Wiring for aftermarket Subwoofer

[forrby]

TDLR: Does anyone know or know how I can find out what colors the subwoofer wires for a 2022 G12 745e would be?


I’m trying to connect an aftermarket subwoofer so I’ve connected to a set of wires and the subs are working but I’m not certain they are the wires from the factory subwoofers. If anyone isn’t familiar, it would be ideal to connect to the factory subwoofer wires as opposed to mid or high range speakers because of the frequency differences. I installed this a few months ago so it’s hard to remember what exactly I did. However, I had subwoofers in my g30 and I just tried to replicate the install. So believe I connected to the same colored wires as the g30, but I’m noticing now months after, that the aftermarket subwoofer sounds a little off. When I did the install, I remember googling speaker wiring diagrams for both the G30 and G12, but I had a tough time. I think the most confusing thing was my G30 aftermarket subwoofers were installed by a professional, but from one of the diagrams I saw online the colored wires they connected to were not the same color as the subwoofer wires in the googled speaker wiring diagrams. I even tried to look up how to get access to the G12 subwoofers to look at the wires but it involved removing the front seats so I just did not want to do that. Anyways, if anyone knows or knows how I can find out what color the factory subwoofer wires for a 2022 G12 745e, I would greatly appreciate it!!

[Raimo5]

Here you go.

[forrby]

Originally Posted by Raimo5

Here you go.

Thank you so much!!!

[740iGuy]

Did this help...?

Does it matter if it is the Harman Kardon system or the Bowers & Wilkins...?

[forrby]

Originally Posted by 740iGuy

Did this help...?

Does it matter if it is the Harman Kardon system or the Bowers & Wilkins...?

Yes, this diagram helped But I believe it’s only for the Harmon Kardan set up.

[Raimo5]

Originally Posted by 740iGuy

Did this help...?

Does it matter if it is the Harman Kardon system or the Bowers & Wilkins...?

Both HK and B&W use same coloring for subwoofer wires. Pay attention to pin out configuration as well because same color wires are used for other speakers as well. Another easy way to distinguish from other wires is that sub wires are three times thicker than mid or tweeter wires.

[740iGuy]

Would be interesting to know how you did this...

It is my understanding that the bass speakers (as BMW calls them) - are a (size?) woofer located under each of the two front seats.

Just interested to know what size subwoofer you used, where you placed it, and how you wired it...

Thanks!

[forrby]

Originally Posted by 740iGuy

Would be interesting to know how you did this...

It is my understanding that the bass speakers (as BMW calls them) - are a (size?) woofer located under each of the two front seats.

Just interested to know what size subwoofer you used, where you placed it, and how you wired it...

Thanks!

Haha well I would say I am quite a unique person and probably no-one uses their 7 series like I do... Im a Handyman/General Contractor and I use my 745Le as my work vehicle. Ive got a ladder and storage compartment on my roof rack plus my passenger seat, back seat and trunk are full of tools and parts. With that being said I have a 12" Sundown Audio X powered by a D4S JP33 amp in a custom box that I made myself. So the subwoofer and amp are kind of just shoved in my trunk pushed up against the backseat stuffed in with a bunch of tools and parts for my work. When I did all of this I removed my whole back seat in order to remove my backseat armrest so that I could have some airflow to the sub, hear more bass and also have a little extra room for stuff. That was quite a pain to remove. At that point I tied into the subwoofer wires that come up around the area where the seat belt comes out. I forgot if it was the left or right side but I think it was the left side. I don't think you have to remove the whole bench seat to get to the subwoofer wires like I did. If you're not really handy and looking to get a sub installed then I would suggest you just get an audio professional for you to do a nice clean install. Probably will cost a lot though.

[740iGuy]

So does anyone know if the Bowers & Wilkins system (not sure if the Harmon Kardon system is the same) - uses a separate amp to run just the two under seat 8" subwoofers...?

And/or is there one set of connections on the amp - for both subwoofers - or does each subwoofer have its own dedicated connection to the amp...?

[Raimo5]

Originally Posted by 740iGuy

So does anyone know if the Bowers & Wilkins system (not sure if the Harmon Kardon system is the same) - uses a separate amp to run just the two under seat 8" subwoofers...?

And/or is there one set of connections on the amp - for both subwoofers - or does each subwoofer have its own dedicated connection to the amp...?

It is all answered in the diagram picture I posted in my first reply.

All speakers are run from one amplifier. Both bass speakers have their own, dedicated channel coming from amplifier. Pin out is displayed on diagram and is same for HK and B&W.

[740iGuy]

Originally Posted by Raimo5

It is all answered in the diagram picture I posted in my first reply.

All speakers are run from one amplifier. Both bass speakers have their own, dedicated channel coming from amplifier. Pin out is displayed on diagram and is same for HK and B&W.

What has me confused is the diagram from Bowers & Wilkins showing two components in the trunk on the drivers side...

[Raimo5]

Originally Posted by 740iGuy

What has me confused is the diagram from Bowers & Wilkins showing two components in the trunk on the drivers side...

The other one is ASD module. It talks to amplifier on its separate bus.

[spaniard2010]

Originally Posted by Raimo5

It is all answered in the diagram picture I posted in my first reply.

All speakers are run from one amplifier. Both bass speakers have their own, dedicated channel coming from amplifier. Pin out is displayed on diagram and is same for HK and B&W.

Hello, I am trying to improve the sound on my woofers, I have the Harman Kardon 16 speakers on my g11. I was wondering of the B&W woofers are also 8 inches and if they could repace the HK woofers. Are they same impedance?

I dont even know what impedance are the ones I have, I spent hours searching and some forums say HK are 8 ohms but others say theirs are 4 Ohms.

I am also curios if I can exchange the HK amplifier for a B&W and get improved sound without major overhaul. Are all the connections the same to run it with the existing HK speakers?

Last, I saw on ebay individual B&W amp for the G11-g12 (second hand it came out of one of those vehicles) that looks like a black box selling for about 1200-1300 but then other ads in ebay that sell the entire speaker + amp package (second hand) and the amp they took out of the vehicle with the speakers does not look nothing like the single B&W they are selling.

Any help with answer is greatly appreciated.

[Raimo5]

All speaker sizes should be same as there are no different option codes for mounting hardware. No idea about impedance.

You can't just swap in B&W amplifier even if terminal and channel configuration allow it. Frequency response is obviously different, and front door speakers are driven via diplexers.

There is a lot of fake, made in China B&W crap circulating around. Real one is a black rectangle with Bowers & Wilkins written on it. Not that counterfeit might not look like one either.

[spaniard2010]

Originally Posted by Raimo5

All speaker sizes should be same as there are no different option codes for mounting hardware. No idea about impedance.

You can't just swap in B&W amplifier even if terminal and channel configuration allow it. Frequency response is obviously different, and front door speakers are driven via diplexers.

There is a lot of fake, made in China B&W crap circulating around. Real one is a black rectangle with Bowers & Wilkins written on it. Not that counterfeit might not look like one either.

this is what I found: 16 17 18 BMW 750i Amplifier Bowers & Wilkins Audio System Option ID# 65129393662

theshow a picture of the donor car that is like mine a 750i

[spaniard2010]

This is what a full set second hand looks like and the amp here supposedly a B&W is not a black square box... I am confused. So if I buy this entire set I still have to re-wire the entire car? not plug and play with current wiring?

[spaniard2010]

Humm the pics are not loading... here now I converted them to jpeg..

[spaniard2010]

the black box does not look to the am (B&W) that supposedly came off the vehicle, which one is the real one?

[Raimo5]

Picture of speaker set you posted is not even out of G11/12 vehicle.