Hi guys and gals!
I just got myself a 1996 BMW Z3 and I'm looking to invest some money into an improved sound system. If you don't know much about this first version of the z3, it doesn't exactly provide a soundproof environment.
if anyone can take a look at its original specs and recommend how to get a quality system for around 500 bucks it'd really be a great help. Thanks!
-TS
Replies (16)
kirchatndftbl on 06/19/2007 20:19:33
what kind of system are you looking for???
aftermarket HU???
interior speakers????
subs???
say more about what you are looking for in a system and imm sure everyone here at CK will be willing to help
Ash on 06/19/2007 20:33:23
$500 is not a lot these days or should I say it doesn't go very far unless you a very smart shopper.
Exactly what is it that you like and/or don't like in the factory system? Knowing from there what changes needs to be made can save money by not wasting any on unnecessary stuff.
swez on 06/19/2007 21:29:20
If you like the factory HU, it can be reused and perhaps add a modest amp to power your speakers too. This is doable on a budget as mentioned.
From a little research, this car employs a pair of 5.25" Component style speakers up front. The stock factory speakers are marginal at best. A decent pair of Aftermarket Comps and a modest amp would bring them to life, but no low bass.
I found nothing about rear speakers regarding this car and that may be something to consider as well. If there is room for a compact enclosure behind the front seats, a compact custom enclosure and a single woofer with amplifier power would help a lot. You'd be surprised how much better an 8" or a single 10" woofer would sound, behind the seats to bring in the lacking lower octave. (Medium power 4 channel amp would be a very good choice)
If your budget could be expanded a bit later, an updated Aftermarket HU would be a very good option. Some offer I-Pod adapters, (AUX inputs) and a single CD slot and give a little more EQ, you would have a very nice, stealth system in this car.
Say more KTD and we'll have a better picture of your options and goals for this nice little roadster.
Swez
PS Welcome to CK! We are a PG site and very newbie friendly.
kingtimmydeluxe on 06/20/2007 01:17:59
Wow thank you so much for the support already! You guys ROCK!
Ok so here's what I'm thinking...
1. New HU with i-pod adapter
2. Amp (probably best in the trunk)
3. Woofer, I'm thinking passenger side at the footrest, cuts off a bit of legroom but nothing extreme
4. New speakers
500 bucks is probably too cheap, so why don't I instead say what is the best and cheapest way to get this sucker stealthy, as Swez Sez.
Thanks again, man you guys are on top of things.
And thank you for the welcome!
swez on 06/20/2007 07:40:05
Cool, we're making progress already. Looked at some pic of this car and see there is a decent sized trunk for the amp and sub and still room for a set of golf clubs or other toys you may carry around. This would make for a stealty location for the sub as this will be a very compact box and amp.
Based on the speaker size up front, you'll probably want a to consider some of the newer slimline speakers that don't go too deep into the doors. Where is the stock tweeter located for this model year? Many of the better speakers I have suggested to others might be a tad larger than stock. (3/4 - 1.0" dia.) So, a slight modification may be needed there.
Are you handy with tools and able to do basic electrical wiring?. If yes, you can probably do most of the work yourself and save a nice chunk of change asa opposed to paying a Pro Installer to do it for you.
I have a meeting soon and will get back to this a bit later.
Swez
kingtimmydeluxe on 06/20/2007 12:34:26
tweeters are located on the doors opposite the mirrors
My manhood wants to say yes I can handle the wiring, but I don't have enough of experience to feel confident about it.
30Hertz on 06/20/2007 14:42:32
I do not reccomend any subs in the trunk of a BMW unless your willing to do A LOT of work (some hacking required) to get the sound into the cabin (if you consider a convertable having a cabin =) ). BMW''s are notorious for having trunks that are air tight. I''ve known plenty of people who have installed into BMWs and are VERY dissappointed with the bass output if the drivers are in the trunk.
I''m working on a box for a guy as we speak that has a Bimmer. Due to the way the trunk is manufactured and the fact that the seats dont fold down (which is probably the same as yours, correct me if im wrong) he had to cut a whole through the metal sheet into the seats, then have an upholstry shop re-do the seats to allow for a port hole thats about 7" x 7'' for the sound to be able to enter the cabin. They also made a plug that will fit in the port hole when he wants to cover it up.
My suggestion, center consol with an 8" driver or figure out a way to put one in the kick panel.
