M3 / M4 Active Sound responsible for 2-3% of sound

[Blindside_137]

Originally Posted by HuskerFan85

exactly. Be more specific... almost as bad as saying "this new smartphone will be 3% better!"

Hahaha so true.

And if it's only 3%, why even bother with the development/implementation of it

[Neil McRae]

Originally Posted by Audio Fan

I think it is more like breast implants, and I'm good with that when done properly.

like half the keyboard ninjas here would know the difference

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by Keto

I'm fairly convinced after reading reviews and the discussions here that it's like reading a wine forum where a bunch of people who have never tried the wine argue about how tannic it is, or whether it really has notes of toasted oak and blackberries.

Who would do that? TASTE THE FUCKING WINE. Likewise, let's bitch about the sound after we've heard it. Let's complain about the steering feel after we've driven it. Certainly let's avoid parsing the language of a short first drive review.

I am tired of reading arguments about differing interpretations of subjective opinions that are likely all as inaccurate as if we all tried to guess someone's weight from their profile pic.

I agree...

Unplug it, decode it, kill it, but stop the madness.

[3% is a crock of shit BTW!]

Would you like some cheese with your whine?

[Jockey]

Originally Posted by Neil McRae

like half the keyboard ninjas here would know the difference

They're not fake if I can touch 'em

[Neil McRae]

[BGR]

Do we know how this compares to the F30? I had one as a loaner and the first time I revved it up I was pleasantly surprised with the noise. Five minutes later I was annoyed with it and could definitely tell that it was being amplified. It is impossible to recreate the exact sound through a stereo system.

[W///]

Originally Posted by Keto

I'm fairly convinced after reading reviews and the discussions here that it's like reading a wine forum where a bunch of people who have never tried the wine argue about how tannic it is, or whether it really has notes of toasted oak and blackberries.

Who would do that? TASTE THE FUCKING WINE. Likewise, let's bitch about the sound after we've heard it. Let's complain about the steering feel after we've driven it. Certainly let's avoid parsing the language of a short first drive review.

I am tired of reading arguments about differing interpretations of subjective opinions that are likely all as inaccurate as if we all tried to guess someone's weight from their profile pic.

Brilliant. I just for the life of me cannot understand what these guys are whining about.

Pretty much all newer BMW exhausts have valves in them now. Is that cheating too? And who makes the rules for what is right or wrong?

There are/were so many more things I was concerned about when it comes to the M3/4 such as reliability, cooling, steering feel, ect... but some people are more concerned about 3% enhancement.

[Boss330]

Originally Posted by nachob

Listen to what? You guys don't get it. It doesn't matter how it sounds. It is electronically enhanced and not the 100% exhaust sound. What you guys are saying is it doesn't matter if Lance Armstrong took enhancers to win 7 Tours.....he had great finishes. The results do not justify the means. There are many turbo cars that sound good without having to resort to this.

Furthermore and even more troubling is that BMW didn't just let you switch it off easily. I understand in this plastic society where perfect 16 year olds get fake breasts and nose jobs that there are many that love fake or enhanced but BMW should at least let you switch it off.

Originally Posted by nachob

The turbo motors will never sound as good as the NA motors, but the 1M which is basically the same motor sounded really good so it is absolutely possible to make a good sounding exhaust.

It seems you confuse exhaust sound and what the active sound does.

The exhaust system and it's sound is "all natural" with exhaust valves that bypass the rear muffler in certain conditions, creating what effectively is a straight through exhaust.

Active noise only enhances induction/engine noise, not the exhaust. I guess they might have felt this necessary on the M cars since induction noise/roar has been such a big part of the noise inside the cabin on all the NA engined M cars. On a turbo engine, induction noise is muffled by the turbos.

[nachob]

I hear a lot if "whiner" thrown around. So I guess Thomas Jefferson was a whiner because he didn't like what the Brits were doing. Many here seem to latch on the technicality that the intake or exhaust is only enhanced or amplified. What you forget is that the M5 whiners saved you from a worse soundtrack version that would be standard now if it weren't for the whiners! Then again maybe you guys would prefer that since it sounds better.

[solstice]

Induction noise is important to me of just the reason BMW state as why they fitted the active sound. It better connects the driver to what's going on with the engine.

1. After a while you no longer need the tach to determine shift points and if you are in the right gear for your intended driving. You can hear it from the induction noise or lack thereof.

2. You can use changes in tone to detect certain engine health issues.

I think (1) will work just fine with active sound and will be helpful but I think it can take away the nuances needed for (2). I understand why they did it but I've driven and owned turbo cars before that didn't need it. If it isn't annoying I'll probably keep it but if it feels silly and detracts from the connection to the car with a lip-sync out of phase feel it has to go.

[Jblack4083]

Originally Posted by nachob

Listen to what? You guys don't get it. It doesn't matter how it sounds. It is electronically enhanced and not the 100% exhaust sound. What you guys are saying is it doesn't matter if Lance Armstrong took enhancers to win 7 Tours.....he had great finishes. The results do not justify the means. There are many turbo cars that sound good without having to resort to this.

