[selmeralto]

Originally Posted by nearwater4me

If you have no use for the Eton center speaker, I'll take them if you're willing to sell it.
I'd like to try and see how it sounds on my system.
Although the center channel is significantly attenuated on the DSP setting, I'm hoping to see some improvement.

Will send PM.

[Aremgi]

Originally Posted by selmeralto

It's true that the crossovers are not required but I just installed the crossovers - having previously done an installation without crossovers - and I can say that if you can deal with the added work of installing and finding a place for the crossovers, they make a big difference.

Hi selmeralto, can you elaborate on what difference the Eton crossovers make? I have the Eton separates in the doors and coaxials in the rear and center. The highs are worlds better than the stock HK system, which were way too harsh in my opinion.

However there seems to be a significant suck out (missing sound) in the mid/upper bass now. I would have thought the stock DSP amp would have provided an active high pass but maybe that’s not the case, so the Etons are trying to push all the lower frequencies as well and are under amplified when trying to do so?

My first post, so thanks!

[selmeralto]

Originally Posted by Aremgi

Hi selmeralto, can you elaborate on what difference the Eton crossovers make? I have the Eton separates in the doors and coaxials in the rear and center. The highs are worlds better than the stock HK system, which were way too harsh in my opinion.

However there seems to be a significant suck out (missing sound) in the mid/upper bass now. I would have thought the stock DSP amp would have provided an active high pass but maybe that’s not the case, so the Etons are trying to push all the lower frequencies as well and are under amplified when trying to do so?

My first post, so thanks!

I'm not an expert so take this for what it's worth.

The Eton B100 XHP is a high pass crossover which means that it allows information only above a specified frequency to go to a speaker. I think the Eton crossover is directed at determining the kind of signal that goes to the tweeter only, not to both speakers - but I could be wrong about this. In any case, you can connect the speakers with or without the crossover and I found the crossover made for a much more natural and effortless sound than trying to run the speakers without the crossover.

As for your question about sucked out sound I guess I'd say two things. First, there's the matter of sheer volume. I don't know whether the HK system in the M2 Comp has some sort of crossover or pass system built in but I do know that the volume control needs to be turned up to make the Etons sing. This could be a crossover issue but it could also be that the Etons are just less efficient speakers. I suspect the latter because when I was using Etons without a crossover in my M235i, I had to crank up the volume.

But efficiency is not necessarily correlated with the quality of the sound. I have Magnepans at home. They are very inefficient speakers, requiring lots of watts @ 4 ohms and tons of current. But they sound glorious with good amplification. I think that the stock BMW/HK amp in the M2 Comp is good enough so that the Etons sound pretty good, certainly compared with the harsh and unnatural HK speakers. When I turn up the volume on the car system I don't detect any distortion or any sound that would suggest the amp is clipping.

Now if by sucked out sound you mean that the sound is diminished specifically in the mid/upper bass then I suppose, if you don't want to install additional equipment in the car, you'd have two options. First, you could compare listening to the speakers with and without the crossover and decide which sound you prefer. Or, you could fiddle with the tone controls (treble, bass, fader and L/R) to tweak the sound you like. That's what I did in the 235 and what I do in the M2 Comp. I don't remember my exact settings but I think I boosted the treble a couple of notches and I might have set the balance to the passenger side by a notch, the fader control to the back a notch or two and I might have taken the bass down by a notch. I then turned the volume up. But that's just me. There's lots of upper and mid-level bass for my tastes and I listen to the system at loud levels. But I don't listen to rap so if you're looking for bass slap that will rattle the trunk lid, my advice probably isn't worth much.

Don't know if any of this helps. Perhaps others more knowledgeable will weigh in.

[Aremgi]

Thanks selmeralto.

Yes, the unit I’m referring to is the Eton B100 XHP (https://www.eton-gmbh.com/en/product...uct/b-100-xhp/).

I believe it is a high pass crossover (filter) ahead of the b100w separates or b100c/cn coaxials, so passing just the non sub frequencies to them as a whole. Then there is another crossover that sits in the cable between the b100w woofer and tweeter and I assume is in the coaxials as well.

I couldn’t find the specs on the B100 XHP, but Eton’s own amp high pass filter is 120 Hz for the b100w /c /cn , so I suspect it is around that and they recommend to use the XHP in passive systems with exactly these speakers.

