[akuan99]

I've finished replacing door speakers on my 228i and wanted to provide some information since there is very little information.
My plan is to replace all speakers (except center speaker) and HiFi amp with JL XD600 amp that I've removed from my old 128i.
The hardest part of this installation is removing door handle trim.
It is very hard to remove without breaking cheap plastic tab or leaving scars on the aluminum trim.
I must say that plastic used in current BMW cars is very cheap.
I even broke one speaker connector and connector latch for power window switch connector.
I used Morel Maximo speakers due to high efficiency and good bass response.
I purchased speaker adapters for F30.
The F30 base door speakers are same as F22 HiFi speakers.

Changing speakers only improved upper bass and midrange clarity significantly.
However the HiFi amp has strong equalization that affects upper midrange/low high and bass area so the resulting sound was a bit boomy and bright and edgy.
I set tone control to -4 clicks on treble and -1 on bass which helped a lot.
There was still a hint of midrange glare/edginess so I've decided to temporary disable center speaker by covering the speaker grill.
The sound imaging moved from just top steering wheel to lower left side.
I adjusted the balance control to boost the right side which moved imaging to just below center of steering wheel.
The sound quality at this point was really good, very wide with a nice clear and sweet midrange.
High was still a little edgy but it was likely due to heavy equalization boost from HiFi amp.
Maximum sound output was also reduced when eliminating center channel and adjusting balance control about 4-5 clicks to the right.
Next week I will replace Hi-Fi amp which will take care of sound high frequency edginess/glare and maximum output.

Here are some pictures of door speaker install. The rear speaker install is easy.

[snodgrass23]

Great insight on using the F30 door speaker adapters.

[lieb923]

Where did you get get the speakers and the spacers?
Part #'s please.
Thanks.

[akuan99]

Originally Posted by lieb923

Where did you get get the speakers and the spacers?
Part #'s please.
Thanks.

I bought them off eBay but same seller is selling them on F30 forum classified here http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1027104

There are several dealers selling Morel Maximo 4C on eBay, just search for this model.

Note that just changing speakers on F22 HiFi may not be the best approach as there is no tweeters on them so the HiFi amp equalization is a bit stong to compesate for the lack of tweeters.

[DanG]

I used Focal ISC 100 replacement speakers which do have tweeters. You get a much improved sound and don't need to spend the money for a new amp.

[Scubadriver]

Originally Posted by DanG

I used Focal ISC 100 replacement speakers which do have tweeters. You get a much improved sound and don't need to spend the money for a new amp.

Did you replace the speakers on the base stereo or on the H-K system?

Bob

[hyperzulu]

How long have you had the speakers on? All of the edginess and boominess could simply be the speakers needing to break in. I've had a few speakers sound like crap before breaking in. Maybe if this is your eval right after install, you could report back after the speakers have had a few weeks to let us know if it all sounds the same or not.

[akuan99]

Originally Posted by DanG

I used Focal ISC 100 replacement speakers which do have tweeters. You get a much improved sound and don't need to spend the money for a new amp.

With a tone control tweak (treble -5 bass -1) speaker upgrade only is a definite improvement over stock.
However to get full benefit of what these speakers are capable of you will need to upgrade the amp.
I have listening test setup for listening car speakers with high quality stereo and these Morel speakers have really good sweet midrange and nice upper bass definition which they are not fully realized with the stock amp.
I also tested OEM speakers on same setup and they sounded like $20 speakers.

[hyperzulu]

Originally Posted by akuan99

With a tone control tweak (treble -5 bass -1) speaker upgrade only is a definite improvement over stock.
However to get full benefit of what these speakers are capable of you will need to upgrade the amp.
I have listening test setup for listening car speakers with high quality stereo and these Morel speakers have really good sweet midrange and nice upper bass definition which they are not fully realized with the stock amp.
I also tested OEM speakers on same setup and they sounded like $20 speakers.

Haven't looked at specs, but possible the Morels are less sensitive than the Focals. They'd therefore require more power to play as loudly, but could also sound harsher as the decibels increase with lower power.

[akuan99]

Originally Posted by hyperzulu

How long have you had the speakers on? All of the edginess and boominess could simply be the speakers needing to break in. I've had a few speakers sound like crap before breaking in. Maybe if this is your eval right after install, you could report back after the speakers have had a few weeks to let us know if it all sounds the same or not.

I'm pretty sure they were due to stock HIFi amp with its built-in heavy equalization.
They sound better that stock with a little tweak using tone control but I know these speakers are more capable.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by foglesre

Did you replace the speakers on the base stereo or on the H-K system?

Bob

I replaced the speakers on the base system. But the HK speakers are not great either.

As another poster said, the base speakers are paper and sound like $20 speakers.

[hyperzulu]

Originally Posted by akuan99

I'm pretty sure they were due to stock HIFi amp with its built-in heavy equalization.
They sound better that stock with a little tweak using tone control but I know these speakers are more capable.