That is unless u wanna do very intensive install GRIN
-30
COFFEE
Victor on 06/20/2007 14:52:44
or a free air sub..... comes with its cons too....
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 06/21/2007 11:14:34
I'm with 30 on the BMW trunk difficulty. My brother has a 1998 740iL, and the bass responce from his 12 leaves a lot to be desired. He punched out the ski hole, but with all of the dampening, it still could do a lot better.
swez on 06/21/2007 12:52:06
Good stuff to know on this little roadster guys. Thanks for the claification and cautions.
Hum, it seems like a console mounted sub would indeed be a nice option here. That would take some good fab work to make it look good and sound sweet, but much less cost and effort then blowing a port into the back seats too.
Most 8's can do well in a sealed enclosure of about 0.5 ft^3. To do this well, it would require removing the shift console, taking some careful measurements and figuring out the best location to mount the sub and then seal it too. In most cases, that may mean fiberglass work is needed for a custom fit and stealth too.
Do you want to go that far?
Swez
kingtimmydeluxe on 06/21/2007 18:46:19
Yes I do, but I can't afford it right now.
Let's take a few steps back:
If I wanted immediate quality improvement by replacing the HU and front speakers, what recommendations do you guys have?
I want a HU that is ipod ready and from what I've seen Alpine offers one thats under 150 bucks.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8222498&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat62700050003&id=1166840027254
So next I need some quality 5" speakers, again Alpine has a pair for under 100
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7652612&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03075&id=1134701298078
And then the last thing is a new amp, and here I honestly have no clue the quality/price of something that will work well.
And you'll notice my links are from bestbuy, if you know of a better place to get quality stuff for cheap let me know.
Again, thanks for all your help!
swez on 06/21/2007 20:06:03
You're on the right track in calling out a good brand name here. Things to consider are better EQ features and at least 2 pair of RCA preouts. (4 preamp out channels here... Front/Rear or Front/Sub)
You may like the front panel AUX IN for your I-Pod as this is easy to use and no extra cables are needed. Some models offer adapter harnesses that fit in the back of the HU. These work fine, but not a clean an install as front panel jacks.
EQ... since you have a limited speaker options here, a 3 band EQ feature may be very good for the average listener. No need for internal HP/LP filters here as most amps have that covered.
I-Pods: If you have an I-Pod player now, just make sure the HU you buy is compatible with the gear you have now. Many Aftermarket HU makers also offer their own brands of I-Pod systems. If you lock into one of those, you may have only one option... use their brand I-Pod as well.
Here's a listing of possible HU's in a variety of prices and features from several brand name Mfg's. These are filtered in terms of what fits your Z3 now w/ or w/o dash modifications.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pnecr27XpII/cgi-bin/prodgroup.asp?g=300&avf=Y&pg=1
The Pioneer DEH-P2900MP has all the basic features you'd want and has a front face panel AUX input jack too. (Handy and clean) This unit has 6 preset EQ curves and 3 bands of parametric EQ for advanced tone controls too. This is nice because of the limited low bass response of your 5.25" front speakers.
This HU also has 2 pair of preout RCA's for amping later. (Front/ Rear or Front/Sub pairs) The internal amps are OK for starting out. But if you desire more punch and volume from your system later, add an external amp and that takes care of that.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pnecr27XpII/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&tab=detailed_info&i=130DEHP290#Tab
This unit fits w/o any major mods to your dash. If you buy from Crutchfield, you'll get a Master Install sheet, a factory to Aftermarket adapter harness and all the tech support needed at a very fair price.
Swez
swez on 06/21/2007 20:40:15
OK, now we can discuss speakers. The Alpine speakers noted are coaxial speakers and low power handling too. Frankly, I'm not too keen on polyprop cones as they do not sound very natural or neutral. (They have a colored sound that some like, but many a trained ear will reject)
May I suggest looking a bit more up the scale for Componet type speakers for your install? You may like the Polk db5251 Comps shown in the following link:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pnecr27XpII/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=410&tab=detailed_info&i=107DB5251#Tab
These are premium grade speakers at well below the high prices normally associated with the features and materials used for this level of Comp speakers. They are very good efficiency and can do OK with just the HU amps. However, adding outboard amping will dramatically improve lows and punch in the Midbass region with these speakers.
