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Neal

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Everything posted by Neal

  1. Neal
    Thanks, wasn’t sure if WAV was PCM. Understand the rest of the chain , just trying to avoid DADDA in the chain for critical listening. Up with most of the codecs used in audio and video but never bothered with Wav. Like the Metadata with other formats. Hobby background in building pre / power amps , guitar pedals etc as a teen for a side job. So had a good handle on analogue side of things. Quite like the idea of some of these newer cap-less opamps (EG Sabre ) Fewer components in the audio chain. But this car amp is all shark based DSP with reasonably good class D output devices running balanced inputs. With car audio a well tuned system will trump esoteric equipment that hasn’t been. Quite a bit of a learning curve.
  2. Neal
    I have a few formats unfortunately on my thumb drive., Apple Lossless for the iPhone files, was doing WMA lossless for a while , Flac in 16/44.1 and 96/24 , and some dodgy variable bit rate MP3s😀 But most of time it 320k Spotify, although the highs aren’t great over CarPlay. With the BMW Most 25 , audio is sampled at 16/44.1khz so should do bit perfect CD quality, but wouldn’t WAVE format need a Analogue to digital process within the head unit ? Was thinking that digital source should just get transferred straight from source to the digital bus. The aux sounds reasonable when playing music via clean audio source. I’ll rip a few fave CDs to Wav file and compare. I would class this system as a mid tiered system in car audio with an extensive amount of digital manipulation of the front active three way system. For a car system it’s sounding quite good with the stage sitting above the dash and out to the bonnet. But compared to home hifi the tweeters and door mids are more off axis and unequal angles. But low frequency is an easy ride , must be 15db of cabin in sub bass regions. Getting 115db plus at 15hz with a 12 inch and with more on tap. Doing RTAs has been halirous , can’t hear beyond 11khz ( Brillance spectrum of treble $ . But for the tonal frequencies I can here can certainly pick the differences of well recorded and higher bit rates. I’ll get you to critique the system once I’ve fine tuned the system for tonal balance. Obviously won’t have the clarity but it’s not bad so far.
  3. Neal
    For the coding there is a straight forward phone app called BimmerCode which is quite safe to use. In expert mode the audio settings can be changed and even in normal mode there is a button to code the unit for “hifi” profile. Just check that it can code cic based audio ( bimmerpost forums suggest it does ) base audio in nbt has both basss and treble boosts to compensate for the 6.5” woofers and dual cone door speakers. Hifi has various profiles depending on model so worth trying various types. I think on the f20 you may get more cabin gain on the sub bass than larger models. It’s worth your while getting a measurement mic and an app call REW that has an RTA and can run aomesome frequency sweeps to see what the treble profile looks like. Then try the amplifier variatants listed in Rogans link. You can also check the time alignment on your amp to see how close it. One thing to check on your underseat woofers, BMW reverses polarity on one side in their wiring on some models. It’s working having the focals subs in phase. You may also need to flip them out of phase with your door speakers depending on your crossover slopes and that way you get a summed transition from bass to mids rather than a null at the crossing point .
  4. Neal
    Good point. I don’t think I have it in me to re rip CD collection. But BMWs idrive is great in that has played the various lossless codecs on my 256 gig hard drive. It will even sample down hi res Flac files that are also on the drive. Still disappointed that BMW CarPlay is wifi only so no LPCM capability that you get with CarPlay usb.
  5. Neal
    Thanks, really helpful , will check HU coding as car VO had 6NS coded for USB and ATM module.
  6. Neal
    Sorry , got you mixed up with another member that lives your way. BTW , Brought Bimmer Utility , thanks for the tip. Sorted Harman Kardon coding and camera module type in about 10 mins so working correctly. Just need to spend some time to have the phone snapin adapter reappear under USB inputs.
  7. Neal
    Your right ! Just running through the BU videos. I like that warning for esys , get the checkbox wrong and all ECU's default. Great way to turn the car into a teapot. Haven't done any real coding , scripting in about 15 years. Menu driven coding looks good ! BTW , do you still do stereo builds ? I remember you worked in the industry years back .
  8. Neal
    Thanks , looks like it has a better UI. Ironically I’d brought BimmerCode thinking it would work throughout this project, but it’s useless once id6 hardware is introduced. Esys looks reasonably complex , plenty of room to stuff things up. Just getting through the Bimmerdoc tutorials on YouTube.
