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      02-18-2014, 05:09 PM   #1
cksv
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Harman Kardon option - did anyone notice?

Did anyone else notice the option on the F80/82 for the "Harman Kardon surround sound system"? On the E90/92 the audio upgrade was "Enhanced Premium Sound". Having owned both a 335is with the Harman Kardon and an M3 with the Premium Sound I'm really happy that they are bringing the Harman Kardon to the F80/82 M3. Personally I think the Premium Sound is horrible in comparison to the Harman Kardon. No bass or mids and very "bright". Good for listening to music at low volumes but does not do well when turned up. Also the Harman Kardon is over $1,000 cheaper than the Premium Sound.

It's sad to say but this is one of the few areas I think they improved on with the latest iteration.
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      02-18-2014, 05:16 PM   #2
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Yep, we noticed.


P.S. I think they improved more than just a few areas.
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      02-18-2014, 05:31 PM   #3
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Agreed. I am also happy with this one. Even more so, because the HK system is back as a standard item in Canada (Premium sound was a $1200 option on the E9X in Canada when I bought my M3 in 2008 , but the HK was standard in my E46)
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      02-18-2014, 05:35 PM   #4
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Just keep in mind, many HK systems on BMW's were pretty bad.

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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."
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      02-18-2014, 05:38 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aus View Post
Just keep in mind, many HK systems on BMW's were pretty bad.

.
Not to put a damper on your negativity, but I heard it in Houston and it sounds great. Many others have had similar feedback

I'm very excited about a ton of things about this car
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      02-18-2014, 05:48 PM   #6
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Yup we know about the new beat box. I heard it myself, I'm moist!!!
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      02-18-2014, 05:58 PM   #7
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Yup we know about the new beat box. I heard it myself, I'm moist!!!
*drip* *drip* *drip*
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      02-18-2014, 06:05 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KennyPowers View Post
Not to put a damper on your negativity, but I heard it in Houston and it sounds great. Many others have had similar feedback

I'm very excited about a ton of things about this car
You got to listent to it with all doors closed? How about a with the engine running and some road and wind noise???

Not trying to been an ass, but I'm just saying don't get too excited because BMW slapped HK on the stereo. Now if it was B&O or Merridian, I'd be more inclined to get excited about it.

.
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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."

Last edited by aus; 02-18-2014 at 06:13 PM..
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      02-18-2014, 06:10 PM   #9
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HK sound was awful in the E46, but at least there is some optimistic feedback from those that have heard the system in this car.
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      02-18-2014, 06:12 PM   #10
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OP,

I don't think you know what you are talking about. I had HK in my 335 (E90) and I have EPS in my M3 (E90). There is so much difference between the two, EPS is far better than the HK in the old E9X. I have listened the HK in 550 and F3X and I don't find it so much better than EPS, I'd say they are pretty close. I have also listened the HK in the F80 M3 and didn't think it was that much better than what I heard in the 550. The HK in the new cars are better than the HK in the old cars though.
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      02-18-2014, 06:13 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by signes View Post
HK sound was awful in the E46, but at least there is some optimistic feedback from those that have heard the system in this car.
That's what I base my "negativity" on . HK was GARBAGE in the E46 line.

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Let me get this straight... You are swapping out parts designed by some of the top engineers in the world because some guys sponsored by a company told you it's "better??" But when you ask the same guy about tracking, "oh no, I have a kid now" or "I just detailed my car." or "i just got new tires."

Last edited by aus; 02-18-2014 at 06:35 PM..
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      02-18-2014, 06:15 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RealStig View Post
OP,

I don't think you know what you are talking about. I had HK in my 335 (E90) and I have EPS in my M3 (E90). There is so much difference between the two, EPS is far better than the HK in the old E9X. I have listened the HK in 550 and F3X and I don't find it so much better than EPS, I'd say they are pretty close. I have also listened the HK in the F80 M3 and didn't think it was that much better than what I heard in the 550. The HK in the new cars are better than the HK in the old cars though.
The difference between the HK and EPS systems in the E92 are day and night to me. I guess it comes down to personal preference.
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      02-18-2014, 06:45 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by cksv View Post
The difference between the HK and EPS systems in the E92 are day and night to me. I guess it comes down to personal preference.
^^^This! ....and people should shy away from making definitive comments about something as subjective as sound.
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      02-18-2014, 06:53 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RealStig View Post
OP,

I don't think you know what you are talking about. I had HK in my 335 (E90) and I have EPS in my M3 (E90). There is so much difference between the two, EPS is far better than the HK in the old E9X. I have listened the HK in 550 and F3X and I don't find it so much better than EPS, I'd say they are pretty close. I have also listened the HK in the F80 M3 and didn't think it was that much better than what I heard in the 550. The HK in the new cars are better than the HK in the old cars though.
So once again he doesn't know or we don't know even though we have heard in person (DC show for me) yet most of us vouching that it sounds better falls short to your expert ears! I get it, we are not at your level of being an audiophile.
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      02-18-2014, 07:10 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by //M sa View Post
So once again he doesn't know or we don't know even though we have heard in person (DC show for me) yet most of us vouching that it sounds better falls short to your expert ears! I get it, we are not at your level of being an audiophile.
I have heard:

- HK in E9X
- HK in F3X
- HK in F10
- B&O in F10 M5
- HK in F80 M3
- EPS in E9X M3

I can tell you right off the bat that HK in E9X was absolutely terrible compared to everything else up there. It was just low quality.

