[gorgy]

Hello everyone. I just finished installing my Match Up 7DSP in my 2022 BMW X5.

I was able to install it by myself thanks to the many posts in this forum. I had to take some info from a bunch of posts and also do some guessing as I ran into some problems when I installed mine and was able to resolve them so I thought I would share my experience with some photos to help others.

Like many others, I received my BMW with the factory HiFi system (due to the chip shortage) and was disappointed with the sound. I did some research and realized that the best option for me was to purchase a Match Up 7DSP with MEC installed and the 1.7RAM Harness.

In the USA, it is not very clear where to purchase the Match-Up 7DSP as Crutchfield discontinued the product but I just bought mine (brand new) on ebay and it came from London. The seller on ebay sold the whole package (amp, MEC and harness as well as a nice wiring kit).

I decided to only install the amp and not change the speakers as I read that the factory speakers are actually decent. I have to say that this is true in my opinion. The sound with the amp installed is night and day and I am very happy with the result.

I took some pictures of my setup as I felt that was missing when I was doing my research trying to find a step-by-step guide.

To start, you will need to open the trunk and expose the battery by removing the plastic cover. Once you expose the battery, you should disconnect it by disconnecting the black wire from the negative terminal on the battery.


The next thing is to connect the the 12V wire that will go from the amp to the battery. This was confusing to me as everywhere I read, I saw it said to connect it to the positive terminal of the battery. I did so and my amp did not turn on. What worked for me is connecting it to one of the power terminals that is next to the battery. I am not an expert but I assume this has to do with REM. Since there is nowhere to connect the REM wire unless you are an expert, the amp needs a signal to know when to turn on and that can be achieved by connecting the 12V wire to a power terminal and not the battery directly. I might be worn but it worked for me.

This is the power terminal next to the battery


Removing the red cover exposes the screw we can attach are wire to (my wire is the orange wire)


Make sure you are using a wire that has a 50A inline fuse (like the match manual says)

Next I connected the ground wire. I connected it to the car chasis where the black negative battery wire is connected to (my wire is the white wire):


I was able to pass both of my wires (12V and ground) to the driver side where the first aid kit is. You can pass them with no problem under the plastic cover as seen in the picture:


Now that you have both of these wires ready to go you can connect them to the Molex connector that came with the AMP.

I drew a diagram showing how I wired the wires into the Molex connector that comes with the AMP


Next, you need to disconnect the car harness from the RAM module. I don't have pictures for it but this video on youtube helped me understand how to do it and how to connect the harness. It is in German. I do not understand German but it's possible to see exactly how to disconnect the harness from the RAM and then install the match harness. (the video is showing a different match amp but the harness is the same so it is helpful to just see the harness connection)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6aOM_fOmVA&t=398s

Once you are done connecting the harness to the RAM module and to the match amp, You are ready to connect the battery back. YOu can connect the black wire you disconnected in the beginning back to the negative terminal of the battery.

If all is good, your amp status LED should be on and you should be able to hear radio/music from your car audio system.

Please note that if you test the audio before tuning the amp with the DSP PC tool, the sound will be flat and horrible. I am not an expert and just loaded the X5 preset that I downloaded on the Audiotec-Fischer website. After I uploaded the sound profile using the DSP PC tool, the sound was just amazing.

I am not a professional installer and this is not professional advice. Please use these instructions at your own risk.

I am still trying to figure out how to mount my amp where the first aid kit. The match amp does not come with a mounting plate. It comes with 2 mounting brackets that are kind of useless in that space. If anyone has experience with mounting it I will be happy to learn. For now, it is mounted with cable ties.
This is what it looks like





And when everything is closed the amp is not visible at all



Hope this helps others who are opting to install the amp on their own.

If you are a professional and think that anything I wrote here is wrong or misleading please let me know and I am happy to edit.

[Szupreme]

Pinging @VertigoAtHome who also installed this same amp to get his view.

How's the amp tied down with cable ties? Does it rattle?

Did your purchase come with the 50A online fuse wires or did you buy separately?

A diagram to show what's connected to what (eg how does existing hifi amp fit in) would complete this super helpful post.

I'll try to find the same amp on eBay!

[Szupreme]

@gorgy which eBay seller did you use?

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by Szupreme

@gorgy which eBay seller did you use?

Here is the link to the seller.
https://www.ebay.com/str/allwoodsaudio

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by Szupreme

Pinging @VertigoAtHome who also installed this same amp to get his view.

How's the amp tied down with cable ties? Does it rattle?

Did your purchase come with the 50A online fuse wires or did you buy separately?

A diagram to show what's connected to what (eg how does existing hifi amp fit in) would complete this super helpful post.

I'll try to find the same amp on eBay!

Sure I will try to make the diagram today and upload here

[Mstephen]

Great write up!! How much did the base from the underseats improve?

