Improving the standard sound of the BMW X5 F15
What can I say about this project? The client asked for improved sound, and we know how to do that at BMW like a pro. Familiar components that have never failed, concealed speaker installation in the factory locations, a processor to conduct the entire “orchestra” of new speakers—the secret to achieving powerful emotions from the new sound is simple.
It’s also worth noting that in this case, the client actually chose the speakers (although we’re usually trusted to select all components). We gave them a choice between two brands: Audison and Blam. Audison excels with its versatility (it handles any musical genre) and naturalness (there’s no obvious coloration in the highs, mids, or lows). Blam has a brighter high end, which is both a good and a bad thing—it’s a matter of personal preference.
The owner of a BMW X5 F15 chose Blam speakers (front and rear). We decided on under-seat subwoofers from Audison—they produce good bass, better than Blams, in our subjective opinion. Bass is crucial for us in projects like this, as two 20-speaker speakers under the BMW seats are all we have for low frequencies. Few customers opt for a full-size subwoofer.
So, the system composition is as follows:
- The sound source is the factory radio.
- We have an Audison AP F8.9 processor with an amplifier that works with the signal and amplifies all channels.
- At the front – a set of standard acoustics Blam BM 100 S
- To the rear – a set of standard Blam BM 100 C acoustics
- Under the seats are two 20 cm Audison APBMW S8-4 speakers.
- To avoid cutting the standard wires and connect the amplifier to the standard connector, we use the Audison Re-Amp cable.
- And a whole list of accessories for connection and installation (speaker and power cables, soundproofing materials)
Let’s clarify that this BMW has a factory Hi-Fi audio system. We’ll remove it and install a new one, leaving the interior and trunk of the car untouched (at least externally).
And one more thing: the car arrived to us supposedly with soundproofing, but upon opening it, it turned out to have some vibration insulation (applied only to the metal), which is clearly not enough for high-quality audio preparation. So we had to improve this (incidentally, this happens quite often in our practice).
Amplifier. The factory amplifier in the BMW X5 F15 is located in the trunk of the rear left fender. Find it and… throw it away!
Making room for a new amplifier with a processor:
The next step is to try on the new Audison AP F8.9 amplifier in place of the factory one.
Final switching and installation of power cables is complete:
Speakers. Installing them in a BMW is incredibly simple because the speaker shape is identical to the factory ones. So, just remove one speaker and install another in its place. The most important part (tuning) is still to come.
This is the front 10cm speaker from the Blam BM 100S kit in the front doors:
This is the standard speaker of the BMW X5 F15:
And this is the new speaker from the Blam BM 100C kit:
We filmed the process of replacing the speakers under the driver and passenger seats of a BMW X5 F15:
We’ll ensure unrivaled sound quality for your car. Rely on the professionalism and experience of our specialists!
A few photos of the BMW X5 F15 door audio prep, which we modified after unknown repairs (we mostly added what was missing to the door panels):
Finally, the most important step is setting up the audio system. We prepared two settings to choose from. The owner of a BMW X5 F15 ultimately found it difficult to choose between the two – each had its own advantages. Do you know what this ultimately resulted in a couple of months later? Buying a new car just to install a new sound system. It’s a joke, of course, but every joke has its advantages, as they say…
Какой результат мы в итоге получили? Отличный! Правда, хозяин этого автомобиля недолго ездил с новым звуком – буквально через несколько месяцев он пригнал нам свой новый автомобиль за новой аудиосистемой. И об этом проекте читайте уже в другой статье “Замена штатного звука Porsche Cayenne 2021”.
