Premium Speaker Question

[hatsoffsir]

Hello everyone, I'm currently installing a aftermarket stereo and I wanted to know if I can rewire the premium rear speakers to the new stereo.

[John in VA]

If you mean connect the premium rear speakers to the new stereo, of course you can.

[hatsoffsir]

Would you have any info on where the postive and negative wire would go?

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/109 ... 2835_c.jpg

[kojo96]

Would you have any info on where the postive and negative wire would go?

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/109 ... 2835_c.jpg

+ is the large spade, - is the smaller spade. On the woofer.

[jimoreno]

I installed Infinity components in the premium speaker housings years ago. Easy install.

[vinceg101]

I installed Infinity components in the premium speaker housings years ago. Easy install.

Did the same with vintage a/d/s/. Just a little bit of carving to fit the rings. Crossovers under the rear parcel tray. They sounded fantastic:

[gwb72tii]

I'll be the heretic here.

There is no need to upgrade to name brand expensive speakers. If your BMW speakers are old and brittle, you can replace the woofer with e34 speakers and the tweeters with something like Dayton audio tweeters or equal. You will need to upgrade your crossovers too, but that is easy peasy with help from any audio website help desk.

Nothing you install will improve the sound if your running your system on the head unit amp. No matter the brand none of them can produce distortion free high fidelity music. You need an outboard amp that is tuned. It's really the only way you're going to get clear, clean music, if that matters.

read thru these thread and you'll find the information to get your car stereo sounding astoundingly good, and you'll save a bunch of money too.
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/ ... pics?q=e34

and this thread is about tuning your amp to avoid distortion at silly, loud levels. this is the single best improvement you can make:
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/ ... the-basics

[Blue Shadow]

There are no stock parts in my stereo.

Wiring the rear plates is easy. The front woof/tweet is not straightforward.

[gwb72tii]

There are no stock parts in my stereo.

Wiring the rear plates is easy. The front woof/tweet is not straightforward.

Did you modify the front mid woofers?

[Blue Shadow]

The first sentence: nothing original. I have aDs 320i separates up front, 300i plates in the back, a couple 10" firing through the back seat and the aDs amps and Soundstream/Sony crossovers mounted to the top of the sub box, dual 1cuft enclosure unit. HU and amps wired from the battery. Original wiring still intact. Easy to do when one is the original buyer of the car.

The front speakers in the premium system use the chassis ground as part of the wiring somehow so the connections from an amp are one on the tweeter and one on the woofer but you can find the tweeter connection down by the woofer. I had to figure this out for Chip's ride, took some time.

Mine was a non-premium 85.

[vinceg101]

gwb72tii is correct: you will need to have better EQ behind those speakers to make a difference.
I have to add that I too have all after-market non OEM audio components in my system. Those modified Premiums I showed were being powered through after market crossovers and a separate a/d/s/ PH15 amp & 642 csi Processor. I was running 4" Clarion front sub lows & 3/4" tweeters (also in Premium housings). The HU was Blaupunkt Business CD43. This was all in my previous '88 535i.

For my M535i I have since gone over to a similar system as Blue Shadow's, albeit a bit more expanded:
-Dual a/d/s/ PH15 amps (split L/R)
-a/d/s/ 642ix Processor
-a/d/s/ AC206 DIN Signal Splitter
-a/d/s/ 300is Plate Rears
-a/d/s/ 344is 4" Low Bass Fronts w/ Orion p2.Concept 1" Tweeters
-Coustic 8" Basspump (soon to be powered by two a/d/s/ A8 woofers)
-Blaupunkt Woodstock SQR88 HU

When this system works, it's amazing (emphasis on 'When').

[gwb72tii]

gwb72tii is correct: you will need to have better EQ behind those speakers to make a difference.

not an equalizer (EQ?), tune the amp. I'm sure adding an equalizer would help too, but going thru the process of tuning the amp makes a huge difference.
I followed the procedures linked in my response above in the last e30 I owned, and the fidelity of the music coming out of that car was amazing. You could play music at any sound level and not distort, and have great quality sound at the same time. All with relatively inexpensive e34 speakers and original BMW wiring.
Part of that build was with crossovers from the OP which are unavailable, so the challenge would be finding the correct crossovers.

[vinceg101]

gwb72tii is correct: you will need to have better EQ behind those speakers to make a difference.

not an equalizer (EQ?)...
Part of that build was with crossovers from the OP which are unavailable, so the challenge would be finding the correct crossovers.

EQ: overall audio equipment is what I meant.
Equalizers are mostly eye candy in my opinion and unnecessary if you have matched components and, as you mention, tune and balance the system. a/d/s/ has complete procedures to do that amongst all their components which is not easy between the amps, processor and HU.
And yes using the correct crossovers is important. Luckily for me the 300is plates have them built in so the only ones I had to worry about were the fronts which Richard So (Mr. a/d/s/) fabricated for me so I know they're correct.

I have to tear my board down this winter and track down all the bugs and a current non-operating condition. I will be adding a cooling fan system of some sort since they tend to overheat in the trunk (especially on summer road trips). Good time to replace the woofers in the Basspump also. So, basically starting from scratch again.

[Shawn D.]

Something I mention every time these discussions come up that if you are modifying the housings by grinding/sanding on them, you absolutely should wear proper breathing protection, as the plastic is glass filled.