Musicarnw

Rich335d · 07-15-2011, 11:22 AM

Good afternoon, or morning wherever you may be. I'm deployed right now. Can't say where, but I thought I'd drop a line about my Bimmer...and what I had done to it before I took this little trip.

Short and sweet, I wanted a 335d. Awesome engine, beautiful lines. I found a good one in San Antonio...Nav...silver...sexy.

However, a 2000 mile drive home to California gave me ample time to realize that the ICE/stereo was "NO BUENO".

Upon getting home, I looked for a shop that could do the work to make my $50K car sound like it was worth every penny inside. Searching through these forums, I found two fellas in Portland, OR at http://www.musicarnw.com/ .

I was kind of skeptical when talking to Ken, the proprieter, about the difference I would hear upon completion of the job. Let me give you some background...I'm an aircraft electrician. I understand volts/ohms/phase/Hz...as it pertains to everything but "sound quality". So I didn't think it was goint to be as large of an improvement as I was told I would see/hear.

Well, ladies and gents, I was wrong in my assumption. The gents at musicar nw exceeded my expectations. They were obsessive about doing a superclean install that would be seamlessly integrated. New Woofers underseat, new mids/tweets with factory trim in the doors and two beautiful, dsp programmed amps in the trunk... Very much impressive. I'm hearing things in music...that weren't audible before. Ken picked speakers and amps based on my preferences of listening. It allowed me to tune the car to me. Not to "tinny" not to low...just right.

Then Ken invited me to have a seat in the car. He hooked up a laptop..and..this appealed to the geek in me...started to tune the interior/amp/speaker combo.

The difference, night and day. My car is a venerable concert hall now. With no changes to any of the BMW parts. No visible wires. Exceptional install (would exceed aircraft specs). I like it a lot, and it was worth every penny.

When I get back from my little trip around the middle east...I'm gonna drive back north...and have the professionals install one of their subs in my trunk....

EDIT: Oh, and if you didn't know..the trunk on a diesel? No space for a sub underfloor. It seems the exaust fluid has to go there.

Also, the base stereo on a 3 series? Sucks. 6 speakers alright..but they have got to be from a 1982 Toyota Tercel...it's embarrassing how bad they are.

2 amps in the back (I'm trying to remember the name, but I don't have my car here on deployment with me). The front underseats were replaced with Jehnert 8" woofers. The doors were replaced with Jehnert (and Ken will make fun of my spelling, I'm sure) mids. Factory BMW door trim was installed that had the tweeter mounts, so 1" silk dome tweeters were installed, with a passive crossover in the door.

We tuned down a couple of the frequency ranges that have natural tonal resonation in the 3-series.

Here is the list from what Ken's site says.

Stock system overview

The E90 sedan was introduced into the US starting in the 2006 model year. It will be replaced in 2012 by the F30 3-series.

In model year 2010 and the first part of 2011, BMW replaced the HiFi system in the US – long the entry-level US audio system – with the base Stereo system. While available in the rest of the world for years, the US market hadn’t seen this sort of low-end audio system since the early E30 3-series. Many BMW owners were unpleasantly surprised by the base Stereo system’s poor performance. It can be found in vehicles equipped with either the iDrive in-dash system or with the Professional CD head unit.

The 3-series base Stereo audio system has a number of acoustic shortcomings – no highs, no lows, and no dynamic capability. Some contributing factors:

- missing tweeters (no grilles inboard of the side mirrors)

- missing 8″ woofers underseat (instead, there are 6″ speakers in 8″ frames)

- missing amplifier – the speakers are driven just by the 16 watts in the head unit

- poor-performing 4″ mids front and rear

- overprocessed. boosted signals to attempt to compensate for the above points

When upgrading this system, the last item is the most important -the overprocessed signals. Below is a screenshot of an audio analyzer measuring the electrical output of the BMW head unit in a base Stereo configuration. We were playing a pink noise test CD track – pink noise has equal energy at every octave of sound, so we should have seen a flat line across the screen. Instead, we got this:

(I can't get the picture where I am...sorry)

I put this in...wait..I had this put in:

Level Two with upgraded cabin speakers

With Level Two, we are using higher-performance midrange and tweeter speakers, as well as more powerful DSP signal tuning. The tweeters are 28mm units which are the largest-piston tweeter units that can fit into the BMW tweeter trim. The 4″ mids have the largest cone of any 4″ midrange, and their 2″ voice-coil motor winding allows the amplifier to have more precision control of the motion of the cone. The result is warmer midrange and more liquid sound from vocals and strings, at any respectable volume.

