Upgrading the BMW X6’s stock audio system – replacing the fake Hi-Fi with the real deal!
The penultimate project of 2022. In December, when Kyiv was being shelled by missiles and drones, we continued working, and our customers still wanted to listen to high-quality music. As we and our customers know, the factory BMW audio system doesn’t sound great (and our list of projects confirms this), so the owner of a BMW X6 G06 contacted us with a request to fix this. Well, we know a thing or two about improving BMW audio!
The standard audio system in this car was the next best thing to the basic one—Hi-Fi. Many people like its sound, but this level of quality is only suitable if you’re listening to the radio in the background. Only then is the standard audio sufficient.
Customer request
- The owner of a BMW X6 G06 came to us with a specific request – to significantly improve the stock sound using our Option 4 (reasonable) from the article “How to improve the sound in a car”, where we use a separate processor and separate amplifiers.
- The owner of a BMW X6 G06 wanted exclusively Blam Signature acoustics – we are all for it!
- Implement a completely hidden installation of all equipment without altering the interior – it’s done!
The list of equipment we used to replace the stock sound system is as follows (I’ll say ahead of time that this list is a compromise; in wartime conditions, the equipment selection is limited). But one of the client’s requests was: I want a Blam system in my car. Well, in this case, we fully support that wish!
Equipment list for BMW X6 G06:
- The processor is the most important thing. Without it, improving the sound in a modern car is futile, costly, and ineffective. In this audio system, we used the Helix DSP 3S processor.
- Amplifiers (we used three units in this project) were a GroundZero GZHA Mini One K monoblock for the subwoofer, a two-channel one for the under-seat woofers, and a four-channel GroundZero GZHA Mini Four for the mid/high frequencies in the doors.
- Front acoustics – 20 cm underseat speakers that act as midbass speakers and have a specific basket shape that is ideal for standard BMW seats – GroundZero GZCS 200BMW-SW4 + two-piece set of 10 cm Blam Signature speakers
- The rear is also a Blam Signature S100N24+ set
- For subwoofers, we used two Ground Zero GZTW 10F flat-panel speakers. We would have liked to use Focal Flax speakers for this project, but they were out of stock in Ukraine at the time.
- Acoustics soundproofing materials for door treatment.
- Copper power and acoustic wires.
ACOUSTICS FOR BMW X6 G06
As for the acoustics, we successively replace the tweeters in the corners of the side mirrors, the midrange speakers in the front doors, the under-seat midbass speakers under the driver and passenger seats, and, finally, the speakers in the rear doors.
A little about replacing the tweeters: we’re installing them in their original locations without any modifications. As usual, we’re comparing them to the factory ones. The difference isn’t as noticeable visually as it is with midbass speakers, for example, but believe me, it’s there! I’m talking about the difference in sound.
We’re replacing the factory 10-centimeter cardboard speakers in the front doors with Blam speakers, which make the sound much brighter and more vibrant. The new speakers mount to the standard BMW mounting points.
As for the speakers located under the front seats, everything is standard (for us, anyway) – replacing BMW speakers with new ones is very simple. Just a few steps and you’re done. This is all thanks, of course, to the aftermarket speaker’s specific shape, exactly the same as the factory one.
Немного процесса:
As always, we compare factory and aftermarket speakers so you can see the difference and understand why there’s such a difference in sound quality:
The new Ground Zero speaker is in its place—under the driver’s seat. The factory speaker, by the way, is also in its place—in the trash can.
BMW X6 Amplifiers and Processor
This stage is always the most challenging and creative, as it’s not easy to discreetly install four devices (three car amplifiers and one audio processor) in the hidden corners of a BMW. Especially since we’ve never installed four devices in a BMW X6 before.
So, first we took everything apart, inspected all the available cavities and niches, and then discussed the best way to position all the components, not forgetting that we also needed somewhere to house the enclosure’s dual-speaker subwoofer. What a challenge!
When I mentioned four devices, I was mistaken—I completely forgot that for proper wiring, we need a power distributor, which also takes up a fair amount of space and could be considered another device. So, five devices need to be hidden in our BMW X6…
For four of them, we fabricated a vertical support for the left trunk niche. The structure is firmly and securely attached to the stock mounting points without drilling new holes. We first relocated the stock amplifier to make room for the new support.
Subwoofer for BMW X6 G06
The subwoofer’s goal was to deliver low, powerful bass. The client has a 12″ subwoofer in another car, and they wanted a similar size. After some thought and discussion, they decided to build an enclosure for two 10″ Ground Zero GZTW 10F speakers. At the time of installation, these were among the few speakers with a shallow mounting depth available. This solution also benefited from the fact that the trunk’s interior remained unchanged, so no modifications were required.
New car audio for the BMW X6 G06 was created during power outages.
The GroundZero GZHA Mini One K subwoofer amplifier is mounted on the enclosure, with the cables neatly and securely secured. The enclosure itself is securely bolted to the standard spare tire mounting point via a metal plate. While the enclosure can’t be easily removed, it’s not necessary in this car, as all the components are neatly arranged in niches.
Let’s sum it up
The sound has improved dramatically, and the car has a new, vibrant, and driving sound. There’s plenty of power and volume, and the dual subwoofer has proven itself, with enough bass for any genre of music. We think this is a very interesting project with a fantastic result!
And here is the customer’s review a few days later
