My E46 Bmw 3 series Coupe install *UPDATED almost FINISHED*

pimptacular · Last edited by pimptacular on Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:37 pm; edited 6 times in total

So, I finally decided to get back into car audio after my car i used to use for competition was unfortunately written off..
Now I do this as a hobby and I am not that good with power tools with power tools so excuse any ugly looking baffles Laughing

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So this would be basically a build log and I will try to post as much pictures and answer any questions as best as I can. Also this will take a while as I don't have a lot of free time on my hands these days.

MY EQUIPMENT:

For those of you know knows me know how much I love my Oz audio speakers as they are pretty damn good speakers and its a bit different to what everyone else uses.

Component set- Oz audio 380cs which is a 3way component set that will be actively crossed up front.

Subwoofer- Oz Audio Matrix Elite 12" dual 4 subwoofer (at least for the moment)
picture below is of the 10" not the 12" I'm feeling too lazy to go into the garage to take a picture of the actual 12

Amplifiers- All three amplifiers are DLS Ultimate.
DLS A2 (two channel)
DLS A4 (four channel)
DLS a6 (mono

Click for full-size.

Headunit and Processor-
I'll be using the Alpine IVA-D310 HU and the Pxa-H701 sound processor which I've had for a while now just collecting dust lol.

as for cables and wiring I haven't purchased it yet an will be looking into that this week and more pictures will be posted maybe tomorrow when outside is not so freaking cold.

So I hope you enjoy my build log and wish me luck, as I said I will try to update as soon as I can

X_Factor · Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 11:58 pm Post subject:

nice, awaits pics
good luck in the build

loudsound · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:51 am Post subject:

BMW + DLS = PRETTY INSTALL
Twisted Evil

(...Rovin...) · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:55 am Post subject:

nice equipment

look forward to seeing d build pics ...

SnipeR · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:38 am Post subject:

Loving that lineup! Will keep checking for updates Wink

noyztoyz · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:23 am Post subject:

amps looking good man,

are you local, yesterday wasnt that cold

Aimar · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:47 am Post subject:

Why not use the passives Question

southside connections · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:47 am Post subject:

great, glad to see some work from you

rollingstock · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:52 am Post subject:

Nice components.

pimptacular · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:24 am Post subject:

SR · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:01 pm Post subject:

florida aint cold

hope this is finished by march eh

kurpal_v2 · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:33 pm Post subject:

Stewps.... Bout damn effing time

pimptacular · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:49 pm Post subject:

SR · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:28 pm Post subject:

the 701 will fit on the left side of trunk behing the panel

the easiest thing in the bmw is running power

good luck with running wires from behind the dash

the glove box HAS to come out completley to get proper access
esepcailly if you are using a harness adapter

also due to the padding on the flooring its a tight fit but you can get the wires to run without having to remove the entire carpet

recomend removing the seats though

14c is not bad just as long as it doesnt drop below 10

besides

habla espanol

plenty spanish ting to keep yuh warm

Soundstream_626 · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:42 pm Post subject:

what; u actually take time off from whoring to start d install ... great .

u still running a full sized spare or using a mini compressor and a tin of run flat?

SR · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:04 pm Post subject:

who uses a spare in a bmw Mr. Green

noyztoyz · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:31 pm Post subject:

anyone from your block or nearby has a dred bassline?

adopson · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:08 pm Post subject:

nice equipment here buddy.. hot glue and silicone ftw Laughing

pimptacular · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject:

SR boy them latina you hadda be careful because most of them are jailbait so i hadda ask for id before i make a move lol..
also thats the good thing about a bmw most of the wiring done in the trunk because of the battery located in the trunk..

Soundstream_626, i know eh is about effin time an all but i a bit skeptical of taking out my spare..i remembered a time when i was in trinidad i get a flat an i was far from home but ill look at my mounting locations first when i scrap the trunk then ill decide if i going down there..

i still lookin for speaker and power wires..as for rca cables i lookin at the ixos

BLUE_CP9A · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:03 pm Post subject:

Liking this a lot.

Why not use DLS for the front stage?

Look forward to the build pics

pimptacular · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:52 pm Post subject:

i hav all this equipment a while now..oz audio was something different to try at that point in time and it still is plus it has always been good to me so i never saw any point to changing it..

silent_riot · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:11 am Post subject:

Plus the OZ sounds great.
BMWs renowned for their kickpanel space. If you can fit the midbass in there as well in a separate chamber, try that.

