M4 Radio Harman Kardon

[cmacclel]

I have a 2011 135i with non upgraded radio and just picked up a MY16 M4 Vert with the HK Upgrade. Can someone explain why the radio in the 135i sounds so much better with actual Bass.....LOL

[2kaccordocoupe]

The audio in this gen is subpar when compared to the previous gen cars. It is what it is... You can make it live-able by doing the following

- disable the ASD (active sound design)
- tune the eq
- code the dsp to B&O

All 3 of the above are mentioned in various posts, try all 3 or a combo of them until you get an output that you can live with.

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by cmacclel

I have a 2011 135i with non upgraded radio and just picked up a MY16 M4 Vert with the HK Upgrade. Can someone explain why the radio in the 135i sounds so much better with actual Bass.....LOL

There are about 125W per woofer in your M4, 40W per woofer in your 135i. The bass is in there, you need to adjust it to your liking via the EQ.

[G_Rock]

Originally Posted by Encanto

There are about 125W per woofer in your M4, 40W per woofer in your 135i. The bass is in there, you need to adjust it to your liking via the EQ.

Agreed. With the right EQ adjustments, I think it sounds pretty good. