[kjx]

How are you guys liking the bass on your HK systems?

The car's got the worst bass of any car I've ever had. I am unable to perceive any significant difference between 0 bass and max bass (forget between one or two notches above the mid-point). There's some minor difference but I almost feel like it's like a placebo effect.

Input source: Apple CarPlay (shouldn't affect this as I'm running Carplay in my other car too)

Cars I'm comparing with:
2016 BMW 435i Gran Coupe with HK - sweet bass, very solid and obvious
2021 BMW X5 45e with HK - excellent sound system, great bass

And then there's my 2022 BMW M4 Competition that sounds like it's got almost no bass. I'm almost inclined to believe that there's something wrong with the amplifier or the bass speakers that are supposed to be under the seats.

Other than bass, most other frequencies also sound quite unimpressive compared to how rich and premium the same music sounds in my X5 45e. I get that a 5-series like class of vehicle may have better sound than a 3/4-series class vehicle but the difference is stark. And it used to be so much better in the 435i GC I sold.

All this said, the ASD produces a lot of bass. Which confuses me even more.

[Alpine300zhp]

I agree with you. This HK system is by far the worst of any HK I have had and I've had a lot of them. If the BW from the M8 was an option on this car, I would gladly have paid the money.

[BGM-M3COMP]

I'm not even a sound guy but i thought it was just my car. The HK system is my car sounds like garbage compared to the ancient bose system i have in my C7Z.

Like there's no comparison. No wonder the guy at the dealer that was guiding me with the intro of the car said, "hold up let me do the sound settings real quick".

Apparently whatever he did, did nothing. Because it still sucks.

[midlifecrisis]

Agreed. This is the only thing about this car that's really a disappointment. Not the worst car audio I ever had, but noticeably thinner than other BMW/HK systems in my cars.

[NightWriter]

I'm curious whether anyone has tried swapping out the subs under the seats? I believe they're the same ones as in the standard 3-series HK's.

[chicagofan00]

I have zero issues with the HK system. 🤷🏻*♂️

However I am:

1. Not a major audiophile and
2. I've been to way too many concerts without any hearing protection, so my hearing sucks.

As far as settings go, I have it set to use the Logic 7 surround and have the equalizer settings in somewhat of a V shape.

Again, not an audiophile so who knows if this is even a "correct" way of doing it but I'm satisfied with it based on my music listening.

[kjx]

Originally Posted by NightWriter

I'm curious whether anyone has tried swapping out the subs under the seats? I believe they're the same ones as in the standard 3-series HK's.

I'll have them test the audio system speaker by speaker with the first round of things I want them to address with the car.

It's not that it's bad - it's so bad I have to question if the speakers responsible for bass are even working. The limited amount of bass I'm hearing could be coming out the larger center speaker.

It's also weird that I have to push the volume above 50% to get the same level of overall loudness as 25% would produce in my X5. This is making me question if the system is 464-watt as they're actually claiming.

[dimmy]

Yea this system is pretty meh, especially after the 19 speaker, 780 watt one in my 21' RS5. Big letdown in that regard. I've tweaked the settings a bit which helped, but second the notion from the above user about having to push the volume to 50% or more to get decent sound.

What I did was push the treble all the way up, bass to +5, fader to -3, and also added the settings from that Youtuber (What's your forte). I may try different EQ settings too. One of my biggest annoyances is how much you have to raise the volume to hear the vocals in some songs and these settings did help quite a bit with that.

[BGM-M3COMP]

Originally Posted by chicagofan00

I have zero issues with the HK system. 🤷🏻*♂️

However I am:

1. Not a major audiophile and
2. I've been to way too many concerts without any hearing protection, so my hearing sucks.

As far as settings go, I have it set to use the Logic 7 surround and have the equalizer settings in somewhat of a V shape.

Again, not an audiophile so who knows if this is even a "correct" way of doing it but I'm satisfied with it based on my music listening.

That is EXACTLY how the guy at the dealer configured it lol. He must've done so many M3/M4's recently because he was in the passenger seat using the scroll wheel and it was doing it left handed like a pro. He literally configured all that in under 10 seconds. It was pretty impressive honestly.

Although the sound still isn't good lol

[playswcars]

I also came from an X5 45e with the hk option. The hk on the G20/80 is noticeably weaker and less punchy. The G05 system, once equalized properly sounded awesome.

I'll be looking into Bavsound or Focal upgrades this year.

[nearwater4me]

Yup, the HK in the G8x is probably one of the very few things that are inferior to the previous gens.

[chicagoguy0822]

I have a 2018 430i with the Harmon Kardon stereo and have a G83 on order. Is there a spot I can go to in order to do a comparison of the specs (output, # of speakers, etc)?

[Waterbelly]

Originally Posted by chicagofan00

I have zero issues with the HK system. 🤷🏻*♂️

However I am:

1. Not a major audiophile and
2. I've been to way too many concerts without any hearing protection, so my hearing sucks.

As far as settings go, I have it set to use the Logic 7 surround and have the equalizer settings in somewhat of a V shape.

Again, not an audiophile so who knows if this is even a "correct" way of doing it but I'm satisfied with it based on my music listening.

Ah, the legendary "v curve" setting - that's what I use on my Mesa Boogie guitar amplifiers.

