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      04-23-2021, 01:50 PM   #1
dcali
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what can i do to get much better sound than HK

Hi Guys

Got a 2019 m5 with the hk sound system - its so horrible that i cannot listen music on it.

Has anyone made it much better if so how? what do you need for example to add a sub?

Theres the bavsound speaker upgrade, has anyone done that? i dont want someone to cut my doors or anything so i guess this is the only viable option?

Thanks!
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      04-23-2021, 08:19 PM   #2
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The best audio upgrade to an F90 so far has been done by Peter Steinbacher in the UK.

He is one of the finest car audio installers anywhere.



Big video explanation can been viewed here:


Last edited by subterFUSE; 04-23-2021 at 08:26 PM..
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      04-24-2021, 11:18 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcali View Post
Hi Guys

Got a 2019 m5 with the hk sound system - its so horrible that i cannot listen music on it.

Has anyone made it much better if so how? what do you need for example to add a sub?

Theres the bavsound speaker upgrade, has anyone done that? i dont want someone to cut my doors or anything so i guess this is the only viable option?

Thanks!
Same here, I thought HK sound was horrible. I replaced with Bavsound and love it. So much more depth in sound. It's easy plug and play install.
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      10-26-2021, 07:20 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ec_101 View Post
Same here, I thought HK sound was horrible. I replaced with Bavsound and love it. So much more depth in sound. It's easy plug and play install.
For the Bavsound upgrade, did you not need to replace the amp too? On my X5, I had upgraded to the Bimmertech amp through a group buy, and replaced all speakers with Bavsound.
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      11-03-2021, 11:02 PM   #5
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That HK system is awful! I just picked up my 19 M5C and I was so disappointed in the sound system. I'm following looking for easy plug and play system or minimal mods to the car.
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      11-08-2021, 07:58 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JTwinx View Post
That HK system is awful! I just picked up my 19 M5C and I was so disappointed in the sound system. I'm following looking for easy plug and play system or minimal mods to the car.
Easy and plug in? It doesn't exist.
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      11-08-2021, 08:33 PM   #7
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To me the sound quality of HK isn't bad but it just sounds like there is no power. Sounds like nothing coming from back, almost like the fader is all to the front but it isn't,lol
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      11-09-2021, 11:22 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vanos84 View Post
To me the sound quality of HK isn't bad but it just sounds like there is no power. Sounds like nothing coming from back, almost like the fader is all to the front but it isn't,lol
That's actually how a stereo is supposed to sound. In sound quality competition, one of the factors being judged is the localization of the soundstage in front of the listener. Sounds that draw attention to the rear are judged as faults in an SQ system.
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      11-09-2021, 06:12 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subterFUSE View Post
That's actually how a stereo is supposed to sound. In sound quality competition, one of the factors being judged is the localization of the soundstage in front of the listener. Sounds that draw attention to the rear are judged as faults in an SQ system.
Exactly... the sound QUALITY of the HK system is great imo especially with surround sound enabled...
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      11-09-2021, 06:22 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vanos84 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by subterFUSE View Post
That's actually how a stereo is supposed to sound. In sound quality competition, one of the factors being judged is the localization of the soundstage in front of the listener. Sounds that draw attention to the rear are judged as faults in an SQ system.
Exactly... the sound QUALITY of the HK system is great imo especially with surround sound enabled...
No, it's garbage. But the fact the sound is focused in the front is not why it's garbage. 😂
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      11-10-2021, 04:29 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by subterFUSE View Post
No, it's garbage. But the fact the sound is focused in the front is not why it's garbage. 😂
Well I think it sounds ok. I'm glad you think it's garbage. It's what I have in my car and I like it and so does everyone who rides in it. It's not a big powerful stereo with a lot of power or bass but it sounds good to me. I'm not a teenager anymore so I don't need a stereo that will burst my eardrums. I have an F150 as my daily and the factory stereo in it sounds better but it also came with a 700 watt factory installed amp. We all have our opinions.
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      11-10-2021, 09:32 AM   #12
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I think it's one of those things... if you're an audiophile - it's pretty weak. If you're not and coming from bluetooth speakers, Sonos, etc... it's certainly better than the rental cars I drive.

The B&W tbh isn't that much better which is surprising. I think the issue with the B&W is that you have to adjust for lack of bass while the car is running - which then messes up the other frequencies... which exacerbates the room acoustics.

