Door speaker pod upgrade

[mcbutler]

Hi all,

While my Z has pretty much every option in the book it still has the base level sound system, no speakers behind the seat and not even the tiny tweeters inside the door near the wing mirrors!
So my question is -
Can i buy two tiny tweeters (oem or other not too bothered) pop them into the plastic pod and connect them or is it more complicated?
I am removing the door cards over the weekend as part of my carbon wrapping project so can have a look for the wiring then.

Thanks all

Mark

 

[B21]

Mark, you can, but, you need to insert a cross over between the new tweeters and the existing door speakers.

Otherwise you run the risk that you’ll burn the tweeters out.

BMW and the other guys who do factory fit provide tweeters and a cross over that then plugs into the second spare socket on the door speaker.

You can make your own equivalent but it’s more faff.

 

[mcbutler]

Mark, you can, but, you need to insert a cross over between the new tweeters and the existing door speakers.

Otherwise you run the risk that you’ll burn the tweeters out.

BMW and the other guys who do factory fit provide tweeters and a cross over that then plugs into the second spare socket on the door speaker.

You can make your own equivalent but it’s more faff.

Excellent, thumbs up for the advice I will keep you posted

 

[mr.tourette]

Its been a while since i had my door card off so I cant remember whats in there but when researching for my upgrade Im almost sure I remember reading the wiring is in there for the tweeters and others had directly fitted ones from a mini..some impressed with the results and others say ing not much difference?

edit.. thats pretty much what Pete said.. what about throwing in a set of 4 inch component speakers with crossovers ? pretty much the best small improvement you could make anyway.. used set of Vibes here for peanuts https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Vibe-Slick-S4C-4-70W-Component-Speakers-2x-Tweeters-/294699415833?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

[AnubisZed]

OE tweeters are plug-n-play. There are 2 plug ports on the back of the midrange in the door, one is for the loom plug and the other puggybacks from here to the tweeter. The OE tweeter comes with enough wire to reach easily and a built-in crossover.

I'm uploading my new video to my YouTube channel this weekend on that very subject

 

[mcbutler]

Its been a while since i had my door card off so I cant remember whats in there but when researching for my upgrade Im almost sure I remember reading the wiring is in there for the tweeters and others had directly fitted ones from a mini..some impressed with the results and others say ing not much difference?

edit.. thats pretty much what Pete said.. what about throwing in a set of 4 inch component speakers with crossovers ? pretty much the best small improvement you could make anyway.. used set of Vibes here for peanuts https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Vibe-Slick-S4C-4-70W-Component-Speakers-2x-Tweeters-/294699415833?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Do these vibes have the crossover included?
Looking them up it says they are 4" - surely thats a door speaker not the tweeter in the small pod at the top fron to the door!
I know nothing about this subject at all

 

[mcbutler]

OE tweeters are plug-n-play. There are 2 plug ports on the back of the midrange in the door, one is for the loom plug and the other puggybacks from here to the tweeter. The OE tweeter comes with enough wire to reach easily and a built-in crossover.

I'm uploading my new video to my YouTube channel this weekend on that very subject

Drop me a link plz Dave

 

[mr.tourette]

Its been a while since i had my door card off so I cant remember whats in there but when researching for my upgrade Im almost sure I remember reading the wiring is in there for the tweeters and others had directly fitted ones from a mini..some impressed with the results and others say ing not much difference?

edit.. thats pretty much what Pete said.. what about throwing in a set of 4 inch component speakers with crossovers ? pretty much the best small improvement you could make anyway.. used set of Vibes here for peanuts https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Vibe-Slick-S4C-4-70W-Component-Speakers-2x-Tweeters-/294699415833?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Do these vibes have the crossover included?
Looking them up it says they are 4" - surely thats a door speaker not the tweeter in the small pod at the top fron to the door!
I know nothing about this subject at all

yes the vibes have a crossover..it's a door woofer and tweeter for the pods so you would need to replace the door speakers as well as install the pods..no bad thing though as the ones in the door are junk.