As you were…

[dimmy]

Does anyone have exact settings for this V curve? Would be interested in trying it out

[kjx]

Originally Posted by dimmy

Yea this system is pretty meh, especially after the 19 speaker, 780 watt one in my 21' RS5. Big letdown in that regard. I've tweaked the settings a bit which helped, but second the notion from the above user about having to push the volume to 50% or more to get decent sound.

What I did was push the treble all the way up, bass to +5, fader to -3, and also added the settings from that Youtuber (What's your forte). I may try different EQ settings too. One of my biggest annoyances is how much you have to raise the volume to hear the vocals in some songs and these settings did help quite a bit with that.

So I tried a few things and I'm listing them in the order of percieved improvement:
1. Turned off Active Sound Design (requires Bimmercode or similar) - I was hesitant to do this before because I like the additional engine noise or thought I did. But two things happened when I did this -
(a) the engine and exhaust actually sounded so much better without the artificial drone drowning it out! I'm only hearing actual engine and exhaust noise now, and it all sounds so good in Sports+.
(b) music audio quality dramatically improved.

2. I had the 'Bowers & Wilkins' sound profiles available through Bimmercode. Changed it to the 'Movie Theater' sound profile. And also maxed out the surround intensity further down in that menu.

3. I set bass to max, and treble to -3.

Bass is more evident now and closer to what I had in my previous car. The sound system is not quite like in my X5 but at least it's not like something out of a $20K car.

[BGM-M3COMP]

Originally Posted by kjx

So I tried a few things and I'm listing them in the order of percieved improvement:
1. Turned off Active Sound Design (requires Bimmercode or similar) - I was hesitant to do this before because I like the additional engine noise or thought I did. But two things happened when I did this -
(a) the engine and exhaust actually sounded so much better without the artificial drone drowning it out! I'm only hearing actual engine and exhaust noise now, and it all sounds so good in Sports+.
(b) music audio quality dramatically improved.

2. I had the 'Bowers & Wilkins' sound profiles available through Bimmercode. Changed it to the 'Movie Theater' sound profile. And also maxed out the surround intensity further down in that menu.

3. I set bass to max, and treble to -3.

Bass is more evident now and closer to what I had in my previous car. The sound system is not quite like in my X5 but at least it's not like something out of a $20K car.

This might be a dumb question but does bimmercode void warranty?

I would really like to disable permanently the artificial sound. Plus i heard it can also permanently remove all the driver aids to stay OFF? Even when i restart the car. I hate having to manually turn everything off each time i start the car.

[BMWRacer523]

Originally Posted by BGM-M3COMP

This might be a dumb question but does bimmercode void warranty?

nah.. just coded a bunch of stuff today.

[kjx]

Originally Posted by BGM-M3COMP

This might be a dumb question but does bimmercode void warranty?

I would really like to disable permanently the artificial sound. Plus i heard it can also permanently remove all the driver aids to stay OFF? Even when i restart the car. I hate having to manually turn everything off each time i start the car.

If you're just changing basic settings, it's harmless. Officially, BMW does not have a policy on it that I'm aware of.

I don't remember seeing a setting to turn off driver aids permanently. I'm pretty alright will everything I can disable permanently in iDrive itself.

[BGM-M3COMP]

Originally Posted by kjx

If you're just changing basic settings, it's harmless. Officially, BMW does not have a policy on it that I'm aware of.

I don't remember seeing a setting to turn off driver aids permanently. I'm pretty alright will everything I can disable permanently in iDrive itself.

The button next to the hazards with the green circle, i just long press it until it turns off completely. Then seems to turn everything off. No more lane assist, no more front collision (which slams on the brakes when parking or going through my tight driveway).

I just hate pressing the button each time.

[dimmy]

Originally Posted by kjx

So I tried a few things and I'm listing them in the order of percieved improvement:
1. Turned off Active Sound Design (requires Bimmercode or similar) - I was hesitant to do this before because I like the additional engine noise or thought I did. But two things happened when I did this -
(a) the engine and exhaust actually sounded so much better without the artificial drone drowning it out! I'm only hearing actual engine and exhaust noise now, and it all sounds so good in Sports+.
(b) music audio quality dramatically improved.

2. I had the 'Bowers & Wilkins' sound profiles available through Bimmercode. Changed it to the 'Movie Theater' sound profile. And also maxed out the surround intensity further down in that menu.

3. I set bass to max, and treble to -3.

Bass is more evident now and closer to what I had in my previous car. The sound system is not quite like in my X5 but at least it's not like something out of a $20K car.

Thanks for the detailed write out! I'd love to get this a shot. Is bimmercode wireless or do you need to do connect through some sort of port in the car? Haven't used it before. Do you just buy the software (and hardware) on their site directly or do you decide what features you want coded and they do it for you?

[kjx]

Originally Posted by dimmy

Thanks for the detailed write out! I'd love to get this a shot. Is bimmercode wireless or do you need to do connect through some sort of port in the car? Haven't used it before. Do you just buy the software (and hardware) on their site directly or do you decide what features you want coded and they do it for you?

All you need to know is at the site: https://www.bimmercode.app/

You need to buy an OBD II Bluetooth dongle (not specific to Bimmercode) and then connect to it from the easy to use app. You have to pay for the app (once).

[rgrovr]

I wouldn't even bother with the HK system. First upgrade for me was Bavsound Stage 1 with subwoofers. Makes a dramatic difference in midrange and bass response.

The speaker replacements are easy to do as a DIY and take about half-a-day.

Bavsound website doesn't have a G80 to pick from but the system (HK 688) is exactly as the G20. No difference at all.