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In Reply to: a/d/s/, DSP, sub & amp. But still not satisfied, posted by D Kang on December 28, 1999 at 07:17:01:
In my prior life at a/d/s/ I had the opportunity to have a mobile audio demonstration system made which travelled with our trainer that demonstrated the a/d/s/ level 1/2/3/ upgrades. Some of you may have seen this at some of the seminars a/d/s/ had with the various CCA chapters. I assume it is still being used. In this system, the BMW head unit correctly interfaced with an aftermarket amp could be compared with a high-end aftermarket head unit. While I was there we used an Alpine. The interesting thing to note was that listeners universally agreed that: on CD, there was no appreciable difference in performance between the BMW head unit and the aftermarket unit! . This goes counter to the experience reported by many people on the various boards, but in a controlled experiment it is clearly the case. FM however is another story, the BMW radio is somewhat rolled-off in the high end, and has limited separation. This is a trade-off for lower noise and less multipath distortion. You will get lower fidelity with the BMW radio, but will most likely get more stations, so "better" becomes a matter of what is best for you. On CD at least I would have to attribute at least some reports of better sound with an afermarket head unit to outside influences, not something intrinsincly second-rate about the BMW unit. I say this primarily because changing the head unit itself will change the situation. For example, putting in a new head unit usually results in adjusting amp levels. This alone negates the ability to compare sound quality alone, as system balance will invariably be shifted. Also, as the result of the mis-conception that installers have, where most erroneously think the BMW radios are high powered, some install powered head units driving the BMW amp. This boosts the level high enough so that when you turn it on, it sounds like the system is more powerful at low settings. In fact, the system really doesn't play any louder, since this is ultimately determined by the point where the BMW amp runs out of power. The listener gets fooled though by the louder sound at "normal" volume control settings. Studies have shown that a product playing as little as 1/2dB louder will be perceived as "better" even when it's the identical product! I've demonstrated this effect to roomfulls of people in seminars by telling them I was switching components when what I was really doing was switching in a 1/2dB attenuator. The level difference was so small that no-one heard it as louder, but the overwhelming response was that the louder one was "better". What I'm saying is that what you perceive may have more to do with tweaks done during the process than the equipment itself. Sometimes I wonder if installers do not adjust the OEM head units as carefully on purpose. Here I go getting cynical again, of course that would never happen ;-). The other mistake installers generally make is to install line-output converters in the BMW radio output lines. These are not necessary with almost all modern-day amplifiers, and most absolutely ruin the performance potential. The correct approach is to choose a power amp (or DSP unit in your case) with the proper input sensitivity range and plug the BMW Radio directly into the amp. This is not to say that some head units are not better than others, it's just a defense that the BMW unit itself is not as bad as it's reputation. Without a controlled AB comparison, its almost impossible to draw the true conclusion of the performance comparison.
Now FM, that's another story! You are almost guaranteed to get a cleaner, more open and well-defined sound from an aftermarket radio here. However be prepared to trade off some weak station performance, and put up with more fluttering in urban areas to get it. This is particularly acute in the BMW because of the rear window antenna system.
Cassette is probably a dead heat. It's performance has more to do with unit-to-unit azimuth adjustment differences than either the BMW or aftermarket unit actually being superior.
So in conclusion (finally!) I'm not saying you're wrong to want to upgrade the head unit. I'm not even saying it won't end up sounding better. What I am saying is that it is possible to get excellent sound (on CD at least)while maintaining the stock radio. I suspect that there is still a bit of tweaking that could be done with your existing equipment to squeeze out more performance for less than you will spend on a new head unit.
Best regards,
Bob Hazelwood
: I have installed a/d/s/ 335is.2 in front, 336is in rear, Alpine ERA-G320 DSP(It is right on top of the main radio control unit and cassette player is in glove box), Rockford Fosgate Punch DVC 10"sub and RF Punch 600a5 Amp with factory radio. It is much better than stock radio, but, I'm still not satisfied with my systems(Although I spent around $3000). I think the problem is caused by the stock radio. So, I'm getting a new head unit. I think this is the only way to get the sounds that I'm looking for. If you are looking for the killer sound system, than you will definitely need to get a new head unit along with other things. That means you will have to sacrifice integrated steering wheel controls... If you want to maintain factory finish(want to keep that "flap") on your vehicle while installing a new head unit, than you can get trim panel from Germany which is just made to fit E39. a/d/s/ upgrade will make sounds much better than stock system, but if you are planning to use factory radio with that upgrade, I think it is just waste of money. You can also get the similar sound with cheaper speakers and amp. If you are considering to get a new head unit, than try Nakamichi MB-100 or Sony ES CDX-C90, MB-100 has a 24Bit D/A converter and Sony has a 20Bit D/A converter. Most of the cd players have only 1Bit D/A converter. If you hear and compare them, you will notice the differences in that numbers... I'm getting a MB-100, because it handles 6 cd instead of one...
: I will keep in post when I get a new head unit.
: 98 528i sport w/5sp.
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