Dave has confirmed what I thought though that the wiring is already there so just popping a tweeter in the door pods would do a job, putting those vibes in though would add a nice bit of clarity to the system

 

[AnubisZed]

Here you go for anyone wanting to know how to replace the speakers, brand new video just uploaded (including links to the speakers I bought in the description)....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQVyPZQuB9U&t=

 

[The.Analyst]

Here you go for anyone wanting to know how to replace the speakers, brand new video just uploaded (including links to the speakers I bought in the description)....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQVyPZQuB9U&t=

Nice clear video, very helpful.

 

[Zed Baron]

Another great video Dave

 

[AnubisZed]

Nice clear video, very helpful.

Another great video Dave

I aim to please

More content coming soon

 

[Roddy]

Here you go for anyone wanting to know how to replace the speakers, brand new video just uploaded (including links to the speakers I bought in the description)....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQVyPZQuB9U&t=

If you don't already have a tweeter at the front, and want to add one, cut a hole in the foam. I'm preparing my upgrade now, additional speakers will not fit without some knife action.

 

[Silverstar]

If you don't already have a tweeter at the front, and want to add one, cut a hole in the foam. I'm preparing my upgrade now, additional speakers will not fit without some knife action.

It's been a while since I upgraded my base 6 speaker sound system but I am quite certain I did not need to hack the foam.

 

[Roddy]

It's been a while since I upgraded my base 6 speaker sound system but I am quite certain I did not need to hack the foam.

I tried, there is no way the foam would fit without some relief. May not have needed a hole, but certainly some work was required.
Now waiting for a dry day to fit my speakers....

 

[AnubisZed]

Nope, no cutting required on mine either, they fit perfectly. Maybe a Japanese spec thing!? :?

 

[Roddy]

No idea, unless the tweeters are different. There are a selection on Ali, I ordered different ones to yours.
Hopefully the weather will play nicely tomorrow so I can test them.

 

[maxman]

Excellent informative vid by AnubisZed.

 

[Roddy]

Nope, no cutting required on mine either, they fit perfectly. Maybe a Japanese spec thing!? :?

Mystery is solved, I think.....
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002286173011.html?srcSns=sns_Gmail&spreadType=socialShare&bizType=ProductDetail&social_params=20521429457&aff_fcid=c6b3bee9a99e45e9b013f938ad001fce-1649211117662-09121-_mMdy93C&tt=MG&aff_fsk=_mMdy93C&aff_platform=default&sk=_mMdy93C&aff_trace_key=c6b3bee9a99e45e9b013f938ad001fce-1649211117662-09121-_mMdy93C&shareId=20521429457&businessType=ProductDetail&platform=AE&terminal_id=f01c81088cdd44288c0a4a8058e8e02c&afSmartRedirect=y

The HK speakers (suitable for playing electronic music) appear to be thicker than the BO speakers (suitable for pop and vocal singing style)... haha, who wrote that shite. Hence I needed to remove some foam material.
So sun is shining today, another viewing of Anubiszed's video and off I went.

Made in Hungary (a small village outside Beijing) HK tweeters, and mid range I bought here. Mids I changed front and back. BMW mounting pattern and a popular upgrade I read. New unused stock heavily discounted so I couldn't say no. They are for an E60 so I now have spare tweeters, and needed to used different connectors.

Duly tested with an Aerosmith CD, more than good enough for my ears, maybe I'll fiddle with the MMI later to see what that is like.
If it's relevant, BMW speaker 165g, new 350g

 

[AnubisZed]

Excellent informative vid by AnubisZed.

Glad it's helpful

...
Mystery is solved, I think.....
... another viewing of Anubiszed's video and off I went.
...

Glad that mystery is resolved 8)

On a completely unrelated topic, there is one thing I don't like about this forum..... my username! On all other BMW sites and on other sites stretching way back to the very early 2000's I've had the username of DavesZed, now when I joined here back in 2012 (a whopping 4 years before I even owned a Z4!!) I'd missed the chance to use that name by a mere 8 months. And he hasn't been active for the last 2 years and hasn't posted since 2017..... why can't I have this name..... or can I?