I'd also say the HK in F3X and F10 are pretty much the same, I could not spot any differences at all.

The B&O in M5 is far more superior, it's like comparing a 328 to a Porsche 911 GT3. It's in a different league of its own, so let's just say that and move on.

The HK in F80 M3 is certainly better than HK in F30 and F10 and it's pretty close to EPS for my taste. That being said, it's a system that is very easy to use and it has a lot of low bass. It's a great system and for the average joe who listens pop and techno at %35-40 volume at most, it's an amazing system. The EPS was not a system that was optimized for the average joe though. You had to really turn it up, play around with the EQ and even then it wasn't a system that was suitable for everyday use. This isn't about the subwoofer or the overall wattage of the system, the base EQ was not tweaked that way and I can see why a lot of people think the new HK is better than EPS.

As others have said, to each his own. But I wouldn't say the old HK in E9X (335is) is better than EPS, no, there is no way.

You should listen the B&O in the M5 and then come back to HK. That thing is amazing. I wish they offered it in M3.
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      02-18-2014, 07:17 PM   #16
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This will be hard to beat I feel. Lear & Dirac live together mmmm Not a HK fan but I will see.


Option 752: digital 9-channel amplifier with digital sound processing, amplifier power 825 W with a total of 16 high-end loudspeakers (Neodym magnetic drives, hexacone diaphragm):
- 1 coaxial centre speaker (2-loudspeaker system consisting of tweeters and midrange speaker) in instrument panel centre
- 1 tweeter (silk tweeters) in each mirror triangles
- 1 midrange speaker in the trim panels of each rear door
- 1 bass speakers underneath each front seat
- 1 coaxial speaker (2-loudspeaker system consisting of tweeters and midrange speaker) below rear parcel shelf
- 2 midrange speakers and 2 tweeters on each side at the rear
DIRAC Live technology enables perfectly timed sound experience in all seats, colour-matched loudspeaker bezels. Setting for sound, stereo or spatial sound (Dolby Pro Logic II) and 7-band equalizer via iDrive
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      02-18-2014, 07:26 PM   #17
cksv
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Is the B&O in the M5 anything like the B&O in the RS5? Both my friend and I listened to that during a test drive and we unanimously thought it sounded bad. Even some of the guys on the Audi forums prefer the BMW HK: http://www.a5oc.com/forums/a5-perfor...g-olufsen.html. The EPS system very much reminds me of the B&O in that car.

Anyway, I really feel like there is a lack of midrange with EPS. I've tweaked the EQ settings quite a bit but it's still not right. That system gives me a headache after listening to it for 10 minutes!
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      02-18-2014, 07:41 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VCP View Post
This will be hard to beat I feel. Lear & Dirac live together mmmm Not a HK fan but I will see.


Option 752: digital 9-channel amplifier with digital sound processing, amplifier power 825 W with a total of 16 high-end loudspeakers (Neodym magnetic drives, hexacone diaphragm):
- 1 coaxial centre speaker (2-loudspeaker system consisting of tweeters and midrange speaker) in instrument panel centre
- 1 tweeter (silk tweeters) in each mirror triangles
- 1 midrange speaker in the trim panels of each rear door
- 1 bass speakers underneath each front seat
- 1 coaxial speaker (2-loudspeaker system consisting of tweeters and midrange speaker) below rear parcel shelf
- 2 midrange speakers and 2 tweeters on each side at the rear
DIRAC Live technology enables perfectly timed sound experience in all seats, colour-matched loudspeaker bezels. Setting for sound, stereo or spatial sound (Dolby Pro Logic II) and 7-band equalizer via iDrive
Silk Dome! This will make me like it much more.
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      02-18-2014, 07:47 PM   #19
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All I know is nothing will compare to X5m stereo love it
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      02-18-2014, 07:53 PM   #20
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All I know is nothing will compare to X5m stereo love it
You and I have agreed on this point multiple times. The acoustics/sound system in the X5 is wonderful.
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      02-18-2014, 07:54 PM   #21
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Tonymiabmw View Post
All I know is nothing will compare to X5m stereo love it
You and I have agreed on this point multiple times. The acoustics/sound system in the X5 is wonderful.
Yeah love it hands down one of that best stock systems I've ever owned
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      02-18-2014, 08:40 PM   #22
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Regardless, for only $875, HK in the new M3 is a bargain.
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