[Pantagathus]

Originally Posted by bri1042

I've upgraded the sound in every BMW I've owned. The HK in this is no where near as bad as the fake "HK" sound was in my M2C. And I've heard the base audio in the 2 series and the X1 and it's utterly dreadful. I'm not discounting that our fellow forum member is unhappy with it, but it really is no where near as bad as base X1 sound.

The primary issues with it are the same as earlier HK systems I've heard:

1. the metal HK tweeters are harsh. I've used HK tweets with expert DSP work running through them and they never stop being harsh but aren't physically that awful. It's placement and tuning. The location of the front tweeters essentially demands soft-dome tweeters unless the human listening to them really loves high notes.
2. We're too close to the driver's side speakers. This was REALLY an issue in the smaller 2, but remains an issue in the 3. My SO has a 530e and it's JUST far enough away. Echolocation causes this to always seem off at that point, and the system's use of the evil center channel doesn't help. Fade 1 step back, and two steps right (for left-hand drive) and it reduces the issue considerably in the G80 (and makes it worse for your passenger)
3. The Under-Seat woofers are underpowered in relation to the rest of the drivers. Again, I think it's less of an issue on the G80 system after living with it for a week and a half, but I still have the bass pushed further up in the EQ than I would if the power ratio was spread out better.

Overall, I'm less offended by the HK system in my M3 than I have been with any other HK system I've had. And I'm deeply picky.

One other note:

EVERY comment about audio systems comes down to what you are listening to, what your ears are used to, and what your ears are capable of. You can run spectrum analyzers until the end of time, but most humans are NOT looking for a perfect system. They are looking for a sound system that meets their specific criteria. I don't listen to techno, rap, house, or EDM. Or Country. But I listen to almost everything else. I've heard a system tuned specifically for a guy who loves EDM. He loved it, I hated it. The professional tuner also hated it but it was what they guy wanted.

I think most buyers won't notice where this HK system fails. Time will tell how much it's particular failures annoy me and what that eventually does to my budget. :-)

I am a little surprised they went with the HK sound system for the M3/M4. They put in merino leather as standard, but then cheap out on sound. I guess maybe they just figure people who want to upgrade will do aftermarket anyway. I had a B&O system 2 cars ago and Bose in my current car, and the B&O was hands down the best, just beautiful sound. That said, HK knows owns B&O's auto division, so maybe those differences are a myth now anyway