New Bavsound Ghost Sub-Woofer for EPS, Install and Review

[tadmcmichael]

I have yet to see a review for the Bavsound Ghost subs, so thought I would post one here. Since getting my car a few months ago, I have been disappointed with the low end thump on the EPS system. I wasn't looking for window rattling bass, just something that fills in the natural hole in the EPS system. I considered adding a sub to the trunk, but I didn't want the complexity, expense, and hassle involved with the install.

The Ghost subs seemed like a good option, although $497 is pricey for two speakers. The installation videos on Bavsound are fairly helpful, but I will cover some differences specific to our install. Pics are of the passenger side, but install is the same on both.

1. Fold the seat forward (this will create more room later.) Remove the 4 T50 bolts that hold down the seat. You will need to move the seat frontward and backward to get to the screws.

2. No need to remove the seat, just rock it backward to get it out of the way. I found the rear seat belts were handy at preventing the seats from rocking forward again.

3. Remove the 6 phillips head screws on the cover. I started out with a hand screw driver, but it was a pain to get the screws in and out so I created enough room to use my drill driver.

4. Bavsound shows removal of the sub enclosures in their video. It is not necessary in our cars. Just remove the 4 torx screws, peel back the edge of the carpet a bit, and you can easily access the speakers.

5. Remove the factory EPS speaker.

6. Replace with new Bavsound Ghost speaker. You will note the Ghost speaker fires up into the cabin and the stock EPS speakers fires down into the sub enclosure. They sent weather stripping to add to the bottom of the speaker to help with sealing. On some applications, there is gooey gasket material holding the stock speaker in place. In our cars, there is just a standard gasket. I placed the weather stripping as instructed, although probably not necessary in our application.

7. Replace the 4 torx bits.

8. Replace the 6 phillips screws and the cover.

9. Lower the seat back down and replace the T50 screws. Bavsound recommends snugging and then tightening these diagonally. I could not find a torque spec on these so I tried to get the force similar to when I removed them. Probably not very critical though.

Now onto the important part. Bavsound described the upgrade as "with the stock speakers, the amplifier is like a 200 HP motor in a Camry. With ours, it's like the same 200 HP motor in a Lotus Elise." Along the same lines, it offered "louder, punchier, tighter bass response." It also discussed reproduction of the mid-bass frequencies that are missed by other aftermarket subs (and was also missing with the factory EPS system.)

Originally, Bavsound said to leave the EQ settings the same and there would be more usable bass with the upgraded speakers. After I placed the order, Bavsound changed their tune a bit. I got an email saying that "our woofers will be slightly quieter than the factory woofers in some, but not all, applications. However, with some small eq adjustments, their usable output is significantly higher." This had me a bit concerned that the speakers were not going to be the upgrade I was looking for.

During the install, I upgraded one side first and then played a few reference tunes. Even before good break-in, they were much louder and hit much harder than the factory speakers. You could not only hear it when comparing the sides, but also feel it by putting your hands onto the speaker covers. Luckily in our 8 ohm EPS application, the bass response is much louder and harder than the stock speakers with the same EQ settings.

After swapping out both sides, I was very impressed with the overall difference it made in the system. Both mid-bass and sub-bass are much improved. A few people are critical of the tweeters in the EPS system, but using the recommended settings from the forum I had been satisfied with everything but the lower frequencies. Now, the lower end of the range matches the overall sound quality of the system.

I am not about to say that this will match a good sub-woofer enclosure and amp placed in the trunk. However, to be able to keep everything factory looking with minimal time and hassle, I think it is a very good upgrade. It turns a sub-par "premium" factory system into one of the better factory systems I have heard. On songs like "Don't Drink the Water" from Dave Mathews, bass is clean and tight. You can actually feel the bass a little now in the floor and through the seat! It was hard to even tell there were speakers down there before. On songs that have a lot more going on, say "Killing in the Name" by Rage, there is some definite improvement. However, the factory amp is still overwhelmed by the competing priorities with more complex songs like this.

With the upgrade, I think the stock EPS can keep me happy and I no longer am looking to do any amp upgrades or sub enclosures in the trunk.

[dfjaws]

Awesome review. I'm interested in these so I appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts! I'm kind of in the same boat in that I would like some more low end punch and response but don't want to go the way of adding a sub to the trunk.

Although, I'm curious as to how these stack up to Rockford Fostgate's drop-in option.

[tadmcmichael]

Yes, would be interesting to compare to the RF. I do like how the Bavsound fires upward since it also handles the mid bass. Also, the RF is only available in 4 ohm. I'm not an expert, but I think it's hard on the already fragile 8 ohm EPS amp to push 4 ohm speakers.

[dparm]

Good write-up. If I hadn't just sunk $2200 into a BBK I'd probably be buying this right now.

Also curious how this would affect that "optimized" EQ setup that is stickied in this forum.

[ijnoj09]

Thanks for the review. I was looking to get a set as well to improve the mid-bass and compliment the 12" sub I have in my trunk. It's on pre-order right now.

[tadmcmichael]

Originally Posted by dparm

Good write-up. If I hadn't just sunk $2200 into a BBK I'd probably be buying this right now.

Also curious how this would affect that "optimized" EQ setup that is stickied in this forum.

Previously, I had used the optimized settings recommended with the exception of being +4 on the bass. After the Ghost install, I have tweaked the settings back and forth a bit but seem to get the best results with the same settings I had before. Still seems like it is better to keep the EQ relatively flat and tweak the bass and treble to your own personal liking.

