Hey folks,
I've searched and read many, many threads on stereo and speaker upgrades, but the more I read, the more I'm confused.

I'd like to have fuller sound in my disco II. I just sold my 545i, so the DII is now my daily driver, and I miss the Logic7 in the BMW, which I know I won't come anywhere close to in the DII. Anyways...

I'd like to keep my factory head unit as I just installed the GROM Audio Ipod/USB adapter with bluetooth. So, from what I can tell, I need to replace my factory amp and speakers? A few questions...

Is it possible to only replace the the factory amp and speakers in order to gain fuller sound and bass?

If yes, does anyone know of any aftermarket amps that are relatively simple to install?

From what I've read, I can't just replace the speakers with higher wattage speakers, so I do need the amp, right?

How bout speakers? Does anyone know of any aftermarket speakers that are pretty much plug-n-play?

I'm beginning to think this is all over my head, and I'm tempted to just take the truck up to Best Buy and see what they can do.

If anyone can point me to a thread that answers all of these questions, that would be great.

Thanks for the help!

 

hello, the easiest way to do this is replacing the factory radio, i put a better radio on my dII with it has Bluetooth and i pod remote, i still have the factory amp and a bazooka sub, it sound great!!! and it is really easy to do!

 

i think this was gone through before? if you do anything other than changing the head unit, such as amp, speaker, etc. you have to run all new wireing. Something to do with the way the amp and subwoofer are wired, I'm not really up on thats stuff but it appeared to be a real PIA to upgrade everything.

 

If you want to keep the factory head unit, it becomes very difficult. If that is the case, I would recommend tapping into the wiring for the factory sub with a converter that would output to RCA jacks. From there, run the fused and insulated power wire from the battery. You will also need the "remote" wire which I assume you could tap off the factory amp. Throw in a bass tube or sub, install the amp and you have the easiest way. I did this method on a GTi I had as my extra car that was a lease, so I didn't want to mess with the factory head. You can replace a couple of the speakers for better highs and mids, and turn the bass down on the head unit and adjust the amp settings. Other than that method though, you will need to replace the head unit likely.

 

So, I just had Best Buy change out all 4 door speaks with what they recommended...Alpine SPS-610 6-1/2" 2-Way Type-S speakers. They sound MUCH better than the original Harmon Kardons that were in there.

In looking at my subwoofer in the rear door, it was basically falling apart, and we disconnected it. So now, I'm without a sub.

Before I go spend $150-$250 on an OEM subwoofer for the tailgate door, what would you all recommend?

I saw on one forum where a guy recommended a bass tube, or something like the Infinity Basslink. But I'm not all that interested in having ground shaking bass, just something full, rich and deep. I also saw where one guy ordered component 6.5" subs, and attached them (glue?) to the existing factory enclosure.

I do like the idea of the built-in job that I've seen, where they've converted one of the cargo holes.

My disco is a 2000, with 240k miles on it, so I'm not looking to invest, just looking for the best bangfor the buck.

Thoughts?

 

I was going to replace my subwoofers with some aftermarket ones. You can find them on amazon or partsexpress. I ended up finding an amp and 2 subs for $60 on Craigslist. I have an aftermarket head unit so hooking the sub up was easy. I got the sub box at Walmart for $30. Walmart also sells a speaker box with 2 speakers that fit perfectly in the existing subwoofer space for like $30. I have heard some guys do this a lot.

 

I have a 95 D1, I have 2 10s in the back, sounds awesome with the stock radio, but I'm still going to buy a new radio. If its worth doing, its worth over doing!

 

I just received my Peerless 6.5" 30w 8 omh woofers. They're pretty much a direct, clean swap-out with the OEM Hamon Kardon woofers. But, it does look like I'm going to have to trim back a little of the opening where the magnets go into the tailgait door. The magnets are a bit bigger than the OEM and it causes the subwoofer casing to not line up correctly with the screwholes.

Since they 8 ohm, and the OEM was 4 ohm, should I be worried about the factory amp?

Someone mentioned something about the Peerless 8 ohm woofers being able to be "wired down" to 4 ohm. I'm not a techy or anything, so is this something I should do? If so, can someone direct me on how?

Thanks for your help!

 

If the foam around your subs is breaking down, you can have them refoamed. It will run around $20 per speaker. You can also order kits off of ebay. I have never done it myself, but it doesn't look to be that hard. If you can change the oil or bleed the cooling system on a DII, you should be able to figure it out. I bought a couple from a dead DII from a wrecking yard and swapped them into my truck. Sounds great. Good luck. Phil

 

Leave the amp alone, it is the only part of the system that is Harmon, the rest is junk speakers.
Go to Best buy and listen to the different automotive speakers, pick out what sounds best to you and that is usually more then enough to up-grade the system.