I would have thought the stock HK amp would have active DSP / filters for this, but now it doesn’t seem so. I’ve tried to EQ with the tone controls but the subwoofer bass overwhelms any bass that might be coming out of the Etons. So it’s just boomy down low without any attack and completely missing any upper bass.

I’ll probably pick up a couple of these XHPs and install them to see what happens, but the cheapest I see them is $50 a piece which is very expensive for what they are.

[selmeralto]

Aha! Let us know what you find out if you go ahead. Thanks.

[vrooooom]

Hope to install my Etons in front with some sound deadening sheets tomorrow. Should be pretty straight forward. Watched the videos like 4x.

I disconnected the front centre and i did hear the difference. Looking forward to hear the difference on this speaker upgrade too.

I should put some around where the speaker will get mounted on right... plus behind it?

[selmeralto]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Hope to install my Etons in front with some sound deadening sheets tomorrow. Should be pretty straight forward. Watched the videos like 4x.

I disconnected the front centre and i did hear the difference. Looking forward to hear the difference on this speaker upgrade too.

I should put some around where the speaker will get mounted on right... plus behind it?

Well, probably putting the sound deadener one side would be enough. No harm in putting it on both sides if you get the urge. But one thing to watch: position the speakers and make note of where they sit: you don't want to have the deadener where the speaker frame sits on the metal.

[vrooooom]

Hi Selmeralto, Why can’t I have the deadener where the speaker is touching the door frame? I made the opening diameter 5mm smaller all around. Does the speaker really need to be in contact the door frame? The speaker actually has a thin foam around the back.

There’s a bigger (compared to HK) crossover for the tweeter and it’s hidden in the packaging behind the tweeters. I’m an idiot for thinking that the included connector on the tweeter was just wrong. I ended up slicing the connector’s plastic rib (yes idiot) and connecting it directly to the main speaker. With no crossover, I tested it for a few seconds that way. Hope I didn’t screw anything by doing that. Only found out near the end that there was a whole pack of extra stuff behind the tweeters. I’ll take a photo of what was behind.

My layman’s non-audiophile observations….I only had time to change the driver’s side. Tested it and the contrast between the new and the HK is definitely there. The HK is harsh in the sense that there’s so much high treble it seems. But there’s a perceived clarity. The Eton seems a lot less high (too much?) and I find myself cranking the treble setting higher.

I know audiophiles would burn me on a stake but I almost feel like leaving it like that just to have that middle ground. The HK is so high and that in term makes it sound harsh. The Eton seems more mid range.

Of course I will do the other side also but I’m anxiois that I might end up missing some of the higher range. Am I making sense?

The weight of the Eton is like 2x, if not more than, the HK. If that counts for anything. The magnet size is also easily 2x. Can’t believe there’s a premium STP this.

FYI, I was listening to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and We will rock you.

[MarcoZandrini]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Does the speaker really need to be in contact the door frame? The speaker actually has a thin foam around the back.

Yes, the speaker from has to make a seal at the door frame/metal. This acoustically isolates the front of the speaker from the rear of the speaker. Doing so ensures that the speaker more faithfully reproduces the audio signal. This is especially critical for sub woofer, wooers and mid-range speakers.

[vrooooom]

Currently as in straight from BMW it’s sitting right on top of the sheet metal. The door is not acoustically sealed. Is the black foam with tar around it acoustic treatment? I didn’t touch those. I figure they are mostly for water protection and rattling protection.

I just put those deadening on exposed metal. Which is on the speaker area and near the latch side. I’ll post photo when I do the other one. Was too much in a hurry this tine to document.

[vrooooom]

I knew from reading in this forum the grey part rotated but couldn’t see the tab to press bec it’s facing down. Until I took this shot (upside down). It’s that raised area with 3 ribs.





What I have now which I took for the before. I only tried to cover the exposed painted parts.

[vrooooom]

Did the passenger-side speaker today. Everything is pretty straight forward ….until my last 3 screws for the panel. 2 on the handles and 1 for the lever. It won’t tighten and won’t friggin’ come off either. Is it possible I have stripped it? Has anyone experienced that? So close! Looks like I may have to try and open it all up again.

Can one buy that plastic pc where the screws mount into?

