Premium Sound v. Standard hifi - how big a difference?

Very subjective, but probably a mandatory option for most of us ...

I'd say if you listen to the radio more than just Sirius, go for it. CD (yeah I know old school) sounds fantastic through this system. The trick is playing around with the EQ to your liking. There is no setting that works for everyone.

I will just say that my best friend got the same thing: loaded car without premium sound. He was so disappointed. He used to ride my car and kick himself every other day.

Don't do it man. It's not just the ability to set your EQ (which is a pain). The Logic 7 materials are much better, the output is over 2x higher and it is worth every penny.

Originally Posted by idworkin

Found a dealer with a great deal on a 2012 550 - very well equipped car, except its missing premium sound. Odd thing is that the car has Sirius and the iPod adapter. Anyway, I haven't been down to compare yet - will likely do that this weekend - has anyone done this comparison? Is there a big difference in sound ?

Thanks...

Get the premium sound and add a sub and you will be blown away. just add a sub with a Hifonics amp and the sound is just awesome

I just upgraded from a 2010 five series with stock sound and now I'm in a 2012 with premium. I would NEVER not get it. It's excellent!

How does the premium BMW sound system compare to the LOGIC7 H/K in the high-end Mercedes?

The BMW has an equalizer which the MB system does not.

Premium BMW Sounds is Logic 7. It does have an EQ and it's better and more potent than MB's.

i passed on a similar opportunity, dealer had a loaded 550 m sport without premium sound only 900 miles and the lease was $300 cheaper then same car with premium sound new... still glad i didn't buy it.
mp

I'm hearing from my sales person that it does NOT, and that I must get the Premium package for this? This sounds wrong, or am I missing something?

Aren't all 3 and 5 series shipping with Sirius/XM installed? Odd oversight if not. I'm looking at the 535 XI, on a 3 year lease.

Thanks,

Chuck

Once you have Premium Sound, you'll never settle for less. I have an 2 hour commute to/from work and have to have an excellent sound system. You WON'T regret it. A complete deal break in my book.

IMO, a "nicely equipped" BMW without premium sound is not "nicely equipped". You are buying a 70-90 thousand dollar car depending on options. IMO, the premium sound should be the standard system for the 550. Maybe for those getting the 528 you can have a lesser quality sound to cut costs, but for this car...if I was buying it used and I looked at it without premium sound, it would cut my valuation of the cars worth by a drastic amount.

Good systems sound great at all volume levels. It sounds great at soft volumes, and it sounds great at extremely high volumes. Cannons from the 1812 overture should sound thunderous, while some of the horns passages from the same piece should sound delicate. It should not rattle, pop, or distort.

You should find yourself some good audition music when you look at cars. I would look at having a mix of classical, vocal (choral, opera, or musical), classic rock, and modern pop, all in .wav format. Some of these should be recording studio quality, and some should be off a live album. You should know these pieces by heart...knowing the good points to each piece, and the flaws in each piece (a flat note here, an imbalance in the mixing there, etc). If you are an audio enthusiast like me...or an audiophile like my wife hopes I never become, then you probably have a good setup at home. Be sure to listen to your pieces there. While no car will be able to produce the same quality as a home system (especially if you have separates), at least it should come close to a good midrange receiver.

Finally, audition the car not just idling in the car, but at highway speeds as well.

My audition CDs include selections of the following pieces:
1812 overture,
Indiana Jones by the Prague Philharmonic (has a few good flawed selections in there) and the Star Wars studio recording 3 CD set which I play the main title theme.
Also included are some selections from Yanni (live and studio), Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Blue Man Group, Les Mis, Phantom, Pirates of the Carib, Phil Collins, Genesis (live and studio), Dire Straits, and...Weird Al.

Also, if you listen to a lot of compressed music, bring your mp3 player as well. Be sure to listen to it connected directly and connected via bluetooth.

Hope this helps and good luck to you.

Originally Posted by Stonehauler

IMO, a "nicely equipped" BMW without premium sound is not "nicely equipped". You are buying a 70-90 thousand dollar car depending on options. IMO, the premium sound should be the standard system for the 550. Maybe for those getting the 528 you can have a lesser quality sound to cut costs, but for this car...if I was buying it used and I looked at it without premium sound, it would cut my valuation of the cars worth by a drastic amount.

Good systems sound great at all volume levels. It sounds great at soft volumes, and it sounds great at extremely high volumes. Cannons from the 1812 overture should sound thunderous, while some of the horns passages from the same piece should sound delicate. It should not rattle, pop, or distort.

You should find yourself some good audition music when you look at cars. I would look at having a mix of classical, vocal (choral, opera, or musical), classic rock, and modern pop, all in .wav format. Some of these should be recording studio quality, and some should be off a live album. You should know these pieces by heart...knowing the good points to each piece, and the flaws in each piece (a flat note here, an imbalance in the mixing there, etc). If you are an audio enthusiast like me...or an audiophile like my wife hopes I never become, then you probably have a good setup at home. Be sure to listen to your pieces there. While no car will be able to produce the same quality as a home system (especially if you have separates), at least it should come close to a good midrange receiver.

Finally, audition the car not just idling in the car, but at highway speeds as well.

