Quote:
Originally Posted by hellokitty
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmciver
Quote:
Originally Posted by hellokitty
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmciver
Quote:
Originally Posted by hellokitty
I'm probably going to go with a Helix V Twelve paired with Audison speakers. Heard good things about Match as well.
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Do you plan to run additional wires to take advantage of the additional channels (for separate tweeters or mid ranges I presume)? If not, you might want to stick with the 10DSP - same capability, much easier install and cheaper amp (they are both made by the same company so same architecture and software). |
Thanks for this. I might do just that since I won't be needing the additional channels.
I was thinking of running Audison speakers. I don't like the sound signature of Focal.
Any other speakers come to mind that is plug and play? |
Well, some will say you don't need to use all of the channels in a HK equipped car for good sound and would recommend using the 7BMW/7DSP 7-channel amp. I am not a fan of this option since I want to use all of the available channels in the car. Sound setups and preferences are like ice cream - there are so many good flavors out there.
Some will also say that if you are going to upgrade the amp to a quality one, just keep the stock speakers - and I believe there may be some truth to that. However, in my case, I already upgraded the speakers first (Alpha One's by BimmerTech - which was a good sound improvement IMHO) and I don't have any desire to take them out. If you add in the underseat woofers, the color combinations grow even more  .
After researching a bit, in particular different F30/F80 setups on the forums, what I think will work for me (in addition to the Alpha Ones I already have) is the addition of the 10DSP amp and Earthquake underseat woofers (2 ohm version).
The only real catch I see with my setup goals are that there are not many 10DSP amp tuning file options available for our cars compared to the 7DSP/7BMW (the 10DSP is fairly new). Not a big issue for me because I am confident the "generic" tune file for the 10DSP in our cars will still sound better than the stock amp, and I don't mind "tweaking" the tune file myself with the tuning software as I play and learn - and I still may get the system professionally tuned as well.
Just like for our engine (I believe you run BM3 CustomROM like me ), the audio tuning flexibility, including storing multiple audio tune files, looks really good with this Audiotec amp hardware and the DIY gadget guy in me likes that  . |
Yes! Thanks for the explanation.
I am pricing out everything and it's roughly 4K for parts alone. The price is similar to something provided by Integral Audio, but Integral comes with a custom box and a Scanspeak sub in the trunk.
- Match or Helix amp and DSP ($1200-$2000)
- Helix SDMI25 ($500)
- Audison speakers (tweeters, mid, center, 2x ghost woofers) ($1500)
So many options |
Well, I am doing my upgrade in phases to help keep my wallet from burning a hole in it..
. I went with speakers first because I really never thought about upgrading the HK amp as up until recently, there really were no PnP options for HK cars.
But in your case since you are basically starting from scratch, if you don't want to do everything at once, you may want to consider doing the amp first and see how things sound to you. There is one other PnP amp option on the market by Bavsound, their Renenant Pro amp. But I prefer the 10DSP over the Revenant Pro due to more flexibility and tunability. The Revenant Pro amp is essentially "locked down" - including the tune files. And since sound setups, including tuning, are so subjective, I prefer the tunability/flexibility of the 10DSP, even if I ultimately get the system professionally tuned, it will be tuned to my liking.
One other thing I have learned in my research thus far is that you don't need to pay a premium price for good (or even premium) sound all of the time. For example, the Earthquake underseat woofers have received a lot of good reviews, including good technical reviews (which I like), and a pair can be had for less than $250, while other options can be $500+ per woofer. That is why I plan to give the Earthquakes a try.