08 E63: Adding an Amp to OEM Headunit
 

Ok, I know this subject has been discussed several times and I have searched and read different solutions people have used. But most of the threads are old and a lot of the products are unavailable anymore. Also I have a specific question.

I currently have these products from an old system I built in my M3.

Boston Acoustic Pro 6.5's Components
JL 8W7
Alpine PDX-V0 (100x4, 500x1)
AudioControl EQS (equalizer and line driver), info here: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_161EQSG...ray.html?cc=02

So my plan was to use the Boston Pro's up front, use the stock speakers in the rear. Does anyone know what ohm they are? I have read of people hooking up an amp to the stock speakers, so I assume they are 2 or 4 ohm. Also plan to remove rear sub tray in the back.

But my biggest question is can I use the Audiocontrol EQS to integrate to the stock head unit? It has 4 high level inputs but it does not have a summing interface. So do I need to get an Audiocontrol LC6i or LC7i so that I can get a clean full range signal before it goes into my amp? I know there are probably better solutions and better processors out there, but if I am going to spend $600 or $700 on a processor, I'll just buy a better head unit. Not set on the audiocontrol one, just wanted to see what you guys suggest if I can't use what I already have.

I have an AudioControl EQS (not in the 55) and it will not work in this car.

Reason being, our Logic 7 amp is crossing over all the speakers in the car. Low frequencies are going to the rear sub, while all other frequencies are going to the other channels. If you connect the EQS to the front and rear outputs of the L7 amp, you won't get the bass.

What you need is something called a signal summing interface. JL audio makes them, Rockford Fosgate makes them, and yes AudioControl makes them as well.

Thanks. And that is what I figured. There are several summing interfaces out there now. Are the ones from Audicontrol good (the LC6i or the LC7i)? Or would I notice a big difference if I bought the one from JL Audio (Fix 86). It's more than double the price.

what I plan to do to my 2007 E63 is install a mObridge DA3 which intercepts the MOST fiber optic signal and outputs it into aftermarket compatible formats. Pretty pricey though.

I used the Audison bit DMI to do the same, running to a bit 10D processor. Pricey as well. :smash:

http://www.jlaudio.com/cl-ssi-car-au...egration-98112

how would that interface with the HK logic 7 amp?

it doesn't...it allows you to bypass to run an aftermarket amp, but you can retain the factory amp for whatever reasons. don't use the clean sweep...keep it all digital.

how long did you purchase the Audison bit DMI? the mObridge DA3 is about $100 more but is a DSP so you can EQ each output. the DA3 also has many other features as its fully tunable. you can also configure as many audio profiles as the factory deck has standard...i think we have 3 which include Logic7 of which you could define for custom EQ profiles.

did also read that the Audison bit DMI is a rebranded mObridge DA1...not sure how much truth is behind that.

where's the link to the DA1? I bought the AVIN MOST adapter and i don't ahve EQ for each output, kind of sucks

How long ago? A few months.


Although I didn't really research the mObridge, it appears to do what the Audison takes two units to do. The bit DMI is the MOST interface and the bit 10d is the dsp. The bit 10d is fairly customizable but gives you two programmable profiles. However, there is a 30 band eq for each channel that operates independently from all the others, or in conjunction with the pair of frequency specific speakers (e.g. mid bass). I'm running a full active 3 way front stage (tweet, mid, midbass) with two 10's in the rear. So you are able to have a 30 band eq for each speaker (and both subs, summed) in its operational frequency range. The two programmable eq profiles are independent of the audio profiles in the desk (Logic 7, etc). Of course, there are full ranges of crossover filter types (Linkwitz, butterworth), slopes, frequency points and time alignment for each channel. Other configurables such as phase inversion, mute settings for other sources like phones, and other stuff.


Overall, it seems like the mObridge is just as flexible but costs less than the two Audison units combined and does the same things. I just went with Audison as the amps I was using, and going all digital into with Cat6, were also Audison.

Not sure if that is the case as the mObridge seems to do more stuff than just the MOST interface, which is essentially what the bit DMI is.

This won't work in your situation. It does the opposite...takes the MOST signal and converts it to an analog or to a standard TOSLink signal to use aftermarket hardware. My plan eventually is to retain the factory headunit, and run a DA3, Google Nexus 7 Tablet, and run a few aftermarket amps to the factory speakers. Those Chinese made Android replacement radios are garbage. Great idea, horrible execution. I don't mind the quality of sound from the factory speakers, but feel the factory AGW/amp is the cause of the subpar muddy sound output.

I just recently helped my brother wire in a Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.3 to his Subaru BRZ...ya...basically the factory speakers in that case sounded amazing once a proper professional DSP and amp were introduced.

http://www.mobridge.us/products/most...igital-pre-amp
The DA1 replaces the factory amplifier and eliminates the need for high to low voltage converters and or summing devices. Simply disconnecting the optical cables from
the factory amplifier, and inserting them directly into the DA1, will provide 2-channels (stereo) of full range, ultra clean, digital audio output. This digital output can be transferred to an aftermarket Digital Sound Processor, or directly into an amplifier, via a standard TOSLINK cable.


The mObridge DA1 interprets many of the factory radio commands eliminating the need for an external volume control knob.
Its DSP processor will decipher and control volume, treble, mid-bass, bass, subwoofer, and balance functions of the factory radio.

http://www.mobridge.us/products/most...p-professional
The DA3 is a full digital signal processor complete with graphical interface that replaces the factory amplifier and eliminates the need for high to low voltage converters and/or summing devices. Simply disconnecting the optical cables from
the factory amplifier, and inserting them directly into the DA3, will provide 8-channels of full range, ultra clean fully configurable audio.

