What is your car audio/entertainment set up?

bmstuff

One thing we rarely see on Motors is audio / in car entertainment set ups and upgrades.

I would love to see what have you guys done to your car in terms of speakers, amplifiers, head unit too (Lidl does not count thanks ).

Please post your specs and pictures

bmstuff

bmstuff wrote: »

One thing we rarely see on Motors is audio / in car entertainment set ups and upgrades.

I would love to see what have you guys done to your car in terms of speakers, amplifiers, head unit too (Lidl does not count thanks ).

Please post your specs and pictures

Aww

Chuck Stone

bmstuff wrote: »

(Lidl does not count thanks ).

Boooo. :mad:

Alanstrainor

BMW tape deck, with 6 CD changer in the boot. High tech!

Although, I'm glad of the tape deck, I at least get to use one of those adapters to plug a phone/mp3 player into for music. It does look like a mess having the cable coming out of it though

_Kaiser_

Standard RCD300 radio CD unit in a 06 Passat with a Parrot MKI9200 bluetooth setup - 16GB USB stick plugged into this in the glove box for all my music needs.

Sometimes wish it was louder/better quality (the amp it comes with isn't great) but it does the job.

langdang

Sony Xplod HU (hey, it has everything i need - USB,aux in, plays any CD, WMA, AAC, mp4) + Alpine speakers. Fitted on the roughest homemade speaker "adapter mounts" you've ever seen.

bmstuff

Alanstrainor wrote: »

BMW tape deck, with 6 CD changer in the boot. High tech!

Although, I'm glad of the tape deck, I at least get to use one of those adapters to plug a phone/mp3 player into for music. It does look like a mess having the cable coming out of it though

You are a musician I believe? Did you ever think about upgrading the speakers/amp(s)?

I got some high end gear myself recently that I would love to fit in my car, I just have not had the chance yet.
I got JL Audio stuff mainly.

Bad weather does not help

bmstuff

langdang wrote: »

Fitted on the roughest homemade speaker "adapter mounts" you've ever seen.

Hehe what did you use?

Alanstrainor

bmstuff wrote: »

You are a musician I believe? Did you ever think about upgrading the speakers/amp(s)?

I got some high end gear myself recently that I would love to fit in my car, I just have not had the chance yet.
I got JL Audio stuff mainly.

Bad weather does not help

Yup, I'm a bit of musician, and despite my ropey setup I do actually care about my audio quality too:P

I've got a list a mile long of things to do to my car:P

Its on it! But being honest, I drive my car mostly to enjoy driving it, rather than commuting or sitting in traffic, so I don't really spend too much time enjoying music in the motor. I want to upgrade the headunit with a double din, but the money just isn't there to be honest. Plenty of maintenance related things that I need to be doing too.

langdang

bmstuff wrote: »

Hehe what did you use?

Breadboard. I've discovered that carpentry is not hereditary!
Looks like I polished off a bottle of jameson before I took out the jigsaw... meh, it's bangernomics.

dar83

I did the whole upgraded head unit and sub and Amp (JBL stuff) in my Golf when I had it. I've not had the same urge for the audio upgrades in the Focus due to the engine sound I want to enjoy more.

Harcrid

I retrofitted an RNS510 into my car last year. Handy 30GB hard drive for music as well as the integrated Sat Nav. The Parrot kit is no longer fitted as I also fitted an OEM Bluetooth kit. Expensive overall but very happy with it.

bmstuff

Celtxx wrote: »

I retrofitted an RNS510 into my car last year. Handy 30GB hard drive for music as well as the integrated Sat Nav. The Parrot kit is no longer fitted as I also fitted an OEM Bluetooth kit. Expensive overall but very happy with it.

Nice one

monkeypants

Where's a good place to go to in North County Dublin to get some audio work done?

dgt

I use the most:


In situ


And I find the remote very useful when sitting in the boot so nyeh :pac:

SniperSight

BOSE surround sound system with 6 CD changer and 2 SD card slots.

bazz26

I'm happy enough with the stock stereo system in my E90. I have the iDrive so it can read mp3s from either a DVD or from the usb/aux ports inside the arm rest. Speakers are stock too, the Logic 7 upgrades available would be nice to have but I'm not really heavy into sound enough to justify the cost.

