Head Unit Swap Tips and speaker sizes?

[NMB]

Hello all,

I will be replacing the head unit in my new E30 this weekend. It is what I think is an OEM Pioneer unit that pulls completely out of the dash. Does anyone have any tips for replacing it? I have the adapter for the wiring loom as well.

Also what size are the speakers on a 1988 325i? Are they 13cm front and rear?

Nicholas

[Alex]

5.25 speakers front and rear, if its a 2 door you can fit 6" speakers in rear with a bit of help from a stanley knife

[ImysE30]

Have a read through this thread for ideas on a new headunit:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=105740

[Alex]

http://www.clarionworld.co.uk/stock/db189rmp.asp

i baught one of these, sound quality is really good too, menu is a bit wierd tho

[NMB]

Thanks ImysE30 but I already have the new head unit, a Sony CDX-DAB6650. The reason I went for it is the DAB and an aux in as I intend on wiring an iPhone in.

Regarding speakers I am just going to try and get the best 5.25" speakers I can get my hands on. I am thinking about some Sony XS-C13BR. I am not normally this big a fan of Sony but for this instance it seems to be the best bang for buck (I only pair £60 for the head unit).

Nicholas

[ImysE30]

What car have you got? Is it a 2 door?
I've just bought some Vibe Component Speakers for my cab, 90w RMS which is good. I've heard Infinity Components are good as well and price is similar

[NMB]

yes mine is a 2 door. I am looking to spend between £40 and £50 per pair. Any suggestions welcome.

Nicholas

[stu_316i]

Ive got a set of infinity reference 5010cs, they were £40 brand new off ebay from car audio security I think, down from £100rrp aswell!

Very impressed with them

[ImysE30]

These are the one's that i have purchased:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VIBE-SE-K50-K-SER ... 6%3A2%7C65%

These are pretty good as well:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INFINITY-13cm-Ref ... 240%3A1318

[stu_316i]

The link to the infinitys in ImysE30's post above are the ones I have, from the seller I got mine from, can highly recommend

[Alex]

Ive got a set of infinity reference 5010cs, they were £40 brand new off ebay from car audio security I think, down from £100rrp aswell!

Very impressed with them

i can vouch for a set of 5010cs

they need a few days to loosen up but sound good, they sound a million times better with an amp mind.

there was a set in my local halfords in the cheap cabnet for £70

[NMB]

Where are you guys hiding the crossovers and sticking the tweeters? The Vibe's are a bit much styling wise for my liking but the Infinitys look interesting.

Nicholas

[stu_316i]

Ive got one crossover in the glove box, and the other velcro'd inside the panel under the steering wheel, all the cables nicely hidden away aswell.

The 5010cs set comes with nice mounts for the tweeters that allow them to be angled, so I cut holes into my standard mirror blanks and they sit very nicely in them (ill be putting a post up with pics of my stuff in tomorrow). cables for tweeters are already run behind the mirror blanks as standard aswell which makes them very easy to wire in!

I also have the drivers in the standard footwell locations, with the standard covers over them, I used the 'underneath' part of the bracket that comes with the infinitys for attaching the infinity covers as these give a flat mounting plate, but also provide clearance around the speakers so you can fit the factory kick plates over the top, was a nice bonus I thought

[Alex]

you can get bmw tweeter pods, there rare but you can put the tweeters in there, thats what ive done, just siloconed them in

[Alex]

all the wires are allready in the door too, if you have a facelift car

[ImysE30]

That's what i've got Alex, might put the vibe tweeters in there

[stu_316i]

They usually sell between £20 - 30 though, and when I wanted a system on a budget and my fronts only cost me £40, just seemed like an un-necessary expense, although it would be very nice to have them

[ImysE30]

They are a very good addition, i would certainly recommend a set

[stu_316i]

They are a very good addition, i would certainly recommend a set

Maybe one day when I have money

[Alex]

They are a very good addition, i would certainly recommend a set

Maybe one day when I have money

try ebay america, i always go there for them, ive baught two sets from there now both cost £20 including delivery to UK and there more common overthere since they had nearly every optional extra as standard over there.

[stu_316i]

Thanks for the tip, I'll check that out when im looking to do a better install. Im happy with what I have at the moment though

[sati]

fit 6.5" in the rear and 5.25" in the front , will sound alot better. and they drop right in , just cut the shelf with a knife and job done. , crossover for the rears can be placed under the shelf as it has lots of space. and for the front stick the crossovers in the dash.

[skd]

Hi just bought an 320 E30 cabby and want to fit some new speakers can anyone tell me what size front and rear?? ta

[ImysE30]

In the rear you will be able to get 5.25" and in the front you can get 6.5"

[Alex]

In the rear you will be able to get 5.25" and in the front you can get 6.5"

dont you mean the other way around

[ImysE30]

In the rear you will be able to get 5.25" and in the front you can get 6.5"

dont you mean the other way around

It's a convertible Alex so he won't be able to get 6.5" in the rear

Hi just bought an 320 E30 cabby

[Alex]

In the rear you will be able to get 5.25" and in the front you can get 6.5"

dont you mean the other way around

It's a convertible Alex so he won't be able to get 6.5" in the rear

Hi just bought an 320 E30 cabby

oh yer

are cabby rear speakers 5.25, when we had one there was some shitty 4 inchers in there, might have been an upgrade downgrade tho by one of the previous owners

[ImysE30]

Yes they are AFAIK. I've just put some 5.25" in the rear and they fit perfect

[Alex]

the audio in my step dads cabby was well council tho, blown speakers in the front an ebay special amp that didnt work 4 inch speakers in rear, a pointless sub tube thing attached to front of seat and the headunit would cut out if you turned the vol above 7

[ImysE30]

That's well council. I'm getting my cabby bassed out, will be posting pics up soon of the install

[sati]

i remeber my frist headunit in my old golf was by "roadstar" 4x20watts and had rca out's! forget faceoff thats to easy. try pull out yes the cage stay in the car and the unit slides out for safe keeping. its kept it memeory by using a onboard battery ,lol , sounded really good i never knew 3 inch 15watt speaker's had so much bass! ,lol , and for the rear was a pair of 6" 70watt sony speakers in 1 cubic feet box ported (2" wide , 5" deep) they were crazy runned of the head unit. people used to ask wat sub you got in here , pop the boot and there like is that it! lol they good old days.

[jbh]

i remeber my frist headunit in my old golf was by "roadstar" 4x20watts and had rca out's! forget faceoff thats to easy. try pull out yes the cage stay in the car and the unit slides out for safe keeping. its kept it memeory by using a onboard battery ,lol , sounded really good i never knew 3 inch 15watt speaker's had so much bass! ,lol , and for the rear was a pair of 6" 70watt sony speakers in 1 cubic feet box ported (2" wide , 5" deep) they were crazy runned of the head unit. people used to ask wat sub you got in here , pop the boot and there like is that it! lol they good old days.

i can remember set ups like that as well in my first cars... am i showing my age ???

[sati]

i was 16 then and got given a white mk2 golf 1.8 gti all done up just need sum rims and a banging system