[Yetch]

I am planning on installing an MS 8 with a HiFi coded Pro radio with Alpine upgrade. I have been studying the Alpine wiring diagrams and BMW oem installation instructions, along with reading everything I can find here. Chatted with Technic a couple of times. I am a little confused.

With the HiFi harness coming back to the trunk, are only 4 channels being fed to the Alpine amp?

It seems that from the Alpine amp, there are 4 connectors going to the underseat speakers, 2 each side. Are the front door speakers being feed from the connectors from the underseat speakers, A5 and A7?

Where are the rear deck speakers getting a signal and power from, the HU? If so, can this powered signal be used directly to the MS 8? Or should I just leave it alone?

Rather than using Technic's harness and rewire the whole car again, I am considering using the Alpine harness from the HiFi since it is already routed around to the different speakers and providing channel input for the Ms 8,and by-passing the Alpine altogether.

Am I missing anything here?

Thanks for the help, Mike

[Technic]

Originally Posted by Yetch

I am planning on installing an MS 8 with a HiFi coded Pro radio with Alpine upgrade. I have been studying the Alpine wiring diagrams and BMW oem installation instructions, along with reading everything I can find here. Chatted with Technic a couple of times. I am a little confused.

With the HiFi harness coming back to the trunk, are only 4 channels being fed to the Alpine amp?

It seems that from the Alpine amp, there are 4 connectors going to the underseat speakers, 2 each side. Are the front door speakers being feed from the connectors from the underseat speakers, A5 and A7?

Where are the rear deck speakers getting a signal and power from, the HU? If so, can this powered signal be used directly to the MS 8? Or should I just leave it alone?

Rather than using Technic's harness and rewire the whole car again, I am considering using the Alpine harness from the HiFi since it is already routed around to the different speakers and providing channel input for the Ms 8,and by-passing the Alpine altogether.

Am I missing anything here?

Thanks for the help, Mike

The Alpine harness taps the underseat woofer connectors, where the OEM HU front outputs, front speakers and underseat woofers wires are all located. The front and underseat woofers are powered by the Alpine amp (4-ch). The rear speakers are powered by the OEM HU rear outputs.

Therefore, to connect the MS-8 you will need to:
- trace the OEM HU front outputs at the Alpine amp connector and use those as the MS-8 high level inputs

- decide if you want to keep the Alpine amp or not. If you keep it then you will need to find out either what is its max input level as the MS-8 high level outputs are 60W (2ohms) max or simply use the MS-8 low level outputs as inputs to the Alpine amp. If you want to power your whole system with the MS-8 then remove the Alpine amp completely.

- the rear speakers will have to be unplugged from the OEM HU rear outputs and conncted directly to the MS-8 outputs. For this you will need to run new wires.

- a center speaker will help the front stage with the MS-8

[Yetch]

What would you recommend as far as the rear speakers? I am leaning toward powering them with the MS 8. Also, do you have any suggestions as to a remote power lead for the MS 8?

Thanks,
Mike

[taibanl]

The DLS 224 are the most efficient coax of which I am aware.