Tag: subwoofer

Are you unhappy with how your BMW sounds?

Are you unhappy with how your BMW sounds?

If you have landed on this page then you are more than likely aware that the sound in your BMW isn’t what you hoped for. Are you unhappy with how your BMW sounds? Would you love the facility to have better, louder & higher quality sound at your disposal? Then Source Sounds in Sheffield have a solution for your needs!

After taking delivery of your new BMW you expect the vehicle to come with pretty much everything, and in a fashion, it does. How the vehicle drives on the road is fantastic, the interior is lovingly trimmed in the highest quality material that gives the driver an atmosphere that can only be described as heavenly. However, one area that most BMW’s elude in expectation is the audio and how much quality it lacks! Poor audio quality in BMWs is far too common and Source Sounds have that specialist touch to transform your vehicle into another dimension of acoustic quality.

Source Sounds have designed many different BMW audio upgrades that we think will give the driver the solution they need. These range from a simple speaker upgrade running off the factory head unit to a full blown audio upgrade.

Starter Audio Upgrade

This is our starter “off the shelf” option that gives your vehicle the clarity and distinction it needs. The first thing Source Sounds do with any audio upgrade in a BMW is upgrade the front door speakers. One of the options we use is a Rainbow 4″ component kit designed specifically for the vehicle. The speakers are fitted into the vehicles OEM locations which means the factory look of the vehicle is maintained. This component kit is powered off of the original factory BMW stereo and with both doors lined with Skinz soundproofing comes in at around £379.99 fitted.

Better Audio Upgrade

Are you unhappy with how your BMW sounds? The next level of upgrade also uses the same speakers from the starter pack and adding an amplifier. The Audison Prima AP4.9BIT 4 channel amplifier is the weapon of choice for this package. This amplifier has a built in processor to fine tune the sound for the driver. The Rainbow 4″ component kit is powered from 2 channels of the amplifier. The existing BMW under seat woofers are maintained and powered from the other 2 channels. This gives added depth to the sound without changing the woofers themselves. Again, with both doors lined with Skinz soundproofing, the cost comes in at around £1259.99 fitted.

Best Audio Upgrade

For the next stage of a sound upgrade in BMWs, we offer a third package utilising the Rainbow BMW specific speakers. In this package, Source Sounds keep the same front door speakers from the first 2 packages. Adding to this, we replace the under seat speakers for a pair of 8″ mid bass woofers. An Audison AP8.9BIT 8 channel amplifier is then utilised, but bridged as a four channel for extra power. This amplifier will give 4 x 130w of power to each under seat woofer and front door to achieve a much higher standard of audio enjoyment. The front doors will also be lined with Skinz soundproofing and this upgrade comes in at around £1699.99 fitted.

Bespoke Design

Are you unhappy with how your BMW sounds? If so, the above systems are an example of what we offer. A bespoke system can be designed to suit your needs. You will need to come down in the vehicle for us to take a look at the vehicle. This way we can get a feel for what you need and give you a solution.

Please note: for all of the upgrades above, you may require additional tweeter pods from BMW, approximately £40-£100 + VAT (vehicle dependant)

May 6, 2016
Sealed or Ported? That is the question we get asked a lot

Sealed or Ported? That is the question

The most commonly asked question we get at Source Sounds is whether a subwoofer works best sealed or ported? In our opinion there is no definitive answer to this as everyone has their own opinions and preferences. All of us here at Source Sounds in Sheffield prefer the sound of a sealed subwoofer enclosure over the sound of a ported enclosure.

Sealed Enclosures

A sealed subwoofer enclosure uses a specific volume of air for the type of subwoofer. As the woofer moves, it pulls the air forwards and backwards with no pressure loss which allows the subwoofer to reproduce the low frequencies more accurately than a ported box due to the air inside the enclosure acting like a shock absorber, allowing the subwoofer to move with more control thus giving better controlled sub bass.

Ported Enclosures

A ported enclosure is something that is a little more tricky to build due to the nature of the box. For the subwoofer to perform to it’s optimum the port has to be a specific size. This includes correct measurements for the width, length and shape of the port. You can’t just stick a hole in a sealed box and turn it into a ported box. Having a ported enclosure allows the subwoofer to take advantage of the frequencies produced at the rear of the subwoofer. This reinforces the low frequency response of the subwoofer. This lower frequency response however will only sound good at whatever the tuned frequency of the port is. This tuned frequency can be adjusted by altering the airs resistance to motion inside the port which is accomplished by changing the length and width of the port.

In summary, ported enclosures can typically offer better low-end extension as well as greater output around the tuned frequency whereas a sealed enclosure will give a better frequency response across all frequencies with a more controlled output, which is why here at Source Sounds in Sheffield we prefer the sealed enclosure as it gives better sound quality overall than a ported subwoofer enclosure.

March 25, 2015
What is a Subwoofer?

What does a Subwoofer do in a car audio system?

What is a subwoofer? Many of our customers ask this question. Most people only know about them from hearing a car driving past going Boom Boom Boom. This is not a true representation of what a subwoofer is about. Music is made up of lots and lots of different frequencies and these are known as Hertz. Human hearing has a commonly know range of 20Hz to 20KHz. Bass is normally in the frequency range from around 20hz to 80hz. Almost every type of music has Bass and this type of sound is produced by a subwoofer.

You often get the younger generation wanting more and more bass, which can result in some eventual hearing loss. This is often due to wanting to be louder than their friends, but can harm the quality of sound you are hearing. The way a subwoofer should be used is to allow the Bass frequencies to match every other frequency in volume. This will result in a nice smooth sound in your car audio system. Most cars don’t come with a subwoofer as standard as this adds additional costs onto the price of the car. Also, not everyone wants a better sound in their car so vehicle manufacturers don’t normally fit these as standard.

Installation

We offer a Subwoofer upgrade for any vehicle to allow you to enhance the sound in your car. This will greatly improve the Bass in your vehicle and as most cars don’t have one as standard this is often one of the most impressive upgrades you can do in your car audio system.

Why not call into our Store in Chapeltown, Sheffield which is easly accessible from Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster from the M1 motorway juncton 35a, to listen to the huge difference a Subwoofer will make in your car.

Call SOURCE for more information on 0114 257 1550 on how to add a subwoofer into your car.

September 21, 2010
Car Audio System Upgrade

Most people who want to upgrade their Car Audio System are unsure where to start to make their car sound better, at SOURCE SHEFFIELD we are Experts in helping customers choose the Best Sound for their budget.

We would start with a few simple questions for you, to allow us to suggest products which are suited to things like ‘the music you like’ or ‘the budget you have to spend’ and ‘what sounds best in your type of vehicle’.

Our Philosophy is not just ‘sell sell sell’ but it is to ‘show you products and let you listen to how good these can sound’. Once you make your mind up as to which product you ‘like the look of’ or ‘sounds the best’ or just ‘suits your needs the best’ we can then give you help on either ‘How to fit it into your Vehicle’ or just quote you on a fully fitted price.

Our shop is in Chapeltown, Sheffield, South Yorkshire and is ideally placed to help people from Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster to get a better sound in their car.

Call SOURCE for more information on 0114 257 1550 on how to upgrade your Vehicle Audio System.

September 21, 2010