06 BMW X5 - Stage 1 - Adding Subwoofer& Monoblock

[Lexicon740iL 10+ year member]

Hi guys. I'm new here and after getting alot of great feedback and help from members here I thought I'd contribute a bit and do a build log for my 06 X5.

My mission with stage 1 of my audio upgrade was to add low end to the stock system.

My SAV has a stock 16:9 Screen, Navigation, bluetooth, steering wheels controls ect. it has the premium sound package with a DSP amp and 10 speakers so I figured a good way to start would be add a LOC interface/keeping my head unit and features and running a decent 12" sub and 1000-1500RMS of clean power.

I already had a line on the 13aV.2 though a friend and I have ran alot of their stuff I the past and liked it. And having heard them already on a NIne.1 I knew they could get pretty low and still sound pretty accurate as well.

I joined up here and was impressed with the work I saw from Starr Mountain Sound so I asked him to build me a enclosure for the 13av.2 and he hooked it up right for me. Much thanks Brian!

Kerf Port/Recessed Mount/2.4 cubes/33hz

I grabbed the Nakamichi PA-1500 for a steal and after running their stuff in the past I'm thinking the sound quality and clean power will be there and match well with this single sub SQ orientated install.

I went with the Audio Control LC2i for the factory integration piece.

Keep Hope Alive recommended something with bass restoration for my application with the stock DSP in the mix and the LC2i has their Accubass processing to prevent roll off at higher volumes on stock systems.

I plan on sourcing a DLS Component set, LC6i or LC8 and a mid amp from @mylows10 for the stage 2 upgrade in the near future.

For wiring and fuse distribution I went with KNU. I Ran 0GA into the block with dual 4GA out for adding that mids amp for my stage 2 upgrade. 150A fuses on each circuit.

Elemental Designs 13A.v2 Dual 2ohm

This is one heavy woofer...And I love the surround I can't wait to see this thing flex!

Nakamichi PA-1500 1200WRMS @ 1ohm

Audio Control LC2i

Knu KonFused Distro KNF-12 Single 0 or 4GA in to Dual 4 or 8GA out "Fused at 150A Per side"

Click to read more...

 

[Lexicon740iL 10+ year member]

Now for the install..

I write my posts in DIY style for the Bimmerforums most often.

Obviously it helps to give a step by step guide for others that haven't been there before. And since I will be cross posting this install on the x5 board and bimmerforums I figured I'd just write it once. I hope I don't bore you guys with the vehicle specific details. I know this install is small potatoes to most of you guys on here with very high end installs but I figured I might as well post up //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

The bare canvas...

Remove panel by changer/nav drive

Remove panel over stock sub/fuse Panel location this is the home for the LC2i so adjustments can be made easily.

I removed the stock subwoofer enclosure last week in anticipation of this install.

* It's just a couple of 10mm bolts on the floor pan and a Allen bolt behind the fuse block.

Now with those panels out of the way pull the floor panel up and expose the spare tire.

Remove the wing nut/retention plate and use the pull handle to lift the tire up out of the well it's a nice feature to save on broken backs. "Just don't forget to put the webbing and handle back under when returning the tire to the well.

After the tire is removed you will be left with the pod that houses the air pump for the self leveling rear air suspension. *Be careful not to stress or pinch any airlines coming out of this unit when working in this area. Remove the two 13MM bolts from the rear of the frame and two 13mm from the front of the bracket.

BEFORE CONTINUING DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE!

Now with the frame removed and set aside we can remove the cover for the radio module. It's secured by 3 Philips Head screws.

Once cover is removed we can pull some tape off the harness going into the radio module and connect into a 12V switched signal for our remote turn on wire for the amp.

"The wire we want is Purple with a white stripe"

Next we solder, shrink wrap and zip tie the remote wire into the radio module harness

Now we can remove the cover on the floor by the former sub enclosure area.

It's secured by 2 10MM plastic nuts.

 

[Lexicon740iL 10+ year member]

With the plastic cover removed it's time to tap the harness from the stock subwoofers to get the signal for the LC2i.

We are after the twisted pair of Solid blue solid brown and solid yellow solid brown. The brown wires will be - and the yellow and blue wire are +

Time to add some length to get the signal wires back to the LC2i cubby.

The Ground is next. I've added a Ground wire for the LC2i as well.

It will be connected to a factory frame ground point. No paint, bare metal. One 10MM nut secures it.

Now for the Power and fuse distribution. OGA into the KNu block with 4GA out to the Nakamichi and a small 12V lead for the LC2i. The holder is zip tied to the frame rail hole noted in pic and small 12V routed to LC2i cubby.

With 12V, Speaker Level inputs and ground supplied to the LC2i that can call be connected and put aside.

And on to the amp.... I wanted it to be clean with accessibility to adjust and keep cool. So I decided to place it in front of my enclosure mounted to the floor with all the wiring hidden coming up from under.

So I did some measurements checked the underside for clearance and screwed it down into the floor cover. Now it time to drill out some wire routing paths.

