17 February 2009. Blog entry by Bimmerman.

Since I'm rather free today, I'll start with the stereo work that was done back in 2006. If you recall, I used to run a Nakamichi receiver and changer together with Xtant 3300c amplifier and CDT HD speakers. Anyway, I decided that it was time to introduce higher quality audio in the car since I tend to compare the sound with my home stereo whenever I'm playing audiophile CDs. I'm into home audio and run an old Meridian 506, Audiolab 8000S and Sonus Faber Concertino system. They're old but still sound quite good.

The first order was deciding the gear to replace the old setup. Since I'm a big fan of Dynaudio home speakers (but I can't afford them), I decided on Dynaudio speakers. I managed to find a nice set of used System 340 component speakers. It is a three-way system that includes the MW160 woofer, MD140 dome mid-range and MD100 tweeter. Deciding on the sub-woofer was easy because I have an Image Dynamics IDMAX that was lying idle. Deciding on the amplifiers was a bit more difficult. I have an Xtant 2200ix that I could combine with the 3300c or use the Precision Audio Art series amplifiers I've been collecting. I finally decided to keep those for an old school install and chose the Genesis Profile series amplifiers. It was mainly for their looks although I knew they sounded good too as their higher-end series III amplifiers were popular amongst the car audio community; and the Profile series did quite well in a review by a car audio magazine when compared against higher-end models from the likes of Tru and Zapco. Since I wanted to run active (I really like the Naim and Linn active systems but I can't afford them), the installer recommended the Alpine 701 processor which was again the choice-processor for many car audio enthusiasts. The good thing was that it does not look out of place next to the Genesis amplifiers. For cables, I went with Audison for inter-connects and Monster 12awg XLN for speaker cables. I would have preferred Audison throughout but their silver cables were quite expensive compared to Monster. The Nakamichi player and changer were retained as I liked its simplicity and amber-coloured display that matches well with the BMW interior.

Here is the list of equipment that finally went into the car:
1. Genesis Profile 2 for Dynaudio MD100 tweeter
2. Genesis Profile 2 Ultra for Dynaudio MD140 mid-range
3. Genesis Profile 2 Ultra for Dynaudio MW160 mid-bass
4. Genesis Profile 2 Ultra for CDT Audio HD-52 components
5. Genesis Profile Sub for 12" Image Dynamics IDMax
6. Alpine PXA H701 processor
7. Alpine RUX C701 controller

 

11 February 2009. Blog entry by Bimmerman.

It's been a long time since my last update on this blog. During that time, a lot work have gone into my e34 to keep it in good running condition besides having nice extras to keep the car interesting. I'll write about each of these individually in the very near future but for now, just do a quick run through on the work that has been done; in no particular sequence, chronological or preference.

For suspension and tyres, I swapped Bilstein touring absorbers for Koni sport adjustables and switched to AC Type 1 17-inch wheels with Dunlop Direzza DZ101. On the engine, the car went through a couple of engine transplants from the original 2.0 24v non-vanos engine to its current 3.0 stroker Vanos engine. There was also a painful gearbox overhaul experience after the stroker engine upgrade. And lastly, major audio work involving Alpine head-unit and processor, 5 Genesis amplifiers, Dynaudio 3-way speakers and Audison cables. The Dynaudio speakers have now been replaced by Boston Acoustics reference series 2-way speakers. That's an episode by itself... stay tuned.