BlueBus: A fully integrated A2DP Bluetooth solution

[t3ddftw]

Good stuff! I'd wager that as soon as you've got that wagon put back together, it'll be apart again

Excellent tip on this model amp! I'm sourcing now... looks like these are a fair bit rarer than others. Apparently, many Z4 owners had theirs ruined by rainwater (poor trunk design) so will need to watch for this on the used market.

Analysis on these units is light but so far not seeing anything that would disqualify this for use in the E46. All in all, I think this'll work.

Commonalities to H/K amp:

• Same 2-pin connector ✓
• 10+2 speaker system ✓
• Similar dimensions ✓

Benefits over the H/K amp:

• Two, built-in, high power (30v) output stages for the sub amplifier (vs. the auxiliary unit for 6x9s)
• True 10-channel
• THX certified (for whatever that's worth)
• DSP

Drawbacks:

• AMP is EQ'd for entirely different vehicles
• Speaker impedances likely different (TBD)
• Finding correct spec aftermarket speakers that actually fit an E46

In an effort to avert the reliability issues with the BM53 Becker radios that came standard in E46 nav cars, I also have the SiemensVDO CD-82 CID unit which came equipped in the same vehicles as your recommended amp. This unit has some additional features which may or may not work including:

• HD radio (via built in IBOC module)
• A buffering circuit (which blends FM/AM radio changes)
• RDS data improvements

Better prep the misses for a few more project weekends . More to come...

The price of these amps on eBay is what made me give up on the idea. They also don't all come with the digital input connector as it was phased out, but I can and have retrofit it onto this style amp successfully (literally just soldered on an Amphenol brand connector from Mouser). I will also add that the quality difference from digital to analog on these amps is less dramatic than with the older variant of the DSP amplifier which tells me that they improved the ADCs in the amplifier. Finding appropriately sized speakers that match the impedance and output power expected is probably the most difficult part of this retrofit.

The Siemens CID radios are indeed more reliable, but I've found them to be more stringent about what they let you do, at least on the BlueBus side of things. Users on the Zroadster Forum (German-based Z Fourm) found out the hard way that these radios don't allow you to change the volume while on a phone call, unlike the BM5x radios. I've temporarily worked around this limitation, but it's going to take some more work to make it right.

Speaking of prepping the misses, you're right about the Touring -- I'm very close to sourcing a full M3 drivetrain for it, as my replacement to my beloved M3. The M3 is on stands waiting for a welder to come around and slap my CMP plates in, and then it'll be for sale -- unfortunately a Coupe is difficult to use when you have three infant children.

How did you get it? I thought they were backordered until October

I've sold/shipped over 1800 units in the past year and a half -- WOLFN8TR just got in on the batch that I started in late January and shipped in late June.

Thanks!
-Ted

[VisorM3]

Add me to the BlueBus crew. Works great, love it! Thanks again Ted for everything! 😎

How did you get it? I thought they were backordered until October

[Obergoose]

Brian,

Your research skills are impeccable! My Touring received the gift of Navigation (along with H/K with BavSound speakers) recently, but I haven't buttoned it all back up to post about it

Anyways, I toyed with this idea and I think I have a better solution for you -- the E8x "DSP Amplifier" (Top HiFi) is a similar form factor to the E46s and it uses exactly the same harness connector, which should eliminate the need to re-wire the system, you just have to re-wire the connector.

Good stuff! I'd wager that as soon as you've got that wagon put back together, it'll be apart again

Excellent tip on this model amp! I'm sourcing now... looks like these are a fair bit rarer than others. Apparently, many Z4 owners had theirs ruined by rainwater (poor trunk design) so will need to watch for this on the used market.

Analysis on these units is light but so far not seeing anything that would disqualify this for use in the E46. All in all, I think this'll work.

