# 1998 BMW E36 M3 Coupe - Hybrid Active System - Pioneer DEX-P99RS / McIntosh MC440M / Scanspeak



## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

Brief introduction to the car:
1998 M3 Coupe Cosmos Schwartz Metallic purchased in 2006 from the original owner. The car is now currently sitting at ~106k miles.


















The original owner had installed the following:

Alpine CDA-9835
Monster Cable 6-Channel RCA's
Audison SRX5 5 Channel Amp
MB Quart PSC-210 4" Midrange 1" Tweeter components in the doors glued to the door panels (behind trimmed up factory speaker grills)
MB Quart QM-130 5 1/4" Mid Bass in the kick panels (Kick panels lined with DynaMat Xtreme)
JL Audio Stealthbox's w/ JL 8IB4 8" subwoofers in the rear deck
14 years ago I thought this was an amazing system! But as I was laid out with the flu this past Thanksgiving, I discovered DIYMobileAudio.
Needless to say I was hooked and began planning out a full component upgrade which included:

Pioneer DEX-P99RS (Late production August 2016)
Auris BluMe Pro Bluetooth 5.0 LDAC Audio Receiver via Pioneer IP-Bus Aux Input with JL Premium RCA interconnects
McIntosh MC440M 6-Channel Amplifier
Door Panel Speakers: Scanspeak Illuminator D3004/6020-00 (1" Tweeter) / Scanspeak Discovery 10F/4424G (~4" Midrange)
Door Panel Passive Cross Overs: MB Quart QXD 210
Kick Panel Speakers: Scanspeak 15W/4531G-00 5.5" Mid-Bass
Rear Deck Speakers: Pioneer TS-SW841D 8" IB Subwoofers
I realized that I should have kept the original JL 8IB4 subs, but 6 years ago the foam surrounds were shot and I tossed them in the trash not thinking ahead 

I then got to work on acquiring the components, which I knew was going to take some time, especially finding the McIntosh amplifier. Luckily I found an original owner McIntosh MC440M with all the original paperwork and box!
During this period I also acquired a pair of MB Quart QXD 210 passive cross overs. These passive crossovers are some of the best MB Quart ever produced.
The MB Quart QXD 210's were designed for their 4" component set. Their 2.4khz crossover, By-Pass, and multiple tweeter level dB adjustments allowed the needed flexibility for tuning with the P99RS.
To prepare for the higher current draw I also installed a new Autocraft Platinum AGM Battery - Size H6 - 760CCA - 70AH - 120min Reserve Capacity.

Here are some pictures of the components and the installation:




































The amplifier was installed in the trunk on the underside of the rear deck using a piece of solid wood with T-Nuts allowing for ease of removal. Wired in with Stinger 6000 8-Gauge Amplifier Wiring Kit with 70Amp Mini-ANL Fuse.



















As much as I enjoyed the previous Alpine CDA-9835 head unit, it always looked out of place compared to the all black interior. The DEX-P99RS looks right at home:


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

I then mounted the MB Quart QXD 210 passive crossovers in the trunk using a modified factory amplifier bracket.



























Onto the Scanspeak speakers:










MB Quart QM-130 (left) vs Scanspeak 15W/4531G-00 (right)










Scanspeak (left) vs. Factory Grills (right) for comparison.
The tweeter is a perfect fit and the midrange required very minimal trimming of the door panel.










The kick panels required a 1/4" to be trimmed for the Scanspeak 5.5" woofers to fit.
Sound deadened with NVX SDBVK4 Premium Stealth Black (Exterior) / DynaMat Extreme and Polyfill (Interior)


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

The kick panel grills required some shaving on the backside for the speakers to fit and allow some room for excursion. 









While the door panels were off the car, I took the opportunity to prep and reinforce the door panels.
I installed the Turtle Laboratories Door Panel Repair Kit along with re-gluing all of the plastic mounts and map pockets with 3M Window Weld. I also replaced all of the door panel clips with the revised e46 foam gasket door clips.
Fastenal had perfectly sized 3" 18ga metal washers for mounting the midrange speakers. I used 3D printed rings for mounting the tweeters. Black hex head machine screws and nylon lock nuts were used throughout.









Also installed new vapor barriers and 3M Window Weld Butyl Rope: 









Completed Door Panels:


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## mfenske (Feb 7, 2006)

Awesome work!!! Love the updates


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

Last week I was chasing down a rattle coming from the rear deck. I found that it was coming from how I mounted the Pioneer subs to the JL Stealth Boxes. Six years ago I mounted the Pioneer subs directly to the fiberglass using self tapping screws. Needless to say a few of the screws had backed their way out and were causing the rattle. 
To fix the rattle I installed 1/2" PVC spacer rings, speaker gasket tape and revised hardware:









Below is a table I put together to document the system configuration. I am still in beginning steps of learning how to tune the system.
Please note that I have yet to fill in the speaker dB levels since I have run the Pioneer Auto T/A and EQ.
I intend to bump the dB level of the subs up a bit to compensate for gap between the mid-bass and the subs as recommended in this tutorial:








Time Alignment Part 5: Putting it all together


This one isn't just about time alignment. It's about using what you've learned from the last four posts about time alignment in a straightforward proc...




