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      05-03-2012, 05:14 AM   #1
Bushellj
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Upgrading the Speakers in E84, X1

Has anyone looked at upgrading the basic speakers in an X1 and is it worth the trouble ??
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      05-27-2012, 01:15 AM   #2
Bushellj
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Decided to go for the BMW Alpine Upgrade kit based on the comments in the main X1 thread

I have no idea how BMW would install this kit in two hours given you have to take out all the seats (front and back) and remove all the trim down each side of the car. You also of course need to remove the two front door panels and gain access to the tweeter locations. Maybe if you had done this several times you might get it down to two hours but it has taken me all day and I have yet to connect the power !!

At least now I can tell people how to remove the trim !! I searched everywhere for details of how to remove the various trim items on the various forums but found very little information on the X1.

The first issue I came up against was that the supplied loom is very short where it goes to the subs under the seats. It has to be routed by the shortest route rather follow the rest of the cables which makes it a bit exposed to damage under the back seat !! The power cables are also not really the right length. The negative is fine but the positive is too short the follow the main loom behind the side panel so you have to bring it under the floor and then it is a bit long. The fuse has obviously been added as an afterthought as the positive supply has a join just before the in-line fuse holder !!

Certainly just upgrading the front speakers was a major step in the right direction. They work quite well just driven from the original Professional Head Unit.

Once the Amplifier was installed and connected to the Earth and Positive supply I tested the system before putting all the trim back just to be sure. The Bass and Treble are far too high even when the equaliser on the Head Unit has turned both down to minimum (-10). Looks like it will be a trip back down to the BMW dealer to get the Head Unit coded correctly for the Alpine Speakers and Amp. The sound certainly has great potential and is vastly better than the standard speakers

UPDATE: I had the wires on the Diplexor the wrong way round - Thanks to Alpine's confusing lables !!

With regard to having to have the car re-coded after this kit has been fitted - The latest instructions dated 2011 state that this is not required (the previous instructions dated 2010 said you needed the car to be re-coded to complete the fitting). My local dealer told me that re-coding is not required, but then he just read the latest instructions which could well be wrong !! Lets hope they will do it for Good Will given they told me it would not be necessary !!??

Last edited by Bushellj; 03-19-2016 at 09:27 AM.. Reason: Updated with more of the fitting details
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      05-27-2012, 03:01 PM   #3
Bushellj
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Update from previous message !!

From the previous post you will recall that the Bass and Treble were far too high and almost zero mid range.

On reading several posts it was becoming clear that I might well have connected the Diplexor incorrectly due to the rather strange marking on each of the wires. Took the door panels off again !!

Sure enough the wires were connected to the wrong way round !! Thanks BMW/Alpine for such confusing labels on the cables !!!

Once it was all back together again it now works fine and I am really impressed with the final result. You need to accept that you still have the crap speakers in the back but they only really fill in a bit of mid range.

So I can confirm that for the late 2011 BMW X1 with the Professional Head Unit that it does not appear to need re-coding and the balance between the Subs, Mid range and Tweeter seem to be OK. The switch on the Alpine Amp was set to "1".

Just make sure when you are fitting this Upgrade you have the latest fitting instructions dated 07/2011 as these appear to be the most accurate.

Anyone needing help with trim removal I am now an expert !!

It might take an experienced dealer technician 2 hours but for your average DIYer I think you need to give yourself 4 or 5 hours to work it all out !!

I would certainly recommend this upgrade for anyone with the basic speaker set up and it is not so difficult to install for a competent DIY enthusiast - Any one else should get BMW to do the upgrade.
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      09-02-2015, 06:37 AM   #4
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How much did it cost you. I can get the parts on discount too so just looking for a rough idea.
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      09-02-2015, 11:50 AM   #5
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Holy Thread resurrection Batman! You do know that this thread is 3 years old.....
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      09-03-2015, 02:14 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by fw_fw View Post
Holy Thread resurrection Batman! You do know that this thread is 3 years old.....
So it is. I didn't realise haha

I was having a fish through the DIY section
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      02-15-2016, 07:36 AM   #7
Bushellj
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Hi guys.

This thread might be several years old now but I still get a steady flow of messages from people who are considering or struggling with this upgrade.

Having now had this audio upgrade installed for several years it was certainly worth the effort as the original BMW Speakers are rather basic and sound very flat !! They need driving with a bit more power !!
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      02-16-2016, 03:11 PM   #8
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I bought my 2015 X1 with the most basic stereo package offered and I ordered the Alpine amplifier and speaker upgrade kit within 2 weeks of receiving my new car. Installed it myself on a Saturday morning (3-4 hours) and it's been great. Very happy with this upgrade cosidering the price tag. For < $500 it's hard to beat.

