E53 4.8is Stereo upgrade starting in a few weeks
 

I'm new to this site. I have owned a black 2006 4.8is just over a year and I love it! The stereo is lacking though. After about a year of researching dead ends I finally got it figured out. The plan is to keep the stock navigation deck and everything else except the stock speakers. I was told that you can install a digital signal processor (DSP) Directly to the outgoing speaker wires from the stock dsp amp. The added dsp will basically translate the signal to analog so you can just add an amp and speakers. Then I found jl audio makes a dsp 5 channel amp. Jl audio VX700/5i. They make more powerful ones, but this one is perfect for my build. One channel per door and one for the sub. I already got the speakers, (jl audio c2-600 components.) And getting the JL audio 10"w1 stealth box next week. Once I have everything in hand I will take pictures of the install. I hope some of this info will be of help to someone, it took me a year to get enough info to be confident in this build.

Sounds like great fun. Can't wait to see your progress!

Wow - I didn't expect someone else to planning a speaker upgrade at the same time as me. Sounds like you are MUCH closer to installation, though. You're post has me concerned about my choice of amp. I intend to use those same JL speakers, but the amp I picked up (received today) is the MX280/4. I had thought I could get away with a non-DSP amp if my head unit was already Eonon and my factory sub is getting swapped for BavSound ghost sub with BavSound amp. My research led me to make an attempt at adding a decent amp to stock speaker setup...but I feel like adding those speakers will improve overall sound quality. In your opinion - should I or do I need to hold out for the DSP amp at 8x the cost...or can I use the amp I just got with the Eonon head unit? Thanks, and I'm excited for your detailed write up with plenty of pictures ;) Ha.

I'm actually on day 2 of my DSP amp removal and replace with a JL amp. The key (at least as I understand it) is simple: crossovers. Active or passive, it doesn't matter, but it is my understanding that the OE DSP amp acts as a crossover to the tweeters and door subs. As such, it acts as the 'filter' for the outgoing sound, allowing only high frequencies to tweeters and lows to door mids/subs.

I've settled on a set of passive JL crossovers (4). I had them sitting around, so it fits with the 'budget build' I started with JL 650CSi speakers. That's 2 Xovers per side, one for high, one for low. I also have a sub with its own amp.

The head unit will be installed at the same time- this one is branded the Xtrons. We all know by now they're pretty much the same chinese units with little more than branding separating them.

My install should be complete at the end of the week. After driving around in the E39 with a built system, I am looking forward to the experience in the E53. The next thing I'll do is to line the door panels in a dynamat equivalent. I did this in the E46 and the doors close sounding like like an E class Merc.

I'll start or continue a thread with the updates.

Make it two.

I'm doing Fountek FR58EX and JL TR-650csi's similar to PropellerHead.

I just put in the front mid founteks in that dash as part of a blower motor job and impressed so far :)

Since I have two sets of JL tweeters coming I'm open to sell them to anyone else upgrading!

I've been meaning to focus some time on this but with a few other things taking priority this sort of fell waist side... thanks for this post!

Any modifications needed to fit the JL TR-650csi's? Are these for the front door panels only or all four? Will these sound good with the DSP amp? I ask, because I want to upgrade the speakers for now and then upgrade the amp if and when it calls for it..

Yes, you must modify the 650Csi's. But you pretty much have to modify any speaker you install.

I recently found the 650csi's for pretty cheap on amazon ($109):

JL Audio TR650-CSi 6-1/2" Evolution TR Series 2-way Component Speakers System (Pair)

I covered my journey with the stock DSP amp in this thread:

You people suck. 12 years later, I finally replace speakers.

Here's some pics of the speaker install from that thread:

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/...small-copy.jpg

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/...opy-small-.jpg

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/...opy-small-.jpg

So, it sounds like crossovers can offset DSP requirements? Since I don't have JL crossovers laying around - would you recommend these for me? (x2?)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036D1DQI..._t2_B003QQ67HA

Also, by utilizing crossovers...should I be fine with the MX280/4 amp? I'm still a little confused on impact of DSP concept...but I'm hoping that with Eonon head unit - I might have some flexibility?

