nice speaker replacement be? audiophile?

The standard sound system has a combination of 4" speakers+tweeters in the doors and dash. The woofers under the seats are open air 8". All of these are made by Philips. Can't say for sure if the premium sound system has the same.
For replacement, you don't have many options, since there aren't many companies out there that make 4" speakers. I know for sure that Hertz and Focal have 4" speakers. For subs, there are hundreds of brands out there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m5james

I have custom MB setup in all 14 locations in the 740iL, then using a simple tweet/mid/woofer pre-packaged combo in the M5. How do you feel about MB's vs Focal? I can't say if I've ever heard Focal's in person, but I know they're supposed to be a good brand. I'm trying to find something for next summer on ebay and I'm hoping to find a good (hopefully pre-matched) set of replacements for the stock speakers in the X.

Haven't auditioned MB Quart before, but I have heard good things about them. Focals Polyglass and Utopia definitely belong to the high end car audio segment. I guess it all depends upon how much you want to spend.

KenB · #5 11-27-2009, 12:17 AM

I have had some pretty crazy sound systems put in cars...I'm kinda over that now to some degree.

I would and did order the premium sound. It is not the crazy custom sound that you get when you go custom and start dumping cash in your system. I think it is good enough to keep you from screwing with it, it is good enough to keep me from screwing with it.

The premium sound will respond to some really low lows that most stock systems can't find. Its not the same hit the 3 - 10's in my old Ford (not to mention the goofy system I put in my boat) had, but not bad, and I don't plan on an upgrade from stock.

jaaX3 · #6 11-27-2009, 12:30 AM

You can upgrade the base sound system to a better sounding system than the Premium Sound for less than the price of Premium Sound. I did not get Premium Sound, and I am in the process of looking for a speaker upgrade.

dmfelger · #7 11-27-2009, 12:52 AM

I'm looking for a bracket to mount a Pioneer Inno XM radio, somewhat like a Bracketron custom bracket. Any ideas?

drod · #8 11-27-2009, 01:54 AM

I'm not looking for the street thunder effect... just want quality, clear music that you can truly feel and enjoy on long rides...

600 watts on 9 channels on the premium sound system sounds like more than enough...(compared to the 250 watt stock system it comes with)

i think if it still needs a boost a simple upgrade of speakers (same size) will make a difference...

plus you do get an extra 4 speakers in the rear... i'm sure that helps circulate the sound too!

i think i'll go with the premium upgrade... (don't like the idea of doing boxes in the rear... ) i want to keep it looking stock...

shashankmittal · #9 11-27-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drod

i think i'll go with the premium upgrade... (don't like the idea of doing boxes in the rear... ) i want to keep it looking stock...

Depends on how you install it. I did an aftermarket upgrade and my car still looks stock! Check out the 'Custom Audio installation' pics in my profile.