[MrLatte]

Not yet done myself as I’m not 100% sure if the z4 is a keeper yet. The 6.2 & 7.2 options look interesting.

https://www.focal-inside.com/bmw/en/...ible-2018-g29/

[hilld]

A little late to the party. I just ripped the car apart and replaced all the speakers, at least that was the plan. I have the subs sitting on the bench here, and the entire housing is glued together, not sure I feel like cutting this whole thing apart. Also the replacement subs I have SWS Earthquake are a bit deeper, I think they will interfere with the rear panel once put back together.

I think I will leave the stock ones and put a 10" JL Audio Powerwedge+ powered sub in the trunk. That should take care of it.

[RavenGX]

you have to remove the top part first then you can remove the front panel

[Horseman]

There needs to be some added padding to back there to prevent vibrations... that's one thing I didn't like. Non-HK upgrade system had alot of punch in its sound system, but I did get alot of vibrations, especially with top up.

[RavenGX]

yes there are a lot of parts that make noise when you turn up the sound.

I've added padding inside the doors, rear panel, put some sticky stuff in the corners next to the roll bars and added padding to the roof box on the trunk side and some foam between sthe ski hatch on the trunk side.

Its a lot better than before. With deep bass i still get a little vibration at times, but not as bad as before.

[Bimmerfun82]

I put in a JL Audio box (sub amp combo prefab) and it really helps without any rattles. Downside is loss of trunk space. Doesn’t improve clarity of system but definitely has removed most of my complaints and enjoyable listening has markedly improved.

Best part is low labor and easily removable.

[eekflyer]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

I put in a JL Audio box (sub amp combo prefab) and it really helps without any rattles. Downside is loss of trunk space. Doesn’t improve clarity of system but definitely has removed most of my complaints and enjoyable listening has markedly improved.

Best part is low labor and easily removable.

Did you merely tap the rear speaker wires for source, or is a pre-fab harness available?

[ebirotedu]

I have this connector, though it’s not installed yet. Sub has been sitting in a box for a couple months now since I ordered it. Will get to it eventually.

https://technicpnp.com/product/hk-op...oster-systems/

Originally Posted by eekflyer

Did you merely tap the rear speaker wires for source, or is a pre-fab harness available?

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by eekflyer

Did you merely tap the rear speaker wires for source, or is a pre-fab harness available?

Had it professionally done, not sure. They wired it into the system and provided a bass knob for controlling the sub.

[hilld]

I decided to take another stab at replacing the factory woofers. Back to taking things apart. The drivers side was a touch bit easier as it didn't have any electronic components bolted to the housing.

I used a heat gun to soften the adhesive used to hold the factory speakers in the housing. I installed some SWS Earthquake 8ix in its place. The SWS didn't come with a factory connector, just some binding posts, but that still worked.

So the final upgraded ended up being:

center channel: Focal ICC BMW 100
front doors: Focal ES 100K (crossover mounted in door)
rear speakers: Focal IC BMW 100 <--- not a perfect fit, would do something different next time
rear woofers: SWS 8Xi
amp/dsp: Match UP 8DSP & appropriate wiring harness
misc: KnuKonnect fuse blocks, power wires, etc.

Perhaps I will add a dedicated sub in the future, the Match supports a line out and I have prewired for it. I am still tuning the car, so far I am very happy and I can actually hear the music at highway speeds with the top down.

I did purchase most of the items from vendors in Europe (Germany and UK) as the Focal and Match stuff was much cheaper there. The SWS woofers directly from SWS in California.

[perryinva]

How are you tuning the 8DSP? I mean, I know you are using the program, but are you using a mic or just adjusting by ear?

Did you run in to the issue where the turn signals and notifications are much louder with the 8DSP?

[hilld]

Originally Posted by perryinva

How are you tuning the 8DSP? I mean, I know you are using the program, but are you using a mic or just adjusting by ear?

Did you run in to the issue where the turn signals and notifications are much louder with the 8DSP?

I am still working on the tuning. So far I have put in all the distances from each speaker and set the frequency ranges for each speaker. I am not 100% happy yet. I think I have it figured out with a music type, then something else plays and I have much bass or not enough treble.

I have looked at the RTA in the tool, but have not done that yet as I am a bit confused as to if I need to do this for each speaker set or for all combined. I have not found any good video on how to do that. I am using a Rode microphone connected to my laptop.

So far I have been adjusting the EQ sliders and I have not been using the virtual speaker option. I did recently find a file for a G series 5 series that I might try to see if it is much better.

I have a feeling I will be driving with a laptop on the passenger seat for a while.

[perryinva]

Definitely let us know!

What about the turn signals/notifications? If everytime I use the turn signal, of the lane departure engages, the volume of the music is decreased and the turn signal becomes prominent, it’s unlikely I would make the change. Allswoods support is very minimal but the price is right, if a good profile download can be found.

Mounting and wiring the 8DSP in the base audio of the Z4 is especially easy, but the small production numbers mean there are no profiles floating around that are proven. Your install is more difficult because the Focals have different profiles across the board than the stock speakers, which honestly are good enough for me, at this point in time.

