patently Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 I used to know a guy who never even listened to music in a convertible because of it. I find a flat six provides the perfect audio system for a convertible, but Peter's straight six should be good, too 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 I find a flat six provides the perfect audio system for a convertible, but Peter's straight six should be good, too That's also the reason I rarely had the stereo on in my M3 Convertible. Fabulous 6 cylinder howl from that 3.2 litre piece of wizardy. It was the same in the 645. Just a deeper grumble and fantastic tunnel-hunting tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 M3 Convertible. Fabulous 6 cylinder howl from that 3.2 litre piece of wizardy. I've had the joy of owning that engine, too. Wonderful, but the flat six is better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 The HK in the 2series is widely reviewed as being a waste of money on most BMW forums, but unless you want to start pulling the car apart and doing a custom install your options are limited. In light of this, if you want or need information about the system familiarize yourself with the content in the audio/nav on the 2Addicts forum. You'll discover that the issues with the 2 Series HK system are many, and that upgrading it is immensely beneficial, relatively inexpensive, and fairly straightforward in most cases. Audio/nav forum: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=520 A more balanced thread: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1236238 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZURES3 Posted April 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 I have to say I am more impressed than I expected with HK system after some of the reviews but pulling the car apart for aftermarket install seems too risky. I see BMW now offer an Alpine dealer fit upgrade too http://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/topics/discover-bmw/accessories/accessoryDetail.accessoryId=8943.html#eyJhc19xIjoiaW5tZXRhOmF2YWlsYWJsZUZvck1vZGVsU2VyaWVzJTNEQk1XJTI1MjAyJTI1MjBTZXJpZXMlMjUyMENvdXAlQzMlQTkgaW5tZXRhOmF2YWlsYWJsZUZvck1vZGVscyUzRFoyTUcgaW5tZXRhOnByb2R1Y3RDYXRlZ29yeSUzRE1hbnVmYWN0dXJlckFjY2Vzc29yeUNhdGVnb3J5NSJ9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 (edited) I wouldn't upgrade myself, I'd go to a specialist. I've listened to many a HK system in a variety of BMW's and I always come away feeling underwhelmed. In the M3's it was a travesty. Sit and listen to any independent amp/speaker change for the same amount of money and it is like chalk and cheese. The reality is that if you want good quality audio you never select a manufacturer system. The Audi BOSE range is probably the best of any and certainly smacks the rear of BMW systems. In respect of Alpine, BMW have had a working relationship with them for a long time. Let's not forget that Alpine make the headunits of a whole host of car brands. They're simply not branded. If you listen to a branded Alpine system in any other type of car, especially with their latest head units, it blows the BMW branded units to pieces. Edited April 24, 2016 by NewNiceMrMe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdiesel Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 I had advanced on my previous M135 and have the HK in my current. Is it a system to please audiophiles. No. But it is much better than the advanced. It does take a little running in to get the best out of it though. I enjoy listening to gangsta rap on it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 (edited) I should say something to define a point here.... I rarely listen to music. I tend to spend all my car time listening to Radio 5 Live. That makes me a poor judge. When I do listen, it is usually through the connection to my iPhone 6 on either Amazon Music, iTunes or the 3GS phone I have in the cradle with stored music on it. As I understand it, both of the latter use different forms of connection and quality of music is also dependent on the source as well as the connection. The best system from BMW I've ever heard was in the new 7 series a few months back (edited to add that it is a Bower & Wilkins system that is the top option in the new 7 series). That was very impressive indeed but would be completely wasted on me. I remember Turner Audio once telling me how many people missed the point that systems are very restricted by interior design on cars and that BMW's were generally poor for audio quality in their experience because of what BMW did to the interior layout for all the right reasons. I had never really given much consideration to that. Edited April 24, 2016 by NewNiceMrMe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3Bangs Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 Jim, Maybe it's that thumping of the gangsta rap and not understanding a word of what they're saying sometimes that makes us think it's a great system 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 [brrrrrrrraaaaaaapppppp] *fingersnap* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 It's a sign of growing up or getting old or something - the only time I play Prodigy these days is when I'm testing a new car