The definitive guide to E89 audio systems..updated!

B21

B21

Active member
I've decided to write a book about the E89..,,

I envisage it will be aroud 500-1000 pages and my plan is to use Amazon to create an E book and printed versions.

Its about buying, owning, using your Z4 along with how to maintain and upgrade it..if you so wish.

I'm writing various sections and experimenting with pics and graphics content.

As a dyslexic / speed typer / speed reader its bound to be full of errors of various types..however hopefully it will be factually correct and where opinions are expressed the reflect the body politic..

Here's a first stab at the audio only section which is to be placed in the modifcations section..an abridged form would appear in the buying section..

Hopefully the link works..I'll play wih graphics shortly to undersatnd how to manage and produce the total book!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cwbc0hhmeqmfpkkzbl8p6/This-is-a-primer-on-the-bmw-Z4-E89-sound-systems.pdf?rlkey=r07vcqqrzy0j7hrlg8qtcbrxw&dl=0
 
B21 said:
As a dyslexic / speed typer / speed reader its bound to be full of errors of various types..however hopefully it will be factually correct and where opinions are expressed the reflect the body politic..
Click to expand...

As a Technical writer/Technical Author with some additional experience at proof-reading (speeling, continuity, grammar, correct tense, etc) I'm happy to help out if you need it.
 
enuff_zed said:
B21 said:
As a dyslexic / speed typer / speed reader its bound to be full of errors of various types..however hopefully it will be factually correct and where opinions are expressed the reflect the body politic..
Click to expand...

As a Technical writer/Technical Author with some additional experience at proof-reading (speeling, continuity, grammar, correct tense, etc) I'm happy to help out if you need it.
Click to expand...

Splendid….can I organise a conf call sometime to cross check / bounce ideas /issues pls? :? :?
 
B21 said:
enuff_zed said:
B21 said:
As a dyslexic / speed typer / speed reader its bound to be full of errors of various types..however hopefully it will be factually correct and where opinions are expressed the reflect the body politic..
Click to expand...

As a Technical writer/Technical Author with some additional experience at proof-reading (speeling, continuity, grammar, correct tense, etc) I'm happy to help out if you need it.
Click to expand...

Splendid….can I organise a conf call sometime to cross check / bounce ideas /issues pls? :? :?
Click to expand...
Yes, and can I just say that you passed my test by not noticing the spelling of 'speeling'. :roll: :D
 
enuff_zed said:
B21 said:
enuff_zed said:
As a Technical writer/Technical Author with some additional experience at proof-reading (speeling, continuity, grammar, correct tense, etc) I'm happy to help out if you need it.
Click to expand...

Splendid….can I organise a conf call sometime to cross check / bounce ideas /issues pls? :? :?
Click to expand...
Yes, and can I just say that you passed my test by not noticing the spelling of 'speeling'. :roll: :D
Click to expand...

Better to speel than speed :driving: :thumbsup:
 
enuff_zed said:
B21 said:
enuff_zed said:
As a Technical writer/Technical Author with some additional experience at proof-reading (speeling, continuity, grammar, correct tense, etc) I'm happy to help out if you need it.
Click to expand...

Splendid….can I organise a conf call sometime to cross check / bounce ideas /issues pls? :? :?
Click to expand...
Yes, and can I just say that you passed my test by not noticing the spelling of 'speeling'. :roll: :D
Click to expand...

Damn wish I had logged in earlier to catch that one :rofl:

There are also online tools for doing a first pass at grammar etc and many are free, worth pumping your text through those before going to a human eye to pick out all the obvious stuff.
 
I haven’t even finished reading it, but this will be invaluable and it’s great that you’ve included the concept and principles of Hifi / Audio and how they relate to the various installations. Well done Peter !
 
coldel said:
enuff_zed said:
B21 said:
Splendid….can I organise a conf call sometime to cross check / bounce ideas /issues pls? :? :?
Click to expand...
Yes, and can I just say that you passed my test by not noticing the spelling of 'speeling'. :roll: :D
Click to expand...

Damn wish I had logged in earlier to catch that one :rofl:

There are also online tools for doing a first pass at grammar etc and many are free, worth pumping your text through those before going to a human eye to pick out all the obvious stuff.
Click to expand...

No worries..I’ve never written a book before..lots of multi page proposals / technical docs etc…..bit of a learning curve ..trade off too much detail vs too superficial! :tumbleweed: :rofl:
 
simnew said:
I haven’t even finished reading it, but this will be invaluable and it’s great that you’ve included the concept and principles of Hifi / Audio and how they relate to the various installations. Well done Peter !
Click to expand...

Thank you…hope that format will be useful to the other sections too…too much superficial FB one liners elsewhere :tumbleweed: :rofl:
 
I've added a few pics n diagrams to liven it up etc..if I go for a diagram per page its going to be 500-1000 off them..so that's 10 pages done..only 490-990 to go..any topics people suggest should be covered?

I thought of a lot but bound to miss some..

New link

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cwbc0hhmeqmfpkkzbl8p6/This-is-a-primer-on-the-bmw-Z4-E89-sound-systems.pdf?rlkey=r07vcqqrzy0j7hrlg8qtcbrxw&dl=0
 
wow, great document, really appreciate the effort here.

