Harman Kardon worth the upgrade?

Ordering a 335 and saw a CNET review where the guy talked about how awful the Harman Kardon stereo was in the 3 series. He is only one guy and reviews all sorts of cars....so who knows.

Anyone that is into tunes do any extensive comparison and have any quick input for me?

Anyone done the upgrade and been happy/unhappy with it?

Thanks in advance!

I have it I have not had a chance to play with it yet nor listen to a CD. I will post when I do. the reason I got it was because my 07 E90 base system was average at best. I also have a base system in the X5, that one is better but nothing to get super excited about. I am hoping the HK is worth it.

I'm not a huge audiophile, but I hear parts of music with the HK system that I have not heard in previous cars. It would be a "definite get" on my options list.

Originally Posted by Slick Willy

Ordering a 335 and saw a CNET review where the guy talked about how awful the Harman Kardon stereo was in the 3 series. He is only one guy and reviews all sorts of cars....so who knows.

Anyone that is into tunes do any extensive comparison and have any quick input for me?

Anyone done the upgrade and been happy/unhappy with it?

Thanks in advance!

That guy is an idiot lol. It's one of the best cound systems in a car. On the other forum, an audiophile/installer did a massive review with instrumentation and said it's one of the best stock systems he has heard in a car

Must get.

Originally Posted by justinnum1

That guy is an idiot lol. It's one of the best cound systems in a car. On the other forum, an audiophile/installer did a massive review with instrumentation and said it's one of the best stock systems he has heard in a car

Must get.

Justin did he also give some setting for the equalizer? I remember someone did. if you have the link I am interested, I need to setup mine.

Originally Posted by windsor027

Justin did he also give some setting for the equalizer? I remember someone did. if you have the link I am interested, I need to setup mine.

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=752647
Here is a lil tid bit from the thread

My response is that it's one of the best OEM systems I've heard, but I would listen to it with my own music before ordering.

I find bright, forward systems fatiguing to listen to for long. The bass is a bit boomy. it's not as good as what we do, but it's one of the best stock systems out there. We will be offering a PnP trunk-sub option for this hk system as well as full cabin upgrades for the HiFi systems.

No. Two steps. It's very comparable to the Enhanced Premium system in the E9x M3 and M5. Bass is flabbier, less controlled, but louder.

I doubt we will get anyone wanting to upgrade HK systems other than demanding audiophiles. We will get many more wanting to add sub-bass, and of course we will get HiFi upgrade requests. If only I could get my hands on a 6-speaker car...

Originally Posted by windsor027

Justin did he also give some setting for the equalizer? I remember someone did. if you have the link I am interested, I need to setup mine.

It's in this thread:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...ht=hk+settings

Congrats on your new ride...we also have the AW color and it's one of the easiest colors to maintain, as well as the silver or gray, IMO.

If you listen to I-Pods you'll absolutely love the HK system. If you are an audiophile that listens to high end stuff in an acoustically adjusted room you'll be listening to a lot of talk radio.

It is a major improvement over the last HK system I had in my 08 550.

Excellent thank you Justin.

I have the base in my x5 and that one is awful. If its the same as the 3 series then I would get the upgrade. I listened to one while test driving and the Hk sounded really good and worth the extra 800. I intend to upgrade to the Hk system.

I used to drive a 2003 330i with premium everything, including H.Kardon sound. It was amazing! I now drive a 2001 330i with stock sound...big difference, from personal experience would totally get the upgrade! It's worth it...

I love my HK! It sounded great right out of the box during my ED. The really nice thing about it is that it plays uncompressed music!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Bimmer App

If you enjoy audio it is absolutely worth it. You aren't going to get the same experience as a high-end audio system in a dedicated room, but you'd never get that in a car.

The HK system is probably the best $800 you will ever spend on a car.

I'm a pretty big audio buff. I've got the HK option (it was on the car) and it's really good.

Now if I was ordering would I check the box? Not sure. I'd have to hear the base system first to compare. But the HK is very good.

The base system is harsh on the ears. I'm not a super audiophile, but I do enjoy good sounding music. My initial order did not include the Harman kardon. I'm glad you guys talked me into getting it .

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by The X Men

The HK system is probably the best $800 you will ever spend on a car.

Yep. And it's a lot better than the one in the e90

I have the base system and it's a POS! Upgrade if you have the money.

Originally Posted by AlphaForceX

I have the base system and it's a POS! Upgrade if you have the money.

You have an F30 with the base system?

I have to disagree. Although not what I would call audio nirvana, the base system is very good. Definitely not a POS. Much better than the system that came in my TSX (which I upgraded) or the systems I've heard in my friends vehicles. I have not heard the HK system in the F30 nor have I heard the systems that came in the E90.

Originally Posted by jlukja

You have an F30 with the base system?

I have to disagree. Although not what I would call audio nirvana, the base system is very good. Definitely not a POS. Much better than the system that came in my TSX (which I upgraded) or the systems I've heard in my friends vehicles. I have not heard the HK system in the F30 nor have I heard the systems that came in the E90.

A POS audio system can meaning many things to different people. If one really like loud and well defined music, then the base system is a POS because its under powered and lacks seperation. If all you listen to is talk show and music at low volume, then the oem system is fine.

I had a chance to play with the setting today and still the jury is out for me. I can say its better than the C350s logic 7, which makes it worth it for me, but still need to fine tune it.

I have the HK as well. I used to have a bose audio upgraded kit on an old Nissan I used to own with a really powerful amp. Coming from that the HK is mediocre at best. So what I'm really saying is that don't expect it to blow your mind but instead consider it just as a nice upgrade to the base system. That being said, the HK was worth the upgrade for me because if I didn't do it the only other choice that I would've been stuck with was the base system. The sounds are a bit more refined and distinctive once you play around with the equalizer settings.

Yes. Unless you plan to upgrade on your own it is a no brainer if you listen to music.

Originally Posted by Hockeypuck

Yes. Unless you plan to upgrade on your own it is a no brainer if you listen to music.

Yes, and any good aftermarket setup will cost substantially more than the $875 HK system. Plan on spending at least a couple thousand, and probably more, for a premium quality upgrade.

Originally Posted by Slick Willy

Ordering a 335 and saw a CNET review where the guy talked about how awful the Harman Kardon stereo was in the 3 series. He is only one guy and reviews all sorts of cars....so who knows.

Anyone that is into tunes do any extensive comparison and have any quick input for me?

Anyone done the upgrade and been happy/unhappy with it?

Thanks in advance!

I'm in the minority here, but because my E90 sound system was so bleak the jump to the stock F30 stock system was mind-blowingly good. In the US, the stock system is an upgrade to the base system they have in Europe, so it's better than base but below HK, somewhere in the middle.

So my advice to you is this: If the $800 is going to stand in the way of you getting a really important option like the Lighting Package or the Technology Package or PDC and the Rear Camera, skip it and use the money towards those. If price is no object, go get it.

A car's cabin is not a great place to listen to music anyway, AM/FM/Satellite/iPod is all compressed as it is, I find that it gets to a certain level of above-averageness and that's enough.

BJ