[NickB235i]

I originally came from a two Fiestas before getting my 2 series and even the base sound system sounded good. After a while though, you begin to notice how flat the standard system is. What follows is a guide to bring your M Lite audio to life, and make a system that sounds more crisp and detailed than the Harmon and Karden system.

What you need:
Technic PNP Harness: https://technicpnp.com/product/stere...p-harness-kit/
ETON B100W Plug and Play Speakers (x2 if doing front and back speakers): https://www.amazon.co.uk/ETON-B100W-.../dp/B00BUPR54S
Alpine Tweeter Covers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-GENUI...-/202574369282
A Five Channel Amplifier of your choice: I used a Kenwood XH901-5 X-Series 5-Channel Class-D Power Car Audio Amplifier. https://www.kenwood.eu/car/amplifier.../?view=details
A Sealed Subwoofer of your choice
Amplifier 4 Gauge Install Kit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Male to Male RCA Adapters (if using the same amp I did!): https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Industrial Velcro: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
25mm Grommets: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GRS25.html

OPTIONAL BUT NICE TO HAVE
Dynmat Xtreme Sound Deadening: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dynamat-X...72.m2749.l2649
Speaker Baffle Kit*: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stinger-R...72.m2749.l2649
Genuine BMW Fender to body Seals: BMW PART NUMBER: 7300693 & 7300694


Starting with the Technic PNP Harness:
This is a must. It allows you to easily add an amplifier without having to splice into any factory harnesses. Our cars come with an active sound module (ASD) that funnels fake engine noise through the speakers, which in turn affects the quality of the audio. To Install the harness you simply unplug the factory Harness from the ASD Module, plug the bmw connector into the one end of the Technic Harness and put the other end of the Technic Harness into the ASD Module.

What you are left with is these cables coming from the TechnicPNP Harness:
and

This means all of your head unit and speaker connections are ready for you and you haven't even had to cut a wire!

It is important you use this harness as if you amplify the head unit without bypassing the ASD Module you will get a hissing sound through the speakers. Now I hear you say, "can't I just unplug the ASD module?". You could, but it's part of the CAN bus control unit, and without this plugged in, the car gets unhappy and BMW will not be able to do any updates or diagnostics on your car. This Harness essentially extracts the relevant speaker cables for the amplifier while keeping the key wires going to the ASD Module to keep the CAN bus in check, which keeps you happy with great audio and the BMW Service bloke happy because he can do his job as well!

ETON B100W and Alpine Speaker Covers
Do not get these speakers if you are not willing to get the tweeter covers! These Speakers come with the tweeters that fit into the Harmon & Karden (yes you can use 2nd hand H&k Tweeter covers) or Alpine tweeter covers. I run these speakers for a few weeks before my tweeter covers turned up and they lack a bit until the tweeter is installed but when everything was installed and amped up though, wow what a difference. They really do sound phenomenal and well balanced. I would recommend getting them for the front and rear, I used a different brand for the rear which involved cutting the rear connectors and they sounded worse than the ETONs, so I would stick to the plug and play etons, they are literally made for the F Series BMW.

Sound deadening the doors while you install is something I highly recommend. I linked the Dynamat Xtreme kit above. If I did it again, I would use more than what I used, maybe two speaker kits per door. Dynamat Xtreme is thicker than most sound deadening so I would recommend that one, although it is fairly expensive.

Useful information if you're amplifier shopping: These speakers run at 50W RMS

Amplifier
For this, you want a 4 Channel amplifier if you don't want to run a subwoofer or a 5 Channel Amplifier if you do.

I will split this into two sections. The amplifier I used and some information on what specs to look out for if you want to use a different one:

First of all my Amplifier:
I eventually decided on a 5 Channel amplifier to power my 4 speaker channels (Front left and right, Rear Left and right) + A Subwoofer. This Kenwood one is not an expensive option but also not the cheapest option. It powers 60W RMS per channel which is perfect as the ETON Speakers run at 50W RMS and a subwoofer at 400 RMS (4 ohms) or a subwoofer at 600 RMS (2 ohms). It also has wake on signal from the RCA cables. This means when unlock your car the head unit sends power to the RCA cables in the technicPNP Harness which powers up the amplifier, and when you lock the car it stops sending power to the RCA cables which turns off the amplifier. No flat batteries! All of the wire connections are on the same size which is perfect for the TechnicPNP harness. You will have to cut the ends off the technic pnp harness as it comes with connectors. It's just a case of then using a stripping tool to remove 5mm or so of insulation as the amp takes bare wire connections.

