[kwilliams312]

still waiting for updated harness. hopefully early next week!

[kwilliams312]

DSP/Amp parts came in on Friday while I was out of town. I installed everything Monday and did a quick tune on the system to get things going.

New harness + MEC Analog input worked as I originally expected, everything it was plug and play. I had the amp plugged in and going in less than 15 minutes. I need to properly mount it for now its set aside for monitoring/troubleshooting and tuning.

So far:
- I've loaded the Match base tune for the UP10
- Done basic time alignment and some crossover work.

I'm still running all stock drivers for now; I can say the tweeters are garbage, especially above 10k; I don't expect any amount of EQ refinement to help.

Time Alignment makes a huge difference, the StageExpander feature in the Match10 help get the Left and Right front speakers a bit wider.

Where this setup comes up short is sharing the front 4" midrange driver and tweeter on the same channel for front L/R. Time alignment is impossible to get perfect because each speaker is a different distance from the driver; instead I'm using a rough average between the tweeter and mid-range to accomplish. Center channel definitely helps and the center is reasonably stable, but not laser sharp.

Later this week I'll be working on taking measurements with an RTA, further refining crossover points, and initial EQ work.

Now that everything is working, I'm also building a BOM for a pigtail adapter to adopt a non-match DSP without cutting any harnesses. This will allow me to swap out the Match10 with an Arc Audio PS8 Pro + PS8-50 combo or a full blown Helix DSP Ultra and run separate channels for each driver in the car.

This weekend I'll be swapping in the AD W800NEO 8" midbass drivers into the floor; but this car needs a real sub pretty badly.

[Celestion]

Originally Posted by kwilliams312

DSP/Amp parts came in on Friday while I was out of town. I installed everything Monday and did a quick tune on the system to get things going.

New harness + MEC Analog input worked as I originally expected, everything it was plug and play. I had the amp plugged in and going in less than 15 minutes. I need to properly mount it for now its set aside for monitoring/troubleshooting and tuning.

So far:
- I've loaded the Match base tune for the UP10
- Done basic time alignment and some crossover work.

I'm still running all stock drivers for now; I can say the tweeters are garbage, especially above 10k; I don't expect any amount of EQ refinement to help.

Time Alignment makes a huge difference, the StageExpander feature in the Match10 help get the Left and Right front speakers a bit wider.

Where this setup comes up short is sharing the front 4" midrange driver and tweeter on the same channel for front L/R. Time alignment is impossible to get perfect because each speaker is a different distance from the driver; instead I'm using a rough average between the tweeter and mid-range to accomplish. Center channel definitely helps and the center is reasonably stable, but not laser sharp.

Later this week I'll be working on taking measurements with an RTA, further refining crossover points, and initial EQ work.

Now that everything is working, I'm also building a BOM for a pigtail adapter to adopt a non-match DSP without cutting any harnesses. This will allow me to swap out the Match10 with an Arc Audio PS8 Pro + PS8-50 combo or a full blown Helix DSP Ultra and run separate channels for each driver in the car.

This weekend I'll be swapping in the AD W800NEO 8" midbass drivers into the floor; but this car needs a real sub pretty badly.

Amazing work. Looking forward to reading about what you put together. Will love knowing what it takes to make the G8x stereo competent .

[nearwater4me]

Sorry for digging up an old thread, but was just wondering if there's been any development since the UP10 installation.

[Ginster6]

any updates..??

[kwilliams312]

I've been driving with the UP10 installed for quite some time now, a decent tune but I'm waiting on an appt with my builder to upgrade the speakers, build new pillars and craft the trunk amp rack and sub box. Likely no major updates until Feb.

The UP10 is great. I'm really liking it sound stage is great, depth is good. The stock tweeters and mid are a little lacking in clarity, midbass is a little muddy even with some EQ. Overall it's significantly better than stock.

[Murf]

Ive heard that one downside of the plug and play amps is that chimes and other sounds also get amped. Is this not the case with the match upgrades?

[Flamingi]

Is there any reason why a B&W retrofit out of the 5 series should not work (dimensions are the same, physically the speakers will fit)? On the F series it was just installing the new speakers, new harness and coding of the amp. I did this in my sisters F23.

I know the whole RAM setup in G series different to the MOST system, but retrofitting B&W would be my preferred solution once I take delivery of my i4M50. Does the RAM have component protection as well? I guess BMW will not give a FSC to unlock an amp that was never intended to be used in the G80... A used system can be had for about 1800€, so Im willing to pay the premium for seemless integration into iDrive etc.

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by Flamingi

Is there any reason why a B&W retrofit out of the 5 series should not work (dimensions are the same, physically the speakers will fit)? On the F series it was just installing the new speakers, new harness and coding of the amp. I did this in my sisters F23.