They should be bounds better than the stock and even HK speakers. I actually feel that compared to the HK system in my 335is, the hifi system in the M235i isn't that bad. I certainly don't regret not spending $875 for the HK setup and plan to upgrade the speakers as well. I already have a pair of discontinued Diamond Audio speakers (Hex S400s). Might try them out up front since the silk tweeters should smooth out the highs... not sure I want to deal with mounting the crossover into the door though.

[akuan99]

Here is a quick update on my install.
I knew that leaving center channel speaker was culprit sound edginess and have planned to replace stock 7-channel amp with JL 6-channel amp so the center channel will be no longer functional after amp replacement.
However I decided to disabled the center channel by unplugging the speaker.
I removed center speaker and unplugged speaker connector.
I did listening afterward and I must said that I was very impressed.
The improvement in sound clarity by removing OEM center speaker was huge.
Midrange was less muddy and upper bass was more defined.
So I will recommend to disconnect OEM center speaker if you are planning to upgrade stock speakers.
One thing I noticed is that there is not enough room to fit a regular sized speaker so even if you will have less speaker choices if you are planning on replacing dashboard speaker.
I've taken pictures of the center speaker cutout to show the limited space.

[DanG]

How did you get the center grill off?

[hyperzulu]

Doesn't the center channel serve a purpose, like for park distance control, or navigation or phone calls?

[akuan99]

Originally Posted by DanG

How did you get the center grill off?

Just pull grill off.
I only used my fingers and started from right back corner which is the easiest the grab and worked way around.
It uses metal springs so there is no danger of breaking any plastic tabs.
Try this mod and you will be surprised.
You will be able to hear the passenger side speaker more and sound feels like coming from a bigger car.

[akuan99]

Originally Posted by hyperzulu

Doesn't the center channel serve a purpose, like for park distance control, or navigation or phone calls?

Center speaker signal is just the sum of left and right speakers.
The HiFi stock amp only has 4 analog inputs (front L and R and rear L and R), the center one is combination of front L+R.

[CAF10]

first of all, thank you for purchasing the speaker adapters from me and providing your feedback. I also conquer with you on removing the center channel just as I have on my F10. You will only loose a little volume on phone call and navigation, just turn up the volume to compensate. The center channel is also a 4" speaker but the mounting points are a lot smaller than the door speaker (see pic). It's same speaker used in my F10 rear deck and center setup for 3, 5 and 2 series. I do have a adapter for that too, but you can only put in a 3" to 3.5" aftermarket speaker. It's probably not an good investment to upgrade the center channel.

[J-Ho]

Originally Posted by akuan99

The hardest part of this installation is removing door handle trim.
It is very hard to remove without breaking cheap plastic tab or leaving scars on the aluminum trim.
I must say that plastic used in current BMW cars is very cheap.
I even broke one speaker connector and connector latch for power window switch connector.

Akuan99,

Thanks for the pics and write-up. I watched a video on youtube about how to remove the door panel on a late model 3-series.. was wondering if you could offer any tips on how to remove the aluminum trim & tabs without scarring or breaking anything? Would you happen to have any pics of the door with the panel removed (to locate the tabs)?

Thanks in advance, love your install so far

[akuan99]

Originally Posted by J-Ho

Akuan99,

Thanks for the pics and write-up. I watched a video on youtube about how to remove the door panel on a late model 3-series.. was wondering if you could offer any tips on how to remove the aluminum trim & tabs without scarring or breaking anything? Would you happen to have any pics of the door with the panel removed (to locate the tabs)?

Thanks in advance, love your install so far

The procedure replacing door speakers on F30 is very similar.
In fact I've read and watch F30 procedures before attempting to work on my car.
The differences are in the handle trim and panel screws.
On F22 you have to remove 5 screws (2 on door handle, 2 bottom of panel and 1 door latch).
The door trim is held by two metal springs and several plastic tabs on the perimeter.
You have to start from opening in the bottom and work your way up and around.
The aluminum trim is soft and easy to dent the edges while trying to ply off the trim (even using plastic tool).

I have added photos of the door panel removed and door without door panel.
I've also included picture of removed handle trim.

[akuan99]

I'm adding picture of rear speaker replacement.
All I had to do to fit Morel speaker is to bend (or remove) two of the four mounting tabs and fabricated hold down tab using hardware that came with the speakers.
I also used speaker wire adapter to avoid cutting factory connector.

[J-Ho]

Originally Posted by akuan99

The procedure replacing door speakers on F30 is very similar.
In fact I've read and watch F30 procedures before attempting to work on my car.
The differences are in the handle trim and panel screws.
On F22 you have to remove 5 screws (2 on door handle, 2 bottom of panel and 1 door latch).
The door trim is held by two metal springs and several plastic tabs on the perimeter.
You have to start from opening in the bottom and work your way up and around.
The aluminum trim is soft and easy to dent the edges while trying to ply off the trim (even using plastic tool).

I have added photos of the door panel removed and door without door panel.
I've also included picture of removed handle trim.

Akuan99,

Thanks man, these pics and your notes will help me out a ton. I owe you one!