[dardeca]

Trying to get my specs figured out for my M550i order coming up. Curious what people think of the B&W diamond surround system and if it's worth the $3,400 upcharge? Is the difference that noticeable over the Harmon Kardon system?

[Canuck99]

Same story as any other upgrade; some say no, some say yes....
I have the HK system and am perfectly pleased with it. I can find some sources that don't sound that great on the system (FM radio, Classic rock on Sirius XM). For those I really have to crank up the bass and play with the equalizer. If I put on a Sirius XM station like "Chill", I'm turning the bass way down...

[visualguy]

I compared the HK and B&W using uncompressed high-resolution FLAC files with various types of music, including acoustic. This was in stationary cars with no ambient noise.

The B&W is a bit better than the HK, but not by much. If money isn't an issue, I would get it just to have the best available for the car. However, if money is a constraint, then skip is - you don't miss much by not having it.

I was expecting the B&W to be in the same league as the Burmester upgrade in Mercedes and Porsche cars, but it isn't. The sound quality of the B&W is much closer to the HK than the Burmester.

[wknddrivr]

I haven't heard the B&W, but I do have the HK and not satisfied with it.

The HK sound system is decent, but it doesn't produce the level of clarity that I'd like, and the staging isn't great either. It's certainly better than the base system and worth the $800 extra over the HiFi, but I wish I had tried out the B&W and potentially gotten that.

Some posts have suggested that HK+ BavSound upgrade is extremely good. Mine is a lease and I have no idea whether I will buy the car or turn it back in so I don't want to spend money on upgrades unless I'm certain that I'll buy.

[ksoze]

The B&W system is very good. How much better that HK? I don't know, but I do know the B&W is for me the best OEM system I have ever heard.

The usual caveats apply - use lossless media and play with the EQ and tone to find your sweet spot. I find the bass deep and the lack of distortion at high levels excellent. In the end, it was a little over $20 a month on a lease and was worth that easily. A few less Starbuck latte's a month and you can have an excellent audio system in an excellent car.

[nyc_alex]

I have the B&W, but never heard the other BMW audio systems to compare. Overall, I don't think it is worth anywhere near what they charge for it. It does sound good but I had to turn down the treble quite a bit. At home I have a $300 headphone setup (HD-6xx and a decent dac/amp) that blows it away. Obviously apples and oranges in a way since headphones always provide great bang for the buck, but the point is don't spend a lot of money on car audio for quality. Just spend enough so it sounds decent and use headphones when you want a great audio experience.

[SweEngineer]

I'm sure the B&W is great. I actually have a B&W hi-fi system at home and very satisfied with it. I'm a musician and I love good sounding audio systems but I would never pay the extra premium for a car sound system no matter how good it is. For the same money I'd rather pay for a home hifi, simply because I can enjoy the music more at home, in a calm environment rather than in a car and in caotic traffic. In the end it's all about where you like to actually listen to good music. Is it in the car, go for it otherwise go for HK I'm sure it's good enough.

[X6DB]

I owned the B&O system in my F10 M5 and currently have the B&W system in my M550i. B&O was good, but B&W is significantly better in my opinion. I suspect that at lower volumes the HK system is comparable to the B&W (my wife has the HK system in her X3 M40i), but it's no contest at higher volume levels. The clarity, the tonal balance, and the sound stage are simply awesome in the B&W system. Money well spent for me.

[Anonymous 2]

No, it doesn't. I care so much to music in the car and i have B&W now on my 2016 g12 750li and i had B&O and H&K, on my 2014's. B&O is the best, H&K is even better than B&W, in my opinion B&W doesn't worth even 500$, i can't believe it has a 1400Watts power, it's a lie. B&W is a shame for a valuable car brands in the world like BMW.

[NicoleLusts4BMW]

Anytime a car company charges that much more for a so called upgraded sound system assume its a waste of money. Unless of course you have more money than brains.

[530iDriver]

I am with one of the previous posters above me... If you want to spend the money on a sound system, do so on a home setup.

I have the standard G30 stereo and I am quite happy with it. Source material quality is where is at...

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by NicoleLusts4BMW

Anytime a car company charges that much more for a so called upgraded sound system assume its a waste of money. Unless of course you have more money than brains.