[MarcoZandrini]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Did the passenger-side speaker today. Everything is pretty straight forward ….until my last 3 screws for the panel. 2 on the handles and 1 for the lever. It won’t tighten and won’t friggin’ come off either. Is it possible I have stripped it? Has anyone experienced that? So close! Looks like I may have to try and open it all up again.

Can one buy that plastic pc where the screws mount into?

Go to www.realoem.com and enter the last 7 characters of your car's VIN. Hit enter and bookmark the page. Scroll down to vehicle trim and find the plastic inserts.

[vrooooom]

I messed up the expanding nut. If you push while screwing you may disengage the back part of that nut (white part). When that happened the nut was free to rotate around. In effect like you’ve cross threaded it. I just bought 3 new ones and had to open the seal to get the pc that falls off inside the door. Better, catch it before it falls.

Thanks for the link.



Best to use hand tools when working on these. When I pressed, it must have pushed the back piece inwards and disengaged it. Making the nut loose and therefore won't tighten. Lesson learned.

[vrooooom]

Finally got both front speakers installed! The harshness is definitely out and I agree now you can listen to it longer. When you put your ears by the tweeters you could barely hear it. I guess the crossover really limiting what’s going there. Disclaimer: I’m 52 and the high frequencies are lost on my ears.

I ended up with a setting of about ¾ for both treble and bass.

Snapping back the door handle trimming: Hook the bottom first but mind the two thin tabs just above it. Make sure the two are align before pushing them in. I bent one and a good thing I was able to correct.

Has anyone done any deadening on the plastic panels? Especially those cubby holes at the bottom. So plasticky. A thin layer would most likely improve that. Need to trace that back well though.

Thanks to everyone for their reco and tips.

[Kinesthesia]

Just bought a 2014 M235i with the HK radio and like all of you, I'm not impressed.

I ordered trim tools to disconnect the center speaker, ordered the ASD removal harness, etc.

However I'm having trouble locating Eton B100W's. I called the shop in Wisconsin and they have coax door speakers but not the separates and won't order them as they want to focus on Eton home gear.

I found a listing on eBay from Russia that says "Customs fees and duties are the responsibility of the buyer", I'm not that brave with my money.

Is there a good source for Eton's or are there other suitable speakers (I apologize for not reading all 40 pages of this thread before posting).

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[selmeralto]

Originally Posted by Kinesthesia

Just bought a 2014 M235i with the HK radio and like all of you, I'm not impressed.

I ordered trim tools to disconnect the center speaker, ordered the ASD removal harness, etc.

However I'm having trouble locating Eton B100W's. I called the shop in Wisconsin and they have coax door speakers but not the separates and won't order them as they want to focus on Eton home gear.

I found a listing on eBay from Russia that says "Customs fees and duties are the responsibility of the buyer", I'm not that brave with my money.

Is there a good source for Eton's or are there other suitable speakers (I apologize for not reading all 40 pages of this thread before posting).

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

You can order the speakers directly from Eton in Germany. I don't have the address handy. If you can't find it on the web PM me and I'll see if I can dig it up.

[vrooooom]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Unfortunately, no stocks.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.co...00%20W-%20Pair

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-r0RHNl...o-C2-400X.html

Did you try them? Months ago I got the last pair.

[Kinesthesia]

Disconnected center channel, worth every penny (free)

Installed Technic PNP harness to eliminate noise, btw it's plug and play now, the instructions are much simpler than what's posted here, fantastic upgrade worth the $50ish

I'm trying to find another option other than Eton fronts, but if all else fails, I'll order Etons from extremeaudio.de

[Jcoop901]

Originally Posted by Kinesthesia

Disconnected center channel, worth every penny (free)

Installed Technic PNP harness to eliminate noise, btw it's plug and play now, the instructions are much simpler than what's posted here, fantastic upgrade worth the $50ish

I'm trying to find another option other than Eton fronts, but if all else fails, I'll order Etons from extremeaudio.de

Try the Focal's for the front. They make a plug-and-play set. Best sounding speakers you can get in my opinion.

[mst_lv]

Does anybody know the difference between the HiFi and HK amps? Is the HK version indeed more powerful? I want to upgrade the HiFi system to better speakers and want to know if changing to HK amp would be an additional improvement? I want to leave all OEM so aftermarket amp is not an option. Thanks!

[vrooooom]

Not sure if it’s more powerful but mine which is an HK system is just barely loud enough for when you want to listen to loud music. That’s with the upgraded Eton front speakers.