Poiiote

Hello! ... I think CD, USB ETC .. have become obsolete, car stereos should bring HDD, and all processors proved necessary to achieve excellent audio quality, according to the need of each person, as to the subwoofers are all very good (SONY PIONNER ETC ...) what important, is to achieve good acoustics, according to the type of music and architecture automotive, match the RMS power of subwoofers with amps in their respective impedances, properly wired amplifiers as well as its grounds ... etc.

Skatedude

I installed a carpc in the boot running windows 7 with a 250gig ssd hooked up to a single din touchscreen in the dash with centrafuse front end software. and piped through a 400 watt jbl amp and 3 way pioneers all round.

So 1000+ albums, satnav etc as well as family guy, american dad and i keep a wireless 360 controller in the glove box to play arcade games with the mame emulator.

The lips

monkeypants wrote: »

Where's a good place to go to in North County Dublin to get some audio work done?[/Quote

Not sure about North county Dublin but MDS Ireland in Cherry Orchard sorted me out and have good stock.

S28382

Alanstrainor wrote: »

BMW tape deck, with 6 CD changer in the boot. High tech!

Although, I'm glad of the tape deck, I at least get to use one of those adapters to plug a phone/mp3 player into for music. It does look like a mess having the cable coming out of it though

Ah the good ol tape deck units i had one of those in my car :cool: i like you was using the adapter for the ipod but after much annoyance i changed to a philips stereo it has an ipod dock that can be concealed when not in use although in saying that the stock stereo looks way better it suits the car.

Speedway

Just using the standard Seat Leon Head Unit and a Parrot Mki9200

crosstownk

I'm in the process of removing my ICE from the car because I'm selling the car. I'll be setting up my ICE in the house over the next few weeks.

The system is over 10 years old but still sounds great.

The head unit is a Pioneer Premier DEH-P700R connected to a Pioneer DEQ-9200 digital sound processor. The processor outputs to 3 amplifiers for high, mid & low frequencies. The high amp is a Pioneer GM-620 which powers the front tweeters. The mid amp is a 4 channel HiFonics American Eagle that powers two mid range speakers in the front doors and two mid-bass speakers in the rear parcel shelf. The third amp is a Pioneer GM-X644 four channel amp that is bridged to two channels that power both coils of dual voice coil subwoofer.

Hopefully it will sound as good in the house.

bmstuff

crosstownk wrote: »

I'm in the process of removing my ICE from the car because I'm selling the car. I'll be setting up my ICE in the house over the next few weeks.

The system is over 10 years old but still sounds great.

The head unit is a Pioneer Premier DEH-P700R connected to a Pioneer DEQ-9200 digital sound processor. The processor outputs to 3 amplifiers for high, mid & low frequencies. The high amp is a Pioneer GM-620 which powers the front tweeters. The mid amp is a 4 channel HiFonics American Eagle that powers two mid range speakers in the front doors and two mid-bass speakers in the rear parcel shelf. The third amp is a Pioneer GM-X644 four channel amp that is bridged to two channels that power both coils of dual voice coil subwoofer.

Hopefully it will sound as good in the house.

There you go, some nice setup by the sound of it.
Any pics of the amps before you take everything out?

advertsfox

Yatour Virtual CD Changer (SD Card, USB or Aux) for €40 in the glovebox with the stock Blaupunkt. Excellent sound quality with the OEM look and steering wheel controls. Optional Bluetooth adapter too for handsfree and AD2P streaming - that's more lilely going to be got with Septembers wages

crosstownk

bmstuff wrote: »

There you go, some nice setup by the sound of it.
Any pics of the amps before you take everything out?

I'll be taking out the amps this weekend but I'll try and post some snaps beforehand.

knifey_spoonie

Cold air intake, turbo spool and custom exhaust that's all the in car entertainment anybody needs.

Eric Cartman

The D-Max :

Kenwood DNX-5220 Navigation System with KCA-BT200 Bluetooth module.


Carcomm iPhone cradle with Kenwood iPod cable fitted


4x Clarion SRQ Series door speakers and 2x Clarion SRQ tweeters.


Pioneer TS-WX77a Subwoofer.


