A client from San Jose dropped into California Car Sounds and Tint to inquire about a 2016 BMW X5 speaker upgrade. We talked to the client about what he liked about his sound system and what he wanted to improve. He didn’t want to change the appearance of the vehicle, but wanted more clarity and detail from the audio system. After listening to a few speaker options in our showroom, we put together a plan to upgrade his SUV.
Focal BMW X5 Speaker Upgrade
To upgrade the front speakers, we installed a set of Focal ES 100 K component speakers in the front doors. We were able to modify the factory sail-panel speaker location to house the TKM tweeter. The yellow aramid fiber cone is just visible behind the factory grille.
We mounted the 4-inch woofers from the ES 100 K set to plastic adapter plates our fabrication team created. We use plastic adapters instead of wood to prevent damage if they get wet. Wood will swell up and turn moldy when used in the door. The plastic adapters bolt right into the factory speaker mounting location and the factory grille openings in the doors align perfectly with the new driver.
Illusion Carbon Coaxial Rear Speakers
To round out the sound upgrade in the in the BMW SUV, our team added a set of Illusion Audio C4 CX coaxial speakers to the rear doors. The C4 CX speakers use a carbon fiber cone and locate a damped anodized aluminum dome tweeter in the center. An external passive crossover network is included and allows us to fine-tune the level of the tweeter in very fine 1dB steps. The rear speakers are mounted using plastic speaker adapter rings similar to those in the front doors.
Amazing Sound, Factory Appearance
With all the speakers installed, our installation team sat down in the X5 to have a good listen to the system. With the adjustability of the crossovers from each set, we are able to smooth the frequency response for a very natural and realistic performance. We didn’t make any changes to the factory head unit or amplifier, so the vehicle looks like new and, thanks to the BMW X5 speaker upgrade, the stereo sounds fantastic!
If you are near Campbell, drop by California Car Sounds and Tint to find out how we can improve the performance of your sound system. A member of our team would be happy to work with you to choose upgrades that match your performance goals and work with your budget. For more information about any of our products or services, give us a call at 408-378-0409 or send us an e-mail using our online contact form.
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