Page 1: Overview
Page 2: Exterior, Engine, Interior
Page 3: Audio, Car PC
Page 4: System Buildup, Part 1
Page 5: System Buildup, Part 2
Page 6: Bimmerfest '06

On this page I'll give a detailed overview of my audio and car PC setup.

Originally some of this equipment - the Arc amps and the Morel components - was installed by a local shop in a completely different setup. I then decided to redo everything myself. (On page 4, you can see how I did it.)

The goal for this install was SQL - maximal sound quality, maximal volume. To this end I chose a RE Audio XXX 15 sub, known both for its SQ and its mind-boggling lows. The components are Morel Elates, known for their smooth, warm sound. Although I have them installed in both the front and the rear, I'm only using the front stage currently:

The monster RE Audio XXX 15 sub is in a sealed box (2 cubic feet) that fires forward into the cabin, and is also sealed off from the rear of the trunk. (This greatly reduces cancellation. It's also slightly angled towards the driver's side to further reduce cancellation.) To do this, I had to remove the center arm-rest in the rear seats, cut a hole through the plastic, and trim it up nice with black carpet. There are also some blue neons there to illuminate the sub:

Here's another link to my 'subwoofer pron' video, that really shows off the power of this baby:

Woofa Pron

For amps, I chose Arc Audio XXKs to power the components, and a SoundStream PCA2000D for the sub. Total power is around 3000w, 2000w of that to the sub. The Arcs are at the top of their class and are regulated. The SoundStream is unregulated, but given the enormous alt on this vehicle (170 amps) I didn't have much to worry about regarding voltage dips. I also carpeted the tops of the amps, so in a pinch I can actually put stuff in the trunk:

The entire setup is fully active. (Well, almost; the rear stage is passively crossed over). I achieved this with an Alpine PXA-H701 sound processor, controlled by an Alpine DVA-9860 head unit. The H701 gives me 8 channels of output, and I can EQ and time-align each one independently. I spent hours in the car EQing and time aligning the system to achieve excellent imaging and clarity. (I actually used the installed car PC and microphone to do the EQ!) The center stage (from the driver's seat) comes right over the middle of the dash, like it should:

You'll notice that I had to reconstruct the center dash to accommodate the head unit. The new trim I made myself out of Liquid Plastic (see page 5).

I routed the factory sound to a center-channel speaker that fits in a slot in the back of the dash. This slot is present so that those who order their E60's with Premium Sound can experience 5.1 surround. Since I ordered Basic Sound (for obvious reasons), the slot was empty. So I just ordered the center speaker from the BMW dealer and popped it in. I can now hear the factory radio, chimes, and cell phone Bluetooth sound just like normal.

The head unit is connected to the processor via a fiber-optic cable, making for crystal-clear sound. Even better is that my car PC is also connected via a fiber-optic cable! (Note the odd piggyback unit behind the H701 - it's actually an aux input AINet adapter with no input connected - but I need it plugged into the H701 to activate the second optical input):

Ahh, the car PC. I never thought I'd need one until the day I figured out that none of the so-called 'digital' iPod connectors that are sold for head units like the Alpine are digital - the transport for the audio signal from the iPod to the adapter is always analog! At this point I decided I would need a car PC for my extensive collection of MP3s.

I chose a Xenarc MP-FL8 PC and a Xenarc 700TS 7" LCD touchscreen. This computer runs Windows XP at a reasonable speed and supports USB2. I also needed a Carnetix CNX-P1900 power supply to get clean 12v and 5v lines for the equipment:

The PC fit conveniently in the glove box, along with the power supply, USB hubs, and other devices. To store my MP3s I needed a large 3.5" hard drive, however. I chose one of those external USB hard drive bays and located it in the passenger footrest, where BMW has conveniently provided a pocket that can hold it (actually it's supposed to be for umbrellas):

The touchscreen I located on a mutated ProClip iPod holder that I glued to the central bit of wood trim. The big problem with these screens is brightness; in direct sunlight it's difficult to see.

I have an Edirol US-25 USB sound card installed in the glove box. Not only does this unit give me fiber-optic output so I can feed my computer's sound to the H701 without degradation, it has a phantom power mic pre-amp! Conveniently, I wanted to have my car PC support both voice recognition and be able to do RTA (real-time analysis) of the system's sound. To do the latter I needed a professional mic.

So as you can see I've placed a Behringer ECM8000 mic behind the LCD screen. It is flat from 20hz-20khz and so is great for RTA as well as voice. I've attached it with velcro, and have bunch some extra mic cable behind the screen, so I can detach it and move it around the cabin when I need to RTA. I use the TrueRTA application from True Audio:

I also have a GlobalSat GPS puck and a Belkin 802.11g wireless adapter attached. The former lets me use navigation software, the latter connect to my home wireless network. A Kensington Bluetooth adapter is also present. It can connect the PC to my Treo 650 cell phone, which gives the PC a broadband Internet connection - on the road! There's also a fold-up keyboard from ThinkOutside in the car that connects over Bluetooth to the PC:

For games, I have two Logitech Rumblepad wireless gamepads. This lets me (*cough*my passengers*cough*) play any of the thousands of emulated games I've put on the PC on the road:

As far as software, the PC boots Windows XP, as I've said. It runs a great car PC front-end software package called Centrafuse that gives me easy access to all my MP3s, and integrates navigation software.