If you want to get your own amplifier:

• Speaker channels need 50W RMS if you're running the ETON Speakers

• Signal Sensing turn on so you dont run your battery flat

• High signal to noise ratio (80+ dB ideally)

Subwoofer and industrial Velcro
I am personally still trying to perfect my subwoofer, but this part is all down to personal preference.
This is worth reading to find the correct subwoofer for your taste of music: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-hiyt7c...nclosures.html

I like Rap, a bit of drum and bass and pop music and got ported. For me it was too boomy even for me and I will be sending it back to switch it for a sealed enclosure to get better sound quality, rather than volume.

The industrial velcro can be used to keep the subwoofer in place and stop it sliding about. A few things, make sure you get the industrial velcro and not the normal stuff, and also this may cause your carpet material to go abit fluffy. You can just stick it to the bottom of the subwoofer and not stick the otherside to the carpet and it should hold, or you can mount it in properly.

Industrial velcro can also be used for holding the fuse in place when you do the power from the battery for the amplifer, or to hold the amplifier in place.

Amplifier 4 Gauge Install Kit
It's important you get the proper cabling for an amplifier as there is an extreme amount of power going through them. The amazon kit I have linked above was perfect for my install and had everything I needed. If anything, it had too much!

25mm Grommets x4
These are essential for the amplifier install, this stops any sharp edges cutting wires.

Male to Male RCA Adapters
I had to get these as the TechnicPNP harness came with female RCA connectors and my amplifier came with RCA connectors. Obviously it is impossible for them to make a harness for every type of amplifier, these connectors did the job perfectly.

Speaker Baffle Kit*
I have a asterisk on this as strictly speaking this baffle kit isnt the right size for our speakers, but it was very handy. I essentially ended up cutting the circular baffles in half and then trimmed them to the size of our speakers. I tried to sit them between the speakers and the door shell as I screwed them in, allowing them to absorb any noise. I also put one around the outside of the speaker and the door card which helped direct the audio into the cabin and remove some more vibrations at the same time. These really helped remove vibrations.

Genuine BMW Fender to body Seals
These come off the diesel 1 Series and for some reason are not fitted to our M Lites. They are rubber seals that are held in by essentially the door and fill the open gap to the engine where the door meets the body. (originally made to stop tractor noises from the diesel engine). These just help reduce road noise and increase cabin insulation. 5 Minute install, no screwing required, just got wiggle into place. 7300693 & 7300694 are the BMW Part numbers (left and right obviously). I think both cost me 40 quid on ebay.

Here is a guide on how to remove the rear left carpet to fit access the ASD Module
https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show...&highlight=asd

Here is some photos of the audio install. The amplifier sits nicely in the left rear corner of the car. A hole was drilled from the battery compartment to the compartment where the technicPNP Harness is installed for the power cable to run from the battery to the Amplifier. If you copy the way I did it, make sure you drill the hole in the same place. Any lower and you will drill into thin air.








In Conclusion
In conclusion this has made the audio in my F22 M235i everything I wanted it to be. I wanted the Harmon and Karden but it wasn't a deal breaker for me if I didn't have it as I knew I would be able to install my own better system, which is exactly what I have done. I probably wouldn't of done this job without the TechnicPNP harness as I would of ended up doing too many irreversible modifications to the head unit wiring, which isn't an option for me as the car is on PCP and it has to be return to stock eventually (unless I decided I like it enough to keep it!), and this harness allows you to do exactly that as no cables were hurt in this process!

[2breezy]

Good install, good write up. I just installed mine with the HK audio and tPNP harness. I have a bit of amp hiss, so I have now installed the ASD harness to see if this helps. I had previously coded out ASD, but have read other posts describing amp hiss being cured by the ASD delete harness. Thx.