www.audiofrog.com





Head Unit - RCA OutputMID (L)MID (R)LOW (L)LOW (R)SUB (L)SUB (R)RCA Interconnects - Input/OutputFront LeftFront RightRear LeftRear RightSubwoofer LeftSubwoofer RightAmplifier - Input/Output Channel123456Amplifier - Power Output50 watts50 watts50 watts50 watts100 watts100 wattsAmplifier - By/High/Low Pass FilterBy-PassBy-PassBy-PassBy-PassBy-PassBy-PassSpeaker - InputMID RANGE - HI (L)MID RANGE - HI (R)WOOFER (L)WOOFER (R)SUBWOOFER (L)SUBWOOFER (R)Speaker - Passive Tweeter Level-3dB-3dBN/AN/AN/AN/ASpeaker - Passive High-Pass / By-PassBy-PassBy-PassN/AN/AN/AN/ASpeaker - Passive Cross Over Point2.4kHz2.4kHzN/AN/AN/AN/ASpeaker - Passive Slope (dB/oct.)12dB12dBN/AN/AN/AN/AHead Unit - Low Pass Filter (LPF)20kHz20kHz400Hz400Hz63Hz63HzHead Unit - High Pass Filter (HPF)400Hz400Hz80Hz80Hz20Hz20HzHead Unit - Speaker Level (dB)TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDHead Unit - LPF Slope (dB/oct.)PassPass24dB24dB24dB24dBHead Unit - HPF Slope (dB/oct.)24dB24dB24dB24dBPassPassHead Unit - Speaker PhaseNORNORNORNORREVREV


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

this build is cool time warp. car and gear is perfect.


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

Beautiful install in a beautiful car. That McIntosh has found a wonderful home.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

It would be worth the time and effort to upgrade to a 6.5 in kick panel.
Just cut a bit more metal.


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## preston (Dec 10, 2007)

That P99 looks so mint in there. Love that deck.


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

I added some flare to the trunk. 

The McIntosh logo and the meter glow in the dark! If you are curious, I bought the pin from Audio-Relics.com.


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

Update: Swapped out my 80amp Valeo alternator for the 140amp Bosch alternator. The old 80amp Valeo alternator was barely keeping above 12v at idle with the stereo on, headlights on and both the aux fan and electric radiator fan running. The car is now a solid 13.8v at idle with everything running. Worthy upgrade for the E36 chassis when running a larger amplifier (+400 watts class A/B).


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## Kimosabe (Mar 9, 2020)

Yes, the 140amp Bosch alternator is a must! I have the same HU in my e36. Will be playing with the tuning this weekend.


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

Kimosabe said:


> Yes, the 140amp Bosch alternator is a must! I have the same HU in my e36. Will be playing with the tuning this weekend.


Glad to see another E36 M3 here with a quality build! If you don't mind, I would love to see some pictures of your build.


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## ejeffrey (Oct 8, 2015)

Just now seeing this. Love the car and gear, and also that Dinan Stage 4 setup


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## veleno (Sep 16, 2006)

Where can I get the 140amp bosch alternator? Is it from another bmw?
I also don't see any stealthboxes on JL's website.
Soon I will be going down this path so it's good to see what others have already done to get ideas (love the turtle lab tip, never heard of them before).


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

veleno said:


> Where can I get the 140amp bosch alternator? Is it from another bmw?
> I also don't see any stealthboxes on JL's website.
> Soon I will be going down this path so it's good to see what others have already done to get ideas (love the turtle lab tip, never heard of them before).


The 140amp alternator came standard in the convertible E36. Please do your research regarding which alternator is currently in your car (Valeo or Bosch) and order the correct pulley, as the new alternator does not come with a pulley. I purchased the 140amp alternator from FCP Euro: BMW Remanufactured 140 Amp Alternator - Bosch AL0739X


In regards to the JL Stealth boxes, those have been discontinued for many years. I do see sets pop up for sale on bimmerforums and eBay occasionally.

Good luck with your E36 build, these great old cars deserve a better sound system.


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

Back in March I was able to source an original Dinan S52 Engine Cover, production date 6/21/01. Even came with the original hardware and box!


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## ejeffrey (Oct 8, 2015)

Wow, those are rare! Didn't sell too many of those back in the day...


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## veleno (Sep 16, 2006)

That's awesome. I need to find some parts like that!


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## 97flgst (Jan 10, 2020)

Update: I just just swapped out my Auris BluMe HD (aptX HD) Bluetooth receiver for the Auris BluMe Pro (LDAC) Bluetooth receiver. 

I would say it is a worthy upgrade especially if you subscribe to a HiFi streaming services such as Tidal.

As of late I have been focusing on a few other mechanical upgrades, but soon I will be circling back around to investing in a RTA mic and fine tuning the system.


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## zech912 (Jun 23, 2017)

nice! You mentioned that your Pioneer Dex is a "late production August 2016". Was there a difference between late and early production of this HU? I ask because I saw a For Sale thread here for one and it also mentioned it was late production. I bought a spare NIB from Finland a few years ago after they went NLA at Crutchfield as I love this HU and did not want to be stuck if mine ever went down. So anyway, after I saw that ad with its production date, I checked my spare and even though it is clearly new, its date is December 2012! So, was that different somehow? Its printed docs are in the Scandinavian languages, not English.


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