Commonalities to H/K amp:

• Same 42-pin connector ✓
• 10+2 speaker system ✓
• Similar dimensions ✓

Benefits over the H/K amp:

• Two, built-in, high power (30v) output stages for the sub amplifier (vs. the auxiliary unit for 6x9s)
• True 10-channel
• THX certified (for whatever that's worth)
• DSP

Drawbacks:

• AMP is EQ'd for entirely different vehicles
• Speaker impedances likely different (TBD)
• Finding correct spec aftermarket speakers that actually fit an E46

In an effort to avert the reliability issues with the BM53 Becker radios that came standard in E46 nav cars, I also have the SiemensVDO CD-82 CID unit which came equipped in the same vehicles as your recommended amp. This unit has some additional features which may or may not work including:

• HD radio (via built in IBOC module)
• A buffering circuit (which blends FM/AM radio changes)
• RDS data improvements

Better prep the misses for a few more project weekends . More to come...

[t3ddftw]

Hey Ted, while waiting for your module to arrive, overhauling the E46's audio system has become my latest passion project. Objective is to minimize the use of aftermarket components to allow maximum factory functionality. I've read through all of your github repository and posts across 8 different forums, to get myself up to speed with your project journey. I recently retrofitted the latest factory navigation equipment to match the setup in your M3 what's forthcoming in your Touring.

Based on your praise for the DSP system, I'm actively experimenting with retrofitting the "Top-HiFi" DSP Amp w/Coax from the E39/E38 to replace my U.S. spec (standard faire) Hifi 10-ch unit. Hours of Google queries demonstrates that this has been done by at least 3 others over time using a varied range of OEM and aftermarket components. Each solution enables the DSP option on the nav screen including the coveted DSP presets and custom multi-band EQ menus!

Crosslinks:
https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...ith-hk.881197/
https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threa...c-heavy.51910/

Now, I expect I'll need to replace many/all speakers to match the signaling coming off the DSP Amp. This, and the overall scale of this DSP retrofit project are not a concern. Current circumstances grant me ample free time - and patience - to solve this challenge. Goal is to have a solution running and documented for the community by October.

-Brian

These are the menus I'm looking to activate:

Brian,

Your research skills are impeccable! My Touring received the gift of Navigation (along with H/K with BavSound speakers) recently, but I haven't buttoned it all back up to post about it

Anyways, I toyed with this idea and I think I have a better solution for you -- the E8x "DSP Amplifier" (Top HiFi) is a similar form factor to the E46s and it uses exactly the same harness connector, which should eliminate the need to re-wire the system, you just have to re-wire the connector.

E8x DSP:
Pin assignments at plug connector X10266

1	A	Signal, rear left speaker -	Subwoofer, left
2	A	Signal, rear left speaker +	Subwoofer, left
3	A	Signal, front left woofer -	Woofer, front left
4	A	Signal, front left woofer +	Woofer, front left
5	E	Terminal 30	Fuse F102
6	--	Not used
7	--	Not used
8	--	Not used
9	E	Signal, AF radio, front right +	Radio
10	A	Aerial switching signal	Aerial diversity
11	A	Signal, front right tweeter +	Tweeter, front right
12	A	Signal, front right tweeter -	Tweeter, front right
13	A	Signal, rear right mid-range speaker +	Mid-range speaker, rear right
14	--	Not used
15	--	Not used
16	--	Not used
17	E	Signal, AF radio, front right -	Radio
18	E/A	K-bus signal	K-bus connector
19	--	Not used
20	--	Not used
21	A	Signal, rear right mid-range speaker -	Mid-range speaker, rear right
22	A	Signal, front right woofer -	Woofer, front right
23	A	Signal, front right woofer +	Woofer, front right
24	A	Signal, rear right speaker -	Subwoofer, right
25	A	Signal, rear right speaker +	Subwoofer, right
26	M	Ground	Ground point
27	--	Not used
28	E	Mute	Cellular telephone
29	E	Signal, telephone AF +	Cellular telephone
30	E	Signal, AF radio, front left -	Radio
31	A	Signal, rear left mid-range speaker +	Mid-range speaker, rear left
32	A	Signal, rear left mid-range speaker -	Mid-range speaker, rear left
33	A	Signal, front left tweeter +	Tweeter, front left
34	A	Signal, front left tweeter -	Tweeter, front left
35	--	Not used
36	--	Not used
37	E	Signal, terminal 50 via vehicle immoblizer	Cellular telephone
38	E	Signal, terminal 50 via vehicle immoblizer	Radio
39	A	Signal, front left mid-range speaker -	Mid-range speaker, front left
40	A	Signal, front left mid-range speaker +	Mid-range speaker, front left
41	A	Signal, front right mid-range speaker -	Mid-range speaker, front right
42	A	Signal, front right mid-range speaker +	Mid-range speaker, front right

