oem amp question

[daz]

OK so this might be a dumb question... Here goes anyway..

The car is a 2003 330ci.. I have the standard oem head unit with MD player and six cd changer in the trunk.

Question:

Does the factory sound system have a seperate AMP? or is this intergrated into head unit..?

If no seperate amp.. Can one be wired from the current head unit?

Speakers I want to upgrade the speakers. i.e., swap out old for new speakers but I do not want to have to modify anything just want to drop the new one's in.

Any suggestions? Budget is about $1000... Perhaps get a subwoofer of some type.

Any suggestion would be apreciated. Also, keep in mind that I live in Japan so Japanese audio stuff is cheap..

thanks for the help

[zameus]

Yes, the factory system has an amp. It's in the trunk. Try doing some searches. There are tons of lengthy threads and info on each of the questions you've asked.

[johnhab]

If you have the Harmon Kardon system, you definitely have a separate amp on the left-hand side of the trunk, next to the wheel well. If you have the base stereo, not sure if there's a separate amp or if it's in the headunit.

Yes, lots of us on this forum have kept their headunit and swapped out the amp and speakers, like you're asking, it's just a matter of how much you want to spend. To switch out the front components, add an amp, and some subwoofers, you will probably need to spend $1,000, depending on how cheap you can get equipment for in Japan...

[daz]

Thanks for the info..

I do not have the HK system just basic.. I assume that the if there is no amp there that the wiring should be there?

What speakers will fit in where the current OEM speakers sit? How do I hook up an AMP to the current head unit? Is there like RCA output's there?

Anyone have a DIY for this or pics..

Thanks

[zameus]

Even the non-Hk system has an amp in the trunk. Please read the following link and then feel free to throw any questions you might have at us:

http://www.e46fanatics.com/faq/stereosaga.html

and the Peripheral VEN4 David mentions in his article can be purchased here:

http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/PERVEN4