Upgrading HiFi Speakers - 2013 135i

[z0mghii]

I recently picked up a CPO 2013 135i and everything has been great except the speakers. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but coming from an E46 with the Harman Kardon speakers (which I was extremely happy with), the speakers in the 135i are very lacking. I have no clue how sound works or what I'd need. Ideally, I'd like an easy, cheap, quick (plug n play?) upgrade that will match the sound quality of my E46. My budget is $750 for now, but can change depending on comments.

Here's 3 options I've researched into so far from google or other threads:
https://www.bavsound.com/Stage-One/Buy-Now/
http://www.focal-america.com/lines/plugandplay/
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/t3-bmw2

- Bavsound seems to be the cheapest option, but not too sure how sound quality is, if it's on par with the harman kardon on my e46, i'm sold!
- Focal america has two models the IFBMW-C and IFBMW-S, not too sure what the difference is.
- Rockfordfosgate seems to have the front and rear speakers in 2 sets for $1200 total. This is the most expensive option and I wasn't able to find much reviews on these besides comments with people extremely interested in them.

Also I've considered purchasing the HK speakers and bringing the car to a shop to do the retrofit, but really don't have much of an idea on how much that would cost or what I'd need

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[Ankur194]

$750 is tight, and with the Fosgate or Focals you are already out of budget plus you will need an amp upgrade with those speakers. You can go Bav Auto Sound with the factory amp, they are designed to work with it.

On a budget my upgrade plan would be as follows:

1)Technic Harness
2)JL Audio XD600/6
3)MB Quart QM200.3 BMW

This would probably be close to your budget, you can get the amp for $400.00, speakers $300.00, and harness $60.00 plus taxes and shipping etc.

[z0mghii]

Originally Posted by Ankur194

$750 is tight, and with the Fosgate or Focals you are already out of budget plus you will need an amp upgrade with those speakers. You can go Bav Auto Sound with the factory amp, they are designed to work with it.

On a budget my upgrade plan would be as follows:

1)Technic Harness
2)JL Audio XD600/6
3)MB Quart QM200.3 BMW

This would probably be close to your budget, you can get the amp for $400.00, speakers $300.00, and harness $60.00 plus taxes and shipping etc.

Since the BavSound only inlcudes speakers and no amp, would it be possible/ideal to go with the MB Quart audio speakers + harness with the factory amp, then upgrade the factory amp to JL Audio in the future?

[Ankur194]

Originally Posted by z0mghii

Since the BavSound only inlcudes speakers and no amp, would it be possible/ideal to go with the MB Quart audio speakers + harness with the factory amp, then upgrade the factory amp to JL Audio in the future?

The harness is to replace the factory amp, harness is what makes the JL Audio amp plug and play.

MB Quarts quote 80 watts RMS power handling at 4 ohms for the door component speakers plus another 80 watts RMS power handling to the under seat sub-woofer. The factory Hifi amp I believe puts out 25 watts at 2 ohms (essentially 12.5 @ 4 ohms) to the doors and 40 watts at 2 ohms (20 @ 4 ohms) to the under seat subs. I'm sure they would still work with the factory amp just fine however.

BavSound are actually designed to work with the factory amp, they don't really provide complete detail or specs on their speakers, just that they are designed to integrate with the factory amp.

[Jsargevt]

Originally Posted by z0mghii

- Focal america has two models the IFBMW-C and IFBMW-S, not too sure what the difference is.


Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

The IFBMW-C is for installations where there are not any tweeters in the upper door. It integrates tweeters into the 4" door speaker.

The IFBMW-S has a separate tweeter that is a drop-in for the upper door tweeter on the factory system.

Since you have a 2013 I am almost positive that you have separate. I think that only in 2010/2011 there was a base (crappier than usual) radio which only had 4" speakers in the door and the rear of the car. I am sure that someone more knowledgeable than I on these types of things will correct me if they see this post.

