Between 1999 and 2006, BMW's 3 Series automobiles built on the E46 platform set a standard by which nearly all cars in its class are judged. In fact, it has made Top 10 lists on the web and in automotive mags throughout its production cycle so it's no wonder that these baby Bimmers were so popular.
Jeff Smith, the owner of Audio Designs of Atlanta, sees a fair amount rolling into his shop. "In the Atlanta area it's a very popular vehicle," Smith says. "Everybody drives them: male or female, young or old." Fortunately for Smith and other car audio retailers, the stock system usually leaves many music-loving 3 Series owners wanting more. "Most people are in love with the car but disappointed with the factory audio system," Smith says.
So we asked Smith to do up a good, better and best system in a 2005 BMW M3. He says that some shops are unduly intimidated by working on the cars. "They think the car or the wiring is delicate, or they don't know how to take the car apart and integrate an audio system," Smith says. "But if you know what you're doing and the customer gives you the time, it's really no different than working on a Honda."
Good SystemMB Quart DSG 216MB Quart EKA 113MB Quart PAB 5400Image Dynamics ID10D4 V.3DICE Electronics I-BMW-T iPod interfaceScosche speaker adapterStinger accessories
BetterKenwood KDC-X891Zapco DC650.6MB Quart PVF 216MB Quart RVF 216Image Dynamics IDQ12D4 V.2
BestKenwood DNX7100Zapco Digital Reference DC650.6Dynaudio Esotec System 342Image Dynamics IDQ12D4 V.2
GoodFor this starter system, Smith would leave the factory head unit intact and add some amplifier power and speaker upgrades. "It's a basic system that's very lightweight and takes up little space," he says. He would first swap out the factory speakers in the doors for an MB Quart DSG 216 component set. The tweeters would replace their factory counterparts located at the top of each door. The stock cutout for the midrange is more of a 6" provision, Smith says. So he would use a Scosche adapter to make the larger speaker fit. "It allows you to add a 6.5" without a lot of cutting," he says.
But there's no such problem with the rear speakers: A pair of MB Quart EKA 113 5.25" coaxials would drop right into the factory locations in the back deck. An Image Dynamics ID10D4 V.3 10" subwoofer installed in a "free-air" configuration, using the trunk as an enclosure, would supply sub bass. "We'd use the factory ski hole in the middle of the rear seat and build a baffle to fit it,'" Smith says.
To power the new speakers, Smith would install an MB Quart PAB 5400 5-channel amplifier (55 watts x 4 and 200 watts x 1 into 4 ohms), with two channels powering the front speakers, two driving the rear and the mono channel dedicated to the sub. The amp would be tucked underneath the rear deck and a Peripheral line-output converter would feed it a signal from the stock head unit. Smith would also add a DICE Electronics I-BMW-T iPod interface, which enables the factory radio to display iPod info.
Between 1999 and 2006, BMW's 3 Series automobiles built on the E46 platform set a standard by which nearly all cars in its class are judged. In fact, it has made Top 10 lists on the web and in automotive mags throughout its production cycle so it's no wonder that these baby Bimmers were so popular.