Introduction

So, you drive an E39 and you're not happy with the standard sound system, eh? Well, this site is for you! These pages contain a detailed account of the upgrade work I did on my 1999 528i Sport. As with most of my vehicle projects, this is still work in progress. But, for the time being, you can see what I did to replace the speakers, add a subwoofer, and wire in a new amplifier.

For those of you that do not currently drive one of these fine cars, you may be wondering: Why would a guy rip apart a brand new $47,000 German road-car to install stereo equipment? Let me explain... BMW's are notorious for crossing the pond with lackluster sound systems. The factory offering is under powered and completely deficient in the bass department.

Enter a/d/s/ in Wilmington, MA. They've designed audiophile quality speakers and amplifiers that install easily and result in a huge improvement over the factory system. All without replacing the factory "head unit." If you've ever looked at the Multi-Informational Display on one of these cars you'll see that it's not quite the kind of thing you want to remove and replace. The good news is the factory head-unit is pretty damn good on it's own. It provides full 4 volt outputs to 4 channels and controls an Alpine produced 6-disc CD changer mounted in the trunk. Together these units deliver a very clean signal to the new amplifier. And, all the connections to the factory harness and battery are conveniently done in the trunk. A very nice bonus!

NOTE: This site is under major construction. It ain't pretty yet, but it does get the info out there. I'll continue improving it. If there's anything else you may want to know or have any comments, please e-mail me at: Ultim8528i