What is needed to remove DSP system & install aftermarket?

[hopz121]

Hi all,

I currently have a top stereo with DSP in my 2003 BMW Z4 3.0i, it has started to play up (front tweeters turn on and off intermittently when volume is turned up, it's fine at low/medium volume).

Is it possible to replace these amps for aftermarket and use existing speakers?

When I removed the amp earlier to look for water damage (all looks fine inside) I saw there was a block connects and what looked to be a optical connection. Is this the case or is the other connector something else?

Has anyone removed the carver system and changed it? If so what did you need to do/change? I would ideally like to keep stand Headunit and have all amps/speakers hidden away.

Hoping some of you knowledgeable people can advise me.

Ash

 

[bcworkz]

You are probably seeing the coax cable for the CD changer. It is digital but not optical. The only optical on the car is related to airbags. You will not be able to use the sub speakers because they accept an unusual voltage input. All the rest take standard amp signals. You'll need an amp that accepts speaker level input, there is no usable line level output from the head unit. If the amp you want does not have this feature you can get converters for speaker to line level.

 

[hopz121]

You are probably seeing the coax cable for the CD changer. It is digital but not optical. The only optical on the car is related to airbags. You will not be able to use the sub speakers because they accept an unusual voltage input. All the rest take standard amp signals. You'll need an amp that accepts speaker level input, there is no usable line level output from the head unit. If the amp you want does not have this feature you can get converters for speaker to line level.

Thanks for your reply, have some questions for you if thats ok.

So where would i take the signal from to connect it to the amp?

Do all of the existing speaker cables all run into the boot or do some go to the headunit?

would the signal to the new amp be good enough using my existing headunit?

I have read somewhere about needing to fit cross overs to the front door speakers to get them to work is this true?

Also where would i take the remote cablefeed from to power up the new amplifier?

Does that mean that my CD Changer would work?

Sorry for all of the questions

Ash

 

[bcworkz]

>>So where would i take the signal from to connect it to the amp?
Speaker outputs at head unit, see http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42371

>>Do all of the existing speaker cables all run into the boot or do some go to the headunit?
AFAIK they go into boot, only the basic 6 speaker systems run to head unit. If you find speaker wires at your head unit, I would assume they run to the 6 standard speaker locations and are not connected, it is just part of a standardised wiring harness.

>>would the signal to the new amp be good enough using my existing headunit?
I would expect some degradation using speaker level input due to extra signal conversion up and down, but probably not discernible to most people, especially with wind and road noise thrown into the mix. "Good enough" is actually an apt term.

>>I have read somewhere about needing to fit cross overs to the front door speakers to get them to work is this true?
I doubt they are needed to get them to physically work, but it'd be a good idea. It's not good to send speakers signals they cannot handle.

>>Also where would i take the remote cable feed from to power up the new amplifier?
That is a bit of an issue. The OEM amp senses a signal (digital?) from the head unit and powers itself up. After market amps most likely want a switched power feed in addition to the main power which can be from the battery. Surprisingly, switched power is quite scarce in the boot. If you have a telematics unit, it has switched power you can tap into. If not, you may have to run a wire back from the fuse block behind the glove box. More information can be found in the BMW WDS, an online version is at bmw-planet.com. It uses Java for navigation, which is disabled in many browsers due to security issues. It may not be available at all on mobile browsers. If the security issues are a concern for you, you could enable Java, use the WDS, the disable again when done. The bmw-planet site is quite safe.

>>Does that mean that my CD Changer would work?
No. It interfaces digitally with the OEM amp. I can't imagine an after market amp would support this.

>>Sorry for all of the questions
No worries