Zedonist Z3 Audio Setup

[zedonist]

Right Guys,

After many years and near success and the missus now believing i own a speaker shop! I have finally cracked it!

Below is the setup and how it is wired, it by passes the BMW wiring, this was first cause of frustration, it also by passes the BMW tweeter location, second frustration, having managed to get full range punchy speakers i have done away with the mid pass filters third frustration, and finally on mk3 version of the sub enclosure, i have achieved OEM placement of a phenomenal subwoofer.

The full range speakers came as a result of discussing with an audio guru on the T5 forum, who sent me a pair of 6.5" Hertz component speakers for the T5, they were awesome, so i tried them in the Z3, wow, unbelievable, as they did not fit OEM, i sought out the 5.25 versions and i was not disappointed, so i fitted a second pair in the rear, bass is excellent. I then turned my attention to the sub again, and finally nailed the dimensions that allowed full extension of the speaker, and now it all works perfectly, and the sound is as good if not better than the T5.

So cost of set up now, not what i paid:

Alpine IDA X311R Head Unit - £80
Alpine KTP 445 Inline Amplifier - £70
Fli Underground FU360.2 2 channel amplifier (For sub) - £50
Hertz Dieci DSK 130.3 - £80 x 2 sets (front and rear)
Kicker CompRT 6.5" Sub woofer - £80
RCA Cables - £15
Speaker Wire - £20
MDF for sub enclosure - £15

£490 in total.

If anyone is interested i will post the dimensions of the panels to make up the sub enclosure, but please note this is for the kicker sub only, as it is a shallow mount speaker, i could not find another sub of similar dimensions.

 

[David Cullen]

nice to have decent sounds man, can make a different drive and put a smile on your face for sure
you probably don't get any drain off the battery as its not high power, I will be tackling this myself at some stage but as I don't have a sub I will just be going with choice speakers, I notice that there are just the two tweeters in my door, yet I have mounts for four so two tweeters per door are better than one I like good sound as well so will be looking forward to upgrade

 

[zedonist]

The holes are for two tweeters and two mids, I have the mids, as I tried as part of my ongoing build, the position is all wrong, if your fitting the roll hoops, you can get the sub grille instead of the draw. The reason I went this route was because I wanted a clean install just as importantly as good sound, and a passive sub won't fit under a seat, only behind a seat or in front of the seat, both are compromises in my mind.

 

[David Cullen]

the doner has a box, not sub, one of the first things I checked lol
was thinking of passive sub in passenger well to the side or against the firewall...

 

[zedonist]

It's a good solution Dave, and they work well, but it took functionality away from the seat, I'm too fussy!

 

[zedonist]

I used a Pyle 8" item, but a lot of fellow zedder so use the blaupunkt offering

 

[David Cullen]

I like the fli or vibe gear myself on speakers but with subs I would go pioneer or kicker, don't know about passive sounds though...

 

[badman gee]

Any photos?

 

[badman gee]

I'd like to hear it!

I hope your not selling it now!

 

[zedonist]

No not selling now, T5 Gearbox took my funds, or i would have been driving a rather nice blue Z3 thats currently for sale

I tried the Fli Speakers but they are not full range, they are mids and tweeters, and clipped on full signal, running them as components meant there was no bass in the front, and trying to balance the sound was near impossible, the Hertz speakers are in a different class, and for the money even more impressive. I had the same issue with some other expensive makes. So the Hertz way was a left field shot that i would not have discovered without the help of the T5 forum, so now i run the hertz front and back on full signal.

I tried a sound bite, but it is from the iphone, and does not do it justice at all, the echo takes away the warmth, and the bass cannot be felt, but you do get a feel for the clarity, if i can get hold of a shielded mike i will do another one shortly.

 

[David Cullen]

I must have a look at the hertz gear so and see if its in my budget, sound is a kind of personal thing though and it does take a lot of swapping and changing to get exactly, or as close to what you are looking for

 

[oldcarman]

Thanks Zedonist, can't say I understand any of this but with the info and diagram you've provided I can give it to my niece's boyfriend who does understand. I have been thinking of upgrading my system if my car ever shows up, but that's another story. And after following along these past months I believe you know what you're talking about and this will prove valuable to me as I get to know the thrill of Zed ownership. JIM

 

[t-tony]

Do BMW make snowmobiles, skidoo's etc. ?

You're gonna have to send the boys round Jim. What've they done with it?

 

[zedonist]

Hi Jim,

The diagram just represents the wiring of speakers to the Head Unit, the tweeters are the front of the car and are located on the dash in the extreme corners, and not in the doors, the front speakers are located where the oem front speakers are located. At the rear you have two 5.25 speakers in the place of the 3 or 4 inch speakers that are fitted,you will need to remove these and open up the spear turrets fit the speakers. The dub is in a custom enclosure and then located in between the roll hoops in the top box cavity. The sub is connected to an amp, which is located in the trunk (boot).

Hope this helps

 

[David Cullen]

any pics of how you done the tweeters Zed?

 

[oldcarman]

Do BMW make snowmobiles, skidoo's etc. ?

You're gonna have to send the boys round Jim. What've they done with it?

I need the godfather's help with this but he's in mourning over Baaaabs! so he's pretty much trying to put forth a brave face but I know he's hurting inside. Keeps muttering about some Ram character or something like that and that he should just head back overseas and take care of it, whatever that means!! I've never known him to be soooo upset!! JIM

 

[oldcarman]

Hi Zedonist! Please post the dimensions. I taught junior and high school woodworking for several years so finally something I understand. JIM

 

[t-tony]

My son's a wood butcher too.

 

[zedonist]

@GazHyde , can you let them know what it sounds like?

 

[GazHyde]

It's the best sound I've experienced in a Z3, with plenty of bass

I shall definitely be pinching some ideas when I get round to upgrading my sound system.