We are also using audiophile amplifiers with DSP processing built in. We use the DSP section to both “normalize” or counteract the stock signal, and optimize it for the speakers used. This way, no external normalizing processor is needed – and we get the benefits of tuning the system for the cabin acoustics of the vehicle. To fit the two stereo amplifiers into 325/328/330 models, we use the well under the load floor. For 335 and M3 models, we use the BMW European CD changer housing/trim panel for the driver’s side of the trunk.

The Level Two package includes:

- A plug-in interface harness to bring signal to the new amplifiers, and deliver signal to the speakers – all without any cutting of wires!

- Two DSP-enabled, fan-cooled amplifiers

- Upgraded underseat 8″ woofers with bolt-in adapter rings and gaskets, and plug-in wire harnesses

- Upgraded audiophile-grade front 4″ midrange drivers with bolt-in and plug-in adapters

- Upgraded 28mm silk-dome tweeters ready to snap into BMW trim pieces, with plug-in adapters

- All power wiring, speaker wiring, parts, and adapters needed to install this system (except the trunk trim panel, see below)

(NOTE: Due to the cost of shipping the sedan tweeter trim pieces and the large trunk trim panel, we supply the BMW PNs and recommend sourcing from your local dealer – who doesn’t have to charge you for shipping.)

There are some “a la carte” upgrades available to the system – contact us for details or to place an order.

I'll be adding a sub-bass when I put this together.

I can tell you, I've seen the shop, I pestered the gentlemen for a couple of days while they did the tweaking. They know their stuff and the components are quality. The custom machining of mounts/etc is solid.

Give Ken a ring or an e-mail..you'd like what they did.

taibanl · 07-15-2011, 11:56 AM

What parts did you get?, mids/tweets, etc.

I agree Ken is awesome...IF he manages to reply to you.

Ken thats a hint, I'm still waiting on a reply.

DieselDiner · 07-15-2011, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taibanl

What parts did you get?, mids/tweets, etc.

I'm pretty sure it was this install that Ken documented: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=545186

Rich335d · 07-16-2011, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselDiner

I'm pretty sure it was this install that Ken documented: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=545186

DieselDiner--That's my car! I didn't realize Ken had put up a post on it. I had a 2 day drive down the Oregon/Cali coast to go home...the sound was amazing.

I hate to be light on the details, but it's been a couple weeks since I saw my car. Deployed out of the country for a few months...but I can't wait to get back and drive it again.

For those waiting on a reply from Ken...give him a call. They are a smaller shop, 2 guys, but what they lack in size, they exceed in quality.

Yep...Zapco Amps (no problems).

I enjoyed meeting Ken and Tom, and when I get home, I'll be driving up there for a sub-bass install.

I didn't ask for a system that would "thump" the small frequency range of modern Hip-Hop...

I listen to everything from the Beastie Boys (playing right now) to Tool, Warren Zevon and even Katy Perry.

This upgrade is amazing, and I feel it was worth every penny. In the interest of capitalism, I won't disclose my price, but I believe for what I got it was very, very well worth it.

