Improve Sound of Business Radio for less than $1K?

web1b · 06-05-2008, 12:42 PM

What's the most cost efficient way to make a noticable improvement in the stock radio of a 2008 US 328i with USB?

Are there better sounding speakers that fit behind the factory grills?
Would replacing the factory amps with an aftermarket while still keeping the stock speakers improve sound much?
Would only adding a powered bass kit (such as Infinity Basslink) help?

The $1K budget would need to allow for the cost of professional installation.

solefald · 06-05-2008, 12:51 PM

Bavarian Soundwerks is working on a set of speakers that will set you off $650

sageashton · 06-05-2008, 02:22 PM

I would contact VP Electricity and find out if he can hook you up with something for that price range. The installation part is an unknow because you do not know how much they will charge to do the install. However, to save yourself some money, most of this stuff is pretty easy and you can do it yourself.

Here is a simple set up that could do it for you:

4" component set for the front (you can get them for $100 - $350 depending on what you are looking for - of course that is ignoring the 'premium' stuff). Think lower end Morel, Focal, Diamond Audio etc. Hell, even infinity's sound better than the stock speakers, but once you put in an amp you will want higher power speakers, so I would recommend doing it right the first time.

5 or 6 channel amp - Will run you about $300 - $400 for a decent one (I recommend the PDX-5 for size if you would like to keep your trunk *******. I know some people have used blaupunkt and JL with success.

Two SWS-8 subs - on ebay you can get them for about $125 per sub.

That comes to about $950 without RCA's or wiring equipment, which you will need.

You could cut corners on the amp and front speakers, but the subs are pretty set.

But if you did that you would have a pretty good sounding system.

EVERYTHING you need to figure this out is on the forum, so it should not be too hard for you to do it yourself.

06-05-2008, 12:42 PM	#1
web1b Private First Class 10 Rep 124 Posts Drives: 328i Join Date: May 2008 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Improve Sound of Business Radio for less than $1K? What's the most cost efficient way to make a noticable improvement in the stock radio of a 2008 US 328i with USB? Are there better sounding speakers that fit behind the factory grills? Would replacing the factory amps with an aftermarket while still keeping the stock speakers improve sound much? Would only adding a powered bass kit (such as Infinity Basslink) help? The $1K budget would need to allow for the cost of professional installation.
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06-05-2008, 12:51 PM	#2
solefald Nigerian Prince 385 Rep 2,180 Posts Drives: '11 F25 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego, CA iTrader: (2) Garage List '11 BMW F25 [0.00]	Bavarian Soundwerks is working on a set of speakers that will set you off $650 __________________ http://soundcloud.com/djtchort
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06-05-2008, 02:22 PM	#3
sageashton Second Lieutenant 11 Rep 221 Posts Drives: 2006 325i, Manual Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Santa Clarita, CA iTrader: (0)	I would contact VP Electricity and find out if he can hook you up with something for that price range. The installation part is an unknow because you do not know how much they will charge to do the install. However, to save yourself some money, most of this stuff is pretty easy and you can do it yourself. Here is a simple set up that could do it for you: 4" component set for the front (you can get them for $100 - $350 depending on what you are looking for - of course that is ignoring the 'premium' stuff). Think lower end Morel, Focal, Diamond Audio etc. Hell, even infinity's sound better than the stock speakers, but once you put in an amp you will want higher power speakers, so I would recommend doing it right the first time. 5 or 6 channel amp - Will run you about $300 - $400 for a decent one (I recommend the PDX-5 for size if you would like to keep your trunk *******. I know some people have used blaupunkt and JL with success. Two SWS-8 subs - on ebay you can get them for about $125 per sub. That comes to about $950 without RCA's or wiring equipment, which you will need. You could cut corners on the amp and front speakers, but the subs are pretty set. But if you did that you would have a pretty good sounding system. EVERYTHING you need to figure this out is on the forum, so it should not be too hard for you to do it yourself.
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