Yes, installation will be a bit more work as the tweeters are larger than stock, but some careful trimming for the stock location tweeters, (high in the doors) should be doable with minimal effort. You can install the crossovers in the trunk along with your amp or inside the door panels. Either is fine, but having the corssovers in the trunk is a good plan as they are free from mositure problems and you can adjust the tweeter attenuators as needed, w/o removing the door panels.
A little web surfing could net lower cost for these speakers too. E-bay has a very good Buy Now price and worth considering:
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-DB5251-5-25-250w-COMPONENT-SPEAKER-PAIR-NEW_W0QQitemZ120133997365QQihZ002QQcategoryZ32818QQcmdZViewItem
Comments or questions?
Swez
PS These are primary upgrades you can often do yourself. Once this phase is completed, adding an amp, woofer and any other options can be done later as the budget permits. If you are pretty sure you want an amp and sub installed later, it would be good to pre-wire for that in the first pass and then add gear as your budget and time permits.
PSS Where are the midrange speaker located in this car? (Lower door panels or in the kick panels in the foot wells?) I cannot tell from some of the pics I looked at.
UKinstaller on 06/24/2007 11:08:59
check out this enclosure for your car:
http://www.roadstersound.com/
this woofer box is designed specifically for your car. I've installed a couple, they sound great.
as far as your system goes, check out an alpine head unit, any decent four channel amplifier to run components off the front and the subwoofer of the rear. don't worry about rear speakers if there are any, just disconnect them.
also, you'll need to bypass the OEM amplifier for the vehicle in the trunk if you want to replace the speakers. however, many a people install aftermarket head units is amplified BMW systems and find a shocking difference in sound quality. the additional power from the HU can make the stock speakers sound 10x better.
fun car, kinda weird to work on though. installing components in these cars can be a PITA, but well worth it. good acoustics.
-UK
swez on 06/24/2007 13:46:03
Not a cheap solution here and some install care and time will be the order of the day. Good heads up UK.
Which sub is your best bet call? (6.5" console woofer or the 8" rear mount?
Swez
UKinstaller on 06/24/2007 15:54:44
the enclosure calls for a JL Audio 6w0 woofer, and man does it hammer for such a tiny enclosure. maybe there's one for sale on ebay or something.
-UK
I just got myself a 1996 BMW Z3 and I'm looking to invest some money into an improved sound system. If you don't know much about this first version of the z3, it doesn't exactly provide a soundproof environment.
if anyone can take a look at its original specs and recommend how to get a quality system for around 500 bucks it'd really be a great help. Thanks!
-TS
Replies (16)
kirchatndftbl on 06/19/2007 20:19:33
what kind of system are you looking for???
aftermarket HU???
interior speakers????
subs???
say more about what you are looking for in a system and imm sure everyone here at CK will be willing to help
Ash on 06/19/2007 20:33:23
$500 is not a lot these days or should I say it doesn't go very far unless you a very smart shopper.
Exactly what is it that you like and/or don't like in the factory system? Knowing from there what changes needs to be made can save money by not wasting any on unnecessary stuff.
swez on 06/19/2007 21:29:20
If you like the factory HU, it can be reused and perhaps add a modest amp to power your speakers too. This is doable on a budget as mentioned.
From a little research, this car employs a pair of 5.25" Component style speakers up front. The stock factory speakers are marginal at best. A decent pair of Aftermarket Comps and a modest amp would bring them to life, but no low bass.
I found nothing about rear speakers regarding this car and that may be something to consider as well. If there is room for a compact enclosure behind the front seats, a compact custom enclosure and a single woofer with amplifier power would help a lot. You'd be surprised how much better an 8" or a single 10" woofer would sound, behind the seats to bring in the lacking lower octave. (Medium power 4 channel amp would be a very good choice)
If your budget could be expanded a bit later, an updated Aftermarket HU would be a very good option. Some offer I-Pod adapters, (AUX inputs) and a single CD slot and give a little more EQ, you would have a very nice, stealth system in this car.
Say more KTD and we'll have a better picture of your options and goals for this nice little roadster.
Swez
PS Welcome to CK! We are a PG site and very newbie friendly.
kingtimmydeluxe on 06/20/2007 01:17:59
Wow thank you so much for the support already! You guys ROCK!
Ok so here's what I'm thinking...
