Processor audio system for BMW 5 E60 to replace the standard sound
Loving music means loving it wherever you can listen to it—the car is no exception. Love implies respect; in my opinion, when you love music, you can never listen to it in poor quality. This isn’t just about loving music, it’s also about loving and respecting yourself.
The owner of a BMW 5 Series E60 came to us with a request to improve the factory sound. We drew on our experience in this case—we’ve built enough BMWs to know exactly what equipment package to offer to achieve the best results in the shortest possible time and at the lowest possible cost. The suggested package included a standard setup, all speakers from the Audison Prima series:
For amplification, we chose an eight-channel amplifier with a processor. This single device could handle many tasks—energizing all the speakers in the new audio system, improving the signal from the factory radio, and properly positioning and emphasizing all frequencies for the main listener—the driver. We had a total of eight channels: the front speakers were connected via a crossover (two channels to the front speakers), two channels to the rear, and the under-seat speakers were bridged for greater power and, consequently, bass response (four channels to the under-seat speakers).
We’re replacing the underseat speakers in a BMW 5 Series E60. This is where we usually see the biggest improvement in sound quality, because swapping out the factory-installed 16 cm speakers for new 20 cm ones (in our case, it’s Audison, but we also really liked the GroundZero speakers available in Ukraine) always yields a noticeable improvement in sound. Bass is enhanced. We often debate whether two 20 cm speakers are sufficient for a full-fledged bass system in a BMW, or whether a full-fledged subwoofer with a 25 cm driver is actually necessary. I’ll say this: a subwoofer is always necessary, but sometimes, as in our case, you can do without it.
This is what the Audison speaker looks like, which is used to replace the factory under-seat speaker in a BMW E60 (by the way, this model can be installed in most other BMWs, right up to the latest models):
As usual, we compare the design of factory speakers and the ones we install instead. Factory speakers tend to have a simplified and primitive design.
How much has the installer’s life become easier, yet more complicated? On the one hand, it’s so easy to replace the speakers in a BMW (unscrew a couple of bolts, remove the factory speaker, and screw in a new one), and yet how difficult is adjusting them later, because their locations are, to put it mildly, simply terrible for sound:
We install all the speakers in the standard BMW locations, using the standard mounting points. Externally, both the factory speakers and the new ones from Audison look almost identical in terms of design, but they, of course, sound different.
BMW 5 E60 door with new speaker from the Audison APBMW K4M kit
It’s a similar story with the rear speakers – both are installed in their standard locations.
The amplifier in this BMW wasn’t mounted in the rear fender, as in newer models, but the old-fashioned way—under the rear parcel shelf in the trunk. It looks rugged, but it’s neat, reliable, safe, and, most importantly, it sounds great!
First, the technicians positioned the amplifier like this:
But then they found a solution that was better from all sides:
Don’t forget about such an inconspicuous but important detail as a fuse and grounding; everything is packaged according to Feng Shui:
Well, we put everything together, took a breather, tuned it up, listened, and were satisfied. The car looked the same as before, but the music sounded different.