Furthermore and even more troubling is that BMW didn't just let you switch it off easily. I understand in this plastic society where perfect 16 year olds get fake breasts and nose jobs that there are many that love fake or enhanced but BMW should at least let you switch it off.

What production turbo 6s sound good? In all configurations they sound like crap vacuum cleaners. The 911TT is flat and sounds boring. The GTR is a V6 and also sounds like crap. Here we have an inline six that sounds like crap too.

[Jockey]

Originally Posted by nachob

I hear a lot if "whiner" thrown around. So I guess Thomas Jefferson was a whiner because he didn't like what the Brits were doing.

Yeah, comparing Thomas Jefferson whining about the Brits and you whining about active noise is totally the same thing.

You revolutionary, you

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by BGR

Do we know how this compares to the F30? I had one as a loaner and the first time I revved it up I was pleasantly surprised with the noise. Five minutes later I was annoyed with it and could definitely tell that it was being amplified. It is impossible to recreate the exact sound through a stereo system.

I can't speak to the F30, but I have an M235 with active sound. Prior to taking delivery, I was one of the people with my pitchfork and fire ready - in reality, it sounds pretty good. I consider myself to be a convert.

With that being said, I got used to the level of the sound with the windows up - having taken delivery in March - and now that my windows are down more often, the car definitely sounds more quiet when active sound isn't working.

My understanding is that the system is deactivated once the windows are down.

[SoCali E36]

Originally Posted by Year's_End

Exactly. I don't know why it's a big deal and I still can't fathom how it's been such a huge topic of discussion. If only there was a way to just say "get over it", and move onto a subject of actual importance.

There is a way to "Get over it". Give the consumer the option in the iDrive system to enable or disable it. This way you please both the yay and nay sayers and avoid bad reviews because everyone is happy.

Just like the auto start/stop feature. People wanted the option to disable it and BMW answer by programming the car to remember the last set option of the customer. Now if you have it off it will always be off every time you start the car.

[Falafel Combo]

I truly doubt that 2-3% is accurate. The active sound is glaring in all the recordings so far.

[Boss330]

Originally Posted by alpinweiss 335i

I truly doubt that 2-3% is accurate. The active sound is glaring in all the recordings so far.

How can you tell it's more than 2-3% active sound from a video recording?

[Falafel Combo]

Originally Posted by Boss330

How can you tell it's more than 2-3% active sound from a video recording?

I see your point. You are correct. I really can not. But all I am saying is that 2-3% should be hardly noticeable, when in fact it sounds very noticeable in all the recordings of the f80/82 we have seen. It's kind of annoying actually. Almost like a droning noise.

[1stm3f80]

It's like the pink slime in burger meat your never gonna know how much is there.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by SoCali E36

There is a way to "Get over it". Give the consumer the option in the iDrive system to enable or disable it. This way you please both the yay and nay sayers and avoid bad reviews because everyone is happy.

Just like the auto start/stop feature. People wanted the option to disable it and BMW answer by programming the car to remember the last set option of the customer. Now if you have it off it will always be off every time you start the car.

YES! Thank you. All of this could be avoided if they just let us shut it off like start/stop.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by Jblack4083

What production turbo 6s sound good? In all configurations they sound like crap vacuum cleaners. The 911TT is flat and sounds boring. The GTR is a V6 and also sounds like crap. Here we have an inline six that sounds like crap too.

1M sounds good. Not great like NA but sounds good. Some complained about a drone but personally I loved it. It's also basically the same motor. 3L online two turbo.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by solstice

Induction noise is important to me of just the reason BMW state as why they fitted the active sound. It better connects the driver to what's going on with the engine.

1. After a while you no longer need the tach to determine shift points and if you are in the right gear for your intended driving. You can hear it from the induction noise or lack thereof.

2. You can use changes in tone to detect certain engine health issues.

I think (1) will work just fine with active sound and will be helpful but I think it can take away the nuances needed for (2). I understand why they did it but I've driven and owned turbo cars before that didn't need it. If it isn't annoying I'll probably keep it but if it feels silly and detracts from the connection to the car with a lip-sync out of phase feel it has to go.

I am guessing that there two reasons why BMW needed to resort to electronically enhanced sound inside the cabin. The turbo muting the intake sound is one reason for sure. But I am pretty sure that the increased sound insulation is another one. Getting unwanted noised out of the cabin had the negative side effect of removing engine noise from that cabin.

[MGM4]

Hey guys, I've been poking around this forum for a while now and actually just put in an order for a mineral white M4 yesterday. I'm pretty excited about it to say the least. This is my first post. I'm interested in deactivating the digitally-enhanced engine noise. This is the only modification that I'd like to make to the car, and I'm guessing this isn't something that my dealer would be able to help with. I'm also concerned about possible warranty issues arising if I were to make such a modification. I'm not dead-set on eliminating the active sound feature but if there's a straightforward way of doing it without messing with the warranty, count me in.