It has prompted some questions (not totally related) which i will put in a new thread. :thumbsup:
 
Not sure whether you have already thought of/already done this......but if you type the subject of this thread into ChatGPT it will give you about 650 words of headings and ideas content to provide a framework for this section of the guide. Obviously this can be repeated for other sections and it can then be fleshed out with other content as you wish......just a thought.
 
Zed44me said:
Not sure whether you have already thought of/already done this......but if you type the subject of this thread into ChatGPT it will give you about 650 words of headings and ideas content to provide a framework for this section of the guide. Obviously this can be repeated for other sections and it can then be fleshed out with other content as you wish......just a thought.
Click to expand...

Thnx for that ..will take a look.. :tumbleweed: :thumbsup:
 
This is a really useful guide, thank you. It has motivated me to take my plans a step further.

I have an e89 with the base audio system (6 speakers) on a CIC headunit with navigation (though the navigation is unusable for reasons I won't go into - I've added Mr12Volt already so doesn't bother me).

My plan was to keep things simple and only replace the existing speakers + add tweeters, as per Dave's youtube channel. But I don't think I can resist adding an amplifier now... Will the Vibe 65.4 make a decent difference? If yes - is that a much easier option (without compromising too much on sound quality) than trying to upgrade the headunit to 677? Would the Vibe still give me the option to add sub-woofers later in a sensible way?

I understand the concepts, but a little stuck on the details on what's actually involved practically with each option, so any pointers really appreciated! Thanks!
 
Sebdk said:
This is a really useful guide, thank you. It has motivated me to take my plans a step further.

I have an e89 with the base audio system (6 speakers) on a CIC headunit with navigation (though the navigation is unusable for reasons I won't go into - I've added Mr12Volt already so doesn't bother me).

My plan was to keep things simple and only replace the existing speakers + add tweeters, as per Dave's youtube channel. But I don't think I can resist adding an amplifier now... Will the Vibe 65.4 make a decent difference? If yes - is that a much easier option (without compromising too much on sound quality) than trying to upgrade the headunit to 677? Would the Vibe still give me the option to add sub-woofers later in a sensible way?

I understand the concepts, but a little stuck on the details on what's actually involved practically with each option, so any pointers really appreciated! Thanks!
Click to expand...

Personally..having had 676 and 677 in my E89s I think you can do a lot better these days…

The Vibe type solutions seem to work well..with some decent speakers they should perform well….the jump to a DSP solution is a major technical one…some folks…me..can perceive the extra performance …but it’s a bigger jump than a simple amp and a few speakers..

You can always easily hang off subs..but..imho a good power feed to some decent woofers in the footwells would give very good results…

Lots of different options..
 
Personally..having had 676 and 677 in my E89s I think you can do a lot better these days…
Click to expand...
Thanks - I have sensitive ears and lots of long drives to do, so this rules out 677 for me.

the jump to a DSP solution is a major technical one
Click to expand...
And the Vibe 65.4 does not provide DSP, right? The model they have that looks like it does is 3 times the price - which I'm happy to pay if it makes a big difference. Is this likely to be a good option or have people found good results with something else at around this price point?
https://vibeaudio.co.uk/product/powerbox65-4-8dsp-v3-vibe-powerbox-65-4-8-dsp-4-channel-car-audio-amplifier

imho a good power feed to some decent woofers in the footwells would give very good results…
Click to expand...
Which sounds like it would be true of either a basic amp and a DSP amp (assuming my headunit is coded to HiFi), leaving both options open. But, if I've understood your guide correctly, a DSP will do a better job of getting an optimised signal to the woofers. Even better than adjusting the EQ on the Mr12Volt, which will be providing 99% of my audio input?
 
Sebdk said:
Personally..having had 676 and 677 in my E89s I think you can do a lot better these days…
Click to expand...
Thanks - I have sensitive ears and lots of long drives to do, so this rules out 677 for me.

the jump to a DSP solution is a major technical one
Click to expand...
And the Vibe 65.4 does not provide DSP, right? The model they have that looks like it does is 3 times the price - which I'm happy to pay if it makes a big difference. Is this likely to be a good option or have people found good results with something else at around this price point?
https://vibeaudio.co.uk/product/powerbox65-4-8dsp-v3-vibe-powerbox-65-4-8-dsp-4-channel-car-audio-amplifier

imho a good power feed to some decent woofers in the footwells would give very good results…
Click to expand...
Which sounds like it would be true of either a basic amp and a DSP amp (assuming my headunit is coded to HiFi), leaving both options open. But, if I've understood your guide correctly, a DSP will do a better job of getting an optimised signal to the woofers. Even better than adjusting the EQ on the Mr12Volt, which will be providing 99% of my audio input?
Click to expand...

I’ve no experience of the vibe with DSP…but I assume it does at least an ok job in a competitive market..the user s/w is the thing that makes it easy / hard to setup..

With a decent DSP setup all your other controls should be set flat..especially any speed/ volume related tone controls..

I found the 677 very disappointing..but..most of BMWs audio systems are a triumph of cost effective engineering over quality…DSP processing power and techniques have moved on massively since the 677 amp and speakers were designed..
 
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