Here are some notes and photos from my install:

http://e84.xbimmers.com/forums/showp...0&postcount=15
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      02-17-2016, 07:42 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackhole
I bought my 2015 X1 with the most basic stereo package offered and I ordered the Alpine amplifier and speaker upgrade kit within 2 weeks of receiving my new car. Installed it myself on a Saturday morning (3-4 hours) and it's been great. Very happy with this upgrade cosidering the price tag. For < $500 it's hard to beat.

Here are some notes and photos from my install:

http://e84.xbimmers.com/forums/showp...0&postcount=15
did you use any instruction manual? I read in one of the manual I got online - not sure which version - that coding is required and given that you get the amp controls (bass, treble etc) in iDrive with this upgrade I thought coding was necessary. You do get the controls in iDrive right?
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      02-19-2016, 01:28 PM   #10
blackhole
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If you read through the post I mentioned, there is a link to the instructions I used.

In my case, no coding required. I've never been a fan of BMW's iDrive (or any of their counter-intuitive technology stuff), so I ordered my car without it...and the most basic stereo package of all. I simply installed the speakers, wiring harness, and amplifier. That's it, plug and play. Worked perfectly and the improvement in the sound was terrific given the price tag.

Last edited by blackhole; 02-19-2016 at 01:38 PM..
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      02-21-2016, 01:39 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackhole
If you read through the post I mentioned, there is a link to the instructions I used.

In my case, no coding required. I've never been a fan of BMW's iDrive (or any of their counter-intuitive technology stuff), so I ordered my car without it...and the most basic stereo package of all. I simply installed the speakers, wiring harness, and amplifier. That's it, plug and play. Worked perfectly and the improvement in the sound was terrific given the price tag.
thanks..missed that bit

eba says that coding is not required only for the vehicles that are equipped with the option SA662 (Radio bmw business CD). So I guess mine does require coding. Since the labor charge is almost the same price as the HiFi system is it possible to self install it and get it coded by the dealer later hopefully reducing their charge? But man it looks like a hell of a work esp for someone doing it for the first time.
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      02-21-2016, 10:06 AM   #12
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The installation wasn't that hard. As long as you have a minimum level of skill you should be fine. Took me the better part of a Saturday morning. Be sure to buy those plastic trim removal tools, otherwise you'll break stuff. Plan for a whole day, just in case you need extra time. Also, spend some time watching videos on youtube. There are plenty to show you how to remove the door panels for swapping out the speakers. I had my iPad in the car with me and was able to scour the interweb for photos and videos as I worked.
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      02-22-2016, 12:02 PM   #13
Bushellj
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Just to confirm as per my original message - there was no coding required for this upgrade. It is simple and effective for the price and not too difficult to install for a competent DIYer.

The upgrade just inserts into the existing Speaker outputs on the radio. There is no CAN bus or anything to worry about so I am not sure why any model of Radio would require coding for this upgrade.

James
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      02-23-2016, 04:17 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushellj
Just to confirm as per my original message - there was no coding required for this upgrade. It is simple and effective for the price and not too difficult to install for a competent DIYer.

The upgrade just inserts into the existing Speaker outputs on the radio. There is no CAN bus or anything to worry about so I am not sure why any model of Radio would require coding for this upgrade.

James
I think with the pro and business nav you get the equalizer in iDrive screen if I'm not wrong and I don't think it will appear just like that..
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      03-19-2016, 07:21 AM   #15
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Sorry just a quick question. My X1 (2012) E84 has no speakers in the tweeter section. Is that normal? They have places for the tweeters, in the front door, behind the mirrors, has mesh there covering it, but nothing in them but placement brackets inside said tweeter section. Is there meant to be anything there?
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      03-19-2016, 08:07 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LucaNatoli View Post
Sorry just a quick question. My X1 (2012) E84 has no speakers in the tweeter section. Is that normal? They have places for the tweeters, in the front door, behind the mirrors, has mesh there covering it, but nothing in them but placement brackets inside said tweeter section. Is there meant to be anything there?
Yes, that's the base-level configuration. The next level (Hi-Fi, I think?) adds the tweeters. And the highest level HK setup adds better ones.
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      03-19-2016, 09:24 AM   #17
Bushellj
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Hi LucaNatoli,

The reason we wanted to upgrade was the basic speakers in the X1 do not have tweeters fitted in the doors behind the mirrors and the sound was awful !!

