Stock Stereo/Speakers/Harmon Kardon?

[JoeyBello]

I quickly looked for the answers to my questions - but didnt see them so I am posting this.

1) I remeber reading that in 1996 all 3series got a new 8 speaker system standard and I believe it was Harmon Kardon- was this all except the TI? I have seen others non-ti with it and it says HK on the grills. So I know mine isnt.

2)crutchfeild lists a 6 speaker system, but only lists 5 1/4's in the kick panel. what and where are the other speakers? All i see is a tweeter and a tiny speaker below it no way a 5 1/4, and wat appears to be vents for tiny speakers in the rear- i am guessing these are the 4's that are listed in the first thread on this page-- but they look smaller then 4's to me.

so what are the speaker sizes and locations.. i am going to go look better after this.. also has anyone put some DECENT Real speakers in their TI?? like 6 1/2 and 6x9's or something ?? how much work is it/ where can they be mounted / installed/ cause the stock stereo really sucks and i want to upgrade.

[autoxerwgn]

There should be 2 in the front kick panel, 2 in each front door panel, and 2 in the back, for a total of 8 speakers. BMW calls this their HI-FI system. The HK system is refered to as Top HI-FI.

I agree that the stock stereo stinks. What I did was install a Pioneer head unit that has some built-in high pass filters. I then installed a small Infiniti Sub in the back of the car. All I did was screw the amp onto the back of the sub box to make 1 unit and then wire the whole thing up. I then used the headunit to internally turn off the lows going to the stock speakers and only send the lows to the sub. The stock speakers sound great if they don't have to handle any bass.

[M3_KILL3R]

Originally Posted by autoxerwgn

There should be 2 in the front kick panel, 2 in each front door panel, and 2 in the back, for a total of 8 speakers. BMW calls this their HI-FI system. The HK system is refered to as Top HI-FI.

I agree that the stock stereo stinks. What I did was install a Pioneer head unit that has some built-in high pass filters. I then installed a small Infiniti Sub in the back of the car. All I did was screw the amp onto the back of the sub box to make 1 unit and then wire the whole thing up. I then used the headunit to internally turn off the lows going to the stock speakers and only send the lows to the sub. The stock speakers sound great if they don't have to handle any bass.

+1 hes right the stock ones sounds GREAT with a extra sub in the back and with an amp powering them they sound amazing! one thing how did you cut off the lows to the speakers? did the HU have the capability or did you jimmy it?

i have rockfords all around and getting an infinity sub soon with a new HU so far the rockfords have really good sound im impressed with the dynamics of the stock system....all our cars are missing are some bass other than that they are well made...

[JoeyBello]

Well i got a brand new box with 2 10's and 6 1/2 pioneer components that i bought for my other car and never used, along wit 2 amps. I also have kenwood 6 1/2's i used and 4in blaupunk, along wit some other older ones.. i wanted to use what i already had -- but i dont have any 5.25's and appartently regular 4's dont fit the rear, so I am out of luck- cause maybe i will try to just run one amp to the box and the other to the stocks.

[M3_KILL3R]

Originally Posted by JoeyBello

Well i got a brand new box with 2 10's and 6 1/2 pioneer components that i bought for my other car and never used, along wit 2 amps. I also have kenwood 6 1/2's i used and 4in blaupunk, along wit some other older ones.. i wanted to use what i already had -- but i dont have any 5.25's and appartently regular 4's dont fit the rear, so I am out of luck- cause maybe i will try to just run one amp to the box and the other to the stocks.

ok heres what you can do ...take the 6 1/2s and cut the proper size on the rear deck lid and just place them on that...you can use the 4"s on the rear i dont know where you heard that. Forget the kenwoods they suck dont use them! use the pioneers and use the amp to power the 61/2 along with the front speakers(if possible) then get an amp for the subs and power those. All with a new HU our stock ones suck and it wont handel the power output. 5.25s are easy to find so you can get a good pair for under $80. Also if you are going to put the 6 1/2s on the rear deck put bass blockers so the sub doesnt blow em....You can totally use the stock speakers though. Their bmw speakers as far as i know and they are actually really good when used with a proper amp. I know lazoh uses the stock 10 speaker system with JL audio amp and a 15" jl audio powered sub. Its a REALLLY good sound set up so the speakers arnt bad you just need good amp....

[losichu]

Not again...
There are many posts around as to what you should do if your putting a system in the Ti. Cutting holes in the rear deck is NOT recommended as its not going to give you any back pressure, which is required for those 6 1/2s to actually produce the sound they were supposed to. Yes, bass blockers will help to eliminate the lower sounds, so would a crossover, which would work better if your going to amplify. Bass blockers have a power rating on them that you have to be careful of. And just so you know, the pressure from the sub is more likely to blow that 6 1/2 in the deck than would the bass going to it, although the bass going to it is not going to help the case any.

My suggestion is to just use the 4s in the rear, or build little 6 1/2 or 6x9 boxes and mount them to the rear deck. Don't destroy the rear deck, its really not worth it. For the front, if your crafty enough and aren't afraid to modify the mounting area for the 5 1/4 in the footwell, you can get a 6 1/2 down there. Otherwise, just get some 5 1/4 components and put the tweeter in the door in place of one of the other door speakers.

[JoeyBello]

it seems so difficult because the stock system uses such small sizes and separate tweeters -front and back. So what is your response to using the stocks with the 4 channel amp I have and using the 2ch on on the box? is that is easiest to do? or will they blow the stock speakers?

Originally Posted by losichu

Not again...
There are many posts around as to what you should do if your putting a system in the Ti. Cutting holes in the rear deck is NOT recommended as its not going to give you any back pressure, which is required for those 6 1/2s to actually produce the sound they were supposed to. Yes, bass blockers will help to eliminate the lower sounds, so would a crossover, which would work better if your going to amplify. Bass blockers have a power rating on them that you have to be careful of. And just so you know, the pressure from the sub is more likely to blow that 6 1/2 in the deck than would the bass going to it, although the bass going to it is not going to help the case any.

My suggestion is to just use the 4s in the rear, or build little 6 1/2 or 6x9 boxes and mount them to the rear deck. Don't destroy the rear deck, its really not worth it. For the front, if your crafty enough and aren't afraid to modify the mounting area for the 5 1/4 in the footwell, you can get a 6 1/2 down there. Otherwise, just get some 5 1/4 components and put the tweeter in the door in place of one of the other door speakers.

[losichu]

If you can amplify the stock system, that is an option. You can't really blow a speaker by overpowering it, unless its distorted, which is about 90% of the reason why speakers blow. I would say that if your going to amplify, run better speaker wire to the actual speakers as your wiring is going to be at least 10 years old and could probably use some freshening up, but thats personal preference.

In terms of the speaker sizes, they are difficult to deal with, but getting a set of quality speakers will go a long way in improving the sound (besides, 4" are cheaper than 6.5" so you save some money there). Amplification of everything will be key, with the right crossover settings. Done right, no one would be able to tell you that you only have 4" and 5.25" speakers in your car.

[aceyx]

Stock is a 10 speaker system, '96+, not the HK upgrade.

[React]

What do people normally upgrade the door panel speakers to?