[Fray Bentos]

So Folks, thanks to all the great info provided here I have finally finished the upgrade of the crappy base audio system to something really kicking. Thanks to all the members who gave advice. Here is what I used/spent

MB Quart QM 200.3 £260
MB Quart QM 100 £60 (ebay)
JL Audio XD 600/6 £370
JL Audio XD 1000/1 £180 (ebay)
Dynavin N6 £565
Alpine Type R Sub £130
Leads/Fuses/Distribution£120 (Blade Ice)
Sub Enclosure £90 (Visual Ice/Ebay)

I haven't got full install pics as there are plenty on these forums but needless to say the install went very well as I prepared myself by reading as much as I could on the forum and getting advice from members. A couple of little things to note. I did buy the tweeter sales from BMW but ended up not using them as the Quart tweeters just 'sit' in them and do not clip in and are held in place by the hard foam at the back. Needless to say I wasn't happy with this as I believe it's important for them to be really secure as micro vibration in plastic can not be good so I drilled holes in the original sales and used the housing provided in the kit. I also managed to get one of the clips from the back of the Dynavin lodged in the back of the sunglass holder and had to rag it out causing a few scratches but i managed to polish them out with wet/dry then Brasso! Also I would advise buying a few spare clips that clip the door interior as you are bound to break a couple!

Instead of buying a amp wiring kit I just bought individual items from a company called Blade Ice as I could get the exact lengths of wire I needed and it seemed cheaper and more convenient than buying a kit. I used 0 gauge wire from the battery to the distribution block with an inline ANL fuse holder and $ gauge wire from the distribution block to the 2 amps. I don't know if this was overkill (I had no idea what a beast 0 gauge wire is) but its what was recommended in the JL instructions. The JL 600 is in the cd changer position and I mounted the 1000 on some frosted acrylic which is LED lit by the amp output!

Another note on fitting the Dynavin: I read recommendations on fitting the gps antenna on the metal bar where the centre speaker goes (if you have one) but I couldn't for the life of me find a way of getting the wire down to the unit. I tried snaking my hand up the console to find the end of the antenna wire but ended up scraping much skin of my hand and swearing a lot. In the end I just attached it to the passenger front pillar which was a doddle and works fine. The mic, which seems to be different to the one I have seen on Jeffs Dynavin thread went on the mirror and seems to work fine.

Sound Quality - well obviously it's night and day. The separate tweeter mid range combos obviously make a difference livening up the treble and in fact the Quart underseat subs pack plenty of punch for the average user with the 600 amp but as I was able to pick up the JL 1000 for such a bargain I couldn't resist putting the boot sub in. I might end up making a hole in the parcel shelf and covering it with speaker material to let some of the soundwaves out the boot as currently under big volume the whole shelf vibrates up and down a lot. Also I dialed back the treble on the Dynavin EQ as it can sound to bright under volume. I haven't tried knocking it down 3db on the Quart speaker crossover (which you can do) so I shall try that and see the effect.

I can't recommend the Dynavin enough, really great product in sound, looks features and especially value, it works a treat.

But basically I got everything I wanted, clearer and louder quality sound, Sat-Nav, blutooth and phone use all for under £1800 - my local dealer was going to charge me £500 for the fitting alone. I'm a very happy camper.

[tlow98]

Nice! Good to hear about the MBs.

Do you have the front set at 0 Db on the crossover now?

About to install mine, as well.

[jeffb335]

Nice set up.

[Fray Bentos]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Nice! Good to hear about the MBs.

Do you have the front set at 0 Db on the crossover now?

About to install mine, as well.

yeah they are currently set to 0db

[Lockman_321]

Great install dude. Looking awesome!

[shnaggs]

Originally Posted by Fray Bentos

yeah they are currently set to 0db

I think 0db is the high setting, and -3db is the normal setting, with -6 being the low. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

I think 0db is the high setting, and -3db is the normal setting, with -6 being the low. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Correct i just confirmed with my Mb200.3 manual.

[Fray Bentos]

Originally Posted by shnaggs

I think 0db is the high setting, and -3db is the normal setting, with -6 being the low. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Thats good to know!

[Fray Bentos]

and with the money I saved on fitting myself I just treated myself to some new wheels! Might have to drop her a little lower in the future!

[Fray Bentos]

Originally Posted by Lockman_321

Great install dude. Looking awesome!

Thanks man & thanks for your help!