[Szupreme]

Originally Posted by gorgy

Here is the link to the seller.
https://www.ebay.com/str/allwoodsaudio

That's awesome, just placed an order from that same seller yesterday. Had one up 7 DSP unit left with the loom (harness).

Says it comes with analoge [sic] in module so assume it's the MEC-A model of the amp. Is that the one you got, too?

[Silver64]

Originally Posted by Szupreme

That's awesome, just placed an order from that same seller yesterday. Had one up 7 DSP unit left with the loom (harness).

Says it comes with analoge [sic] in module so assume it's the MEC-A model of the amp. Is that the one you got, too?

I just placed an order as well… it does appear to be the enter kit that @gorgy installed. Big Thank You @gorgy !!!

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by Mstephen

Great write up!! How much did the base from the underseats improve?

Significant improvement in my opinion and that is without changing anything from the DSP preset from Audiotec-Fischer

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by Szupreme

That's awesome, just placed an order from that same seller yesterday. Had one up 7 DSP unit left with the loom (harness).

Says it comes with analoge [sic] in module so assume it's the MEC-A model of the amp. Is that the one you got, too?

Yes and the MEC module came already installed in the AMP so no need to do anything

[Szupreme]

Originally Posted by gorgy

Yes and the MEC module came already installed in the AMP so no need to do anything

Sorry for the 20 questions…

The wiring kit from Allwoodsounds includes the 50A inline fuse wires and you don't need to buy separately, right?

Also, does anything actually connect to the analog module in the MEC slot? I was looking at the module and seems like it adds a line in and an ability to receive low level signal.

Really appreciate the write up and succinct instructions.

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by Szupreme

Sorry for the 20 questions…

The wiring kit from Allwoodsounds includes the 50A inline fuse wires and you don't need to buy separately, right?

Also, does anything actually connect to the analog module in the MEC slot? I was looking at the module and seems like it adds a line in and an ability to receive low level signal.

Really appreciate the write up and succinct instructions.

No worries. The wiring kit included the inline fuse. The only issue is that they give you a couple of fuses but none are 50A. So I just ordered a 50A fuse on amazon and you can insert it to the inline fuse holder.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDBLLDY...2EPBXDNGR8CPE0

The Match 1.7RAM harness has a high level input connector that fits the MEC module and that is what you need to connect to it. You will see as you connect the harness you will only have one connector that fits it. (The other one is covered with a tape and should be left this way)

[HuskerNSC]

What was the kit called ebay? I only see the amp stand alone.

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by gorgy

Sure I will try to make the diagram today and upload here

Added a wiring diagram to the original post

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by HuskerNSC

What was the kit called ebay? I only see the amp stand alone.

this is the one I bought it includes a "power kit" which is the wiring kit
https://www.ebay.com/itm/23377476036...53.m2749.l2649

[Szupreme]

Originally Posted by HuskerNSC

What was the kit called ebay? I only see the amp stand alone.

Match by Audiotec Fischer UP 7DSP Amplifier with Loom for RAM version BMW 2019+

If not found, it's likely out of stock so give it a few days and new ones may pop up.

[KmanM3]

Mine is also on the way. I was going to try to mount it to the OEM amp bracket and mounting points as shown in this video:

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by KmanM3

Mine is also on the way. I was going to try to mount it to the OEM amp bracket and mounting points as shown in this video:

The issue is that Match Up 7DSP is not the same and does not come with the mounting bracket shown in this video. Only if you buy a bimmertech amp you get that mounting bracket. You cannot really connect it to the OEM bracket as shown in the video.

[KmanM3]

I believe it is just an OEM BMW bracket, part number 65156832598, which can be purchased along with necessary hardware.

[Silver64]

Originally Posted by gorgy

The issue is that Match Up 7DSP is not the same and does not come with the mounting bracket shown in this video. Only if you buy a bimmertech amp you get that mounting bracket. You cannot really connect it to the OEM bracket as shown in the video.

gorgy How did you mount your amp, or what did you mount it to? Do you have easy access to the USB port for DSP modification?

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by KmanM3

I believe it is just an OEM BMW bracket, part number 65156832598, which can be purchased along with necessary hardware.

I think they look similar but actually not the same part. The bimmertech one has a longer part that connects to a mounting point that the OEM doesn't (judging from the video you added). However If you purchase it and it works for you, would love if you can tell us here and I will order one myself and also update this tutorial to include this step

Thank you

[gorgy]

Originally Posted by Silver64

gorgy How did you mount your amp, or what did you mount it to? Do you have easy access to the USB port for DSP modification?

I just found random holes that don't have screws in them where the RAM is and attached cable ties to them. I then tied it to the AMP mounting brackets holes. It sits in the air sort of and I am planning to wrap the amp in protective foam to protect it from any bumps until I can come up with a better mounting solution. I will try to take closeup pictures of how I used the cable ties and upload here.