[Sunny D]

Great write up, thank you. I was under the impression these could not be used with EPS, only HiFi systems. On their website it says it doesn't work with Dirac systems, which I thought was the same as EPS. These are now on the list to add to the car!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Sunny D

Great write up, thank you. I was under the impression these could not be used with EPS, only HiFi systems. On their website it says it doesn't work with Dirac systems, which I thought was the same as EPS. These are now on the list to add to the car!

I actually emailed them to see why it doesn't work with DIRAC/Individual but does with EPS. I'll let you know what they say, as I'd really like to fill in a bit more bass on my car.

And no, DIRAC/Individual is not the same as EPS. If you're not sure what you have, look on your build sheet for this:

S752A INDIVIDUAL AUDIOSYSTEM

[ralphwaldo]

I have the individual audio and replaced it with bavsound ghost woofers last week and it works pretty well. Install is straight forward as documented. Bass response is responsive and tight. I can't really say how it compares to the previous system as the original woofers never worked when I got the car so it's a relatively inexpensive fix (rather than buy factory replacements). This is an excellent write-up.

[svinfinity]

Originally Posted by dparm

I actually emailed them to see why it doesn't work with DIRAC/Individual but does with EPS. I'll let you know what they say, as I'd really like to fill in a bit more bass on my car.

And no, DIRAC/Individual is not the same as EPS. If you're not sure what you have, look on your build sheet for this:

S752A INDIVIDUAL AUDIOSYSTEM

What is the difference between DIRAC and Individual??

[dparm]

Originally Posted by svinfinity

What is the difference between DIRAC and Individual??

Same thing. DIRAC is the company that provides some of the software. Here's an overview on it:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...ory-visit.html

[Frozen]

Great write up. I've been looking at upgrading mine. I have an e90 with EPS, do you think the sound quality improvement was worth the $497 and time?

[svinfinity]

So i have individual audio. These subs will work?

[dparm]

Originally Posted by svinfinity

So i have individual audio. These subs will work?

I'm waiting to hear back from BSW on this. Their website says no, but I don't understand why that is.

[tadmcmichael]

Originally Posted by e90m305

Great write up. I've been looking at upgrading mine. I have an e90 with EPS, do you think the sound quality improvement was worth the $497 and time?

The time was minimal, less than an hour. Now that the speakers have broken in a bit more, the sound has continued to improve. For me, I wasn't satisfied with the stock system so I was going to do something one way or the other. This was more cost effective than other options I was considering. It's a pretty low risk upgrade, as you have 30 days to get your money back if you don't like them. You can see I posted my old subs to sell immediately, so didn't take me very long to make up my mind.

Can't shed any light on the EPS versus Individual Audio debate. Will be interesting to see what Bavsound comes back with.

[kaigoss69]

Originally Posted by dparm

I'm waiting to hear back from BSW on this. Their website says no, but I don't understand why that is.

As far as I am aware, the Individual/Dirac/EPS systems all utilize 8 ohm woofers. Since the Ghost woofers are 4 ohm, the amps would try to push double the power they are rated for. This could lead to amp failures so I am very interested to hear what the company has to say...

[ijnoj09]

Originally Posted by kaigoss69

As far as I am aware, the Individual/Dirac/EPS systems all utilize 8 ohm woofers. Since the Ghost woofers are 4 ohm, the amps would try to push double the power they are rated for. This could lead to amp failures so I am very interested to hear what the company has to say...

I believe they have difference woofers depending on what your system is.

"Depending on your audio system, your factory BMW woofers come in 2, 4, or 8 Ohm impedance. Our woofers are matched to the impedance of your factory woofers (we have different versions for each) to maximize performance and ensure the longevity of your factory amplifier"

[svinfinity]

Originally Posted by ijnoj09

I believe they have difference woofers depending on what your system is.

"Depending on your audio system, your factory BMW woofers come in 2, 4, or 8 Ohm impedance. Our woofers are matched to the impedance of your factory woofers (we have different versions for each) to maximize performance and ensure the longevity of your factory amplifier"

I thought it was made clear that individual audio/eps/dirac was the same. So why would the woofers differ?

[DavidZ]

I think these cost more than the Jehnert XE 200. I wonder how they compare? Probably depends on if you're using an aftermarket amp or not.

[tadmcmichael]

Originally Posted by ijnoj09

I believe they have difference woofers depending on what your system is.

"Depending on your audio system, your factory BMW woofers come in 2, 4, or 8 Ohm impedance. Our woofers are matched to the impedance of your factory woofers (we have different versions for each) to maximize performance and ensure the longevity of your factory amplifier"

Correct. The speakers are 8 ohm to match the EPS system. The only discussion is why doesn't Bavsound also recommend the same 8 ohm for the DIRAC/Individual Audio?

[kaigoss69]

If the woofers really were 2, 4 and 8 ohms, why do there not seem to be any such markings on the units? They all have the same model number from what I can tell - BSD.G.USW.8O. In the second-hand market, how do you distinguish between the different models? Even on the website, when you put them in the cart, it does not tell you the impedance. I think it would be very expensive to manufacture 3 different models for a relatively small market like this. I hope I am wrong, but I haven't seen any evidence that they indeed supply 3 different models.

[ijnoj09]

Originally Posted by kaigoss69

If the woofers really were 2, 4 and 8 ohms, why do there not seem to be any such markings on the units? They all have the same model number from what I can tell - BSD.G.USW.8O. In the second-hand market, how do you distinguish between the different models? Even on the website, when you put them in the cart, it does not tell you the impedance. I think it would be very expensive to manufacture 3 different models for a relatively small market like this. I hope I am wrong, but I haven't seen any evidence that they indeed supply 3 different models.

I pre-ordered a set last week and the cart does show the impedence as well as the confirmation order receipt depending on what system you indicate. It says 8 ohm for EPS. Maybe someone with the speaker can chime in if the speaker has any markings.