Right-side speakers stopped working (Hi-Fi system)

///Miro · 09-02-2024, 02:06 AM

Hoping to throw out this hail mary before going to a mechanic/electrician... Car is an E90 325i with the Hi-Fi audio system, as well as an aftermarket LOC/sub/amp.

I recently swapped aftermarket sub amps, and in the process, my right-side speakers stopped working -- both front and back. What upsets me most is I can't seem to figure out exactly what I did to make this happen.

The situation: A few years back I tapped into the audio wiring harness (thanks to some awesome diagrams by other members) and ran them directly to a Kicker IX1000.5 that was only used to power a 12" Rockford Fosgate sub. Subsequently I also added an AudioControl LC2i Pro, still without any issues.

More recently, I decided to take out the Kicker amp and replace it with a generic "Plinius" amp, but kept the AudioControl LC2i Pro. After performing this switch, the right-side speakers stopped working.

Reading through several posts, and trying several things have not been successful. Attempts are as follows:

* Disconnecting/reconnecting the plugs to the AudioControl and amp

* Disconnecting/reconnecting the battery

* Pulling all the audio-related fuses below, gathered from multiple threads:

Radio:
F31, F40, 14, 11

Amp:
F34, F8, 15, 8

"Audio":
F11, F23, F34, F8

* Buying a replacement Hi-Fi amp from Ebay and performing a swap

* Trying to (un)successfully use a multimeter to measure voltage coming to the right-rear speaker

Amp/LC2i are getting power and signal. Left-side speakers work fine, and only the sub works on the right side -- no audio coming from either door or rear deck. Swapping the existing Hi-Fi amp with the eBay replacement yielded no difference.

I'm at a loss as to what to do next. Below are photos of the wire taps I put for the audio, as well as the general wiring setup. Originally I thought maybe I accidentally cut a wire when drilling into the rear deck, but that doesn't seem to be the case since the wire harness doesn't go up that way, from what I can tell.

The only "silly" thing I did during installation was not disconnecting the battery while installing the new amp, but I have no idea how that would have affected speakers not even hooked up to it -- really odd.

Pictures:

Left-side audio tap for the left amp channel + tap for power-on wire:

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Right-side audio tap for the right amp channel:

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General wire routing:

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Lil' Plinius that replaced the Kicker IX1000.5:

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///Miro · 09-23-2024, 11:55 PM

Update: I did some additional testing and took the car to a local audio shop.

* I swapped the rear deck speakers, left-to-right and vice versa. The speakers are not blown, the right side channel just isn't playing any sound.

* The audio shop says that I'm getting signal to from the radio to the amp, and that the speakers are "seen" when probed -- but that the amp is not outputting anything onto the right-side channels.

* What befuddles the bejesus out of me is that the eBay stock replacement amp ALSO doesn't output to the right channel. What are the odds that I fried the right-channel on my unit, but ALSO bought a replacement that has the same problem? Just seems very improbable.

* As a hail-Mary, I replaced the battery, thinking *maaaaybe* that might solve the issue (and the car was having troubles starting up due to the old battery). It did not.

Any thoughts / ideas where I should go next? Audio shop said that I could cut the radio-to-amp connection wires and bypass the amp entirely, and put RCA plugs from that harness directly into a replacement aftermarket amp -- according to them, I'm getting enough signal from the radio to go directly to an amp, no LOC needed. I just have no clue what kind of wattage the stock speakers require. Has anyone done something to that effect? Any recommendations on a replacement amp?

I really have no idea where to go from here, aside from aftermarket amp replacement, or trying to get lucky on eBay. Any help would be appreciated.

ctuna · 09-24-2024, 03:08 AM

Try measure the resistance from the amp connector to the speaker .
unplug the speaker and make sure that either side of the speaker wire does not short to ground.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138949
It would be best to be in the simplest configuration with the system returned to stock .
That means dissconnecting all that other stuff you mention at the beginning.