  9. Neal
    Still need to work through a few items so a bit more coding of the idrive unit required and also a bit of learning still to code Unit was coded to my BMW vin and I forget to advise that I’d coded original top hifi and MOST digital audio ( no audio as it’s coded to base audio ) Reverse camera is coming up with failure message, I thing it’s because Idrive 6 expects that later icam camera module, need to code it for trscv Telephone cradle via usb 2 doesn’t show on idrive , apparently idrive 6 only supports USB1 ( more research to do ) Sport display showing 420 hp max rather than 480 hp , I think 480 is right for LCI and competition model ( more research to do ) Learnings BMW CarPlay doesn’t support lossless audio over usb , uses AAC-LC over wifi Bimmercode iPhone APP isn’t usable for coding retrofitted Idrive 6 , it greys the idrive unit. Needs esys or similar for coding rest of idrive from this point on. Plan , learning esys coding basics to work through and code upper points.
  10. Neal
    Idrive unit The console control pannel needs to removed and is held in place with 4x t20 Torx screws Undo top screws Pull out bottom console trim , it’s fiddly but clips out Undo bottom screws and remove ambient light connector. There is a second connector that I couldn’t take off so I left the pannel hanging and moved it to the right. Then remove idrive unit by the 2xt20 Torx screws Gently pull idrive unit out and place on towelSpend a bit of time to look at the connectors and work out how the locking mechanism function, have seen people use force and break the connectors from the Idrive pcb. Left side Aerial style connectors have a white locking tab that needs lifting before lifting connectors off Right side screen and usb connector has a push in lock to release connector The big square quad lock comes out by lifting a tab at the top The new idrive 6 requires a wifi antenna to be installed , the factory wifi antenna is connected via a long lead which routes under the console and sits in an area under the right side front seat. I went aftermarket as a wifi antenna is a wifi antenna. Went for a short antenna and Tesla taped it to the top of the idrive so it won’t rattle. Install of new unit is straight forward, was careful putting the connectors back on and putting unit back into place. Then just put console controller back into place and clipped trim back. Then reconnected battery . Car will need a short drive after to reset collision warning system etc.
  11. Neal
    Controller install ( note that old controller will work , but menu buttons different With pry tool pop up one corner of the idrive controller console trim Then gently pull trim up , it’s just held by clips Undo controller connector by pushing in lock pin , it’s a firm fit , careful with the amount of force Remove 3x t20 Torx screws Put new controller in trim , tighten screws , put on connector, clip trim back into place
  12. Neal
    Install. Disconnect battery , I read a story of someone that didn’t and managed to short a quad lock connector on the back of the idrive unit main connector. Needed a new unit. When disconnecting battery make sure you tie a rag around the boot latch. Becomes problematic if some closes boot in this state. This is quite straight forward in the F3x / F8x. Tools needed Plastic trim removal tool Torx T20 driver Pick tool for Pushing lock tabs on some of the connectors Towel to cover lower console area to avoid scratching area from idrive unit Screen install Pop vent trim off gently , it just clips into place Remove 2x t20 screen screws from screen, gently lift screen on one side up, unit will then come out easily Remove cable by pressing in connector lock tab , firmly pull connector away , may need a wiggle Push connector into new screen and push screen down, add Torx screws and careful that you don’t drop them
  13. Neal
    IDrive 6 hardware retrofit. One thing in this day and age is having a more native control of iPhone apps I.E carplay. The M3 is a December 2015 build so came with IDrive 4 which doesn’t have CarPlay or enough ram to run BMW Nav and CarPlay at the same time. Going through the options for CarPlay I came up with the following 1, Update id4 software to id6 image , places on the web do this and can be done locally , but price for doing this seems to be $1k more than others charge internationally. Down side is that idrive will reboot if factory Nav and CarPlay is used. Price wise between $500 - $1600 depending on vendor 2, Replace idrive unit with version 4 or 6, optionally change screen to touch screen and replace controller for correct menu buttons. Price wise $1500 - $3000 + 3, get an MMI module , this is typical an Android box that plugs between idrive and screen and has CarPlay. Works via a double press on the bmw controller. With MMi modules there are tradeoffs such as not being able to use factory car microphones or use Aux input on idrive for sound ( not so good ) . I did find a unit called MR12volt that used MOST digital audio , but at this stage no support for native bmw mics. $450 - $800 4, Android replacement screen , so you can get an 8.8 or 10.25 inch touch screen with CarPlay built in . I didn’t look into this in detail as all used aux audio input. I went with replacing the hardware with the later BMW ID6 unit , screen and controller. I looked for an ECE version with DAB tuner which is what is used in NZ New BMW M3, but apparently any version can be recoded to work in NZ. There is a gotcha with ID6 units though, after a certain date BMW dropped the GPS module and for the G series BMW dropped the Most digital audio. So the unit I sourced was for an F3x F8x platform and GPS is covered by the M3s ATM telephony module.
  14. Neal
    Well, the sound skins was a no go, but managed to deal to the resonance so group delay is running below 50 MS now and low bass is clearer. Dynamat has a new take on its product called Dynamat squared. I’ll use it on the boot floor and storage area under the boot board. What I like about the product is that it’s not creased and folded like the door products. Should look a less bodged.