Sometimes it's not really worth it, as in this case where the B&W isn't much better than the HK. However, there are some cases where it may be worth it to some. For example, the upgraded Burmester sound systems offered by Porsche and Mercedes are truly exceptional.

[nsa100]

As people as mentioned above.

The previous B&O system was better in my opinion(apart form the centre speaker vibrating).

There definitely seems to be more bass roll off at high volumes more than the B&O system did.

If you read the 7 series forums, people were having the amp failing on the B&W systems, so I wonder if BMW dialled back the bass a little at higher volumes to protect the amp?

You can read my take on it here:
http://g30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1433915

I decided to add some 8" Subs to help reinforce the bass at higher volumes.

http://g30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1443805

[ksoze]

The bass on the B&W system is excellent for an OEM system. If it has bass roll off at 80% volume as stated, I would never know, as that volume would be insane to my ears. The wide range of fidelity in the media being auditioned is the greatest factor when reviewing these systems.

As to the not needing a system like this because one would rather invest in a home system - some of us would like and can afford both. Some also find the time in the car an ideal time to listen to music and this system does an excellent job considering the environment - expensive, yes.

[MrRX34]

My M550 came equipped with the B&W and I haven't had a chance to compare it the G30 HK system but coming from an M4 that had HK it is far superior sounding although the bass is just okay.
It's meant for sharper sounding quality rather than just having a "system" that causes window shattering and unnecessary attention.

The only pet peeve I have is that the lighting stays white and doesn't change when different lighting colors are selected, but it seems to change in some YouTube videos I've seen with the BW system in the 7er.

[ksoze]

Originally Posted by MrRX34

The only pet peeve I have is that the lighting stays white and doesn't change when different lighting colors are selected, but it seems to change in some YouTube videos I've seen with the BW system in the 7er.

If you are selecting a different color from the LIGHTING menu option, then I would take it in to dealer. It does change on the M550 when a color is selected from the palette, we well as the intensity.

[MrRX34]

Originally Posted by ksoze

If you are selecting a different color from the LIGHTING menu option, then I would take it in to dealer. It does change on the M550 when a color is selected from the palette, we well as the intensity.

I actually contacted BMW genius and they told me the diamond lights in the B&W speakers stay white and don't change with the ambient lighting, not sure if that only applies only to Euro or Non-US spec models.

Do you have pics so I can show my dealer?

Thanks.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by ksoze

The bass on the B&W system is excellent for an OEM system. If it has bass roll off at 80% volume as stated, I would never know, as that volume would be insane to my ears. The wide range of fidelity in the media being auditioned is the greatest factor when reviewing these systems.

As to the not needing a system like this because one would rather invest in a home system - some of us would like and can afford both. Some also find the time in the car an ideal time to listen to music and this system does an excellent job considering the environment - expensive, yes.

I can afford both as well. But it doesn't mean I should...

[ksoze]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

I can afford both as well. But it doesn't mean I should...

Hey, its a free country (for now), so you get to do what you want.

[Hansell]

Yes. It is expensive, however, it is incredible how loud it goes. No distortion just tight and clear. Oh the clarity and also B&W sound options like stage, live , studio...plus full eq settings. It is not bass driven like a silly bose system but there is sufficient and appropriate bass in my opinion. Unless you need to feel the whole car shake and your seat get a massage from the bass. I also love the aesthetics and how high quality it looks.

[ksoze]

Originally Posted by MrRX34

I actually contacted BMW genius and they told me the diamond lights in the B&W speakers stay white and don't change with the ambient lighting, not sure if that only applies only to Euro or Non-US spec models.

Do you have pics so I can show my dealer?

Thanks.

I may have misunderstood the question - I think it is correct the lights in the tweeter do not change color with the ambient strips.

[tyranniux]

For those with hk who arent entirely happy with it, try disconnecting the centre channel and then wonder why the car ever shipped with a centre channel in thw first place. Truly astounding difference. I have also used a spectrum analyser to tune my eq, sounds excellent now. There are a few peaky frequencies that are the worst offenders so as a start knock 500hz and 5khz down to -5 and see how that sounds for you.

Ive posted my full eq settings in another post in the bluetooth/coding section (post entitled hk centre channel)