I.C.E

What is your original system? Is it the harman kardon unit? if you have an amp, you must have an active system. Also, what Alpine unit are you trying to install?

How have you installed the headunit?  I presume its a CDA 7893/7894/7998/9813/9815. Have you connected the RCA's into the active system, hence using the preouts, or the internal amp?

I'll ask around regards to amp problem- I know a few people that fit Car stereo's.

the head unit is not H/K it is a cd business unit, its only the speakers and amps that are changed . 1 amp in the boot to drive 2 subs under the parcel shelf and 1 where the cd changer is for the rest of the speakers, ime keeping mine just in case i sell the car at a later date,  sorry . but realy if i was you buy aftermarket stuff the sound is far better than the H/K.

Hi guys, I am new to this forum and I am excited at the thought of developing my knowledge even further; cos you see I am also new to the world of BM and I very impressed.

 

I am not sure if we have exhausted this thread but I have a question!

 

I opted for the HK upgrade with my 2003 E46. I must say I am a bit disappointed by the sound quality and dynamics of HK system. I have twiddled with the treble & bass knobs but unless I drive the unit really hard it sounds very basic otherwise.

 

I wanted to know what others thought of the 10 speakers HK upgrade.

What alternative recommended system others have gone for?

I like my music weighty so a sub may have to be part of the system.

 

So I just wanted to get other users thoughts and experience in this area.

Thanks for that. You are right it's 12 speakers not 10 my mistake.

I will definitely investigate the Alpine option. Also the infinity basslink seems to be a popular choice for a Sub.

 

Are you likely to invalidate the warranty if you change the head unit?

Did you replace the existing CD changer or have you used the A/V input of the Sat-Nav.

good evening chaps .   sorry to butt in BUT  i build car audio systems for manufacturers and some distributors ( a hobby , not a full time job ) and it seems to me that you are going half way towards a good system ,  why dont you simply disconnect all the speakers from the original wiring , buy yourself a couple of high quality digital amps and run your original speakers  off them ?  that way you dont have to cut any original loom you simply need a live , earth , remote  and  R,C,A,s  and of course some good quality speaker cable .  That way you will have total controll over every speaker in the car  and being digital the amps can be smaller and easy to hide away  in the boot  (they dont get hot either) .   also if you find the standard subs dont quite rock your world  im in the middle of creating lightweight sub boxes (custom fit items) that you can use to house , say two lightweight 12s  that,l really do the bizniz.  let me know what you think .

in basic language , if you put the correct signal into any speaker wether it be a £10 sanyo item or a £200 bose item it wiil do exactly what you want it too. so if you power each speaker or set of speakers with the right signal  EG:- 5" shouldnt be expected to play lower than 120 Hz  /10" no lower than 40 Hz and 6x9s no lower than 80 Hz etc etc  so if you have 10 speakers you could  get away with only 2 digital amps as you can power more than 1 set off each channel as they dont suffer with overheating and thermal protection cutout and most digital amps will have some sort of x-over on each channel , which means more power to each speaker less distortion  and less confusion in the car .  as far as picking an amp they are all much of a muchness !  as long as you go to your local specialist and act like you know what you want they will treat you like an enthusiast instead of a punter with more money than sense .   if you wanted to get really trick and maybe enter some sound offs  you might wanna think about some sort of signal boosting dsp unit . which will give you perfect controll over every frequency in your audio system. 

i agree with you daddy cool , i find the h/k speakers fine but the amp is the problem. wish you was around before i done mine .