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The sound system

11K views 59 replies 10 participants last post by  Evlengr 
#1 ·
Is it that bad,,,,,, I was in a fully loaded x6 with premium sound and it seemed pretty loud. what i wanna know is does the x3 have the same premium sound package as the x6 and is it just as good
 
#2 · (Edited)
All depends on your perspective I guess. I am used to higher fidelity and the fact that they use 4 inch speakers tells volumes in the audiophile world.

A speaker of that size cannot create a good range of sound no matter how many tricks you employ.

I think the hi end sound system in the X3 is one of the worst sound systems I have ever heard in my life let alone the "business" one. However, there are those that seem perfectly happy with overypaying for convenience over sound. and imo they are sadly misinformed.

Here's the rub: for what they charge for factory installed "premium sound systems" I can have a state of the art one with all the same functionality and more.

For example: My sound system runs roughly $2k has accessabilty to Pandora, Sirius/XM, HD, iPod, CD and video with the same steering controls that are currently installed. The fidelity as measured by a techtronix scope military spec is much flatter and cover the full audio range.

Bottom line though is that even BMW sales people's jaws drop when I ask them to hop in my SAV and listen. There is a marked difference. And it's not because its louder. It sounds cleaner.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Technically we (in the US) already get the Hi-Fi sound system as standard equipment with 12 speakers and 2 subwoofers. The Professional Hi-Fi system seems like a bargain at $875 but if money was an object, it's one of the first options I'd drop.

Ev, you should hear the true base sound system on my pop's 2010 X5. It sounds worse than anything offered stateside in the X3. And the X5 is $60k.
 
#11 ·
i guess im the person that would take the option because if i dont it will be crappier
Yeah. When I chose premium, I wanted the best they offered. To me that was good enough. I guess EE is saying there are better deals etc but particularly at that time, I wouldn't have wanted anyone messing with my car. I wanted everything done by BMW.

The sound is good...to me...but again, maybe if I had heard better it would make me sad...the same way we are pleased with HDTV now...maybe one day we will demand 3D...lol

HDTV is better than regular but until you experienced it you didn't need it. Now you are stuck...lol.

This time I may be more gutsy to go with non-BMW for Rear Entertainment though...BMW is too conservative.
 
#14 · (Edited)
The big difference is wattage.

The X5/6 premium sound package is around 600 watts, standard is around 200 watts.

The new X3 sound system comes with 200 watts upgradable to 600watts.

The X3/5/6 have large cabins and need the wattage and better speakers so you don't have to max the amp out with a lot of distortion.

The low end system disappoints people that like medium to loud volume levels. The low end system was not designed for this application.

If you are an audiophile, well you simply won't be happy with anything except a system you custom built yourself. (-:
 
#21 ·
What's wrong with asking the kids to look at scenery on a road trip? That's how I grew up. No video games, computer games, rear entertainment systems.
 
#26 ·
I'm sure they will in the future. They just haven't committed to it. The one i have is the one i the headrests. I think starting in 07 they moved away from that to one that hangs over the seat backs. I want one that looks like it is fully integrated into the car and one that plays the same tings on both screens. I also want it that when you wan to play something there aren't a lot of tacky wires hanging around.

The seat back ones are fine. What I don't want is one that hangs from the roof or that pops out of the arm rest (like the X6). I like the duel screen models. We'll see.

What would be cool is if you could get TV, internet, play DVDs, ipod and possibly games. If they are truly offering a free mobile hot spot, the PS3 offers solutions to most of that...if they can find a discrete place to hide it. Now that would be something to boast about...lol

Too bad BMW is so conservative in the US. When I read on the BMW world website I see some countries have TV and internet for their rear passengers.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Given my poll, there just isn't a business case to be made for a diesel X3 model. Keep in mind that folks on Bimmerfest are already more likely to accept diesels, so the skew towards petrol models would likely be even more pronounced in the real world.

The models that BMW chose 3 years ago were not random. They chose a drivetrain that would have multiple applications and be most likely to appeal to buyers while maintaining the premium market brand that BMW NA strives to achieve. The cost of tweaking an existing diesel to meet California emissions standards is pretty high; it's not like they just plopped some US-spec headlights onto a X5 3.0sd, they had to design the whole Urea-injection and tweak the engine characteristics.

In regards to entertainment systems, BMW has had things like Internet and TV function for many years now. There are potential liability and legal problems installing it in the US.
 
#44 · (Edited)
While I had my 2007 X3, I thought the upgraded sound system was decent for what it was. Did it sound better than the base system? Yes. I'm sure it was not up to competing with aftermarket systems, but that's ok. It wasn't designed to do that I'm sure. Could it have been better? Sure. There was a few things that could have been better on that vehicle (transmission and suspension come to mind).

Anyhoo, since this is the F25 forum, I have zero experience with the new X3's sound system. But, I'm sure it's better than Evlengr's.......LOL!
 
#46 ·
Thanks for the quick reply Ev and as far as the argument between both of you,,,,, Both of you are right because if you want a better than stock sound system ( by that i mean no hi -fi AKA premium sound) you should get it but if you want a better than what BMW offers you should keep the crappy one they have and upgrade it fot the same amount or less.
 
#50 ·
One word about Bose (maybe I disagree with EE a little). lol I'm not familiar with all their products. The one Bose thing I own is the Bose Sounddock for the Ipod. I love it. When I was looking for a portable speaker system for the ipod some years back (and price was no issue at all...was just looking for the best 1 piece system), I tested many and almost all were junk. The Bose Sounddock showed its superiority so I got it. A good song to test with is Beyonce's "Naughty Girl". If you play this on different sound systems, you can hear differences right away.

Props to the Sound dock. I saw a commercial that they have made it battery rechargeable now...that's not the one I am referring to so I can't vouch for that. The plug in one is tight for a portable 1 piece system. It's the best I've found.
 
#51 ·
This is all moot since BMW ISN'T using BOSE, Bose home systems are very different from a car system (that is specifically) tuned for the cars interior, and yes I own several Bose products but there are different technologies employed between car and home.

Please one of you enlightened people that insist on debating post about your profession as it applies to the X3 so I can debate you on that. I wouldn't since its not my area of expertise.

Oy Vey --time for some Excedrin and a shot of jack.
 
#52 ·
Funny...I wrote a long response then I thought forget it...lol Ultimately we are talking about opinions on sound and not expertise. In fact, as I stated, it may be that expertise may be creating stiffer requirements for contentment.

Sharing a different opinion just lets the OP know that he should just go check these out for himself (Premium, Bose, etc).

Correct me if I'm wrong...I think the premium is Harmon Kardon right? I have had a good experience with them on my laptop too...so I guess I like HK and you don't...no biggie.
 
#53 ·
I wonder if the X3 is even using HK anymore. I just checked the website and they didn't say anything about HK so we may not even be arguing about the same premium system that I have. Back in 2005, premium was HK. Anyway I'm bored with this topic. I just think the OP should go listen for himself.
 
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