Drilled out and wiring routed.

Now for some speaker wire connections for the box. My SMS Box has brass bolts so I'm using these guys from the knu kit for now. I'll prob switch to a ring in the future.

 

[Lexicon740iL 10+ year member]

And the final result after cleanup and enclosure placement.

I'm very happy with the results //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[double 07 10+ year member]

NICE....keep up the good work......//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[DB-Audio 10+ year member]

Looks clean man nice Job

 

[Lexicon740iL 10+ year member]

NICE....keep up the good work......//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Looks clean man nice Job

Looks really decent man! Credit where its due. Nice job. Word of warning/advice- the glue used on the spider of the Av2 is GARBAGE. it never fully dries. Try and keep the woofer facing upwards.

Thanks for the props guys! I know it's just a small build with a single woofer but it works well for me. The 13Av.2 sounds so much better in this box thanks to S.M.S. I've heard it in other enclosures but it really sounds nice in this one !

And thanks for the heads up on the spider RL....I have had experience with other eD subs shipping without the Epoxy fully cured. This one has been in service for over a year now with no adverse effects hopefully it will hold up. I do appreciate your comments and heads up. Thanks man.

 

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

13" on 1200 clean. I bet it slams. And the install looks great!

 

[Lexicon740iL 10+ year member]

Thanks my bimma brethren //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

It slams nicely //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Our BMWCCA chapter does a spring run in Wis. every year maybe we could link up sometime and u can hear it.

Now I just have to figure out how to tune this batch....

 

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

Thanks my bimma brethren //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
It slams nicely //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Our BMWCCA chapter does a spring run in Wis. every year maybe we could link up sometime and u can hear it.

Now I just have to figure out how to tune this batch....

What part of wisconsin? I live in the 30 miles north of milwaukee.

I would love to hear and see it. I am always down to see other cars.

Tuning the amp gain? or what?

 

[Lexicon740iL 10+ year member]

So the Audio Control instruction says to turn the accubass threshold potentiometer on the side of the unit all the way up if there is no problem will bass roll off and you want the full range of adjustment through the level controls on the top of the unit.

So now I have 3 settings on the top of the unit. Accubass - Main - Bass

I am using this on just the single monoblock so I connected my RCA's to the bass output RCA's per the audio control diagram.

Since the main output RCA's are unused and for a full range signal I'm assuming the dial for main will be unused/unadjusted.

Am I right so far?

Now I need to figure out how to set the proper level on the LOC for the correct output going to the amp.

This will be achieved by adjusting the Bass dial on the top of the unit I assume because I'm using the RCA's connect to the bass output to feed my amp it's signal. Correct?

I found this video on the net


Is this the procedure I should use to set this bass dial for my output feeding my amp?

Disconnect the speaker leads from the amp and play the music until I see the maximized light start to illuminate on loud sections of music then back off a bit?

tain

Or would you guys just be hooking a DMM up to a set of RCA's coming of the Bass output feed and adjust the bass dial on the LC2i until I see a certain voltage output on the DMM?

 

[jockhater2 10+ year member]

[quote name='Lexicon740iL']So the Audio Control instruction says to turn the accubass threshold potentiometer on the side of the unit all the way up if there is no problem will bass roll off and you want the full range of adjustment through the level controls on the top of the unit.

So now I have 3 settings on the top of the unit. Accubass - Main - Bass

I am using this on just the single monoblock so I connected my RCA's to the bass output RCA's per the audio control diagram.
Since the main output RCA's are unused and for a full range signal I'm assuming the dial for main will be unused/unadjusted.

Am I right so far?

Now I need to figure out how to set the proper level on the LOC for the correct output going to the amp.
This will be achieved by adjusting the Bass dial on the top of the unit I assume because I'm using the RCA's connect to the bass output to feed my amp it's signal. Correct?

I found this video on the net
AudioControl level matching - YouTube
Is this the procedure I should use to set this bass dial for my output feeding my amp?
Disconnect the speaker leads from the amp and play the music until I see the maximized light start to illuminate on loud sections of music then back off a bit?
tain
Or would you guys just be hooking a DMM up to a set of RCA's coming of the Bass output feed and adjust the bass dial on the LC2i until I see a certain voltage output on the DMM?[/QUOTE]
@keep_hope_alive ; @TaylorFade ;

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

that video describes what the maxmized light is for.

instead of music which has a random signal with random signal strength, a test tone cd is your best bet. -3dB test tones are commonly used, but i still use -0dB test tones since i've seen modern music that had bass at a -0dB level (with music clipped).

to summarize the steps in the video:

simply disconnect the rca's at the audio control (and disconnect amp remote turn-on so the amp isn't on and minimize gain).

then increase the volume on the stock head unit until you reach your maximum desired listening level (with music).

then follow the instructions for BASS output level adjustment until the Maximized LED just starts to light, then back it down slightly.

then turn everything off, reconnect the remote and RCA's.

now you can tweak the amp gain if needed.