I know the whole RAM setup in G series different to the MOST system, but retrofitting B&W would be my preferred solution once I take delivery of my i4M50. Does the RAM have component protection as well? I guess BMW will not give a FSC to unlock an amp that was never intended to be used in the G80... A used system can be had for about 1800€, so Im willing to pay the premium for seemless integration into iDrive etc.

There is a RAM/B&W system in the 5-Series LCI, so to retrofit this system in a 3-Series it will require a new OEM audio harness, OEM speakers and coding. Nothing in the 3-Series audio system harness is directly compatible with the B&W.

[Flamingi]

Originally Posted by Encanto

There is a RAM/B&W system in the 5-Series LCI, so to retrofit this system in a 3-Series it will require a new OEM audio harness, OEM speakers and coding. Nothing in the 3-Series audio system harness is directly compatible with the B&W.

Yes, I know I need new speakers/harness and coding, that would be fine. The question is, if the AMP/Booster has component protection similar to e.g. the MGU headunit (the H&K RAM in the G20/80 and the G30 LCI B&W RAM have the same part number, e.g. 65129433257). In that case, once you swap the component from a used car or even if you get a new one, you will need to get a FSC code provided by BMW. As all FSC codes, it is specific to the VIN, and Im pretty sure BMW will not give me such a code for a B&W AMP with an i4 VIN. The one component thats important from the G30 is the amp.

To sum it up:
- Can you code the G20/G80 to work with the B&W amp from the G30?
- If you replace the stock Booster with the B&W amp from the G30, will component protection be triggered in any modules (HU, RAM, Booster)?

Getting a new FSC for the HU/RAM wouldnt be the issue, since they are stock, so the only part Im worried about is if the Booster has component protection as well. Additionally, even if the Booster does not have component protection, if the install will trigger PC of the HU or RAM, its not useful either...

[Encanto]

I have never seen a requirement for FSC for any OEM amp, either you code it to the OEM HU/RAM output type, or it does not work.

Originally Posted by Flamingi

Yes, I know I need new speakers/harness and coding, that would be fine. The question is, if the AMP/Booster has component protection similar to e.g. the MGU headunit (the H&K RAM in the G20/80 and the G30 LCI B&W RAM have the same part number, e.g. 65129433257). In that case, once you swap the component from a used car or even if you get a new one, you will need to get a FSC code provided by BMW. As all FSC codes, it is specific to the VIN, and Im pretty sure BMW will not give me such a code for a B&W AMP with an i4 VIN. The one component thats important from the G30 is the amp.

To sum it up:
- Can you code the G20/G80 to work with the B&W amp from the G30?
- If you replace the stock Booster with the B&W amp from the G30, will component protection be triggered in any modules (HU, RAM, Booster)?

Getting a new FSC for the HU/RAM wouldnt be the issue, since they are stock, so the only part Im worried about is if the Booster has component protection as well. Additionally, even if the Booster does not have component protection, if the install will trigger PC of the HU or RAM, its not useful either...

[Flamingi]

Originally Posted by Encanto

I have never seen a requirement for FSC for any OEM amp, either you code it to the OEM HU/RAM output type, or it does not work.

I have never seen that either, but with the introduction of hu_mgu BMW really tightened up the security of all the ECUs. Might have been possible for them to do the CP on the AMP as well, especially because those are one of the most expensive (and most stolen) ECUs.

So, unless anyone else has arguments against going this route, I will do this OEM retrofit on my i4.

[Ginster6]

Just following up on this thread, if anyone else has upgraded the AMP beside KWilliams.

[BIGW0RM]

Bump for updates.

[jpt99]

Would like updates as well. Wanting to install Helix Ultra taken from previous 2019 G30 (HK). Mobridge DA-1 worked well in G30, but isn't compatible now. Bummer.

[kwilliams312]

Sorry it’s been a while, the car has been undergoing some work in the stereo department.

MatcH Up10 has been pulled and we’ve replaced everything with arc audio and audio development gear.

The match 10 was great, but the inability to control the mid and tweeter separately were a nonstarter for SQ competition.

The ps8-pro using a match harness is working really well. I’ll post some photos in the coming days.

[M4ROLLIN20]

Originally Posted by Encanto

The current OEM RAM/Booster HK system aftermarket amplifier upgrade is the Match UP-10BMW with the MATCH PP-BMW 1.9RAM-HK harness.

Thanks for this man^^^does the amp connect on top of/to the oem amp or is it a direct replacement? Also, the best possible solution I see is the MATCHUP10 amp with focal ISUB 8” 2 ohm for the underseat subs. Would you recommend this? Or would Moral underseats sound better?