My X5 needs a speaker upgrade...

[Bill Valley]

I have an 02 w/o nav, w/o DSP. I would like to upgrade the speakers, but a couple of questions have come up as I search the old threads.
1. The BSW stage 1 is appealing, but why use 5 1/4" if 6 1/2" will fit? I have a set of CDT 6 1/2" comps that are collecting dust.
2. I have read that the stock amp has built in crossovers. Is this correct?
Thanks in advance.

[X5Dawg]

The front door mids have a "tube" or "channel" that the speaker is mounted in the directs the sound towards the door panel - it does not mount directly to the inner face of the door. A 5.25 speaker will readily fit within this tube. Some 6.5 will also and some people have trimmed their 6.5's down to fit (if the speaker has a plastic basket). And yes, the stock amp has crossovers.

[Ken@BSW]

Originally Posted by Bill Valley

I have an 02 w/o nav, w/o DSP. I would like to upgrade the speakers, but a couple of questions have come up as I search the old threads.
1. The BSW stage 1 is appealing, but why use 5 1/4" if 6 1/2" will fit? I have a set of CDT 6 1/2" comps that are collecting dust.
2. I have read that the stock amp has built in crossovers. Is this correct?
Thanks in advance.

We design our Stage 1's to fit in 100% OEM locations with as little modification as possible. If you had to modify the speakers or the doors, or even the door panels, that option simply isn't good enough for us. Our goal is to make the best product to optimize the engineering that BMW has already put in place in your BMW, with little to no modification to your vehicle.

And yes, your factory amplifier already has built in crossovers.

[Bill Valley]

Thanks for the replies. I just picked up my new to me X5 the other day. I look forward to upgrading the audio. I may have to sell those CDT's. My previous setup got complex and I would like to simplify. Simply switching out the speakers would be a good start! I have noticed some crackling at high volume.

Are there any issues with connecting 4 ohm speakers to the stock amp?

[Ken@BSW]

Originally Posted by Bill Valley

Thanks for the replies. I just picked up my new to me X5 the other day. I look forward to upgrading the audio. I may have to sell those CDT's. My previous setup got complex and I would like to simplify. Simply switching out the speakers would be a good start! I have noticed some crackling at high volume.

Are there any issues with connecting 4 ohm speakers to the stock amp?

Absolutely not. By choosing high efficient speakers that have been tested numerous times in your vehicle, we've been able to build a great package that really just works wonderfully when all put together. Simple plug-n-play replacement of every speaker in your car with the Stage 1 system allows you to keep your BMW in stock form, and we've already set everything up so that if you want to amplify at a later date - no problem!!

[Bill Valley]

Ok great. I pulled the door panel yesterday. The tweeter is labeled 8 ohm, and the midwoofer is labeled 2 ohm. If I install a 4 ohm tweeter and a 4 ohm mid, won't I increase the highs and decrease the mid/lows?

[Ken@BSW]

Originally Posted by Bill Valley

Ok great. I pulled the door panel yesterday. The tweeter is labeled 8 ohm, and the midwoofer is labeled 2 ohm. If I install a 4 ohm tweeter and a 4 ohm mid, won't I increase the highs and decrease the mid/lows?

In all reality, it isn't much of an issue. The 4 ohm midwoofer is more efficient than the factory midbass. There is a slight loss of midbass, but the Rainbow's are much more accurate and detailed. The tweeters have in-line passive crossovers installed to both attenuate, and protect the tweeters from becomming to harsh, which really helps to even out the response. This way, you do end up with a slight boost in response from the tweeters, which we really feel is necessary to gain a well balanced output from your stereo.

[el_duderino]

Originally Posted by Ken@BSW

In all reality, it isn't much of an issue. The 4 ohm midwoofer is more efficient than the factory midbass. There is a slight loss of midbass, but the Rainbow's are much more accurate and detailed. The tweeters have in-line passive crossovers installed to both attenuate, and protect the tweeters from becomming to harsh, which really helps to even out the response. This way, you do end up with a slight boost in response from the tweeters, which we really feel is necessary to gain a well balanced output from your stereo.

How much more efficient is the Rainbow midbass than the OEM midbass?

It has to be at least 3dB more efficient if it's going to make up the difference between 4 ohm and 2 ohm power delivery.

So you use the OEM tweeter highpass crossovers? On top of the OEM active filter? What's the resultant slope on that? Are there attenuating resistors in the passive network?

And you're saying that the OEM system needs more highs? Is there a rolloff on the OEM drivers, or are they too quiet in general?

[JPWheelr]

[Bill Valley]

Hence my concern. I have no problem switching to a 4 ohm driver provided I maintain the current output. I did a lot of experimenting in my previous vehicle including MB Quart comps, which I found to be too bright. The setup that I removed prior to trading the car included CDT EF61 comps, a single 12" Elemental Designs 13Ov2 (sealed), and an Alpine MRV-F545 to push it all. The comps were getting 125 rms per, and the sub was getting 500 rms. I am debating wether or not to install all of that equipment in the X5. Judging from my eyeball measurements I would say I have a 50/50 chance of getting my CDT's in the stock housings. The tweeters fit perfectly.

I really think the stock system gets loud enough for my taste. I would consider replacing all stock speakers and retaining the stock amp, but I want to maintain the current output. I will eventually replace my 12 with a single sub in one of the "stealth" spots.

Sorry for the long post...