1. New HU with i-pod adapter
2. Amp (probably best in the trunk)
3. Woofer, I'm thinking passenger side at the footrest, cuts off a bit of legroom but nothing extreme
4. New speakers
500 bucks is probably too cheap, so why don't I instead say what is the best and cheapest way to get this sucker stealthy, as Swez Sez.
Thanks again, man you guys are on top of things.
And thank you for the welcome!
swez on 06/20/2007 07:40:05
Cool, we're making progress already. Looked at some pic of this car and see there is a decent sized trunk for the amp and sub and still room for a set of golf clubs or other toys you may carry around. This would make for a stealty location for the sub as this will be a very compact box and amp.
Based on the speaker size up front, you'll probably want a to consider some of the newer slimline speakers that don't go too deep into the doors. Where is the stock tweeter located for this model year? Many of the better speakers I have suggested to others might be a tad larger than stock. (3/4 - 1.0" dia.) So, a slight modification may be needed there.
Are you handy with tools and able to do basic electrical wiring?. If yes, you can probably do most of the work yourself and save a nice chunk of change asa opposed to paying a Pro Installer to do it for you.
I have a meeting soon and will get back to this a bit later.
Swez
kingtimmydeluxe on 06/20/2007 12:34:26
tweeters are located on the doors opposite the mirrors
My manhood wants to say yes I can handle the wiring, but I don't have enough of experience to feel confident about it.
30Hertz on 06/20/2007 14:42:32
I do not reccomend any subs in the trunk of a BMW unless your willing to do A LOT of work (some hacking required) to get the sound into the cabin (if you consider a convertable having a cabin =) ). BMW''s are notorious for having trunks that are air tight. I''ve known plenty of people who have installed into BMWs and are VERY dissappointed with the bass output if the drivers are in the trunk.
I''m working on a box for a guy as we speak that has a Bimmer. Due to the way the trunk is manufactured and the fact that the seats dont fold down (which is probably the same as yours, correct me if im wrong) he had to cut a whole through the metal sheet into the seats, then have an upholstry shop re-do the seats to allow for a port hole thats about 7" x 7'' for the sound to be able to enter the cabin. They also made a plug that will fit in the port hole when he wants to cover it up.
My suggestion, center consol with an 8" driver or figure out a way to put one in the kick panel.
That is unless u wanna do very intensive install GRIN
-30
COFFEE
Victor on 06/20/2007 14:52:44
or a free air sub..... comes with its cons too....
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 06/21/2007 11:14:34
I'm with 30 on the BMW trunk difficulty. My brother has a 1998 740iL, and the bass responce from his 12 leaves a lot to be desired. He punched out the ski hole, but with all of the dampening, it still could do a lot better.
swez on 06/21/2007 12:52:06
Good stuff to know on this little roadster guys. Thanks for the claification and cautions.
Hum, it seems like a console mounted sub would indeed be a nice option here. That would take some good fab work to make it look good and sound sweet, but much less cost and effort then blowing a port into the back seats too.
Most 8's can do well in a sealed enclosure of about 0.5 ft^3. To do this well, it would require removing the shift console, taking some careful measurements and figuring out the best location to mount the sub and then seal it too. In most cases, that may mean fiberglass work is needed for a custom fit and stealth too.
Do you want to go that far?
Swez
kingtimmydeluxe on 06/21/2007 18:46:19
Yes I do, but I can't afford it right now.
Let's take a few steps back:
If I wanted immediate quality improvement by replacing the HU and front speakers, what recommendations do you guys have?
I want a HU that is ipod ready and from what I've seen Alpine offers one thats under 150 bucks.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8222498&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat62700050003&id=1166840027254
So next I need some quality 5" speakers, again Alpine has a pair for under 100
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7652612&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03075&id=1134701298078
And then the last thing is a new amp, and here I honestly have no clue the quality/price of something that will work well.
And you'll notice my links are from bestbuy, if you know of a better place to get quality stuff for cheap let me know.
Again, thanks for all your help!
swez on 06/21/2007 20:06:03
You're on the right track in calling out a good brand name here. Things to consider are better EQ features and at least 2 pair of RCA preouts. (4 preamp out channels here... Front/Rear or Front/Sub)
You may like the front panel AUX IN for your I-Pod as this is easy to use and no extra cables are needed. Some models offer adapter harnesses that fit in the back of the HU. These work fine, but not a clean an install as front panel jacks.
