[LeoBurr]

Howdy from Texas, folks -

I recently picked up a used (but very, very well cared-for) 2020 M2C and decided the stock (or so I thought?) audio was anemic and in need of a bit of help. (Defenestration, yeeting...)

So, a bit of background - I had one of the original AudioTec Fischer DSPs (PP86DSP) with some BMW-specific Focals in it in my 135i. I was able to get *decent* enough sound out of it, and folks on the E82 forum would often ask me for my calibration profile and would be quite happy with it. It wasn't earth shattering, but I managed to get some decent mid/low bass out of the 55w that the amp was giving the subs. After about 4 years with that setup, I moved to a Match UP8 DSP along with Morel IR-BMW42s and IP-BMWSUB82. I used a built-in Bluetooth MEC card because my E82 didn't have built-in Bluetooth. World of difference, after a bunch of calibrated mike RTA and "by ear" tuning, blah blah blah.

So, I picked up this M2C and the stereo was shockingly disappointing. I remember my Hifi E82 stock setup sounding about as good. I went to my local stereo shop (I recently had back surgery - I'm not doing another install anytime soon) and asked him to swap the amp, front, and underseat subs.

To my surprise, he told me that my M2C actually had BavSound speakers in it - current ones, and even underseat subs. He's an authorized BavSound dealer as well...so he was surprised at how bad they sounded in the F87. We found a wire that was left from a previous amp run...made sense.

Lesson 1: The amp needs to be the first upgrade in the car. BavSounds help in many cars (made a huge difference in dynamic range, clarity, speed, etc. in my old E70, and my G32 coded to B&W with BavSound speakers/subs gives me all I really need in that car. Is it orgasmic? No, but it's very, very good)

Post install Config:
Amp: Audiotec Fischer MatchUP8 DSP with UP7 harness modified to work
Fronts: Morel Integration Reference IR-BMW42s in the stock locations in the front doors - We ran wires to the fronts, so the tweeters each get 65w, and the midranges get 65w on their own channel. This allows me to use the DSP for crossovers.
Center Channel: Unused (Though if I was using a MatchUP10, I could upgrade the center channel and the DSP does an amazing center channel, not just mixing left and right...but I felt zero need)
Underseat Subs: 2x Morel Integration Performance IP-BMWSUB82
Rears: BavSounds, but only used for fill with treble significantly reduced via frequency cutoff in the DSP
ASD: Coded out and bypassed via harness

After the install was done, the shop didn't have much time to calibrate the car. Luckily, I've got my handy dandy calibration microphone with calibration file, uncorrelated and correlated WAV files provided by AudioTec Fischer and I know how to use AudioTec Fischer's DSP 5, as I've been doing calibrations for years now. The E87 has dedicated sub outputs that my E82 did not, so I was able to route those directly to the subwoofers. Small win!

After getting serious, I started using by using my E82 calibration file as a starting point and quickly found that the head unit in the F87 is quite a bit better sonically and its output is much cleaner and dynamic than the E82's. While there were some significant changes to the bass channels due to the new outputs, the fronts and rears only changed a a little bit from my E82 settings. I did have to turn the gain down a bit as there's a small bit of hiss that can only be heard with the engine off and nothing playing out of the speakers. Lowering the inputs by 3.5db cured this.

Sound Opinions: Sound is subjective, especially car audio, I've found. So take this with as many grains of salt as you please. I'll use a 1-5 star scale for my subjective comparisons.

Out of 5 stars (with more being better):

E82 Hifi (Factory)
Detail: **
Imaging: **
Transient Response: **
Treble Detail: **
Treble Harshess: ***
Midrange: **
Bass Extension/Tightness: ** (With bass in head unit set to +6)

E82 /w PP86DSP and Focal BMW Integration Speakers/Sub
Detail: ***
Imaging: ***
Transient Response: ***
Treble Detail: ***
Treble Harshness: * (The metal dome tweeters were quite harsh in the 5-10k range and I could never truly tame them)
Midrange: ***
Bass Extension/Tightness: *** (Head unit set to 0)

E82 /w Match UP8DSP and Morels (listed above)
Detail: ****
Imaging: *** 1/2
Transient Response: ****
Treble Detail: ***
Treble Harshness: ***
Midrange: *** 1/2
Bass Extension/Tightness: ****

F87 BavSound Speakers Only, stock amp
Detail: ***
Imaging: * (Had a center channel)
Transient Response: **
Treble Detail: **
Treble Harshness: ****
Midrange: *
Bass Extension/Tightness ** (With bass in head unit set to +5)

F87 /w Match UP8DSP and Morels (listed above)
NOTE: I did have the doors and under the subs dampened with the shop's favorite flavor of Dynamat (different brand, supposedly superior, etc.). The E82 for whatever reason would have less exterior sound bleed than the F87, ie I could hear the subs/mids/tweets less with the doors closed in the E82 than I can the F87. Some of the better performance may also be due in part to this.