07-15-2011, 11:22 AM	#1
Rich335d New Member 0 Rep 11 Posts Drives: 2011 335d Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Musicarnw Good afternoon, or morning wherever you may be. I'm deployed right now. Can't say where, but I thought I'd drop a line about my Bimmer...and what I had done to it before I took this little trip. Short and sweet, I wanted a 335d. Awesome engine, beautiful lines. I found a good one in San Antonio...Nav...silver...sexy. However, a 2000 mile drive home to California gave me ample time to realize that the ICE/stereo was "NO BUENO". Upon getting home, I looked for a shop that could do the work to make my $50K car sound like it was worth every penny inside. Searching through these forums, I found two fellas in Portland, OR at http://www.musicarnw.com/ . I was kind of skeptical when talking to Ken, the proprieter, about the difference I would hear upon completion of the job. Let me give you some background...I'm an aircraft electrician. I understand volts/ohms/phase/Hz...as it pertains to everything but "sound quality". So I didn't think it was goint to be as large of an improvement as I was told I would see/hear. Well, ladies and gents, I was wrong in my assumption. The gents at musicar nw exceeded my expectations. They were obsessive about doing a superclean install that would be seamlessly integrated. New Woofers underseat, new mids/tweets with factory trim in the doors and two beautiful, dsp programmed amps in the trunk... Very much impressive. I'm hearing things in music...that weren't audible before. Ken picked speakers and amps based on my preferences of listening. It allowed me to tune the car to me. Not to "tinny" not to low...just right. Then Ken invited me to have a seat in the car. He hooked up a laptop..and..this appealed to the geek in me...started to tune the interior/amp/speaker combo. The difference, night and day. My car is a venerable concert hall now. With no changes to any of the BMW parts. No visible wires. Exceptional install (would exceed aircraft specs). I like it a lot, and it was worth every penny. When I get back from my little trip around the middle east...I'm gonna drive back north...and have the professionals install one of their subs in my trunk.... EDIT: Oh, and if you didn't know..the trunk on a diesel? No space for a sub underfloor. It seems the exaust fluid has to go there. Also, the base stereo on a 3 series? Sucks. 6 speakers alright..but they have got to be from a 1982 Toyota Tercel...it's embarrassing how bad they are. 2 amps in the back (I'm trying to remember the name, but I don't have my car here on deployment with me). The front underseats were replaced with Jehnert 8" woofers. The doors were replaced with Jehnert (and Ken will make fun of my spelling, I'm sure) mids. Factory BMW door trim was installed that had the tweeter mounts, so 1" silk dome tweeters were installed, with a passive crossover in the door. We tuned down a couple of the frequency ranges that have natural tonal resonation in the 3-series. Here is the list from what Ken's site says. Stock system overview The E90 sedan was introduced into the US starting in the 2006 model year. It will be replaced in 2012 by the F30 3-series. In model year 2010 and the first part of 2011, BMW replaced the HiFi system in the US – long the entry-level US audio system – with the base Stereo system. While available in the rest of the world for years, the US market hadn’t seen this sort of low-end audio system since the early E30 3-series. Many BMW owners were unpleasantly surprised by the base Stereo system’s poor performance. It can be found in vehicles equipped with either the iDrive in-dash system or with the Professional CD head unit. The 3-series base Stereo audio system has a number of acoustic shortcomings – no highs, no lows, and no dynamic capability. Some contributing factors: - missing tweeters (no grilles inboard of the side mirrors) - missing 8″ woofers underseat (instead, there are 6″ speakers in 8″ frames) - missing amplifier – the speakers are driven just by the 16 watts in the head unit - poor-performing 4″ mids front and rear - overprocessed. boosted signals to attempt to compensate for the above points When upgrading this system, the last item is the most important -the overprocessed signals. Below is a screenshot of an audio analyzer measuring the electrical output of the BMW head unit in a base Stereo configuration. We were playing a pink noise test CD track – pink noise has equal energy at every octave of sound, so we should have seen a flat line across the screen. Instead, we got this: (I can't get the picture where I am...sorry) I put this in...wait..I had this put in: Level Two with upgraded cabin speakers With Level Two, we are using higher-performance midrange and tweeter speakers, as well as more powerful DSP signal tuning. The tweeters are 28mm units which are the largest-piston tweeter units that can fit into the BMW tweeter trim. The 4″ mids have the largest cone of any 4″ midrange, and their 2″ voice-coil motor winding allows the amplifier to have more precision control of the motion of the cone. The result is warmer midrange and more liquid sound from vocals and strings, at any respectable volume. We are also using audiophile amplifiers with DSP processing built in. We use the DSP section to both “normalize” or counteract the stock signal, and optimize it for the speakers used. This way, no external normalizing processor is needed – and we get the benefits of tuning the system for the cabin acoustics of the vehicle. To fit the two stereo amplifiers into 325/328/330 models, we use the well under the load floor. For 335 and M3 models, we use the BMW European CD changer housing/trim panel for the driver’s side of the trunk. The Level Two package includes: - A plug-in interface harness to bring signal to the new amplifiers, and deliver signal to the speakers – all without any cutting of wires! - Two DSP-enabled, fan-cooled amplifiers - Upgraded underseat 8″ woofers with bolt-in adapter rings and gaskets, and plug-in wire harnesses - Upgraded audiophile-grade front 4″ midrange drivers with bolt-in and plug-in adapters - Upgraded 28mm silk-dome tweeters ready to snap into BMW trim pieces, with plug-in adapters - All power wiring, speaker wiring, parts, and adapters needed to install this system (except the trunk trim panel, see below) (NOTE: Due to the cost of shipping the sedan tweeter trim pieces and the large trunk trim panel, we supply the BMW PNs and recommend sourcing from your local dealer – who doesn’t have to charge you for shipping.) There are some “a la carte” upgrades available to the system – contact us for details or to place an order. I'll be adding a sub-bass when I put this together. I can tell you, I've seen the shop, I pestered the gentlemen for a couple of days while they did the tweaking. They know their stuff and the components are quality. The custom machining of mounts/etc is solid. Give Ken a ring or an e-mail..you'd like what they did.
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

07-15-2011, 11:56 AM	#2
taibanl Brigadier General 281 Rep 4,121 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NA iTrader: (4)	What parts did you get?, mids/tweets, etc. I agree Ken is awesome...IF he manages to reply to you. Ken thats a hint, I'm still waiting on a reply.
	Appreciate 0 Quote