What I'm surprised by is that I run a McIntosh Pre-Pro MX160 for my home theater and it's room correction is superb. It corrects so well that with decent speakers it sounds incredible. Why in car audio from the factory doesn't do this straight out bothers me... it would be an easy fix. We'll be talking about this topic in an upcoming podcast of ours (I podcast with CJ Wilson @thethrottledogs on IG - shameless plug) to talk about why this is still such an issue when it's easily solvable with software.
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      11-27-2021, 06:52 AM   #13
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Can't complain about HK, but than again I have not had an aftermarket system since mid 2000
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      11-30-2021, 03:14 PM   #14
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you need to EQ the HK get performance
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      11-30-2021, 04:14 PM   #15
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I agree ^^
I've opted for the basic setup in my last three BMWs and with proper EQ adjustment, it sounds fine.
In fact, better, IMO than my father in law's B7 with the upgraded sound. I've always felt the B&O or whatever was the upgrade at the time, was very harsh on the high end and couldn't be EQ'd to my satisfaction.

One caveat I will throw in...

My 18 M5 had the base setup and I had that dialed in perfectly. Sounded awesome.
My '21 M5 also has the base setup, but they changed the surround settings and added adjustable surround levels.
I couldn't adjust the EQ to make any of the surround levels sound reasonable, so I have shut the surround switch off completely, and redone the EQ and I've gotten it back close to the '18 M5. All the new Logic7 surround options in the '21 sounded like that the fake DSP "Stadium" or "Concert Hall" crap from years ago.

All that said, I'm not looking for audiophile quality "golden ear" sound in a vehicle. That's what I have my basement theater room for, and for that, I still think all the new digital processing sounds worse than my 280W discrete x 7.2 setup running analog into KEF 1990s 4ohm speakers.

I'm getting old I guess.
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      12-03-2021, 01:16 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcali View Post
Hi Guys

Got a 2019 m5 with the hk sound system - its so horrible that i cannot listen music on it.

Has anyone made it much better if so how? what do you need for example to add a sub?

Theres the bavsound speaker upgrade, has anyone done that? i dont want someone to cut my doors or anything so i guess this is the only viable option?

Thanks!
In my opinion, it's not the Harman Kardon that sounds bad, it's the size of the cabin.

In the M4, with the same audio system, it sounds great because of the size of the cabin.

The best thing to be done was just to get the Bowers&Wilkins.

If you'd like, you can also code the car with BimmerCode and have the Harman Kardon use the sound profiles that Bowers&Wilkins does.

That may help.
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      02-26-2022, 02:11 PM   #17
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Ta as hi Jason
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      08-07-2022, 03:04 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacob_Tyler_Freed View Post
In my opinion, it's not the Harman Kardon that sounds bad, it's the size of the cabin.

In the M4, with the same audio system, it sounds great because of the size of the cabin.

The best thing to be done was just to get the Bowers&Wilkins.

If you'd like, you can also code the car with BimmerCode and have the Harman Kardon use the sound profiles that Bowers&Wilkins does.

That may help.
Hey Jacob.
Would you be able to provide some guidance on how to code the B&W settings via Bimmercode?
Thank you.
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      08-08-2022, 06:53 PM   #19
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The B&W DSP profiles are a joke. Those people have absolutely zero clue about car audio. The theater setting just steers all the sound to the center channel. The other profiles add gimmicky reverb effects to give a concert hall echo. None of the settings use proper time delay to improve the soundstage in any way. From the driver seat you can never achieve an accurate soundstage. The only way to get close is to sit in the center rear seat and lean forward so your ears are equidistant to the left and right speakers.
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      02-08-2023, 11:08 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rabbutler View Post
Hey Jacob.
Would you be able to provide some guidance on how to code the B&W settings via Bimmercode?
Thank you.
Hey I have coded this in my previous m3 but can’t seem to figure it out in the m5
Did you figure it out as I want to do it
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      02-09-2023, 02:47 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shlomia123 View Post
Hey I have coded this in my previous m3 but can’t seem to figure it out in the m5
Did you figure it out as I want to do it
No not yet, haven't used bimmer code for a while.
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      03-10-2023, 01:58 PM   #22
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Like many here, I also found the HK with default settings sounded terrible, so I spent a fair bit of time with a spectrum analyzer and EQ'd it to my liking.

Maybe my settings will be good for some of you: I listen predominantly to electronic music, so it's EQ'd for that (and for the driver's seat). It's unlikely to be what you want if you listen to classical music





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