[Calamari]

Originally Posted by helmet91

Next dumb question from helmet91:

Where in the trunk does a person find the RAM? I have an access panel on the right that has the fuse box. And there's the battery under the floor. I don't see anything else that's obvious.

My build sheet says I have:
645 Radio Control US
65A CD Player Prep (where the hell is that located??)
676 Hi-fi sound system

So, judging by post #20, I should have the RAM... but where?

For what it's worth, Bimmercode lets me turn off ASD in the RAM.

Thanks again!

If you have it, it's on the left (driver's side) of your trunk. Under the carpet liner. You need to remove the carpet holder pins and pull the carpet
liner to access it.

[helmet91]

Oh... I didn't make it that far. I found that diagram too, but it wasn't all that detailed. LOL

Thanks!

[ETan]

I’ve bought the Match UP7BMW, but realized and confirmed by Audiotec Fischer I needed the UP7DSP including the 1.7 RAM harness.
I’m planning to built these into my car tomorrow. Curious how it Will perform. Now I need to figure out how to access the battery.

[AustraliaG20]

Originally Posted by ETan

I’ve bought the Match UP7BMW, but realized and confirmed by Audiotec Fischer I needed the UP7DSP including the 1.7 RAM harness.
I’m planning to built these into my car tomorrow. Curious how it Will perform. Now I need to figure out how to access the battery.

Are you swapping the amp out?? Please take lots of photos and let us know how you go! Definitely keen on tunes, ASD and what speakers you're running

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by AustraliaG20

Are you swapping the amp out?? Please take lots of photos and let us know how you go! Definitely keen on tunes, ASD and what speakers you're running

Thre is no OEM amp to swap out, this is an add-on.

[AustraliaG20]

Originally Posted by Encanto

Thre is no OEM amp to swap out, this is an add-on.

Swapping the wrong amp that he bought...

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by AustraliaG20

Swapping the wrong amp that he bought...

Either Match UP amp will work with the new harness as long as the 2ch add-on module is installed.

[Calamari]

Hi,

I've looked under the boot liner to see what kind of audio system I have in my 07/2019 G20 with HiFi (mid-level) sound system. My car has iDrive 6 headunit. I do not have Navi-proffesional system that runs on iDrive 7.

From what I saw, I have the classic analog amplifier architecture that is well known on all F-series cars but is also found on a lot of G30 cars.

I'm posting pics with the details of the amplifier and connectors.

Encanto Can you confirm that this is a standard analog HiFi amplifier and that I can replace this factory amp with Match UP7BMW amplifier with a plug-n-play harness.



Amplifier - bottom side


Amplifier - female connector


Male connector (factory harness):

[Encanto]

Your configuration does not show in the ETK for 7/19 - HiFi(676) OEM amp in a G20- and no RAM.

I would guess that your 676 will support an UP 7BMW directly, no need for RAM harness.

Originally Posted by Calamari

Hi,

I've looked under the boot liner to see what kind of audio system I have in my 07/2019 G20 with HiFi (mid-level) sound system. My car has iDrive 6 headunit. I do not have Navi-proffesional system that runs on iDrive 7.

From what I saw, I have the classic analog amplifier architecture that is well known on all F-series cars but is also found on a lot of G30 cars.

I'm posting pics with the details of the amplifier and connectors.

Encanto Can you confirm that this is a standard analog HiFi amplifier and that I can replace this factory amp with Match UP7BMW amplifier with a plug-n-play harness.



Amplifier - bottom side


Amplifier - female connector


Male connector (factory harness):

[ETan]

Originally Posted by ETan

I’ve bought the Match UP7BMW, but realized and confirmed by Audiotec Fischer I needed the UP7DSP including the 1.7 RAM harness.
I’m planning to built these into my car tomorrow. Curious how it Will perform. Now I need to figure out how to access the battery.

OK, I had finally some time to work on my install. I had to figure out where the car battery was located. Is in the back of the car, under the carpet. You have to remove 2 clips on the backside of the car, then you can lift up the carpet liner. To access the battery. This is necessary to connect the Match-up 7DSP directly to the battery (with a 60Amp fuse, and I'm using a 8AWG cable). The GND-cable was attached on the chassis in the neighborhood of the original RAM-module.

You'll need the Match Up PP-DMW 1.7 RAM harness, this is a Y-cable. One side is connected to the OEM harness of the car, the other end is connected to the RAM-module, and 3 set of Molex-connectors connecting to the Match 7DSP. There is a 2-Channel MEC built-in.

