Cheapest way to improve audio on HiFi system?

[Capt Crunch]

So I got a near-stripper M3 and stupidly assumed that the audio would be more than enough for my needs because my old base 2012 GTI had plenty of audio power. I typically listened to music at around 25% and 50% if I was cranking it with the windows down.

The M3 audio is weak in comparison! It has to be at 50% just to hear it, and pretty much at 100% if I want to hear it on the highway with the windows down. Sucks!

I'm not going to spend a ton of money on this because the $800 or whatever for the HK system wasn't worth it to me (I'm no audiophile, so I don't pay that much for speakers at home, why should I do it for my car?). In one of my older cars I swapped out the front speakers with some nicer ones and the sound improved markedly. Can I do the same with the M3? Do I need an amp instead? What is the best bang/buck?

Thanks!

[e36]

As a fellow hifi owner, I'll be the first to say that you are screwed my friend.


That said, I hope someone can chime in with something more constructive because I want an upgrade, too.

[e36]

As a fellow hifi owner, I'll be the first to say that you are screwed my friend.


That said, I hope someone can chime in with something more constructive because I want an upgrade, too.

[Denso]

Originally Posted by e36

As a fellow hifi owner, I'll be the first to say that you are screwed my friend.


That said, I hope someone can chime in with something more constructive because I want an upgrade, too.

Bavsound 1 speakers can make a huge difference and if you want to go fully to the next level, do the Bavsound 1 speaker and the bimmertech amplifier upgrades together.

Cheers,
Denso

[e36]

Capt,

In addition to what Denso posted, check this thread out- http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1133971 . It is a review about the amp he mention and it seems that our amp can be swapped out rather simply.

[Capt Crunch]

Bavsound speakers + amp is a couple grand... more than I was hoping to spend. Would the stock hifi speakers with the bimmertech amp be completely pointless?

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by Capt Crunch

Bavsound speakers + amp is a couple grand... more than I was hoping to spend. Would the stock hifi speakers with the bimmertech amp be completely pointless?

Not at all. My honest advice is to do our upgrade first and if you're not satisfied do the Bavsound upgrade afterwards. I have a feeling that you will happy with just the PP82DSP upgrade.

[Capt Crunch]

So apparently the bavsound speakers are $600, and not the $1k I was thinking. Now the amp and the speakers are roughly the same cost. If you had to pick one, which would you choose?

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by Capt Crunch

So apparently the bavsound speakers are $600, and not the $1k I was thinking. Now the amp and the speakers are roughly the same cost. If you had to pick one, which would you choose?

The amp/dsp combo without looking back. The Hifi speakers are not that bad, is the amp that's the weakest link in the HIFI system. It will give you the clarity and volume that you're looking for.

[Denso]

Originally Posted by Capt Crunch

So apparently the bavsound speakers are $600, and not the $1k I was thinking. Now the amp and the speakers are roughly the same cost. If you had to pick one, which would you choose?

If you can squeeze the cost of both do it, you won't regret it.

Denso

[sandwi54]

Originally Posted by Capt Crunch

So apparently the bavsound speakers are $600, and not the $1k I was thinking. Now the amp and the speakers are roughly the same cost. If you had to pick one, which would you choose?

Definitely the amp. There was some improvement in clarity when I upgraded the OEM speakers to Bavsound, but the real improvement was when I upgraded the amp to Bimmertech. It's 4 times louder across all frequencies and the adjustability is impressive.

[Capt Crunch]

New question for those that bought the amp... does bimmertech help you turn off or otherwise deal with ASD? Or are you on your own to do that?

[RocketBoots]

Originally Posted by Nelson@BimmerTech

The amp/dsp combo without looking back. The Hifi speakers are not that bad, is the amp that's the weakest link in the HIFI system. It will give you the clarity and volume that you're looking for.

Remember, this is someone who sells the amp, so there might be some ulterior motives Having said that, and since you specifically mention that loudness is important to you, I would absolutely recommend doing the amp first. Just the fact that it has a real DSP will make everything sound better. Helix makes top notch stuff (their big bro, Brax, makes amps that are $5,000). And don't be fooled by the 'small' numbers of the PP82DSP; they are orders of magnitude better than the factory amp.

Originally Posted by Capt Crunch

New question for those that bought the amp... does bimmertech help you turn off or otherwise deal with ASD? Or are you on your own to do that?

I seriously doubt it. But if you've done any coding at all, it's fairly easy. Otherwise, you could have someone do it for you.

You'll get the best bang/buck with BimmerTech + Bavsound. And it doesn't get any easier, install wise.

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by RocketBoots

Remember, this is someone who sells the amp, so there might be some ulterior motives Having said that, and since you specifically mention that loudness is important to you, I would absolutely recommend doing the amp first. Just the fact that it has a real DSP will make everything sound better. Helix makes top notch stuff (their big bro, Brax, makes amps that are $5,000). And don't be fooled by the 'small' numbers of the PP82DSP; they are orders of magnitude better than the factory amp.



I seriously doubt it. But if you've done any coding at all, it's fairly easy. Otherwise, you could have someone do it for you.

You'll get the best bang/buck with BimmerTech + Bavsound. And it doesn't get any easier, install wise.

I was hesitant to post on this because of that

Here's a pic of my Brax MX4s I take car audio serious as you can see. I also compete in SQ, I won't show off the trophies :P

[RocketBoots]

Originally Posted by Nelson@BimmerTech

I was hesitant to post on this because of that

Here's a pic of my Brax MX4s I take car audio serious as you can see. I also compete in SQ, I won't show off the trophies :P

Oh WOW That's about $14g's worth of gear I see right there... You're just a little bit into car audio, huh?

This would be the complete OPPOSITE of the post topic

What car is that? And what are you running for your front stage, and what locations?

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by RocketBoots

Oh WOW That's about $14g's worth of gear I see right there... You're just a little bit into car audio, huh?

This would be the complete OPPOSITE of the post topic

What car is that? And what are you running for your front stage, and what locations?

More like 17k but who's counting right? lol..Oh and that's a full Alcantara trunk

05 E60. Dynaudio Esotar2 3 way set. Kicks. No rear fill.

[RocketBoots]

Totally Sorry OP. I'll use PM

But that's a pretty amazing car!!

[kitw]

Originally Posted by Capt Crunch

So I got a near-stripper M3 and stupidly assumed that the audio would be more than enough for my needs because my old base 2012 GTI had plenty of audio power. I typically listened to music at around 25% and 50% if I was cranking it with the windows down.

The M3 audio is weak in comparison! It has to be at 50% just to hear it, and pretty much at 100% if I want to hear it on the highway with the windows down. Sucks!

I'm not going to spend a ton of money on this because the $800 or whatever for the HK system wasn't worth it to me (I'm no audiophile, so I don't pay that much for speakers at home, why should I do it for my car?). In one of my older cars I swapped out the front speakers with some nicer ones and the sound improved markedly. Can I do the same with the M3? Do I need an amp instead? What is the best bang/buck?

Thanks!

You'll get more bang for the buck out of an amp. I just did the Bimmertech amp upgrade and I'm absolutely thrilled with it - noticeable difference in clarity etc. I had to turn the gain down a little big because the PDC bongs and welcome BINGS got pretty loud, and I coded off ASD because it got really really loud. But, you can fix that either with the gain of the amp or with coding. Having a good EQ built into the DSP software (and a really good starting point from Bimmertech as far as an EQ curve) made a huge difference.

[AlterZgo]

Amp is definitely the way to go first. The DSP is critical for time alignment, imaging, etc. the under seat woofers will have some balls with amplified power.