09-02-2024, 02:06 AM	#1
///Miro New Member 6 Rep 8 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Nov 2022 Location: Central Coast, CA iTrader: (0)	Right-side speakers stopped working (Hi-Fi system) Hoping to throw out this hail mary before going to a mechanic/electrician... Car is an E90 325i with the Hi-Fi audio system, as well as an aftermarket LOC/sub/amp. I recently swapped aftermarket sub amps, and in the process, my right-side speakers stopped working -- both front and back. What upsets me most is I can't seem to figure out exactly what I did to make this happen. The situation: A few years back I tapped into the audio wiring harness (thanks to some awesome diagrams by other members) and ran them directly to a Kicker IX1000.5 that was only used to power a 12" Rockford Fosgate sub. Subsequently I also added an AudioControl LC2i Pro, still without any issues. More recently, I decided to take out the Kicker amp and replace it with a generic "Plinius" amp, but kept the AudioControl LC2i Pro. After performing this switch, the right-side speakers stopped working. Reading through several posts, and trying several things have not been successful. Attempts are as follows: * Disconnecting/reconnecting the plugs to the AudioControl and amp * Disconnecting/reconnecting the battery * Pulling all the audio-related fuses below, gathered from multiple threads: Radio: F31, F40, 14, 11 Amp: F34, F8, 15, 8 "Audio": F11, F23, F34, F8 * Buying a replacement Hi-Fi amp from Ebay and performing a swap * Trying to (un)successfully use a multimeter to measure voltage coming to the right-rear speaker Amp/LC2i are getting power and signal. Left-side speakers work fine, and only the sub works on the right side -- no audio coming from either door or rear deck. Swapping the existing Hi-Fi amp with the eBay replacement yielded no difference. I'm at a loss as to what to do next. Below are photos of the wire taps I put for the audio, as well as the general wiring setup. Originally I thought maybe I accidentally cut a wire when drilling into the rear deck, but that doesn't seem to be the case since the wire harness doesn't go up that way, from what I can tell. The only "silly" thing I did during installation was not disconnecting the battery while installing the new amp, but I have no idea how that would have affected speakers not even hooked up to it -- really odd. Pictures: Left-side audio tap for the left amp channel + tap for power-on wire: Right-side audio tap for the right amp channel: General wire routing: Lil' Plinius that replaced the Kicker IX1000.5: Last edited by ///Miro; 09-23-2024 at 11:56 PM..
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09-23-2024, 11:55 PM	#2
///Miro New Member 6 Rep 8 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Nov 2022 Location: Central Coast, CA iTrader: (0)	Update: I did some additional testing and took the car to a local audio shop. * I swapped the rear deck speakers, left-to-right and vice versa. The speakers are not blown, the right side channel just isn't playing any sound. * The audio shop says that I'm getting signal to from the radio to the amp, and that the speakers are "seen" when probed -- but that the amp is not outputting anything onto the right-side channels. * What befuddles the bejesus out of me is that the eBay stock replacement amp ALSO doesn't output to the right channel. What are the odds that I fried the right-channel on my unit, but ALSO bought a replacement that has the same problem? Just seems very improbable. * As a hail-Mary, I replaced the battery, thinking maaaaybe that might solve the issue (and the car was having troubles starting up due to the old battery). It did not. Any thoughts / ideas where I should go next? Audio shop said that I could cut the radio-to-amp connection wires and bypass the amp entirely, and put RCA plugs from that harness directly into a replacement aftermarket amp -- according to them, I'm getting enough signal from the radio to go directly to an amp, no LOC needed. I just have no clue what kind of wattage the stock speakers require. Has anyone done something to that effect? Any recommendations on a replacement amp? I really have no idea where to go from here, aside from aftermarket amp replacement, or trying to get lucky on eBay. Any help would be appreciated.
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09-24-2024, 03:08 AM	#3
ctuna Lieutenant General 2014 Rep 13,320 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	Try measure the resistance from the amp connector to the speaker . unplug the speaker and make sure that either side of the speaker wire does not short to ground. https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138949 It would be best to be in the simplest configuration with the system returned to stock . That means dissconnecting all that other stuff you mention at the beginning.
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