My audition CDs include selections of the following pieces:
1812 overture,
Indiana Jones by the Prague Philharmonic (has a few good flawed selections in there) and the Star Wars studio recording 3 CD set which I play the main title theme.
Also included are some selections from Yanni (live and studio), Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Blue Man Group, Les Mis, Phantom, Pirates of the Carib, Phil Collins, Genesis (live and studio), Dire Straits, and...Weird Al.

Also, if you listen to a lot of compressed music, bring your mp3 player as well. Be sure to listen to it connected directly and connected via bluetooth.

Hope this helps and good luck to you.

Very nice write-up! What are your thoughts on the purchase of the B&O ultimate premium sound system?

Originally Posted by Ace535i

What are your thoughts on the purchase of the B&O ultimate premium sound system?

LOL! I was going to ask this same question. I am very much interested in knowing if B&O is worth it.

I listen to all kinds of music but definitely when Enya is on it has to sound fantastic.

-Corey

That falls under Mrs. Stonehaulers statement of "You don't need that option, I have already allowed you to talk me into letting you get premium sound!!!"

Also, I ordered my car prior to the 2013s coming out, so I did not have the opportunity to sample the B&O system. I have avoided doing so since so that I don't know what I am missing. I've heard good things about it though. If I had been able to sample the option prior to purchase, I might have been able to talk her into it, but sight unseen, it was just not worth the cash. Your ears may vary.

I am a good middle of the road kind of guy. B&K amps, Anthem D3, and Mission 775s (fronts) for my home system. My wife is ok with this as she gets good sound for her movies and I don't break the budget for my music habit.

Originally Posted by Stonehauler

That falls under Mrs. Stonehaulers statement of "You don't need that option, I have already allowed you to talk me into letting you get premium sound!!!"

Also, I ordered my car prior to the 2013s coming out, so I did not have the opportunity to sample the B&O system. I have avoided doing so since so that I don't know what I am missing. I've heard good things about it though. If I had been able to sample the option prior to purchase, I might have been able to talk her into it, but sight unseen, it was just not worth the cash. Your ears may vary.

I am a good middle of the road kind of guy. B&K amps, Anthem D3, and Mission 775s (fronts) for my home system. My wife is ok with this as she gets good sound for her movies and I don't break the budget for my music habit.

Show moderation with the car, but splurge when it comes to the home?

Splurge when you can, but buy quality stuff. Most of my equipment is over a decade (some almost 2 now that I think about it) old and is running just as well as it ever did. I only upgraded my B&K Ref 30 because I wanted something with HDMI switching. When you buy one item per year, it's not that bad.

If you have a problem with the wife and kids, get a REALLY nice set of headphones and a good pre-amp...don't really need anything else but the signal after that.

It's funny how these "Is X worth it???" threads always end in a consensus of "YES ABSOLUTELY!!"

Originally Posted by wildcardz

It's funny how these "Is X worth it???" threads always end in a consensus of "YES ABSOLUTELY!!"

When Mrs. Stonehauler heard me read this, she said "what do they expect from a fan forum?"

My own thoughts are this...It depends on what your budget is, and what your desires/needs are. No one NEEDS this car. We could all get by with a Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus, a Toyota Camry, or a Honda Accord. Most of us get these cars because of the way they drive, and how they feel on the road. It's not something you get from most other manufacturers. So when BMW adds some other stuff to make it "better" of course a lot of us will say "yes, it's worth it".

Originally Posted by idworkin

OK - here goes:

I've decided that premium sound is a must so I'm not going for the car. If anyone is interested PM me and I'll give you the dealer's info.

..

If the car has everything you want except premium sound - simply negotiate an agreeable price and look into a "premium sound" upgrade. Most professional sound shops can upgrade the amps, speakers, and sub to sound far superior than the manufacturer.

Originally Posted by Stonehauler

Splurge when you can, but buy quality stuff. Most of my equipment is over a decade (some almost 2 now that I think about it) old and is running just as well as it ever did. I only upgraded my B&K Ref 30 because I wanted something with HDMI switching. When you buy one item per year, it's not that bad.

If you have a problem with the wife and kids, get a REALLY nice set of headphones and a good pre-amp...don't really need anything else but the signal after that.

Well, when you have s chance to sneak away and take a listen to the B&O system, let us know if it was money well saved!

Originally Posted by Brittlewood

Get the premium sound and add a sub and you will be blown away. just add a sub with a Hifonics amp and the sound is just awesome

Sorry this is OT now, but I'm curious - what would it cost to add a decent sub? I love the premium hi-fi, and did listen to both and felt it was a must, but the low end isn't great.

We supposedly have subs built into our seats right? They sure aren't very powerful it seems.

I read somewhere in a past thread that the premium hifi has the same number of physical speaker locations as the non premium hifi just that there are two speakers embedded behind the speaker grills so you get more number of actual total speakers.

Hummmm....

Originally Posted by Ace535i

How does the premium BMW sound system compare to the LOGIC7 H/K in the high-end Mercedes?

The BMW has an equalizer which the MB system does not.

I think Logic 7 is better than BMW's current high end system. I have a 2007 3 Series with Logic 7, nothing short of fantastic. The current system is good, but not as good.

BTW, you need to get premium sound. It is well worth it.