  15. Neal
    It’s been some time since I’ve seen that Sony model , I think if your not into the cd stacker you can put a Sony J link adapter in place of cd Stacker you’ll get an aux input via the stacker . Would pay to check the connector type before purchasing one. eg https://www.discountcarstereo.com/aai-sony.html
  16. Neal
    Have ordered more sound deadening. This time a mix of butyl and foam to line boot floor. Dynamat has some products but work out to thick when combining butyl foil with foam. Will use Soundskins as roughly 5 mm thick. When measuring the bass with a microphone and Rew software I’m seeing couple of spikes showing up on the group delay so at certain frequencies the bass notes are taking up to 170 milliseconds to dissipate. Ideally you want this between 20 - 40 milliseconds for accurate Bass. Something is still resonating and causing the spikes. Will line the boot floor to see if it’s a contributing factor. Could also be sub interactions with back seats so may need to rethink sub enclosure beyond this. It worked well in an e46 with a ski pass firing through rear armrest. Doesn’t work so well in an F80 m3 which doesn’t have one. Group delay verse frequency response , work to do
  17. Neal
    Last bump before going to FB Market place. Ideal if you’ve go an M3 coupe or Motorsport sedan. $360
  18. Neal
    Remember seeing the aftermath of hitting the wall. Glad Longhurst survived that one . !
  19. Neal
    Boot lid sound treatment. Found the boot lid was a major contributor to unwanted resonance caused by the sub. On good old kiwi Reggae Dub certainly bass lines would shake the lid and the number plate resonating badly. Ended up being straightforward to sort. Double sided tape sorted rear number plate and dynamat was added to the inside panels on the boot lid.The deadening worked well and the boot lid feels solid when closed now. A large portion of the rattles sorted but a bit more to do.
  20. Neal
    Thank you, 😀. I’m not sure if diy car audio is a hobby or obsession for me. Love the learning that goes on with doing these projects.
  21. Neal
    Been working on a Speaker time alignment spreadsheet. I’d done tuning to date by ear with mono pink noise. Had what I thorough was a reasonably centred sound stage.I was wrong. The principle of time alignment of speakers in a car is to pick the speaker that is furthest away and delay the sound slightly for the closer speakers. When done correctly the stage becomes better defined and it will sound like your more centred rather than offset. So basically the process is to measure from where the middle of your head is to the middle of each speaker grill. I’m doing two dsp maps. One for single drivers seat tune and one for front passengers.Tried the single seat settings and the results were excellent. Nice upfront soundstage with the image sitting above the dash and more centred for driver position. For the measurements I’m around 173 cm and have the seat in a high position. Measurements will differ for taller and shorter people depending on seat position. But these values are a good starting point.
  22. Neal
    Had to drop the levels for the sub bass by about 6db from the 10 inch one I’ve been running for the past month. This old Boston still holds up will to the higher output 12s available. It shakes the car so now have a new list of rattles to sort.I think the larger boot area with the subfloor storage area is the cause. E46 M3 was better in this regard. Number plate rattle is to the point of being halirious. Treating the boot with sound deadening is a must now. Or go back to 10 inch sub. Been using dynamat in the interior and it works well , but thinking secondskins which has foam as well( via The Warehouse ) could be the product for boot floor and dynamat on the underside of boot lid.
  23. Neal
    I recovered the subwoofer enclosure from my e46 build. Used pro audio Penn heavy duty speaker carpet. A bit thicker to work with, but very durable. The enclosure width was good. Just added a 6mm mdf sheet to the bottom to reduce the chance of submarining through the back seat in an accident. I also added metal plates to the inside of the enclosure. Used m8 Rivnuts and modded the rear tie down brackets so it bolts through the wood into the metal brackets. I’ve made it so I can take the enclosure out as fuse box is below. Also used a 4 pole Soeakon pro audio connector. Mobridge amp runs 4 wires for sub to spread the current through its connector. Used 30 amp x4 inside enclosure and 20 amp x 4 from amp. So cable loss is minimal at 400 -500 rms that the Amp can deliver to the sub.
  24. Neal
    I ran one Morel and one HK underseat woofer for a week so I could flip between the two for A / B comparison. Over all the Morel is a good improvement over Harman. I set the two so they ran the same volume around 90 hz. Lower than 90 hz the Morels a 2 - 3 db louder . There is a peak around 70 hz where I think cabin gain is coming into play. But looking like it will follow target curve quite well. Currently have them cutting off from 45hz at 24 db / octave so getting excellent up front bass. Put second woofer in and knocked back the gain a couple of db. With volume towards maximum power rating they stay composed. Wasn’t able to achieve this with the Harmans installed which I ran for the last month or so. Musically the Morels are excellent covering 50 -150hz range. Have the sub running 20 -60 hz with a 12 db rolloff.
  25. Neal
    Just want to do hillclimbs again after watching this 😀
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