The BMW Alpine upgrade kit provides both better speakers for the main door and tweeters behind the mirrors. The included power amplifier also drives the existing subwoofers under the seats and the whole setup is much much better than the standard basic fitting.

The Alpine upgrade kit is quite reasonably priced (for BMW) and relatively easy to fit.

James
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      03-23-2016, 01:45 PM   #18
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Surprised that no one mentioned the direct fit Focal speakers. Amazing sound quality, depth, and bass.
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      06-26-2016, 04:52 PM   #19
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Hi all, new here as a new X1 owner. I've been reading this thread as I thought the standard speakers I had were quite poor and flat sounding. I have now upgraded to a set of Focal mids and subs and some JVC rears. Next thing due is a new head unit to drive them properly but this is where I'm stuck! I have the most basic head unit but have pro nav; can anyone tell if I could install a pro head unit and would I need any coding to get it working with the nav and is there a 'generic' pro head unit? I can't seem to find X1 units anywhere but many 1 series or 3 series, will they fit? Many thanks
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      06-27-2016, 10:15 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G30FFJ View Post
Hi all, new here as a new X1 owner. I've been reading this thread as I thought the standard speakers I had were quite poor and flat sounding. I have now upgraded to a set of Focal mids and subs and some JVC rears. Next thing due is a new head unit to drive them properly but this is where I'm stuck! I have the most basic head unit but have pro nav; can anyone tell if I could install a pro head unit and would I need any coding to get it working with the nav and is there a 'generic' pro head unit? I can't seem to find X1 units anywhere but many 1 series or 3 series, will they fit? Many thanks
I would try an upgraded amp before screwing around with the HU.
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      08-03-2016, 06:27 AM   #21
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Installed BAV Sound

Like many of you I wanted a higher quality of sound. After doing online research I decided to go with the BAV Sound upgrade. Installation was straight forward. There are written directions to installation and have a video on their web site which I watched about 5 times before I started. Total time was just over 2 hours. Went slow and took my time to do a quality job.

http://www.bavsound.com/Stage-One/Installation/

Cost was $497 and included free tool kit value $30. Used their no interest if paid in 12 mos. The sometimes have returned kits for under $300 if you like.

After is was finished the difference in sound quality was amazing. the sound is full and rich and no noticeable distortion which was there with OEM speakers.

Now at 3 weeks and with speakers broken in or breaking in the sound quality is even better.

I had the BMW professional head unit. The kit came with 4 subs and 4 tweeters. During install I realized the rear speaker on had only the subs. The kit was made for the HK system even though I selected the one for my head unit. The wiring harness was already set up for tweeters in the back. Plugged the in and the worked Called BAV and they said the Amp would handle the tweeters with no problem. When back and watched video again (they used a 2014 X1) I noticed the speaker grill in the video was oval shape was oval and mine were round. First thought was get the oval grills and replace them. Looked on line could only find the round ones. Went to dealer parts dept and parts guy let me come behind him and look with him. He finally found the oval ones on model with HK sound system. On those the grill is non replaceable. I wasn't going to pay $1,500 to buy ones with oval grills. next went on line and tried to find salvaged ones but none in beige color. So put that on hold and attached them next to grill with double stick tape until I came up with a solution.

Took my X1 in for LLumar window tint put Air-80 on front and CTX 30 all they way around. When I went back to pick it up he asked me about the rear tweeters being tapped. Told him the story and asked If I wanted the audio guy to look at it. I left one of the rear well cover not fully installed so I go back in easy as ideas developed. The audio guy explored the situation, tested the amp to ensure it handle the tweeters and said the load was fine and suggested I just drill them from the top and they will drop right in and sit on the lip. He measured the body being slightly larger than 1 5/8. the chrome and black really looks good and blends in with the trim in black no problem with looks. I asked him what he would charge to do it. He said plan on 2 hours @ $85 per hour. He said I know that a lot if you can just do it yourself which I did and took 30 min.

Used the 1 5/8 hole saw and drum sander bit to get a tight fit. Put clear silicone sealant on lip and tapped in place with piece of pvc, cleaned up sealant and C-clamped in place to for good seal. Let dry rest of day finished up after dinner and looks and sounds great.
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      08-03-2016, 10:04 AM   #22
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Post up some pictures of the back grill. I think I'm in your shoes and if I decide to go with the upgrade I'll have to fiddle with the rear tweeter grill
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