Detail: **** 1/2
Imaging: **** 1/2
Transient Response: *****
Treble Detail: ****
Treble Harshness: ***** (I spent a lot of time on this, since this tweet wants to be a little harsh at around an 8k peak, but tame it, I did!)
Midrange: ****
Bass Extension/Tightness: ****

For all but the most bass-heavy-loving folks, these subs + 160 watts are amazingly good. They are musical and will provide low-end shake when necessary.

Overall, I am super, super happy with the setup and my calibration. Would wholeheartedly recommend this setup.

I was considering adding an in-trunk subwoofer in my E82 since I wasn't completely satisfied with the bass performance, but in the F87, it's amazingly good and I'm happy with it.

If there's anyone near Austin, TX who would like to give the setup a listen, I'm happy to oblige. And if someone else has this setup and would like my calibration profile, I'm also happy to help out.

Cheers, folks!

[thebadboy]

it is true that the sound in our m2c. I'm also thinking of changing the amplifier. Is it better to take a matchUP 7 or 8? what is the difference between the 2?

[LeoBurr]

Originally Posted by thebadboy

it is true that the sound in our m2c. I'm also thinking of changing the amplifier. Is it better to take a matchUP 7 or 8? what is the difference between the 2?

The MatchUP8 is 8 channel, also uses a newer, faster DSP, and has more processing options. It's also a Class GD vs a Class HD for the Match UP7, which allegedly means it's more efficient, though I can't verify. They say there's slightly less idle draw, though slightly more operating voltage for the 8.

IMO, since the UP8 uses the newest, latest software, it'd be the way to go. There's more options for input signal analysis as well as TuneEQ for easier output calibration.

But as I haven't used a 7, I can't tell you if there are any differences sonically. But given the choice, I see no reason not to go with the 8.

[thebadboy]

ok, I'll look for an UP8 match, you have to see the price because it's a hell of a budget in my country (BELGIUM). It costs almost 900 €. do you need a computer to send the configuration profiles? I assume the program is free?

[LeoBurr]

Originally Posted by thebadboy

ok, I'll look for an UP8 match, you have to see the price because it's a hell of a budget in my country (BELGIUM). It costs almost 900 €. do you need a computer to send the configuration profiles? I assume the program is free?

You'd need to have the exact same front speakers/subwoofer as I've noted. The software is free, and you need a laptop with a USB cable to connect to the Match.

[3t3p]

Why the up8 amp and not the 7 out of interest? Thanks

[chris719]

Originally Posted by 3t3p

Why the up8 amp and not the 7 out of interest? Thanks

The DSP is newer and can run the latest software. The UP 7 can't use PC Tool 5. It's not really a huge deal for this car, so if you have a 7 I wouldn't feel bad.

[3t3p]

I was looking at putting the 7 in.
Is 8 more channels? It needs a harness though?

[tboneharry]

LeoBurr

Thank you for the detailed writeup on your experiences w/this audio upgrade! I'm looking at exactly the same equipment list (MatchUP 10DSP w/Technic harness, Morel IR-BMW42 components for the front door, and Morel IP-BMWSUB82 for the underseat subs). My use case is a little different from yours in that I have a G83 M4C Convertible, and I want to be able to clearly hear the system while driving at highway speeds with the top down.

Based on your experience would you say this setup produces enough clean SPL to do the trick?

[LeoBurr]

Originally Posted by tboneharry

LeoBurr

Thank you for the detailed writeup on your experiences w/this audio upgrade! I'm looking at exactly the same equipment list (MatchUP 10DSP w/Technic harness, Morel IR-BMW42 components for the front door, and Morel IP-BMWSUB82 for the underseat subs). My use case is a little different from yours in that I have a G83 M4C Convertible, and I want to be able to clearly hear the system while driving at highway speeds with the top down.

Based on your experience would you say this setup produces enough clean SPL to do the trick?

