Replacing the stock sound system on a BMW 5 G30
Another BMW, another factory audio system upgrade, another delighted customer and happy G30 owner. This time, no subwoofer, the factory audio upgrade process was split into two stages, and as always, all the new speakers were installed in the factory locations without any interior modifications!
The quarantine has changed the way many people manage their finances; in 2020, they’re spending money prudently and wisely. This BMW 5 Series G30 isn’t the only car whose owner decided to upgrade their car’s sound in stages—first by replacing the speakers all around, then installing a processor and amplifier, and then thoroughly tuning them.
This approach isn’t just about financial considerations; it also gives the car owner a real chance to hear the difference between a speaker-only upgrade and a processor and amplifier. This allows you to appreciate the benefits of a processor and understand why we (our studio) always emphasize the processor when installing speakers in factory locations. In short, we built this car in a few days, but the entire process took about two months. Overall, if we hadn’t broken the work down into stages, we would have spent just three days on the complete turnkey audio system.
This BMW 5 G30 has a basic configuration; it didn’t even have tweeters from the factory, and there weren’t even any standard places for them; there were plugs in the corners of the side mirrors.
Trying out the new side mirror corners, where we can easily install the high-frequency speakers from the selected kit on the front:
The car owner ordered these corners himself from Poland. They’re genuine BMW parts. Before the quarantine, they were easily available in Ukraine, but… quarantine…
This car features a single-brand audio system—all components are from the Italian brand Audison. The front end features a BMW Audison APBMW K4M speaker system for installation in the factory locations:
We mounted the included midrange speaker in the door (the crossover is also nearby), and the tweeters in the corners of the side mirrors. No cutting or modifications required; all components fit perfectly in the designated locations in the car.
As always, we compare the stock speakers with the new ones, and as always, we see the design differences that greatly affect the final sound.
And these are the new speakers in the standard BMW locations:
The rear speakers in the BMW 5 Series G30 are located in the rear shelf. The standard configuration lacks tweeters not only in the front, but also in the rear. Even the addition of tweeters in the front and rear noticeably changes the overall sound experience.
We take out the factory speakers from there and install the Audison ones:
We’ll replace the factory 16cm midbass speakers, located under the driver and passenger seats, with 20cm Audison subwoofers. We’ll give them maximum power to emphasize the low frequencies, which is important because this audio system doesn’t have a subwoofer.
The Audison APBMW S8-4 subwoofer is already in its enclosure:
The second step in building a BMW 5 Series G30 audio system is the amplifier. Our amplifier is an eight-channel, two-in-one system with a processor (or vice versa). We often choose the Audison AP F8.9 as the basis for the audio system. This device is a powerful amplifier and an advanced processor with a multitude of settings. I call it a universal fighter—it can be used to build a basic audio system, or even a higher-end one (as was the case in the 2019 VW Multivan T6).
We’re installing the process in the BMW rear fender. We’re making a plywood platform, attaching the Audison to it, and using the factory mounting points for the entire structure. We’re configuring and customizing it.
As always when installing an amplifier, we use a fuse in the bulb:
The final configuration of the new audio system (front and rear speakers via crossovers, under-seat subwoofers with a bridge):
We measured the signal on each channel, and the signal in this BMW was not at all impressive (compare the signal in the Mercedes E-Class W213):
Of course, we used the de-equalization function.
Click to view the video to hear what a BMW 5 G30 owner had to say after taking his car for a spin with the new sound:
