[paul e]

I have been fairly satisfied with the HK system on my 2016 340. The only thing that really has bugged me is the lack of bass response.

I’m not looking for that ridiculous thumping bass....but I am used to what I get in my home system...but that system features a couple of JL Fathom 13” subs. I’m also not expecting that in the car.

But I am somewhat intrigued by these BavSound Ghost subs.

So...has anyone with the HK system added the Ghosts? Was it a worthwhile upgrade?

Thanks.

[Billfitz]

It may be a worthwhile upgrade, it may not. There is no supporting data available for it to know one way or the other. I've seen the claim that they're 10dB louder than stock. That, I'm afraid, is simply not possible. The stock under seat woofers are very high quality. The primary factor that limits what they can do is the size of the enclosures, which can't be changed. If you want more than what they give the way to do it is with a trunk mounted separately powered sub.
I have seen real data on some under seat woofers that will outperform the stock drivers. One is the Earthquake SWS 8X, which will go quite a bit lower. However, it's only better when the amp is upgraded to at least 150w each for the woofer channels.

[BMR_CK]

Also considering this upgrade. If you wind up doing it let us know your opinion. I am a bit skeptical, but hopeful, they can improve bass response at certain frequencies.

[Larry77]

I've had a few configurations with the H/K and Bavsound.

I had just the ghost subs--felt like there was more mid-bass but a lot less low bass (installed for 2 months).

I then added the stage 1 speakers and ran all Bavsound--better mids and more natural highs, still missing the low end.

I returned all of the Bavsound speakers and went back to stock--sounded better than stock because I had all the sound deadener installed--even more low end, was pretty happy.

Then, more recently I wanted to try the stage 1 speakers with the stock underseat "subs"--More natural mids and highs, much better low-end with the sound deader in the "boxes" for the stock underseat subs.

I am pretty satisfied now, eventually I might do a whole system with MusicarNW but they want over $5k...ugh

[paul e]

Larry77...
Did you put deadener IN the boxes right under the subs themselves or were the boxes removed and the deadener put under them? Thanks.

[Larry77]

Originally Posted by paul e

Larry77...
Did you put deadener IN the boxes right under the subs themselves or were the boxes removed and the deadener put under them? Thanks.

Hey there, I put a little under the plastic "box" but I don't think the speakers displace enough to really be effected by that. I lined the inside of the box and put deadener into the "port" as far as I could reach. It really seamed to tighten up the sound and make the bass lower. Now I have a lot more rattling on the lower skirts (only heard outside the car) that I may tackle someday.

I just used whatever was the best rated deadener on Amazon, to me they are all about the same if you are comparing the same weight. I've had good results with FatMat, Dynamat, and this time with "Kilmat" from Amazon. I'd recommend the 80ml version of whichever brand you want to go with.

I'm also a big fan of sound deadener in the doors, in my 3-series I put it behind the speakers, around the speaker opening, and behind the door panels. I also used some deadening dense foam which made a HUGE difference for road noise. I'll link both of the products I used for you.

Kilmat deadener

Dense foam sound dampening

[Billfitz]

The Kilmat looks good. Don't bother with foam products. What damps vibrations is mass, which foam lacks.

[Larry77]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

The Kilmat looks good. Don't bother with foam products. What damps vibrations is mass, which foam lacks.

I agree, but foam serves a very good purpose when you are trying to decrease road noise which is why I installed it.

[Billfitz]

Road noise is primarily low frequency noise. The best way to reduce that is by increasing the mass of the body panels, which high density mastic does very well. Foam does have it's place in reducing midrange and high frequency reflections inside a car, or a room, or a speaker enclosure, but is has no effect on low frequencies. Besides, the car is already lined with materials that reduce midrange and high frequency reflections, from the carpet on the floor to the vinyl or leather on the door liners to the seat upholstery. From an acoustical standpoint the only surfaces that would benefit from being lined with foam are the windows, but that would create a wee bit of a problem with visibility.

[Encanto]

Amplifying the OEM woofers with an aftermarket amp with a Bass Boost feature is more effective and effective in increasing the bass response than replacing the OEM woofers alone.

Originally Posted by paul e

I have been fairly satisfied with the HK system on my 2016 340. The only thing that really has bugged me is the lack of bass response.

I’m not looking for that ridiculous thumping bass....but I am used to what I get in my home system...but that system features a couple of JL Fathom 13” subs. I’m also not expecting that in the car.

But I am somewhat intrigued by these BavSound Ghost subs.

So...has anyone with the HK system added the Ghosts? Was it a worthwhile upgrade?

Thanks.