7er :
BMW Business RDS (tape) headunit and 6 cd changer (works intermittently) , soon to be replaced with the Wide Bordmonitor and Mk4 navigation.

keith_d99

advertsfox wrote: »

Yatour Virtual CD Changer (SD Card, USB or Aux) for €40 in the glovebox with the stock Blaupunkt. Excellent sound quality with the OEM look and steering wheel controls. Optional Bluetooth adapter too for handsfree and AD2P streaming - that's more lilely going to be got with Septembers wages

Good find that ... especially for the price.
Had something similar from Dension and it cost a lot more.
As you say, AD2P is your next step!

Now I use this handy (and inexpensive) piece of kit from Belkin
Bluetooth adapter

Socket and Aux-In are beside each other (E60), so it's a very tidy solution.

R.O.R

Standard E60 Radio, with a Tesco Value 3.5mm Aux cable to the Aux in port. Connected to a Nokia N97 (crap phone, worse than average music player) in the armrest, that's connected to a phone charger so it doesn't run out of juice.

Works for me and I've still about 16GB of spare space on the Nokia POS.

Nforce

advertsfox wrote: »

Yatour Virtual CD Changer (SD Card, USB or Aux) for €40 in the glovebox with the stock Blaupunkt. Excellent sound quality with the OEM look and steering wheel controls. Optional Bluetooth adapter too for handsfree and AD2P streaming - that's more lilely going to be got with Septembers wages

I fitted the Xcarlink version a couple of weeks ago to my Missus' Nissan Primera T-Spec. Have it concealed in the glovebox too. The Nissan's audio system isn't bad for an oem setup...even has a small sub under the drivers seat.
Next step is to add the bluetooth module. I wonder if the Yatour version will work with it?

T-Maxx

Standard.

I'm old enough to know no one else wants to listen to my junk.

Taylor365

I don't know how anyone listens to the 'tape plugged into phone/ipod' set ups. The sound quality is atrocious.

I've a really old Legacy JBL sound system i bought from a mate. 2 sub woofers on either side with an amp in the middle (looks like a jet engine). Never seen anything like it anywhere else. So far I've had it 7 years (3 cars) and soon to be put into the 4th

scamalert

No one in ireland really bothers with proper ICE,now on some US sites theres some masterpieces to see,like here http://www.fiberglassforums.com/build-pics/ or just look up fiberglass sub boxes etc plenty of good setups,not standard bose or halfords stuff.

Eric Cartman

scamalert wrote: »

No one in ireland really bothers with proper ICE,now on some US sites theres some masterpieces to see,like here http://www.fiberglassforums.com/build-pics/ or just look up fiberglass sub boxes etc plenty of good setups,not standard bose or halfords stuff.

it really is a shame, most cars come with crap audio systems out of the factory , very few people do anything with them.

MuppetCheck

Had a Pioneer F930BT with an old iPod in the glovebox. Will be keeping that in the next car but with the factory nav unit and upgraded speakers.

terrydel

Not trying to piss on anyone's chips, but I just dont see the point in spending big money on car hifi.
The environment provided by a car (small, lots of ambient noise etc) just cant do justice to really good speakers/sound systems imo.
Prefer to spend my hifi money at home!

bmstuff

scamalert wrote: »

No one in ireland really bothers with proper ICE,now on some US sites theres some masterpieces to see,like here http://www.fiberglassforums.com/build-pics/ or just look up fiberglass sub boxes etc plenty of good setups,not standard bose or halfords stuff.

Big culture difference with the americans for instance.
But there are people who care here and did some very nice upgrade.

I am currently working on mine, just waiting of my 2 amp wiring kits now...

bmstuff

terrydel wrote: »

Not trying to piss on anyone's chips, but I just dont see the point in spending big money on car hifi.
The environment provided by a car (small, lots of ambient noise etc) just cant do justice to really good speakers/sound systems imo.
Prefer to spend my hifi money at home!

That's where sound deadening comes into place.

Believe me, a properly insultated car with proper sound system is orgasmic.
I am not talking about bass monsters, I am talking about volume, clarity that is so overwelming all around you that it really takes your driving experience to the next level.

Taylor365

terrydel wrote: »

Not trying to piss on anyone's chips, but I just dont see the point in spending big money on car hifi.
The environment provided by a car (small, lots of ambient noise etc) just cant do justice to really good speakers/sound systems imo.
Prefer to spend my hifi money at home!

I'd disagree.

My surround system at home does sound good but its not as enclosed as a car. The sound doesn't feel as personal.

Also, hitting really low frequencies in the car has a much different effect than at home

terrydel

bmstuff wrote: »

That's where sound deadening comes into place.

Believe me, a properly insultated car with proper sound system is orgasmic.
I am not talking about bass monsters, I am talking about volume, clarity that is so overwelming all around you that it really takes your driving experience to the next level.

I dont doubt you mate, I just think the space is ultimately too small to do big sound real justice.

terrydel

Taylor365 wrote: »

I'd disagree.

My surround system at home does sound good but its not as enclosed as a car. The sound doesn't feel as personal.

Also, hitting really low frequencies in the car has a much different effect than at home

What you got at home mate?
I am really talking in terms of comparing having proper audiophile standard stuff at home, and having a **** hot system in the car.
I just feel that spending on the former you get a far better return. A car is a really small space and the soundstage of a lviing room, even a small one, cant be matched.
Good debate tho

Eric Cartman

terrydel wrote: »

Not trying to piss on anyone's chips, but I just dont see the point in spending big money on car hifi.
The environment provided by a car (small, lots of ambient noise etc) just cant do justice to really good speakers/sound systems imo.
Prefer to spend my hifi money at home!

for me I have to have both, I have no problems spending 1500+ on a car hifi setup , as I spend hours every day there and want it to sound perfect.

But I also only buy sennheiser headphones, and have top end hifi gear at home aswell.

the sound quality is important no matter where I am, and most factory systems in cars just dont do tracks justice, especially the lower notes.

bmstuff

terrydel wrote: »

I dont doubt you mate, I just think the space is ultimately too small to do big sound real justice.

You would be surprised at how good it sounds, well again, when done properly.
Lots of technologies and methods available.

Taylor365

terrydel wrote: »

What you got at home mate?
I am really talking in terms of comparing having proper audiophile standard stuff at home, and having a **** hot system in the car.
I just feel that spending on the former you get a far better return. A car is a really small space and the soundstage of a lviing room, even a small one, cant be matched.
Good debate tho

I don't want to embarrass meself and face being stoned for my excuse of a 'surround system'.

You are correct in that a car can't lump around the equipment needed to achieve the high sound quality you can acquire in the homestead.

You need a bus for that

HandsomeDan

terrydel wrote: »

Not trying to piss on anyone's chips, but I just dont see the point in spending big money on car hifi.
The environment provided by a car (small, lots of ambient noise etc) just cant do justice to really good speakers/sound systems imo.
Prefer to spend my hifi money at home!

Disagree. The few quid I spend on my upgrade setup made a big difference to my enjoyment of the car.

T-Maxx

I reckon the amount of money spent on ICE is inversely proportional to age.

Voodoomelon

bmstuff wrote: »

You would be surprised at how good it sounds, well again, when done properly.
Lots of technologies and methods available.

I must get you to look at the way I have my system setup; spent the guts of €2k over the years on Boston Acoustics Pro50SE components, Alpine PDX-F6 amplifier and a shallow Pioneer subwoofer but it sounds distinctly average at best.

It's all to do with my source i reckon, didn't want to loose headunit functionality so it's all tapped into the BM24 radio module. Without the subwoofer, there's virtually no base response.

0ph0rce0

This is what fills my motor with tunes.

BANGIN

Eric Cartman

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I must get you to look at the way I have my system setup; spent the guts of €2k over the years on Boston Acoustics Pro50SE components, Alpine PDX-F6 amplifier and a shallow Pioneer subwoofer but it sounds distinctly average at best.

It's all to do with my source i reckon, didn't want to loose headunit functionality so it's all tapped into the BM24 radio module. Without the subwoofer, there's virtually no base response.

this is the reason I want to fit DSP when im doing the nav retrofit, a lot of people saying dont bother but It does sound far better than the bassless non dsp system

Voodoomelon

Never heard DSP first hand from noughties, its supposed to be decent enough when working.