[shellbmb]

Just curious if anyone has added a subwoofer to their B&W system. And if so, how easy it is and where do you tap into? Obviously the battery is very easy to access in the trunk, but curious where you would tap into a signal. My plan is to take it to a reputable stereo place to see what can be done. I'll update this thread if nobody else chimes in.

[Who's on first]

Sub'd

[MF Larry]

any info on what sub and where you put it in the car please let me know I want to do the same for my harmon kardon

[slavearm]

Struggling to find a nice clean install location as well. IF someone comes up with a good idea for this I might follow suit.

[BeastM5C]

Following....interesting topic

[BlueBMWM5CP]

I agree the B&W sounds great with excellent recorded sources but missing a true sub with separate adjustment.

I have B&W 802's at home and been fan of hifi audio since young kid but it seems regular driving around music does not sound as good as it could in the M5 B&W system.

It's extremely clear but missing warmth if someone figures out how to fix this let me know.

I almost wonder if the HK is better for everyday music seems to have more warmth smoother highs and deeper bass when listing to average recordings but the brand and the lights sold me lol.

Has anyone else had this issue or do I need to play with the EQ more

Plus the exhaust sounds so fantastic with engine in Sport Plus with transmission in D3 I keep turning off the sound system!

[stbm5]

The HK is far worse. Trust me.

[M5speed]

I tried putting a box in with a real strong amp and in addition to taking up too much space, I felt like it slowed the car down with the speaker and amp together weighing 75-100 lbs, plus in addition it was very difficult to get sound to pass into the car with the car being so sound proof.

My other thought would be to try to better on the under seat subwoofer I believe this car has, but that may be tough as the sub is already extremely well tuned for the system.

Im still not 100% sure there is a sub under the front seats, but thats what my audio guy told me.

[shellbmb]

Couple of things I found out today. There is a very small sub under both front seats. Just move the seat all the way forward and you can see it from the rear seats. It's very small and I'm surprised that's all they did for the upgraded B&W system. I'm not going to waste my time trying to replace that.

Also, stopped by my local car stereo place. JL Audio makes an enclosure that has two 8" 8W3v3 speakers in it. It fits perfect in our trunk. See attached picture. They also make a powered version of this, but it's a bit wider. They didn't have one in stock so I couldn't test fitment of that one. And it only weighs 32 pounds.

I think there are ample places in the trunk to get a speaker level input for a converter as aren't the amps for the system housed behind the liners? Adding an amp should be easy since the battery is in the trunk. The only thing they'd have to run up front is a bass control knob.

So overall it seems fairly easy to add. Box w/ speakers is about $500 on sale. So not cheap. Amp can range from 250-600 depending on which level JL amp you go with. So I figure 1000-1500k with misc parts and labor.

[M5speed]

Getting the sound into the car with the seats up will be interesting. I wish it were less insulated.

[shellbmb]

Originally Posted by M5speed

Getting the sound into the car with the seats up will be interesting. I wish it were less insulated.

Talked to another shop and they recommend a custom enclosure with the speaker mounted directly behind the ski pass-through opening. That's the weakest part of the sealed trunk so in his experience, that allows for the best sound into the cabin. He was recommending a JL Tw3 compact speaker in a custom sealed enclosure.

[stbm5]

i wonder if these could drop in under the seat

http://www.jlaudio.com/13tw5v2-4-car...-drivers-92183

[shellbmb]

Originally Posted by stbm5

i wonder if these could drop in under the seat

http://www.jlaudio.com/13tw5v2-4-car...-drivers-92183

I don't see how. The existing driver is maybe an 8" with minimal if any enclosure. These TW subs still need some air.

[stbm5]

i didn't see the size of the B&W, definitely won't fit. on my f82 i replaced the woofers with the BavSound ghost subs but wasn't all that impressed with the difference. probably the most knowledgeable outfit to figure out options is musicarnw.com

[r33_RGSport]

I have done a research on how to get this done and basic cost of doing external sub.
But, my local customer got held up with the improvement that it will make, since the trunk insulation on G30/F90 is very very good.
I used do custom audio system 20 years ago, custom box, wiring, etc.
The only way to get the bass to pass through the insulation is to create a pass through port to the cabin or open up the ski-pass through.

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by stbm5

i didn't see the size of the B&W, definitely won't fit. on my f82 i replaced the woofers with the BavSound ghost subs but wasn't all that impressed with the difference. probably the most knowledgeable outfit to figure out options is musicarnw.com

I believe all BMW underseat woofer are the same size regardless of the option.

[shellbmb]

Originally Posted by r33_RGSport

I have done a research on how to get this done and basic cost of doing external sub.
But, my local customer got held up with the improvement that it will make, since the trunk insulation on G30/F90 is very very good.
I used do custom audio system 20 years ago, custom box, wiring, etc.
The only way to get the bass to pass through the insulation is to create a pass through port to the cabin or open up the ski-pass through.

I'm in the same situation as it's hard to commit without knowing how much an improvement it will make. I've talked to three different people and they all have different ideas!

Do you know where the best place is to tap into the system to get speaker level inputs? Are the amps housed behind the trunk lining? I'd like to have a general idea of what to do before I just let somebody start ripping up my car.

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by shellbmb

I'm in the same situation as it's hard to commit without knowing how much an improvement it will make. I've talked to three different people and they all have different ideas!

Do you know where the best place is to tap into the system to get speaker level inputs? Are the amps housed behind the trunk lining? I'd like to have a general idea of what to do before I just let somebody start ripping up my car.

BMW usually put it in the sides of the trunk. Lately it has been on the driver side.
I haven't checked where it is since I don't plan to do anything to my G30.
But, my wild guess would be on the driver side.

[elitex]

I already did this to my car. Added a JL Audio 12w6 in a sealed box. No need for pass through, plenty of bass makes it in the cabin.

[shellbmb]

Originally Posted by elitex

I already did this to my car. Added a JL Audio 12w6 in a sealed box. No need for pass through, plenty of bass makes it in the cabin.

Thanks for the information. Was it a custom box, or did you buy one of JL Audio's pre-fab boxes/driver setup? If so, which one? JL amp as well?

Are you pleased with the result?

[Who's on first]

Originally Posted by shellbmb

Thanks for the information. Was it a custom box, or did you buy one of JL Audio's pre-fab boxes/driver setup? If so, which one? JL amp as well?

Are you pleased with the result?

Great questions. I also would like to know his answer.

[marcusnilsjohan]

I have ordered a lc2i, and a kicker active subwoofer.

I also ordered cable harness from Technic.

I hope this will improve the bases in my F90 with B&W speakers.