E46 HiFi (Non HK and HK):
Pin assignments at plug connector X605

1	A	Signal, rear left speaker -	Left rear speaker
2	A	Signal, rear left speaker +	Left rear speaker
3	A	Signal, front left woofer -	Front left speaker
4	A	Signal, front left woofer +	Front left speaker
5	E	Terminal 30	Fuse F41
6	A	Positive activation, subwoofer	Subwoofer box
7	A	Signal, subwoofer switched	Subwoofer box
8	E	Signal, AF radio, rear right +	Radio control unit
9	E	Signal, AF radio, front right +	Radio control unit
10	A	Aerial switching signal	Radio control unit
11	A	Signal, front right tweeter +	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, right
12	A	Signal, front right tweeter -	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, right
13	A	Signal, rear right tweeter +	Right rear high range speaker
14	A	Negative activation, subwoofer	Subwoofer box
15	E	Signal Spatial sound	Switch center
16	E	Signal, AF radio, rear right -	Radio control unit
17	E	Signal, AF radio, front right -	Radio control unit
18	--	Not used
19	A	Speedometer (A) output signal	Subwoofer box
20	E	Speedometer (A) output signal	Instrument cluster control unit
21	A	Signal, rear right tweeter -	Right rear high range speaker
22	A	Signal, front right woofer -	Front right speaker
23	A	Signal, front right woofer +	Front right speaker
24	A	Signal, rear right speaker -	Right rear speaker
25	A	Signal, rear right speaker +	Right rear speaker
26	M	Ground	Ground point
27	--	Not used
28	--	Not used
29	E	Signal, AF radio, rear left -	Radio control unit
30	E	Signal, AF radio, front left -	Radio control unit
31	A	Signal, rear left tweeter +	Left rear high range speaker
32	A	Signal, rear left tweeter -	Left rear high range speaker
33	A	Signal, front left tweeter +	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, left
34	A	Signal, front left tweeter -	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, left
35	--	Not used
36	--	Not used
37	E	Signal, AF radio, rear left +	Radio control unit
38	E	Signal, AF radio, front left +	Radio control unit
39	A	Signal, front left mid-range speaker -	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, left
40	A	Signal, front left mid-range speaker +	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, left
41	A	Signal, front right mid-range speaker -	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, right
42	A	Signal, front right mid-range speaker +	Mid-range speaker/tweeter, right

Thanks!
-Ted

[Obergoose]

Slight off topic, but do you know if the e39 M5 DSP amplifier can be retrofit into the e46? This would be a nice upgrade!

Sadly not as the harness connectors are totally different. I believe that the speakers are a different impedance even.

You can't even easily retrofit DSP into an E39 that came with the regular HiFi!

DSP Digital mode is so damn good... The ADC in the DSP must just suck, cause there's a huge quality loss.

Hey Ted, while waiting for your module to arrive, overhauling the E46's audio system has become my latest passion project. Objective is to minimize the use of aftermarket components to allow maximum factory functionality. I've read through all of your github repository and posts across 8 different forums, to get myself up to speed with your project journey. I recently retrofitted the latest factory navigation equipment to match the setup in your M3 what's forthcoming in your Touring.

Based on your praise for the DSP system, I'm actively experimenting with retrofitting the "Top-HiFi" DSP Amp w/Coax from the E39/E38 to replace my U.S. spec (standard faire) Hifi 10-ch unit. Hours of Google queries demonstrates that this has been done by at least 3 others over time using a varied range of OEM and aftermarket components. Each solution enables the DSP option on the nav screen including the coveted DSP presets and custom multi-band EQ menus!

Crosslinks:
https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...ith-hk.881197/
https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threa...c-heavy.51910/

Now, I expect I'll need to replace many/all speakers to match the signaling coming off the DSP Amp. This, and the overall scale of this DSP retrofit project are not a concern. Current circumstances grant me ample free time - and patience - to solve this challenge. Goal is to have a solution running and documented for the community by October.

-Brian

These are the menus I'm looking to activate: