HK Stereo option or Xenons?

If you could only afford Xenons or the HK stereo upgrade, which would you get?

All the HK systems I've had in previous BMWs weren't all that great. They were merely just better than the standard. All of my aftermarket systems have been better. Therefore I'm leaning toward upgrading the amp and speakers instead of the HK upgrade.

As far as the lights, do they really allow you to see further down the road? I'm not interested in the bling of the LEDs/Xenons or the ambiance lighting, so I'm wondering whether this option is worth the cost. I did notice that the standard halogen lights are not the projector type and so the beam pattern may not be focused adequately. These must be the DOT approved version and not what the ROW gets. Is there a eurospec halogen in the aftermarket that we can upgrade to at minimal cost?

I'm on the fence with these options. I'm only going to go with one if any. Please give me your opinion on which you would select, if any. Thanks.

xenons. the stock radio is fineto my ears.

Cars make a terrible sound stage...so there's really only so much you can do. It's much like pissing into the wind...you'll get some on the fence, but more on yourself. (yeah, that really didn't make much sense)

Both, but if I could only chose 1, I would go with Xenons.

xenons. rarely turn on the radio but at night I know the standard lights do not cut it.

xenons. I love a good sound (don't really know how much better HK i to normal sound system) but for me xenons are an added safety measure

Get the HID and upgarde the radio later.

Xenons......

If you live in a city, HK. If you live outside of a city - Xenons

I picked the HK Radio. I only drive at night once or twice a week, and most people can seek just fine with the regular headlights. But the radio, I listen too pretty much every moment I'm in the car.

Xenon for me

Xenon... I can get good sound at home... car driving is for enjoyment... who needs sound

thanks, I'm now convinced that the xenons will provide enough of an improvement over the standard that can be consider a performance enhancement instead of just bling. Still seems pricey though.

I hardly listen to the stereo in cars, mostly due to passengers but also because they fall short on sound quality and my favorite track is always the tune coming from under the bonnet and boot.

Plus...the xenons have the adaptive feature

Xenon. What BMW offer is a very high quality HID light which is better than any aftermarket HID you can find at that price($900). And aftermarket HID usually come with only 1 year warranty.

Originally Posted by bimmerized

thanks, I'm now convinced that the xenons will provide enough of an improvement over the standard that can be consider a performance enhancement instead of just bling.

As far as bling goes, the xenons also give you the best bit of bling the F30 has to offer- angel eyes as daytime running lights.

BJ

I love my HK, but if I had to choose just one, I would go with the xenons. I have noticed that the angel eyes really do command attention while driving, and not in a bling way. I definitely notice that compared to my last car, people have been much less apt to pull out in front of me or change lanes without looking. I think the distinct appearance of the angel eyes/daytime running lamps catches the attention of other drivers and fulfills the objective of awareness of your vehicle. Plus, they really do look amazing.

I would go with Xenon's, if I was forced to make a choice. That said, I find the HK option to be well worth the cost, and don't agree that the quality isn't that good. Of course if you just listen to Sirius, standard FM, or MP3's, then your source material is lousy and it won't sound good through any stereo. Garbage in equals garbage out, and too many people make a judgement on the sound quality based on very lousy source material. But play a good clean source through the HK and you get very good sound quality. As for going aftermarket, this just gets harder and harder to do, and the results are a crapshoot at best. It's a complex,highly integrated system, and tearing into the wiring, panels, trunk, etc. are just asking for trouble, IMO.

plus Xenon makes the car looks 10 times better

I am a devoted audiophile, and I paid for the upgraded HK system in my E90. But I also got the Xenon headlights. If I had to make a choice between the two, I would order the Xenon lights. They are excellent for driving high speeds at night.

On one of my two test drives I turned the standard equipped radio on for a minute or so. I thought it sounded "good enough." And though I will probably order the HK in my car, if it came down to making a choice, I'd buy the Xenons and forgo the upgraded radio, and not feel bad about the decision.

Thanks for all replies. It's clear that Xenons is the better choice.

Originally Posted by alpinweiss

I am a devoted audiophile, and I paid for the upgraded HK system in my E90. But I also got the Xenon headlights. If I had to make a choice between the two, I would order the Xenon lights. They are excellent for driving high speeds at night.

I'd appreciate your opinion on how good/bad the HK system is and what your experience is with aftermarket car audio systems. thanks.

Originally Posted by bimmerized

I'd appreciate your opinion on how good/bad the HK system is and what your experience is with aftermarket car audio systems. thanks.

I am an audiophile and a musician, so I have no problem spending $875 for the upgraded Harman Kardon stereo. In comparison to the base system in my X3, the HK sounds better at all frequencies, but especially the low and high frequencies. I did not get the satellite radio option on my 3-Series sedan.

The HK system has a stronger amplifier (about triple the wattage), and better quality speakers. There is no aftermarket upgrade that will be as good for the price. But, if money is no object (maybe $2000 or more), then you can get a better quality system from the aftermarket.

The HK stereo will sound great with HD FM stereo and top quality CD's. But, I had a loaner car a few months ago that was equipped with both the HK and the satellite radio. IMO the satellite radio does not bring out the best in the HK stereo. The same goes for lesser quality FM stations and older technology CD's. It seems the old adage still applies: "garbage in, garbage out". Maybe only an audiophile can tell the difference.

Xenons all day everyday

Its what makes 50% of this car beautiful IMO

Originally Posted by alpinweiss

The HK stereo will sound great with HD FM stereo and top quality CD's.

A little correction: "HD" radio is not high-definition, it stands for hybrid digital. It is lossy compressed audio similar to an MP3. That is, it throws out musical information to use less data. Its quality is below a decent FM station.

The quality is further reduced when there is more than one HD feed associated with a given station (typically referred to as HD1, HD2, etc.) as the stations much share the assigned bandwidth.

How do they look different? I remember looking at 2 328's on the dealer lot, one with Xenon and one without and I don't remember there being much of a visual difference? Anyone have any pictures comparing with and without?

Thanks

Originally Posted by NewToCarBuying

Xenons all day everyday

Its what makes 50% of this car beautiful IMO