[Jsargevt]

I am in the same boat as you - the stock radio is pretty weak but it is usable. Since I have a convertible 135 don't have a great platform for HQ audio in the first place. I wish I could hear some of these offerings in person to make an informed decision. Trying to pick a speaker system on the Internet is so hard because it is really subjective to your personal preference. I would love to hear the BavAudio system in a 135 vert since it is so inexpensive - if there is enough improvement that would be enough for me. I don't need to recreate the Dead's "Wall of Sound" but it would be nice if the audio was a bit crisper (keeping in mind that these are mp3/m4a over a bluetooth connection). I just would hate to drop the coin on that to then just turn around to buy something different.

After a little searching here on 1addicts.com, Musicar Northwest also has some options for 1-series. If you contact them you'll get a detailed email with likely 3 options. The price is pretty high but they have some pretty impressive plug-and-play options that I would consider installing (and I don't even like to change the oil).

Just be warned that the price of these start above your current budget. I am trying to see if I can just exist with the current setup or if I need to save my ducats over the winter to splurge on an upgrade.

http://musicarnw.com/contact-us/

Good luck, I am interested to see what you go with.

[tracer bullet]

Something to keep in mind is that some of the factory systems are pre-tweaked for sound to try and improve the cheaper systems. Replacing speakers alone, even with a new amp, may improve things but likely not as much as you hope. Might even make things worse.

I've forgotten which systems are pre-tweaked so I won't try to say if yours is or not. But I will recommend it as something to look into.

[Dackelone]

OP have you seen these threads?

Maybe VP Electricity will chime in with some help.

Notes on a 2011 128i Stereo system with VP Electricity Stage 1 upgrade
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=634957

1M Speaker System option comparision
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...73#post8927673

This thread might be also interesting read... even though I think your car has the HiFi system already.

Alpine HiFi System Retrofit!
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=505654

[z0mghii]

Thanks for the help guys! As of now, I think I'm leaning towards the bavsound path. I've seen musicarnw threads and while I'm sure it would be an amazing upgrade, I'd rather use the money for other upgrades in the future.

I've been reading some reviews on the bavsound equipment and it seems that all reviews have pointed out it sounds better than the HK system. I was looking for an upgrade that would be on par with the HK system so this sounds perfect for me.

The Focal IFBMW-S is within my budget, but I don't believe it includes the rear midranges and tweeters. I'm not sure how this would effect the overall sound quality, but I'm leaning towards the bavsound since they include rear speakers at a cheaper cost.

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

I suggest looking into our BimmerTech Premium Audio, Its compatible with your HiFi system. http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1133999

[z0mghii]

Originally Posted by Nelson@BimmerTech

I suggest looking into our BimmerTech Premium Audio, Its compatible with your HiFi system. http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1133999

This looks really interesting! I checked the website out and it doesn't seem to support the e82? Once I get the bavsound upgrade and I'm still not happy, I'll definitely consider this as an amp upgrade.

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by z0mghii

This looks really interesting! I checked the website out and it doesn't seem to support the e82? Once I get the bavsound upgrade and I'm still not happy, I'll definitely consider this as an amp upgrade.

Yes it does the weakest link in the HIFI system is the amp not the speakers. My honest advice is to fist upgrade your amp and decide later if you want to upgrade the speakers.

[dailowill]

Originally Posted by z0mghii

This looks really interesting! I checked the website out and it doesn't seem to support the e82? Once I get the bavsound upgrade and I'm still not happy, I'll definitely consider this as an amp upgrade.

::cough:: ::cough:: Trying to start a group buy => http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...php?p=18586639 . It might save you some money in the long run.

Originally Posted by Nelson@BimmerTech

Yes it does the weakest link in the HIFI system is the amp not the speakers. My honest advice is to fist upgrade your amp and decide later if you want to upgrade the speakers.

^^^ That's the route I'm planning on taking.