The mObridge DA3 interprets many of the factory radio commands eliminating the need for an external volume control knob.
Its DSP processor will decipher and control volume, treble, mid-bass, bass, subwoofer, and balance functions of the factory radio.

With the addittion of the power UI interface the full power of the DA series is now available to users. With full parametric adjustment of the individual channels as well as the master eq, 20ms time alignment, cross over linking and much more, the user now has the ability to achieve award winning reasults with the DA3 interface.


you fancy. bet it sounds awesome though. Audison hardware is nuts! :y
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/...20121217125128

Thanks for clarifying for me, i should clarify as well that i have a aftermarket head unit, going to the MOST adapter, and it kind of sucks because i have no hardware EQ whatsoever and have to rely on software processing for EQ....

you fancy. bet it sounds awesome though. Audison hardware is nuts! :y
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/...20121217125128[/QUOTE]

After all is said and done though, for the money spent, I probably would have gone a different direction. The DSP is fairly complex and not the most user friendly. Also, the amps are very smooth and relaxed, which I would like for my home audio, but I listen differently in the car. When weather is tolerable, it's pano open, windows down and audio up. I'm running a fully active Mille Legend 3 way front stage with two Elemental Designs subs in rear with an Audison Quattro bridged to the mid-basses and a 5.1HD to the tweets, mids and subs. I had to tweak the hell out of it to get the volume I wanted while still maintaining no distortion. On the other hand, I ran old school Zapco amps with Focal K2P component 2- ways in my old ride and it flat out cranked. And was clear as a bell.


I probably would have gone with more aggressive amplification in hind sight. I may have also returned to Focal if I didn't dislike their tweeters so much. Just my opinion, though.

my recommendation is to sell the AVIN unit, and return the factory head unit. i currently am using the factory head unit, viseeo tune2air, ipod integration, and Google Nexus 7 tablet. better than any factory headunit, while still retaining factory hands free calling. I use a CD slot magnetic mount for my tablet. Not the most eye pleasing, but gets the job done and lets me stream Pandora to my hearts desire.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...2a5cd1ddc4.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...319db546e9.jpg

My audison eq processing is via software. I'm kinda old school and it irks me a bit too, but with the breadth and complexity of todays eq processing choices, a 10 band graphic eq hanging out of the dash is so yesterday. :rolleyes:
If you use an external source, like, say, an ipod touch (yeah, I know, also so yesterday), there are tricks you can do. They have eq's built in to the player and you can re-write your own eq profiles in iTunes and download them into your player. Yeah, a huge pain and rather silly, but it was the only way I could get around being able to eq, even to a truncated extent, on the fly.

Yeah, ain't nobody going back to stock lol, i have a xtrons android head unit anyway.

I had a nexus 7 2013 in my E39 M5 setup so i'm very familiar with the customization of it - , gonna stick with the android head unit and work with Viper4Android audio processor and see if i can produce any better results

one recommendation if you plan to keep the Android head unit and fully replace your factory amp is to add on a behringer uca202 of which will output a fully digital optical signal which you could use with an aftermarket DSP. this is what we ended up doing for my brothers Subaru BRZ.

but which aftermarket amp can i buy that will maintain the speaker setup i have right now using the current wiring.

My biggest concern is avoiding rewiring the car...

sadly...you would have to. my plan is to eventually find a used/dead factory amp and pull the connector off it so it would be plug and play for my planned setup.

wow...just found another MOST DSP...
http://dsp.rainbow-audio.de/english/

Holy cow. I opened a bag of worms. Lol. I'm guessing I can't just hook up an Audiocontrol LC7i to the Audiocontrol EQS then to the Alpind PDX V9 and expect it to sound good? You guys went all out. Not sure if it is worth it to me to spend that much.

I can promise you it's not worth it to spend as much as I did. I just got caught up in the tide and followed where it all took me. Unfortunately, to deal with the systemic limitations we have with our stock systems and make any real measureable (subjective) upgrades to the sound quality and volume without pretty much re-doing everything, well, the options are quite limited. I searched the W211 forum for "audio upgrades", googled "W211 audio" and every variable in between and beyond to try to get a full picture of how individuals went about dealing with their systems. There are some creative solutions, but I just ended up going b*lls out. I've got a pretty mind blowing system, but there is always the little voice asking me if I could have gotten just as good going simpler.

ya i've been doing months of research, hence all the stuff i posted.

if you need any help feel free to ask.

So again this replaces the AMP right? and woiuld require a rewire?
If i go with a DA3 or this , i'd get rid of my AVIN MOST adapter right?

the Rainbow and DA3 are both DSP's (digital sound processor) that can take a MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) optical signal input do equalizer, time adjustment, gains, etc and then output them as low level speaker outputs, or as a TOSLink (industry standard, home and car audio) digital output. From here you'll need to output this to an amplifier, then to speakers.

the DA1 and Audison bit DMI, both simply do the conversion of MOST digital optical signal to an TOSLink or low level speaker output WITHOUT DSP with equalizer, time adjustment, gains, etc.

additionally there are generic (meaning standard and not specific to MOST) DSP's on the market of which you could buy that do not accept a MOST input, but do everything the DA3 and Rainbow do.

i forgot, but i think there was one all in one unit that was once available in the past...but it was something in the range of 1,300 and got out dated fast.