Lastly, I've always kept an eye on this european seller's solution on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-X5-E53-...53.m1438.l2649

Seems like sourcing C2 level stuff on Amazon makes more sense than this kit of C1 level stuff...but I don't have experience with either that may be a bad assumption. Can anyone tell if the "mounting collars" included in the eBay kit come standard with what JL sells? If not - might getting those be worth the difference in performance/installation? Sorry for the naiveté...I'm used to just moving my old JL setup from vehicle to vehicle...but I recently retired that setup after 17yrs and want to custom match a new system to my new rig! Thanks for any insight.

I will be using these same crossovers from my wife's E46 and a similar 4ch amp from JL. The crossovers will take the function from the DSP amp and deliver only the right frequencies to the correct speakers.

My install will be with an android unit that is pretty much like the rest of them.

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...55-custom-.jpg

There are no mounting kits in the JL speakers I purchased. It doesn't look like those rings will really serve well in an E53. It's very easy to use tin snips and trim the JL speakers to fit the OE mounts on the E53. The OE mounts include the connections as well so you can retain factory wiring all the way up to the JL connections- if that sort of thing is important to you.

I referenced the thread from Jay who used JL C2's in my 650CSi thread. Both are a solid read for you to learn a bunch without rehashing it here.

Are you going with Seicane or Dynavin 7?

Neither! LOL

That's a Xtrons branded unit. Same screen as Seicane that somebody did, but I found that Xtrons advertised one with 8 core, 4GB RAM, 32GB ROM and Android 8.0. I think the Seicane now has this unit up on their site. That's how fast these things change. 3 weeks ago, it wasn't there. :rolleyes: (or I missed it) My experience with the Eonon in my wife's E46 was consistent with my experience with Android phones and tablets:

Android will use any resource you can throw at it. So the more you can buy, the better it will be.

I installed a quad core with 2GB RAM and only 16GB(?) ROM in the E46. A few months later, I installed the 8 core. The difference was incredible. Downloading offline Google maps was nearly impossible in the quad core. It's very speedy now.

I've tested this unit in an E39 for a few minutes and it is outright speedy. I'm looking forward to installing the IBus adapter and fiddling around in the couple months before our next ~6k mile Summer road trip. :popcorn:

If you're having problems finding the correct speaker mounts, I found that if you go to crutchfield and choose the speakers that fit your specific vehicle and put them into the shopping cart, crutchfield adds the brackets to the cart for free. Then subtract the speakers you already have and just order the brackets from them. I found my jl audio c2 components for the price of c1s on Amazon. $100 less a pair than crutchfield and got the brackets from crutchfield.

Very cool tip! :thumbup:

Put your speakers into the crutchfield shopping cart and they automatically load the proper mounting brackets. Then remove the speakers and buy the brackets. Should be 10 or 12 a pair.

You won't need any DSP if removing the factory head unit. :thumbup: Your aftermarket amplifier has all the crossovers you need. Plus the android unit will have some tuning options as well.

Well now I'm confused. :confused: I am replacing the DSP amp with a JL 4 channel and I am using external/passive (I think?) crossovers. I understood that we *needed* to do this to produce good sound.

So is your answer bc of the amp that he chose or am I completely off on what an amp does (or doesn't do) for crossover?

Each speaker is designed for a specific frequency response.

Tweeters want high frequencies and will distort if bass or low frequencies are sent to them. Some midrange frequencies can distort them badly too.

Midrange speakers as the name suggest are designed to handle "middle" frequencies. Usually above 200 hz and below 10,000 hz. Above 10 kHz is where the tweeters hang out but this doesn't distort the midrange speakers much as they just can reproduce it.

Low range or bass speakers or subwoofers are designed for very low frequencies. Midrange signals while not distorting them shows up as distortion since they cant move fast enough to really respond cleanly to them. High frequencies are just ignored completely by subs.

So each of the 3 types need to be fed a signal they can work with. THATS what the crossovers are for. The factory amp has these built in per channel. Rare actually.

Aftermarket amps like the one your looking at have crossovers but not enough channels to drive all the speakers you have. So some (if you use one amp) are going to overlap. That's where external crossovers come in. To use on the speakers in place of the inputs to the amp or the amp itself.

OK. This is exactly where my head has been prior to CW's reply. I was confused by it.

