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subjective topic .....premium sound question

6K views 31 replies 9 participants last post by  Snowman73 
#1 ·
Read couple of older post about how premium is so-so compared to HK/B&O etc. I do feel that the premium sound is just OK and the sound from Audi Q5 (that I test drove 9 months ago) with B&O system got imprinted in my ears as that was the best that I had heard....so clear and crisp base. Makes me wonder why was F25 not fitted with at least HK?
Do we know which company made this premium sound?
 
#2 ·
Premium Sound is H-K system.

3 tiers of sound:

Standard< H-K; also known as Premium Sound < B&O is top sound system.
 
#3 ·
I have the Euro version of the Professional sound system which is B&O but ours comes with DIRAC sound technology and its way better than anything I have heard in an Audi. I am told (as it is stated on other threads) that the professional sound in the US without DIRAC is not as impressive.
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2013 3.0d X3 M-sport Deep Sea Blue, Black Leather, Xenons, DIRAC Professional Sound sytem, Pro Nav, 19" Wheels, Tinted windows, Folding Mirrors, PDC, ASS, DAB Radio, Aluminium trim inc roof bars
 
#6 ·
If you listen to XM Sirius it sucks, not if you listen to copied high quality CD's to the hard drive.
 
#8 ·
I think the problem is in the speakers. It's my understanding that they use very low end paper speakers that just don't deliver great sound. I haven't considered putting third party speakers in, but if BMW had offered a really nice sounding option, I would have paid the extra $2k more for it. As it was, I don't really mind that I spent the $875 for the "premium" sound system, because if it sounded any worse I would be pulling my hair out during my long commute....but it seems like $875 is overpriced for the quality of the upgrade.

My Lexus GX-470 has a Mark Levinson system in it and a used replacement amp alone cost me $800...I think the initial option price on that system was $3.5k.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Now I understand why you don't like the H-K sound system. The Lexus ML system is one of the best from the factory car sound systems on the market- and it's not a $875 upgrade; it's much more. You should have your local after market installer redo your system.

Everything's relative. Those coming from B&O sound systems may be disappointed also- this is a $3700 or so upgrade. My Acura RL Bose 5.1 surround with DVD-A is certainly better than the X3 H-K- but only marginally better.
 
#15 ·
Now I understand why you don't like the H-K sound system. The Lexus ML system is one of the best from the factory car sound systems on the market- and it's not a $875 upgrade; it's much more. You should have your local after market installer redo your system.

Everything's irelative. Those coming from B&O sound systems may be disappointed also- this is a $3700 or so upgrade. My Acura RL Bose 5.1 surround with DVD-A is certainly better than the X3 H-K- but only marginally better.
I had the ML in my 2006 Lexus SC 430. I thought it was ok and nothing special. The speakers were paper cones and many people on the Lexus forums complained about them. The head unit was fantastic terms of build quality. Beautifully machined like a Rolex.
The HK unit in my 2013 MB E350 Cab is much better than my Lexus ML in terms of sound quality. Plus it plays DVD-A's in stereo and true 5.1 (if the source should be in that format).
 
#16 · (Edited)
I had the ML in my 2006 Lexus SC 430. I thought it was ok and nothing special. The speakers were paper cones and many people on the Lexus forums complained about them. The head unit was fantastic terms of build quality. Beautifully machined like a Rolex.
The HK unit in my 2013 MB E350 Cab is much better than my Lexus ML in terms of sound quality. Plus it plays DVD-A's in stereo and true 5.1 (if the source should be in that format).
Okay, but you're not driving around in the best handling SUV on the market. The MB E350 is a couch on wheels. The X3 out handles and performs it.

The 5 Series which it truly competes with in class, perform and handles circles around it. I took the E out for several test drives and wasn't even marginally impressed by its performance. I will say that it's attractive and I do feel the quality of materials used in the E is nice. But, we're in a BMW forum and folks here care more about the fun to drive factor than I want to sit in my Lazy Boy lounge chair.

Oh, but we were talking about sound systems. If one is a true audible one would either buy the X3 with a standard stereo and upgrade it through an outside custom installer.

Or, buy an X5 and get the B&O upgraded system.
 
#9 ·
I am driving a rental 2013 328xi. It has regular sound and it seems to be better than my 2011 x3 premium sound. Seems to have a crisp and tight bass. I am confused. Anyone on this?
Should I ask the dealer to look at it or will I be laughed at ***128512;
 
#17 ·
I think the reason I "sense" that the premium hi fi in the 2013 X3 is crappy is that it sounds like it's missing the lower half of the sound spectrum. I'm not talking subwoofer lows, but rather whatever a bass driver or woofer might put out. So although the sound generally is crisp and clear, it sounds similar to what you might expect out of small portable speakers you might attach to your ipod or your desktop computer.

It doesn't sound bad, it just sounds incomplete. And although you can turn up the bass and lower frequencies via the equalizer, the incomplete portion of the bass spectrum just gets louder, emphasizing the fact that your channeling all those nice watts through small speakers.

I'm curious what someone with testing equipment finds when they analyze the sound in an X3.

It's really too bad they didn't use speakers that could provide a more balanced sound in the lower spectrum, given that an SUV has lots of room under seats or in the rear portion of the car ....I can't imagine it was a space issue, but rather a design issue.
 
#29 ·
I play around with that B&O system in the A8 at the dealership, it sounds pretty amazing, but not $8000 amazing :)

Isnt the DIRAC live system is nothing more than a software? Isnt the hardware design by BMW? I have heard a lot of good things about this DIRAC system, but I have never had the opportunity to hear one in person.
 
#32 ·
Apparently, the speakers in some cars are badly positioned. Dirac, is a Swedish company who create a virtual copy of the inside of the car. They then look at the optimal space within the car to get the best sound experience. They they reposition the direction of the speakers to create the best solution for that car. Without this, your graphic equaliser may seem less responsive I.e you make an adjustment but the speaker points straight into the seat so muffles the sound. All clever stuff, certainly enough for bmw to take notice.
 
#31 ·
I investigated the lack of the lower spectrum of sound more and noticed that the 5 inch drivers that are supposed to provide most of the base are in the floor under the seat and are pretty much are muffled by all of the soundproofing in the floor of the car. The lack of volume from those speakers makes me wonder whether they are even positioned upward in the car...

TRY THIS: Put your head near the floor in front of the front seats and you will barely hear the floor speakers at all. Even when I turn bass all the way up in the tone settings, I have to have my head within inches of the floor practically under the front seats in order to hear the bass at a volume that is balanced with what is being put out from the other speakers in the car.

What's up with that? If you turn up the bass on the stereo to hear the lower spectrum, you will simply get much louder muddled output from the smaller speakers in the car well before the output from the floor speakers become noticeable.
 
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