I you order this at ACR-Helmond, they know what to deliver.

This is how I have built-in the Match Up 7DSP, it is just under the RAM-module. Screwed 1 screw into the plastic panel to secure. The other side is resting on the bottom of the car. The image is upside down, the top of the picture is the bottom of the car :-)



I'm using the factory speakers. Then the fun part started.

How to configure the Match Up 7DSP. ACR-Helmond was helpfull to provide the car-specific setup-file, although it was not quite good. I had to figure out how the DSP-Tool is working and with trial and error have set it up in a way I think it is good.
For those who are interested in the setup-files, attached 2-zipfiles.
BMW X3 2020 - RAM - UP7.6 - ms8 - oem front.zip This file is provided by ACR Helmond.
20200725-3 BMW X3 .zip This file is created after modifying the settings.

If anyone has knowledge setting up the Match Up 7DSP, please feel free to help me.

After the configuration the sound is much better than the original HIFI system, more crisp and more bass.

[AustraliaG20]

Awesome! Thanks very much for the info. Can I please confirm if you have coded the ASD off and if not, whether it is noticeable (ie. The artificial engine sound in amplified) in sports mode?

I don't quite understand your speaker HiFi setup. I'm not sure the option you're talking about is available in Australia. I'm going to need to pull my car apart to confirm... which unfortunately I won't get to for a couple of weeks.

[AustraliaG20]

In regards to tuning, I think there is a thread in here (or maybe another forum) that runs through it fairly well. Maybe search for Match Up and see what comes up. It's not really specific to this car.

[Calamari]

Originally Posted by Encanto

Your configuration does not show in the ETK for 7/19 - HiFi(676) OEM amp in a G20- and no RAM.

I would guess that your 676 will support an UP 7BMW directly, no need for RAM harness.

Upon further examination of the system in detail I am positive that Match UP7BMW will work as a plug and play solution in my car.

I just placed the order. I'll share my impresions after I hook it up and fiddle with the DSP settings.

[ETan]

Originally Posted by AustraliaG20

Awesome! Thanks very much for the info. Can I please confirm if you have coded the ASD off and if not, whether it is noticeable (ie. The artificial engine sound in amplified) in sports mode?

I don't quite understand your speaker HiFi setup. I'm not sure the option you're talking about is available in Australia. I'm going to need to pull my car apart to confirm... which unfortunately I won't get to for a couple of weeks.

I have the factory speakers that comes along with the HIFI option. Which is tweeters and woofers in front and rear doors, center speaker and 2 subwoofers under the front seat.

The ASD is still on.

I will search the forum about tuning the DSP.

[Calamari]

I just installed the Match UP7BMW amp with DSP.

Installation is straightforward. Disconnecting the oem HiFi amp and removing it from the rack. Putting the Match amp on the same rack and connecting it to the OEM connector. I didn't have to buy the ID7 harness as my car (interestingly) doesn't have the RAM unit, but a standard analog HiFi amp powered by an audio receiver in iDrive 6 headunit.

Downloaded the BMW limousine sound setup for the DSP and loaded it into the amp via Audiotec-fischer's DSP software.

Generic limousine sound profile was good but it was "Center-optimized". Thus i measured distances from the driver's head to all speakers and entered them in the DSP tool to get clearer highs and a better soundstage.

I've also made small tweaks to the clarity effect to slightly boost up the brightness of the smooth sounding silk Eton tweeters.

The system now sounds great. I am running OEM under-seat woofers and ETON mids and tweeters on all channels, including center. Even with OEM under-sear woofers low end is very very good. Mid-bass and bass guitar, and bass drums sound surprisingly good for a 16cm woofer. This is because MatchUp amp has some tricks that allow it to push the OEM woofers just close to the limit without ever overpowering them. Even more impressive is that this feature does these tricks dinamically, so when the volume is lower it will push full power, and will protect the speakers when the levels get close to speaker's limits (either when volume is raised, or when the bass level raises within a track).

All in all, Match UP7BMW is a great piece of equipment and I would recommend it to anyone that wants a clear, natural sound.

[helmet91]

Great write-up, thanks for all the info.

[Calamari]

Originally Posted by ETan

I'm using the factory speakers. Then the fun part started.

How to configure the Match Up 7DSP. ACR-Helmond was helpfull to provide the car-specific setup-file, although it was not quite good. I had to figure out how the DSP-Tool is working and with trial and error have set it up in a way I think it is good.
For those who are interested in the setup-files, attached 2-zipfiles.
Attachment 2372918 This file is provided by ACR Helmond.
Attachment 2372919 This file is created after modifying the settings.