Sully · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:31 am Post subject:

Is there a spare in this? Some of the 3 series I looked at here didn't come with a spare because they all come with run flat tires. That's the sales pitch that I got.

madman.devin · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:13 pm Post subject:

^^ run flats give a crappy ride but corners like crazy !

Sweet Build .... guess I'll have to come up to get a listen, lol.

Sully · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:50 pm Post subject:

carfreak1024 · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:59 pm Post subject:

we took the run flats off the my bros BMW 330i and it rides and corners better now. you can throw that thing into the corners on the uriah butler by UWI going 120-130Mph, and the stretch after bhagwansinghs till trincity mall the car can hit top speed 155-160mph and still feels stable throughout.

we planning to do an install in the car soon, its an e92 BTW, but he trying to figure out whether he wanna go bang out style or SQ style.

rigman00 · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:36 pm Post subject:

allyuh starting to spam the man thread......pimp looking foward to see what u come up wit its long overdue

pimptacular · Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 1:31 am Post subject:

thanx rigman an try to keep it more on the talk of audio than of tires.. and rigman u know u of all people know how long over due it is lol..i will be trying my best to get it done over the next few weeks

so

for the 701 after doing some reading up online and reading the manual a bit

Front 1 will be used for tweeters
Front 2 will be used for the midbass
Rear will be used for the midrange
Sub for sub

a fun little fact i picked up reading online is that you CAN use the center to run a mono rearfill but i will experiment with later on after i get the system up and running

i went to audio logic in hollywood and "hifi" mike and charlie dixon was very helpful when getting wiring, dashkit, wiring harness etc. and great guys to deal with

most likely tomorrow im hoping to scrap the trunk and look at possible routes for wiring, mounting locations of the amp and processor and hu brain.

Also ill only be dampening the doors and my trunk lid..good thing bmw has pretty decent noise dampening Mr. Green

the sub will be firing through the flip down piece in the back seat, which is a big plus compared the the e46 I had in trinidad where the back seats weren't able to fold down so the trunk was 1 big metal casket stifiling the JL W7's bass

The subwoofer enclosure will be sealed didn't do any calculations yet to figure out what size will be using yet.

But SR i bite that talk when i was building the mazda and end up with a flat tire a few months after Laughing

but when im done all is welcome if you come florida hit me up and you'll get a listen.. Mr. Green

carfreak1024 · Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 2:15 am Post subject:

this build lookin like it goin and be really nicely done, yuh already start with the best products, i hope yuh finish it up with a best install.

but just asking are you gonna reuse the stock locations for the components.
i mean midbass under the seats, midrange on the doors, and tweeters in the panel, or are you fabricating pieces to do get your own mounting positions. also by using the system with an active crossover system, will you be limiting your stereo capabilities and make your system mono.

never did active as yet just asking.

pimptacular · Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:53 am Post subject:

carfreak1024, i personally prefer simple installs than flashy so it would be very simply done, the wiring is whats going to really be the most difficult part i belive as i have to run, fresh speaker wire, rca, power, fiber optic, ipod, steering , video bypass ai net etc..(but not as crazy an as painful as the wiring jeff sometimes has lol)

well in my model it came with the upgraded harman kardon system which i mean will satisfy the average listener but anyhow i will be looking to reuse the stock locations, tweeters go on the doors by the handle, the 4" midrange driver will be in fabricated pods by the kicks..LHD ftw

the midbass is what is going to be the painful part really as bmw the e46 afaik attach the speakers to the door upholstery and not to the door itself..so there isnt any hole in the door like most cars but more a recession but even this isnt enough clearance for my midbass

so what im going to do is cut a hole in that recession area so i can get clearance needed to mount the woofer..I didnt have this problem with the boston acoustics i had in the other e46 as the magnet was smaller ..

actually quite opposite with an active x over i actually wont be limited but will have so many different options wrt db slopes, cross points etc.. passive system doesnt readily allow that altho there are some passives that allow some variation..

as for the mono in the rearfill is more about phasing ..but i havent experimented with rear fill in a sq car before so my knowledge is limited to that of what ive heard and read online..but from speaking to a few people who know more about it said if done correctly can add ambiance and depth to your soundstage so that will be something to experiment with and try later on.

hope that answers your questions