Replacing the stock Hi-Fi audio system in a 2020 BMW X5 G05 with a processor-based sound system
The owner of a 2020 BMW X5 (G05 body style) contacted our studio with a request to install a system in place of the factory Hi-Fi audio system. After clarifying what kind of equipment we would be installing in this challenging car, we decided to give it a try – after all, we had no experience working with a brand-new BMW, and our hands were itching to tackle this project.
The car arrived at our studio with just 500 km on the odometer, and we had this equipment in our hands:
- Audison Bit Ten audio processor (removed from the owner’s previous car)
- Focal Solid 4 amplifier (a fairly budget-friendly 4-channel amplifier that has long been discontinued, but is still alive and kicking in cars all over the world)
- A set of standard Blam BM 100S acoustics (includes a 10 cm center speaker and tweeters)
- Set of under-seat subwoofers (or midbass) Blam BM 200 XF
The source of the sound remains the standard BMW head unit:
First, we carefully listened to what BMW offers its customers in the Hi-Fi class—it’s always interesting to see what the competition is up against. While, for example, a Toyota (even with the factory JBL audio system) isn’t particularly impressive, the factory BMW sound is generally acceptable; at least, it’s dynamic, spacious, and quite versatile. Personally, I even doubted we’d be able to achieve a significant improvement in the sound in this car, but as it turns out, it was in vain.
So, we’re deciding where to install the existing equipment. The speakers and subwoofers are relatively straightforward—they’ll fit in the stock locations. We’re planning to mount the processor and amplifier in the trunk under the false panel. We’re also trying out a compact Audison subwoofer—if the underseat space proves too small, we’ll know that it can be installed in the car without much effort or modification.
The front door of the BMW X5 G05, into which we will install the Blam acoustic kit, will not change externally and will have a factory appearance:
Let’s start with the simple – with preparing the standard locations for installing the midrange speakers and tweeters in the doors and under the driver’s and passenger’s seats for the subwoofers.
We pre-prepare the doors, treating the plastic plug with vibration insulation for greater rigidity and the door panel with sound-absorbing material:
Installing the Blam BM 100 S speakers is simple: just mount the 10-centimeter midrange drivers in their standard locations, with the crossovers nearby:
At the same time, we compared the factory speakers and Blam:
We mounted the tweeters from the Blam BM 100S kit into the corners of the side mirrors. Unlike the Audison, which easily snaps into the corner, the Blam required a little more time to ensure the tweeter was firmly secured in the corner.
We’ll be installing the Blam BM 200 XF underseat subwoofers in their stock locations. Disassembling the subwoofers revealed a bit of a tinkering process, as the speaker enclosure design was slightly different from those seen on earlier or other BMWs. The speaker was sealed into the enclosure, and simply swapping one speaker for another wouldn’t have saved us.
I had to use a hair dryer to heat up the plastic case with the factory under-seat mid-bass speaker in order to remove it and securely attach the new Blam subwoofer.
After some tinkering with the subwoofer housing, we got the result: the new speaker looks exactly like the stock one, but it will definitely sound better!
Now comes the fun part! Where did we get the signal? The BMW X5 G05’s factory radio doesn’t output a traditional analog signal, nor does it output a signal via the optical bus, as was the case in previous BMW models. In newer BMWs, the signal is routed via the new digital Ethernet bus, which hasn’t yet been addressed. Therefore, we sourced the signal from the factory amplifier’s outputs. From the factory amplifier, we sourced the signal from the front speakers (two channels for the front doors) and the under-seat subwoofers (two channels). We fed these four channels into a processor, which combined the signal into a full-bandwidth signal and de-equalized the signal, which removes any uneven frequency response from the factory amplifier. After this, the signal is fed to a Focal Solid 4 four-channel amplifier, which then returns the signal to the factory speakers through the wiring.
The Focal Solid 4 amplifier and Audison Bit Ten audio processor were installed under a false panel in the trunk. To securely mount the two devices, our technicians fabricated hidden bases from moisture-resistant, painted plywood, which they sealed to the BMW body. The amplifier and processor were then mounted on the base.
The height of the amplifier and processor bases was measured so that the final installation would look concise and without unnecessary details:
The processor setup in the BMW X5 G05 was carried out, as usual, in two stages: first, automatic setup using the professional Audison Bit Tune system, then manual fine-tuning to achieve the full listening experience.
Since this car came with the BMW Hi-Fi audio system, which has a center channel, we had to decide whether to leave it on or turn it off. After trying both options, we turned the center channel off—the sound was more accurate and clear without it.
