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Carver DSP + Aftermarket Audio - Everything you need to know in one place

Ok, so I have established that a Z4M that I am interested in from a dealer has the 676 Hifi Loudspeaker System which means no troublesome DSP right? Given the rules in the initial post about various combinations of system not working together heres an odd question. Could I install the Z4 Business radio unit into this car and have it work without any other modifications?

I ask purely because I like the little digital display that tells you the radio station or input source currently in use.
 
Zedebee said:
The confusion comes because the “top hi-fi” has many different names - carver, logic 7, DSP etc. If you have option 677, the above guide is appropriate. If you have 676, then it is not.

The difference and similarities between the two 10-speaker systems is as follows:
676 and 677 both have the same tweeters
677 has upgraded “top hifi” mid range speakers in the doors and behind the headrest
676 has woofers behind the seats, same as the ones in the footwells
677 has “Carver” sub-woofers behind the seats, but the woofers in the footwells are the same as 676.
The Carver subs have a bespoke 30v feed which I understand is what makes the system difficult to upgrade.
676 and 677 both have an amp in the boot (the 6-speaker system does not), but 677 has digital signal processing (DSP) and is more powerful.
Click to expand...

Question on the above. I have a coupe with the 676 system and business CD. Could one simply purchase the amp and all necessary speakers from the 677 setup detailed above to achieve a 677 system? I.e. is it plug and play, or is there additional/different wiring involved?

I ask as that dsp amp on the buy&sell thread has piqued my interest...

If any audiophiles have experience of both setups and can weigh in on whether it's a worthwhile upgrade, please do so!

Thanks :)
 
This is an excellent question. It comes down to the differences between the looms. The logic 7/calver/dsp/s677 takes a left and right feed from the head. This is because all the processing is done by the DSP in the amp (per speaker EQ, front and back balance and cross over between the tweeters/midranges and subs).

It would make sense that without the DSP amp the 10 speaker analogue amp has additional feeds from the head (a back pair and maybe sub feed). Does anyone know if this is true? And even better have the pinouts?
 
Also there is a lot of chat about the calver system being bad. I feel the need to defend its honour :) The midranges in the calver/logic7/dsp/s677 variant are considerably better quality. The amp is more powerful and the presence of a DSP considerably improves the audio quality. If you are keeping it stock the calver dsp setup is probably best?

If you are modifying then i think the jury is out. If you are changing just the head and you have the s676 with 10 channel analogue amplifier then its helpful but it would be really interesting to know for sure if this loom has the additional feeds from the head to the amp for rear (l/r) and sub(s). If it does then you can still do quite a lot of tuning with a relatively cheap modern head. Having said that in my experience DSP tuning is always much better in cars

If the plan is to change head and amp then i think the calver loom is probably still sound. The calver subs are odd 16ohm versions (probably why they are 30v feeds) but you can switch them out for about 30 quid and in about 30 minutes work. Lets face it if you are replacing the amp then you are replacing it with a DSP third party amp so the lack of additional feeds from the head probably doesn't matter.

I think the more interesting discussion is how you do it tastefully and discretely. There are some hilarious examples of people doing it badly. One video in particular is of a "professional" car audio company installing alpine speakers and high end amps into an e85 and the build quality is shocking. The cabling is all on display and the amps are mounted directly behind the passenger seat. I am sure it sounds good but it looks dreadful and the kit is probably worth more than the car. As well as being visible and easy to steal by anyone with a pair of scissors.

I have just stripped my E85 down and removed the stock 6 speaker system and replaced the loom with the calver loom and all the calver speakers. It is actually pretty easy to do and just involves removing a seat, rear trim, side trim, boot liner and centre console. I probably would have gone for the 10 speaker analogue setup if i had the choice but it is hard to get hold of and my setup is from a salvage yard. I have added a bluetooth module to the aux on standard business head and i have not installed the CD changer (which has a digital coaxial feed directly to the DSP amp - unique to the calver setup). My plan is to try it out for a bit and then modify it further. So far the spend is low.

If i do upgrade i recon it is a 8 channel DSP amp and then maybe a second 2 channel amp for the subs and a sub change. I am currently retrofitting a DAB ariel into the car and if anyone knows of compatible BMW parts from a different generation i can use (instead of buying after market amps and mux) then i would be very interested to hear from them!
 
It would also be useful to understand whether the analogue and DSP amps are receiving high-level inputs or standard pre-amp inputs from the head(s).
 
Jumping on this post. I have recently purchased a Z4 which has the Carver DSP "Top HiFi" Premium Audio system and says DSP on the screen in the car. Can someone point me in the direction of where to purchase the correct bluetooth adapter to put in place of the CD changer? My CD changer is broken and I am using the CD drive in the headunit at present and I'm not missing the 6 CD changer. Would be nice to have bluetooth integration. I have seen some on amazon but not sure if they will work with it being this Carver DSP system. Thanks in advance :D
 
Someone may know better, but I'd assume the CD changer has the same connection regardless of which factory sound system you have. If so, you'll be fine with the BlueMusic bluetooth adapter. I purchased one following a recommendation on this forum. There is an instalación guide lurking around here somewhere too.

I bought mine from eBay (link below) but you might find it on amazon for a few quid cheaper. This one comes with a mic to use for calls if you don't have factory Bluetooth option.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254073161800?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=DxUV_A6hTj-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=CRYzcH6LSYS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Good luck!
 
I would remove the entire CD changer and pop this behind the stock radio. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375147347209?_skw=e85+bluetooth&itmmeta=01JB2NQNANDPA4N494CNGHFE5F&hash=item5758863d09:g:jZ0AAOSw8oBljBKs&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKkU9H957AKhMv5%2B4GCBYP5luXRTaCMAI7RE08hps8uEOJ36b2JBx7R3oscdj2P7eYkex2uwwrKlgBKTr8JFQSw6kgZnNZk5paYHbkpaf67Niu1OmgkZjGYu2VwHdcKkvaLPo%2FUfBxJcpbCYUMx2TsyOdJxPBrLjDcfQsNTSfmBrcf%2Fx7TKjIRXImfLNh2ccffKBk3xg19iVS7Wi0CTKWNlKVA1tquq6AJ5WtZxGblnzUELj3rNreEUc0hNpyUqYTi%2FaB%2FmHaid%2B5r5kumKMj7HfAUqS20F5ctzb7d49HYd%2BRQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMuNXe1dhk
 
PoW said:
Someone may know better, but I'd assume the CD changer has the same connection regardless of which factory sound system you have. If so, you'll be fine with the BlueMusic bluetooth adapter. I purchased one following a recommendation on this forum. There is an instalación guide lurking around here somewhere too.

I bought mine from eBay (link below) but you might find it on amazon for a few quid cheaper. This one comes with a mic to use for calls if you don't have factory Bluetooth option.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254073161800?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=DxUV_A6hTj-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=CRYzcH6LSYS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Worth noting that if you have the carver system you don't have the second 6 pin plug on the loom for this option
 
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