Depends on your definition of "clearly hear the system." Highway speeds with the top down is hardly an ideal listening environment. If you mean, "Will I be able to hear the stereo" - Sure. It should play loud enough. Will it be clear/articulate? Well...unlikely with all of the wind.

[atlas]

Originally Posted by LeoBurr

I did have to turn the gain down a bit as there's a small bit of hiss that can only be heard with the engine off and nothing playing out of the speakers. Lowering the inputs by 3.5db cured this.

Could I ask - which screen do you go to lower these inputs? I just installed the UP8 with stock speakers and also noticed the hiss.

[LeoBurr]

Originally Posted by atlas

Could I ask - which screen do you go to lower these inputs? I just installed the UP8 with stock speakers and also noticed the hiss.

It's under the IO/Levels screen - You can change the input gain. I suggest you remove the factory amp and run straight into the UP8. The factory amp does create a bit of noise.

[LeoBurr]

Recently did some upgrades after having Nick at Resonix do a remote tune with me. Found out one of the bavsounds was bad in the rear, replaced them both with Morel IP-BMWs...new tune sounds even better than before.

Happy to let locals give it a listen to see if they'd be interested in a similar sound setup. Also added a JL 10w3v3-4 in a Musicar Sub enclosure and it's all I've ever really wanted out of the car's sound setup, including being a stealth install. The only sign of it is the ATF Conductor mounted below my iDrive controller.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by LeoBurr

Recently did some upgrades after having Nick at Resonix do a remote tune with me. Found out one of the bavsounds was bad in the rear, replaced them both with Morel IP-BMWs...new tune sounds even better than before.

Happy to let locals give it a listen to see if they'd be interested in a similar sound setup. Also added a JL 10w3v3-4 in a Musicar Sub enclosure and it's all I've ever really wanted out of the car's sound setup, including being a stealth install. The only sign of it is the ATF Conductor mounted below my iDrive controller.

How hard was running the wiring to drive the tweeters separately?

[12vPierce]

Originally Posted by chris719

How hard was running the wiring to drive the tweeters separately?

The door harness has two extra available spots (next to the current midrange/tweeter wires) for terminated pins. I pinned both sides of the connector in my car that way the door harness is unmodified allowing it to still be easily removable. I can try to find some pictures to better explain this.
Or
There is also a decent size hole that passes through the door harness connector, big enough for new wires to run the speakers active. Downside to this is the door harness is not removable from the car unless you cut the wire.

[12vPierce]

Originally Posted by LeoBurr

Recently did some upgrades after having Nick at Resonix do a remote tune with me. Found out one of the bavsounds was bad in the rear, replaced them both with Morel IP-BMWs...new tune sounds even better than before.

Happy to let locals give it a listen to see if they'd be interested in a similar sound setup. Also added a JL 10w3v3-4 in a Musicar Sub enclosure and it's all I've ever really wanted out of the car's sound setup, including being a stealth install. The only sign of it is the ATF Conductor mounted below my iDrive controller.

Glad you are enjoying the Musicar subwoofer enclosure I am a little partial being that I work there 🙂.
We just finished up a very similar audio upgrade in my M2C as our development car for our updated PNP audio kits for the F22/F87 platforms.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by 12vPierce

The door harness has two extra available spots (next to the current midrange/tweeter wires) for terminated pins. I pinned both sides of the connector in my car that way the door harness is unmodified allowing it to still be easily removable. I can try to find some pictures to better explain this.
Or
There is also a decent size hole that passes through the door harness connector, big enough for new wires to run the speakers active. Downside to this is the door harness is not removable from the car unless you cut the wire.

I think I get it, really appreciate the feedback. If you have a picture that would be great but no rush at all and no problem if you can't find them easily.

[atlas]

Do you think the Morel IP-BMWSUB82 underseat subs improved the bass performance much over the stock units?

I've upgraded my amp, which i think my virtue of feeding more power to the stock units has improved them somewhat. Curious as to whether upgrading the units themselves will yield noticeable improvement or not?

[chris719]

Originally Posted by atlas

Do you think the Morel IP-BMWSUB82 underseat subs improved the bass performance much over the stock units?

I've upgraded my amp, which i think my virtue of feeding more power to the stock units has improved them somewhat. Curious as to whether upgrading the units themselves will yield noticeable improvement or not?

I don't think they will much, there is a thread on F30post with some very good information from Billfitz who is an expert speaker designer. You can trade off output/efficiency for some more extension depending on the characteristics of the particular driver, but the overall enclosure volume or lack-thereof is a big limitation.

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...311415&page=16