stereo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted April 24, 2016 Report Share Posted April 24, 2016 I've only got the standard in my 5 GT and its shocking not very good at all. However my wife has the same 'standard' setup in hers and its night and day better, plenty of bass and a lovely mid range I'd be happy if someone told me it was the HK but it isn't. Its a shame BMW don't provide the Advanced as standard as they do in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 I have Bose in my current A8. I did not have Bose in the previous A8. The difference - Wow! The previous sound was quite flat and if you turned the bass up, there would be lots of vibration and stuff. Now, I can turn the bass up for stuff and it's fantastic. Massive, massive difference. No nasty vibrations, bass and tunes clear as. I won't get another without Bose now. I wonder what the B&O one sounds like in them! I would hate to see the upgrade cost on the options list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 Eldavo was telling me yesterday that the premium audio option on the new Porsche Boxster is very good value. A mere £2,700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riz Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 The DynAudio setup in the Golf 7 is really decent for the £550 price tag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuprabob Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 The DynAudio setup in the Golf 7 is really decent for the £550 price tag I have Dynaudio in my Scirocco and it's good enough for my ears, although it doesn't have the sub-woofer in the spare wheel well, as per the latest set up in the Scirocco / Golf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 Eldavo was telling me yesterday that the premium audio option on the new Porsche Boxster is very good value. A mere £2,700. On the Cayenne, there are three levels. There is the basic one, then for £900ish you can have Bose: BOSE® Surround Sound System with 14 speakers including active subwoofer and a total output of 665 watts. BOSE® Centerpoint® 2 and SurroundStage® technologies enable the system to play stereo recordings in a virtual surround mode. In conjunction with PCM, full use is made of the impressive sound spectrum of 5.1 digital recordings. AudioPilot® Noise Compensation Technology ensures a consistent and well-balanced sound in all driving conditions. and for a mere £3,230 you can have the Burmester system: Burmester® High-End Surround Sound System with a total output of more than 1,000 watts and 16 individually driven loudspeakers including a 25-cm 300-watt active subwoofer with Class D digital amplifier. Complex high-end components such as special ribbon tweeters (air motion transformers (AMT) and a total diaphragm area of more than 2,400 cm2 offer precise reproduction even at high volume settings. Several preset sound sets ensure a superb musical experience, while the Sound Conditioner captures the sound in real time using a microphone and finely adjusts it to the prevailing driving situation. I didn't listen to any of them, but Bose seems pretty common on the specs of the used ones so picked it on that basis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 I have Dynaudio in my Scirocco and it's good enough for my ears, although it doesn't have the sub-woofer in the spare wheel well, as per the latest set up in the Scirocco / Golf. That reminds me. The C70 has the top of the range DynAudio system. It would blow the socks off the BMW system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 (edited) Mrs T has JBL (I think) in her Prius and frankly I think it's utter crap, zero bass, no depth, god knows what the huge box of electronics under the passenger seat does but it doesn't seem to help the sound quality. My old Galaxy has the standard Ford system and it's much better than her JBL, for a bog standard system I actually think it's really quite good, but, the new Galaxy has the Ford 'premium audio' in it, wow, what a difference, it's night and day, so much fuller, more bass, better clarity, it's wasted on me really as I spend most of the day listening to 5 live. Edited April 25, 2016 by Tipex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 A Galaxy is an inherently better interior shape for an audio system to cope with, though. One of the best-sounding system I had was the bog-standard head unit and couple of ordinary speakers fitted in my old Defender, just because the box-shaped interior didn't create any issues for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 (edited) Can't honestly say the shape of the interior has ever been an issue in any of my cars, yes there is more air to move around in a Galaxy, but I've had things with tiny interiors such as an MR2 Turbo, or our MX5 which also had fantastic sound systems. I think the quality of the speakers first and foremost, then the head unit play the biggest part, all the Prius really needs is more bass, annoyingly the eq doesn't allow you to ramp it up much, a loudness button would help, and if those speakers really are JBL they should be able to cope with it. Edited April 25, 2016 by Tipex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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