EQ... since you have a limited speaker options here, a 3 band EQ feature may be very good for the average listener. No need for internal HP/LP filters here as most amps have that covered.
I-Pods: If you have an I-Pod player now, just make sure the HU you buy is compatible with the gear you have now. Many Aftermarket HU makers also offer their own brands of I-Pod systems. If you lock into one of those, you may have only one option... use their brand I-Pod as well.
Here's a listing of possible HU's in a variety of prices and features from several brand name Mfg's. These are filtered in terms of what fits your Z3 now w/ or w/o dash modifications.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pnecr27XpII/cgi-bin/prodgroup.asp?g=300&avf=Y&pg=1
The Pioneer DEH-P2900MP has all the basic features you'd want and has a front face panel AUX input jack too. (Handy and clean) This unit has 6 preset EQ curves and 3 bands of parametric EQ for advanced tone controls too. This is nice because of the limited low bass response of your 5.25" front speakers.
This HU also has 2 pair of preout RCA's for amping later. (Front/ Rear or Front/Sub pairs) The internal amps are OK for starting out. But if you desire more punch and volume from your system later, add an external amp and that takes care of that.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pnecr27XpII/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&tab=detailed_info&i=130DEHP290#Tab
This unit fits w/o any major mods to your dash. If you buy from Crutchfield, you'll get a Master Install sheet, a factory to Aftermarket adapter harness and all the tech support needed at a very fair price.
Swez
swez on 06/21/2007 20:40:15
OK, now we can discuss speakers. The Alpine speakers noted are coaxial speakers and low power handling too. Frankly, I'm not too keen on polyprop cones as they do not sound very natural or neutral. (They have a colored sound that some like, but many a trained ear will reject)
May I suggest looking a bit more up the scale for Componet type speakers for your install? You may like the Polk db5251 Comps shown in the following link:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pnecr27XpII/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=410&tab=detailed_info&i=107DB5251#Tab
These are premium grade speakers at well below the high prices normally associated with the features and materials used for this level of Comp speakers. They are very good efficiency and can do OK with just the HU amps. However, adding outboard amping will dramatically improve lows and punch in the Midbass region with these speakers.
Yes, installation will be a bit more work as the tweeters are larger than stock, but some careful trimming for the stock location tweeters, (high in the doors) should be doable with minimal effort. You can install the crossovers in the trunk along with your amp or inside the door panels. Either is fine, but having the corssovers in the trunk is a good plan as they are free from mositure problems and you can adjust the tweeter attenuators as needed, w/o removing the door panels.
A little web surfing could net lower cost for these speakers too. E-bay has a very good Buy Now price and worth considering:
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-DB5251-5-25-250w-COMPONENT-SPEAKER-PAIR-NEW_W0QQitemZ120133997365QQihZ002QQcategoryZ32818QQcmdZViewItem
Comments or questions?
Swez
PS These are primary upgrades you can often do yourself. Once this phase is completed, adding an amp, woofer and any other options can be done later as the budget permits. If you are pretty sure you want an amp and sub installed later, it would be good to pre-wire for that in the first pass and then add gear as your budget and time permits.
PSS Where are the midrange speaker located in this car? (Lower door panels or in the kick panels in the foot wells?) I cannot tell from some of the pics I looked at.
UKinstaller on 06/24/2007 11:08:59
check out this enclosure for your car:
http://www.roadstersound.com/
this woofer box is designed specifically for your car. I've installed a couple, they sound great.
as far as your system goes, check out an alpine head unit, any decent four channel amplifier to run components off the front and the subwoofer of the rear. don't worry about rear speakers if there are any, just disconnect them.
also, you'll need to bypass the OEM amplifier for the vehicle in the trunk if you want to replace the speakers. however, many a people install aftermarket head units is amplified BMW systems and find a shocking difference in sound quality. the additional power from the HU can make the stock speakers sound 10x better.
fun car, kinda weird to work on though. installing components in these cars can be a PITA, but well worth it. good acoustics.
-UK
swez on 06/24/2007 13:46:03
Not a cheap solution here and some install care and time will be the order of the day. Good heads up UK.
Which sub is your best bet call? (6.5" console woofer or the 8" rear mount?
Swez
UKinstaller on 06/24/2007 15:54:44
the enclosure calls for a JL Audio 6w0 woofer, and man does it hammer for such a tiny enclosure. maybe there's one for sale on ebay or something.
-UK
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