Since I never got around to replacing the tweeters I installed in the rear door mids, I expect the passive JL crossovers I am using will send the higher frequency there.

This may work out better than I thought with only the 4ch amp bc of the little OE 'in line' crossovers for the dash mids. My bet is that they allow only the frequencies they want to the dash mids. My hope is that they will become a small but key part of the 'crossover network' including the passive JL's.

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/...small-copy.jpg

Sorry, should have expanded. As Crowz said, different speakers are designed for different frequency ranges. Sending them different frequencies can cause damage (or poor reproduction). The DSP amplifier has 10 channels of amplification (and Xovers) + the subwoofer channel(s).

Typically, a combination of active (the crossovers in the amp) and passive (the crossovers included with component systems like your JL's) are used. You would usually set the amp's Xover network to full range and tune in the middle and let the passive Xovers for the components do the rest with splitting the correct frequencies to the correct driver.

Going full active (amplified Xover for each driver) in the e53 is the "ultimate" upgrade because of the number of speakers we have (10 not including subs) when replacing the DSP while keeping the factory speakers, or using a set of non-passively tuned aftermarket drivers. This is what I think I am going to do on my truck. But doing so will require 2 4 channel amplifiers, and using 2 channels on the android head unit's internal amp. I am also going with JL audio gear as I already have a 500/5 on hand. Will be a complicated install, but should provide me with hours of fun toiling over the minutia of tuning each set of speakers. :D

Below is a set of e53 DSP speakers for illustration. I have BSW setup, but those are also not filtered or Xover'd in any way as they were designed as a drop in replacement for the factory DSP drivers.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/VVUAA...hd/s-l1600.jpg

Is the subwoofer in the picture from bsw as well?

sub for future reference. so far I just have a JL sub and the stealth box

The sub in the pic directly above yours is the factory unit for E53's so equipped.

No, all of the gear pictured is factory OEM DSP setup. I was just posting for illustration of exactly how many speakers the factory DSP amplifier handles for powering and tuning.

Makes for a very complicated install if going for a full one for one replacement using OEM DSP or BSW type speakers. Hopefully I wasn't confusing anyone. :D

You can get away with less equipment if you are using replacement speakers like Propellerhead is. You can get away with a single 4 channel amplifier if doing that. But you will lose the upper dash speakers if you don't use the head unit's amplification to handle those... and I'm not sure you'd be able to filter the frequencies enough on them, depends what type of Xover settings the head unit offers.

I have upgraded speakers and subwoofer with dedicated amp from BSW. Purchased many years ago. When I installed the Seicane unit I had difficulty with DSP staying on. The 'usual' fixes didn't work so in the end I went to a custom audio shop. We talked about adding an amp for speakers and eliminating DSP amp. I would have needed two amps and the speakers all rewired. Not worth it to me. DSP is now working fine and system sounds great.

Hi beredliner,

I know you solved the dsp issue with your seicane install. Can you share with us how you did that?

It is important to say I am not positive of the proper connections. Also, I think I am the only one here that actually has the Seicane unit installed in a vehicle with DSP. After many attempts at suggested fixes I took it to an audio shop. I had several problems that were interrelated including a failing DSP amp. After replacing the DSP amp they used a $10,000 plus tester to sort the rest out.

However, if I understood what the experts told me, the proper connection is to run a wire from the wire labeled amp or amp control at the Seicane unit connector in the front to the wire labeled amp or amp control on the Seicane harness in the rear. My suggestion is to do a test install over the seats and see if you lose sound after 20 seconds. If so, try this fix.

That seems too easy to believe, bcredliner. I’ll probably be the only other 4.6 owner with dsp to attempt install of the 9” seicAne. I do love the big screen and will look for the newer model with android 8 and 4gb ram. Still their website is not offering official support for dsp models, makes me a bit uneasy about moving forward.
I certainly don’t have a 10,000 dollar trouble shooting machine to assist me if the install goes wrong. :(

Don't expect support from Seicane. I have tried many times. The process is to send an email to China and they don't respond for at least 24 hours. They obviously understand very little english and all questions go to sales then they ask tech and then tech responds to sales and sales interprets what tech said and the resulting answer doesn't have anything to do with the question. Or they ask a question because they misinterpret my question. I would try to find an audio installer familiar with Android based units (all are very similar) for input prior to purchase so if you get stuck you have a go to expert.