The exact same speakers are used in my 2019 X3 with Base system and they get considerably louder within a vehicle with more distance from the speakers and more volume to fill than the Z4, so I know they can handle more power. I can’t turn the X3 all the way up before it is too loud and starts to distort. The Z4 is on full volume almost all the time and not loud at all!

[hilld]

Originally Posted by perryinva

Definitely let us know!

What about the turn signals/notifications? If everytime I use the turn signal, of the lane departure engages, the volume of the music is decreased and the turn signal becomes prominent, it’s unlikely I would make the change. Allswoods support is very minimal but the price is right, if a good profile download can be found.

Mounting and wiring the 8DSP in the base audio of the Z4 is especially easy, but the small production numbers mean there are no profiles floating around that are proven. Your install is more difficult because the Focals have different profiles across the board than the stock speakers, which honestly are good enough for me, at this point in time.

The exact same speakers are used in my 2019 X3 with Base system and they get considerably louder within a vehicle with more distance from the speakers and more volume to fill than the Z4, so I know they can handle more power. I can’t turn the X3 all the way up before it is too loud and starts to distort. The Z4 is on full volume almost all the time and not loud at all!

I hadn't noticed any louder noises with my turn signals. Mabye I am used to it as my Rivian is really noticeable in that area. As far as mounting the Focals that is a non issue with some adapters (can be purchased on ebay) and some hot glue for the tweeters. The IC series of Focals even use the factory BMW mounting ears and wire connection, so pretty much P&P, but for some reason on the rear ones the were just a smidge too small on the diameter and I had to fill the gap. Not a big deal, just wasn't expected.

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by hilld

So the final upgraded ended up being:

center channel: Focal ICC BMW 100
front doors: Focal ES 100K (crossover mounted in door)
rear speakers: Focal IC BMW 100 <--- not a perfect fit, would do something different next time
rear woofers: SWS 8Xi
amp/dsp: Match UP 8DSP & appropriate wiring harness
misc: KnuKonnect fuse blocks, power wires, etc.

Perhaps I will add a dedicated sub in the future, the Match supports a line out and I have prewired for it. I am still tuning the car, so far I am very happy and I can actually hear the music at highway speeds with the top down.

Do you plan to create profiles for both top open and closed?

One thing I liked about my previous Miatas with the Bose system is it detected whether the top was open or closed and automatically adjusted. The changes were subtle but noticeable. I don't recall what they called it but in the current models it's called AudioPilot.

[hilld]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

Do you plan to create profiles for both top open and closed?

One thing I liked about my previous Miatas with the Bose system is it detected whether the top was open or closed and automatically adjusted. The changes were subtle but noticeable. I don't recall what they called it but in the current models it's called AudioPilot.

Now lets not get crazy with multiple profiles. I need to learn how to crawl first.

[hilld]

I have downloaded one from Fisher Audiotec for a G-series car and modified quite heavily. I changed a lot of the cross over frequencies or added some where there weren't any, changed a few of the eq settings and the db output. It certainly sounds a lot better than what I did without the files. I guess my old ears are just that old.

EDIT: I am attaching a couple of files, the one without the (modified) in the file name is what I downloaded from Fisher, the one with (modified) in the file name is after I have made my changes. Also, I had to zip the files as the standard file extension of .afpx is not allowed by the forum.

Hope this works for you. Keep in mind the file from Fisher is for OEM woofers, I have aftermarket woofers with much more bass output plus I like my music bass heavy, might not be for everyone, but it is a good starting point.

Also, I added distances in the Time tab for speaker to ear distances, so it is biased towards the driver position.

[perryinva]

Thank you for those!

[Christos]

Originally Posted by RavenGX

you have to remove the top part first then you can remove the front panel

So where does the super annoying bass rattle come from?

[RavenGX]

Originally Posted by Christos

So where does the super annoying bass rattle come from?

ski hatch door on the trunk side opens and closes slightly with the bass, most likely that
i put some foam in between that side of the door.

soft top box: added adhesive isolation on the bottom side (trunk side)

left and right side near the roll bars i don't exactly know where, but the installer put some sticky stuff in between it

And the wall itself, added a lot of padding to that

And also the passenger side seatbelt, if its in between the seat and the door it hits the side of the car sometimes i usually have it hanging over the side of the seat when driving alone.

[hilld]

While this is a disorganized mess and some pics are not in the correct orientation (they are correct in the google pictures album), hopefully these will help a bit in seeing how the speakers are installed in a Z4 and how this stuff comes apart.

One thing that I will stress though, is that you get some of the clips that accept the screws for the door handle as the plastic breaks very easily.
BMW Part / Description 07-14-7-265-039 Door Interior Trim Panel Nut
There are either 2 or 3 of those on each door.

Anyway, album link: https://g29.bimmerpost.com/forums/al...?albumid=21170

[perryinva]

I went ahead an bit the bullet and bought the 8DSP from Allwood. I didn’t expect the extra import and export taxes above the shipping and sales tax (almost $135 more), so the total came out to $1060, still more than $400 less than Alphaone from Bimmertech. They include a profile, but I will try the others from hilld first. I will document that install and impressions of worth when done. Their kit includes the harnesses and power connection wiring.