BMW 5 G30 HiFi Audio System Replacement – Budget Option
This isn’t our first BMW, and the audio processor has always been the key component in each one. But not this time. The customer decided a standard amplifier would suffice; in any case, it was purely an experiment and a surefire way to save money.
So, the audio system composition looks like this:
- Source: factory headquarters
- At the front – two-component acoustics for standard installation Audison APBMW K4M (in the doors), and two 20 cm subwoofers Audison APBMW S8-2 (under the front seats)
- In the rear – two-component acoustics Audison APBMW K4E (in the rear shelf)
- Focal ICC BMW 100 Center Channel
- Audison SR 4.300 Four-Channel Amplifier
All components are installed in their standard locations, including the amplifier, which we placed next to the factory one.
We didn’t make any external changes to the car, the new sound appeared in the car unnoticed)
All eight Audison speakers we installed in this BMW G30 are identical in shape to the factory ones. Installation was very simple, thanks to the factory shape of the new speakers, but with improved sound.
Below are two photos, on the left is a factory BMW speaker (made in China), on the right is an Audison speaker (Italy). I think even someone who is far from car audio will be able to see the difference between the two samples. And this difference is clearly NOT in favor of the standard BMW acoustics.
The rear shelf is identical—they removed the factory-installed Chinese speakers and installed Audison ones instead. Again, no changes to the exterior.
The factory amplifier was moved a little (it was left because we take the audio signal from it), and our new Audison SR 4.300 was placed next to it.
Unfortunately, this link turned out to be the weakest link in the new audio system. This four-channel amplifier literally ties our hands in terms of sound settings. All this amplifier can do is amplify and deliver more power to the speakers. We can’t improve either the audio signal quality or the sound settings with this configuration. It can’t fully amplify each channel (in this case, we need eight channels, and the amplifier only has four). And the result is completely different from what we’re used to when using an audio processor rather than an amplifier.
The final cost difference was 20,000 UAH—that’s how much it would have cost had there been a processor. Yes, with a total budget of 46,000 UAH, that’s a significant amount, but believe me, compared to what a processor-based sound system could have been, 20,000 UAH is nothing!
To compensate for the lack of a processor, which creates beautiful musical scenes with the correct placement of vocals and instruments, we used a new speaker on the center channel this time. Having a processor is useless, but without it, it’s at least something.
So, what’s the bottom line? I’ll put it this way: if this BMW 5 Series G30 had a basic factory audio system, the above configuration would be justified. If the factory audio system is Hi-Fi or better, building a new audio system only makes sense with a processor!
Well, indulge yourself with good sound.
their BMWs)))