Initially, I was sold on the Dynavin unit but went Android based because I can add new apps and updates keeping it from getting obsolete longer. If I hadn't had several other problems that complicated solving the no sound problem I wouldn't have needed help from an installer with high tech equipment.

Sorry for the delay, changed my build. Still Jl audio all the way, but changing my amp selection and adding the fix 86. Its gonna be a couple more weeks. I was rear ended 2 weeks ago on the freeway and my x goes in tomorrow to the shop to start the repair. Figured I should wait til they finish before I install. I did do some sound deadening on my doors though! I'll do the rear end when it's back from the body shop. Updates and pictures should come in a couple weeks. Once again sorry for the delay.

So it took forever, but almost done.
 

2006 4.8is.
I originally got a jl audio fix 86 to correct the signal for my new amp, but that didn't work. For some reason it wouldn't create a full signal. Finally decided to get a new deck. Seicane android 8.0. Unfortunately it didn't come with the canbus so my steering volume controls don't work yet. Seicane has terrible customer service, just an fyi. I replaced my door speakers with jl audio c3 600 components. They fit perfectly into the stock plastic baskets that the original speakers were in. Just some silicone or liquid nails to hold them in place. I ended up putting the crossovers in the doors with double sided tape, gorilla tape. I ran 14 guage wire all the way from the back to each door. The rubber boot from door to frame was tricky, but after some brute strength and cuss words, I figured it out. When you unscrew the boot, there is a large connector. On the top of the connector, there is a small wing pointing upward. I cut that off with snips and that gave enough space for the wire. I used a wire worm, got it from Crutchfield. Taped the wire to it, slathered it in hand soap for lubrication, and it slipped right through. Big pain because there weren't any videos on rewiring door speakers or how to take apart the trim to run wires so I just cussed alot and got through it. As for the tweeters, they were part of the components, 1" tweeters. The factory location is larger so I used foam water line insulation. Bought a piece, cut 1" pieces that fit right around the speaker, then double sided tape on the outside to keep them from moving. They didn't really need the tape, just squeezing the foam tight and stuffing it in should do the trick.
I pretty much copied the amp location from bavarian sound. I fit a jl audio xd700 5v2 5 channel amp. It has enough power to run my speakers at peak rms. I'm still waiting on the jl audio stealth box to arrive so for now I'm using a ported jl audio 10w6 until it arrives.
It sounds Amazing! Compared to stock anyways. I may in the future upgrade the jl audio c2 to a c3 or c5, but they're pretty expensive. I have not yet installed the fro t and rear cameras, or the tv tuner. I'm taking a break til the sub enclosure shows up. I will post a few pictures of the wiring through the door and the tweeter install after I get the sub installed. Oh, also put sound deadened in the doors, you can barely hear anything outside the truck while inside its thumping! No rattles. Windows dow. You can hear it down the block.

Hey guys,

I have a 2003 E53, non-navigation, non DSP.

I went to the crutchfield site (which is great btw) and looked up speakers for my e53.

If I want to upgrade the sound of my car, can I just buy the speakers they sell, will that be a good enough upgrade to the car?

I pretty much want the easiest sound upgrade possible without sacrificing space in the car. Would I need to buy an amp and/or sub also?

Thanks!

It depends how particular you are. I'm not an audiophile. I upgraded my speakers and added a subwoofer with amp from BSW many years ago. It was a significant improvement and I feel it was well worth the expense. About a year ago I replaced my factory unit with an Android based unit. The sound is another leap forward and was all I wanted to spend.

Where did you put the subwoofer and amp?

I was thinking of doing speakers and an amp. I wouldn't know where to put a subwoofer, as I need all of the trunk space and can't have a sub taking up space.

I purchased a kit from Bavarian Sound Werks. I don't think they offer anything for a 2003 anymore. I have read about many other routes members have gone that are plug and play as well as custom installations. If you don't get input you need in this thread I suggest starting a thread asking for suggestions. There are subwoofers that will fit behind the hatch where the fuse box is in the back and amps that will mount behind the hatch on the drivers side.