If anyone has knowledge setting up the Match Up 7DSP, please feel free to help me.

After the configuration the sound is much better than the original HIFI system, more crisp and more bass.

I am curious about the adjustments you made to generic SUV sound configuration.

Did you do time-aligment? Equalizer or gain levels for individual speakers?

Did you play around with processing options like RealCenter and stageXpander?

[VipinLJ]

After going through all the posts, basically the limiting factor in the HiFi system is the amp and not the speakers?

[Calamari]

Originally Posted by VipinLJ

After going through all the posts, basically the limiting factor in the HiFi system is the amp and not the speakers?

I would say both. In my opinion, the least bad part of this system are the OEM woofers. In other words, replacing OEM woofers will bring least improvements, with or without the amp. The reason is simply the physical limitations of the woofer (in diameter and depth) and the shape and volume of the woofer enclosings in the floor.

Component speakers of the OEM system are muddy. OEM tweeters are very "metallic" sounding and mids are lacking in mid-bass. As soon as I replaced OEM speakers with ETON units, sound became clearer, precise, warmer, more natural, and noticably more kick-bass came out of the 4inch mid units. (All this on the factory HiFi amp)

From all the data I have collected so far across numerous bmw and carAudio forums, replacing the amp and all mids and tweeters of BMW HiFi system is enough to get very good results. However, optimal tuning of the DSP profile is crucial to get the most out of this system.

[AustraliaG20]

Looks like I probably have the old style amp - I'll pull it apart tomorrow to confirm (11/2018 build). I'm mostly interested in the tuning now... running all bavsound speakers and subs with an amp that's not specifically tuned to the car and speakers is annoying. Assuming it's the old amp, I'll check with Bavsound to see if they have a tune for the G20 with their F30 amp. Since their amp is not modifiable, it's a bit of a risk. So I guess I'll end up going with the Match amp and manually playing around until I'm happy.

I'd be keen to get a copy of people's tunes, especially if they are running non-OEM speakers.

FYI - I read that builds before 09/2019 have the old separate amp. Not sure I'd rely on that though.

[Calamari]

Originally Posted by AustraliaG20

Looks like I probably have the old style amp - I'll pull it apart tomorrow to confirm (11/2018 build). I'm mostly interested in the tuning now... running all bavsound speakers and subs with an amp that's not specifically tuned to the car and speakers is annoying. Assuming it's the old amp, I'll check with Bavsound to see if they have a tune for the G20 with their F30 amp. Since their amp is not modifiable, it's a bit of a risk. So I guess I'll end up going with the Match amp and manually playing around until I'm happy.

I'd be keen to get a copy of people's tunes, especially if they are running non-OEM speakers.

FYI - I read that builds before 09/2019 have the old separate amp. Not sure I'd rely on that though.

I think a standard limousine setup will work for you as a good starting point for your bavsound speaker set. The only thing you will probably need to change is the bass options. There are a couple of bass-related options and effects that are designed to protect OEM woofers rated at 25 watts. With bavsound woofers you dont need this protection as they can handle all the power that MatchUp 7 amp can deliver. Also, you need to check the sensitivity of the bavsound woofers. If they are around 85db per watt, then it's likely that you need to raise their input a bit (2db should do) in order to level them out with the mids and tweeters.
Anyway, just start with the limousine setup, and play around with it.

P.S. My car is a 07/2019 production date, and I have the old-style analog hifi amp.

[pneumodoc]

Originally Posted by AustraliaG20

Looks like I probably have the old style amp - I'll pull it apart tomorrow to confirm (11/2018 build). I'm mostly interested in the tuning now... running all bavsound speakers and subs with an amp that's not specifically tuned to the car and speakers is annoying. Assuming it's the old amp, I'll check with Bavsound to see if they have a tune for the G20 with their F30 amp. Since their amp is not modifiable, it's a bit of a risk. So I guess I'll end up going with the Match amp and manually playing around until I'm happy.

I'd be keen to get a copy of people's tunes, especially if they are running non-OEM speakers.

FYI - I read that builds before 09/2019 have the old separate amp. Not sure I'd rely on that though.

i would think If you have I drive 7 with hifi, that you have the RAM setup. This seems like it’s the case for other bmws with I drive (X5, X3) so don’t see why that would change 5 Months into production. If I’m wrong so be it and I’ll get a simpler set up for my 4/2019 production car!