I thought I'd share my M2 audio upgrade; I posted in the M2 forums as well. The BMW M2 does not disappoint. I was expecting an all-around performance sports coupe with pretty awful audio. It delivered on all those points. I found the stock audio system to be a bit harsh, with no soundstage, limited and distorted bass and midbass, limited dynamic range. I've always done some kind of audio upgrade in my cars, and the M2 was no exception. I like working on BMW's because the battery is in the trunk, making wire management easier and cleaner. So, let's get to it.
The victim:
The gear:
-Helix P-SIX DSP Mk2
-PHD Audiophile Studio 4.1C Kit: AF1.c Tweeter, 4.1 Studio Midrange & Studio Crossover
-Jehnert XE200 Midbass
-Dynaudio Esotec MW182 Woofer, used as Subwoofers
-SoundSkins Pro sound deadening
-Technic HK Harness and ASD Bypass Harness
Front stage consists of the PHD components in stock locations. The tweeter requires some slight modifications to the sail panel to fit, but nothing drastic. They fit quite nicely.
The midrange drops right in with the supplied adapter, no modifications required. No depth or clearance issues. This time around, I decided to replace the OEM vapor shield with SoundSkins. If you're not familiar with this product, it's very similar to Focal BAM, except it's waterproof. It's a Foil, Rubber Butyl, and Foam all in one. It saves quite a bit of time on installation.
In the past, I've run this type of combo active, but this time, I decided to use the dedicated passive crossover. I don't have pics, but I put it in the far front lower corner of the door card. The shape of the cupholders made a nice little cavity that accommodated the X-Over (which are on the larger side).
Midbass duties were handled by the venerable Jehnert XE200. I don't think there's been a better overall SQ solution for this location since the E9X series began having an underseat driver. They drop right in with the supplied adapter. It does require a slightly thicker adapter than in the past.
I cut a piece of the carpet that was hanging over the woofer. It probably did nothing, but made me feel better
Subwoofer duties were handled by the Dyn MW182's in an IB configuration, mounted to the rear deck. I've found BMW trunks to be pretty well sealed, and wanted to work WITH the system instead of against it. This wasn't easy, and required some minor modifications, but it's well worth the time and effort. I'm not willing to sacrifice any trunk space, and the Dyns are so light and hit pretty hard, that I never really considered a fiberglass box. Plus I need light weight, because racecar
All processing and amplifying was done by the Helix P-SIX. The OEM amp and ASD module:
There was just enough room to fit the P-SIX in the OEM amp location. I made a custom amp rack, and affixed it to the OEM amp rack via industrial strength velcro. With gravity on my side, I don't think this thing will be moving around much.
The ASD module remained bolted in the factory location. I ended up using industrial strength velcro to attach part of the ASD bypass harness to the module itself. While the P-SIX is absolutely tiny for what it does, it's a lot larger than the OEM amp. I was happy it fit.
The center channel and rear speakers were disconnected, of course.
As far as the components go, I'd say they have a great synergy. They play nicely with the P-SIX. Audiotec-Fischer make some awesome products (PP82, 7-UP, V-Eight, etc), and the P-SIX is difficult to top IMO in terms of clean, quality power, processing power, size, and OEM integration. I love that this one amp/DSP can handle my whole system. In the past, I've had 2-3 Class A/B amps that are twice the size of the P-SIX and a separate DSP to run my whole system. I love the simplicity and size of the P-SIX.
Also, I didn't measure, but as far as I can tell, the Soundskins reduce a good bit of road noise over OEM. A lower noise floor is always a good thing
One other thing I'd like to add is how much quality and attention to detail BMW incorporates in their cars. Everything is secured down, routed, padded, etc. To the point of being a PITA to make the aftermarket stuff run like OEM. I really don't understand why they didn't take one extra step at times to eliminate rattles. However, I took the opportunity to address future rattles sources while I had the car apart. Mainly, putting Tessa tape in a lot of places where hard plastic touched metal or other hard plastic.
So how does it sound?? Talk radio sounds so good, and those 128 kbit MP3's sound amazing
Seriously though, it's a night/day difference to the stock system. A whole other level. The tonality is very accurate. The soundstage is as high as the rearview mirror, fully fleshed out from pillar to pillar, and extends out to about 1/3 of the hood. There is a certain level of realism that approaches very good home audio systems. Tons of detail, and transparent without any harshness. In this system, the Dynaudio's hit plenty hard and deep enough for my liking. They can shake the rear view mirror. I already had an idea of the tune needed, and have one area of a slight midbass hump I need to EQ if I can. I've just been enjoying the music too much to dust off the mic and RTA.
And last but not least, a HUGE shout out to Don Amann of Unexpected Creations
6spdcoupe for putting up with me, giving such wise advice, and supplying me with awesome gear to fit my needs. A true gem in the audio industry. If you ever have any audio cravings, contact him.