BMW Active Sound Design (ASD) as fiited to E89s 18i 20i 28i

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Just thought I would do an update on this little box fitted to the N20 engined E89s, which sits on the rear bulkhead next to the GSM unit on the LHS.

I disabled mine by using a bypass cable (you can't simply remove it as then your audio system is disabled).

I've done a few long journeys now with several pax, and a common comment from them is how less tiring the car is now that the intrusive drone is gone (not me)..

I noticed now at motorway speeds the only noise is a bit of rear tyre noise and little else with the top up.

Also the sound system, which I spent a lot on is noticeably better as the audio circuits no longer route through the ASD.

It was only when I upgraded the sound system with much better bass that the realisation that the throaty exhaust note was, sasdly a work of fiction..
 

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lewis1962 said:
how easy is it to access the ASD, did you have to remove much trim ?
Click to expand...

You have to remove the top clips that attach the back of the safety net that connects the moveable safe container space part to the rear bulkhead..3 push clips..if you have the centre cubby hole/through ski that has to be unclipped then you can push the rear bulkhead liner trim back enough to get your hands in..

Picture shows looking down at rear bulkhead behind the seats with trim pulled back
 

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I don’t think my car can have this, now I’ve fixed the exhaust valve open the exhaust note is audible but prior to this it was almost indiscernible with the roof up. As you mentioned, the main sound was from the tyres.
My car only has the basic 6 speaker set up, don’t know if this is a factor? :?
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
I don’t think my car can have this, now I’ve fixed the exhaust valve open the exhaust note is audible but prior to this it was almost indiscernible with the roof up. As you mentioned, the main sound was from the tyres.
My car only has the basic 6 speaker set up, don’t know if this is a factor? :?
Rob
Click to expand...

According to BMW when fitted (and I can't work out the codes to work out if or not fitted from the vin number) it is fitted to all 3 versions of the audio /speaker system..in the case of the basic 6 speaker version the unit has its own modest amp and that's what powers the speakers blending in any audio plus the DSP noise it generates..

In the other two systems the audio does the same route but then goes to the main amp inputs which then go onto the 11 or 14 speakers..

The only way to disable it (in the E89) is to have a fault on a speaker / cable (open circuit/short circuit) which then still allows audio but disables ASD...

If you unplug it your audio goes south..

It could be with your 'basic' system that the volume/speakers simply don't generate a lot of noise..as I said, it only became really apparent once I had spent a shed load on super duper subwoofers, big amps, DSPs and chunky woofers!!
 
Its a box, literally, about the size of a pack of 20 cigarettes, sensors; speed, throttle position, RPM, sports mode, roof up/down,gear feed it via the canbus..its like a Moog synthesiser..depending on those inputs it generates a brum brum sound which is fed into the speakers, and on some electric cars to an external speaker.

Fitted to many 4 cylinder petrol engines and most diesels from around 2010..have it my wifes mini cooper sd has it in buckets

Some cars liek the G29 offers the driver teh ability to change its level..later ones than the E89 version offer s/w updates /changes

Because it injects it into the amp post headunit its always on.

If you have a basic radio unit then the ASD has a 4 channel 15w msuic power amp built into feed the speakers even if that radio is off

When you, with that knowledge, see how many road testers have been conned by the throaty brum brum sound you laugh..

Lots on the internet if you're interested..

https://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/23/active-sound-design-enhances-v8-burble-inside-bmw-m5/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGmI-v_tRYsSpmKOqTxVHCUeBg6ehbdgQYUJTmJmG4NrkFdx81kESEn8raJXLh6NZJO0u5VdcHeXKnWO_smtsFbTfX6rnwoU_7kyuoxZ4cEmXG_MmqOPEyfYDmeCW5gy8MKcYeQOKGcsYdIDMDsJDj5qagU2hsV5jUaP98SRThfR

https://www.thedrive.com/tech/22834/from-acura-to-vw-bmw-to-porsche-car-companies-are-getting-sneakier-about-engine-sound-enhancement
 
The part fiited to E89 Z4s was fitted also to:

X5 E70   (07/2008 — 06/2013)
X5 E70 LCI   (08/2011 — 06/2013)
X6 E71   (07/2008 — 06/2014)
Z4 E89   (01/2011 — 08/2016)

The wife's version in a F56 Cooper SD Mini

X2 F39   (10/2017 — 03/2019)
MINI F56   (04/2013 — 03/2019)
MINI F55   (09/2013 — 03/2019)
MINI Clubman F54   (11/2014 — 03/2019)

For sad bunnies here is what TIS says about it on the G29 M40i..same basic logic applies elsewhere..

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/g29-z4-m40i-roa/1VnYotUIhm
 
I have an ASD kit here somewhere, could fit it only the sound it gives is chuff, chuff, chuff and toot toot.

I actually experimented with a cheap radio mic and receiver (£8) that could be plugged into the audio in socket.
I then placed the transmitter in the boot and fed the mic down to the exhaust.
It made some interesting sounds, but bit spooky when engine off as i could hear all the conversations of people outside the car and the birds.
 
Boltz said:
I am intrigued now, where did you get the bypass harness from and was it expensive?
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https://technicpnp.com/product/asd-bypass-harness/

If you were brave you can simply snip the relevant wires in the main harness and patch it..

This option is for the less brave..US supplier not found anyone else..the issue is the connector and pins are extremely expensive,more than the cost of the ready made harness so not really an option..

In the UK its £100 by the time you pay import duties /post etc..makes you appreciate buying within the EU
 
I remember seeing this concept on Tomorrow’s World years and years ago. They showed it making a normal car sound like a sports car from inside, linked to throttle etc.

They also said CD’s were indestructible....

(for the millennials, CD’s were how people played music in the days before t’internet)
 
ihadablackdog said:
I remember seeing this concept on Tomorrow’s World years and years ago. They showed it making a normal car sound like a sports car from inside, linked to throttle etc.

They also said CD’s were indestructible....


(for the millennials, CD’s were how people played music in the days before t’internet)
Click to expand...

I remember seeing that episode to Tomorrows World - Didn't they do something like stand on a CD on a wet road?
 
They put jam on the CD.

What ever happened to active noise reduction, feeding opposite sound waves to cancel out noise.
 
You know that you’re getting old when what was cutting edge tech stuff is being phased out and is classed as old hat!
 
ronk said:
You know that you’re getting old when what was cutting edge tech stuff is being phased out and is classed as old hat!
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CD-ROM is great technology, my music is always bought on CD then transferred to other formats..CD is a pure copy and perfect, most streaming formats are lossy and intrinsically inferior as a result.

If you keep them in their CD covers they last forever, its just if they are left around they get scratched, ironically its the fine scratches that does them in, single big deep physical scratch they can recover from due to inbulit error checks..
 
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