Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony007
I was at the dealer last week performing an in depth sound comparison of the HK vs the Bang and Olufsen systems in the 2015 X6 with the same sound sources. All controls were zero'ed out and on the HK the processing was turned off as it adds a really synthetic character in an effort to gain a more expansive soundstaging - similar to what can be found on cheap Japanese receivers using jazz club or concert hall effects.. The B&O has only one processing mode by default and the staging is expansive and the placement of images within the soundstage was precise. However, with the B&O I found that the placement of vocals to be a bit diffuse.
Comparison: The B&O is considerably clearer and more transparent sounding than the HK. The HK has a thicker - muddier character in the midrange with far less detail. The B&O has a few areas where is easily trounces the HK and it doesn't take golden ears to hear it. For example: Listen to any stringed or plucked instrument and you can hear timber and leading edge detail that the HK does not produce. Listen to all the extra detail, timber and definition in guitar and cymbal work and the difference is easily heard. The B&O renders vocals quite a bit more realistic.. The B&O is also more dynamic at all volume levels and can play louder with less stain on dynamic peaks.
Conclusion: IMHO, if one values sound a truer, more accurate sound reproduction in a vehicle then the $3700 is money well spent for the upgrade.
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Great summary - thankyou!. I listen to a lot of spoken content, and music where the poor BMW midrange has frustrated me for years. While decent bass certainly improves presence, it's the not the "be all and end all" IMHO - so it sounds like the B&O is worth the extra to me
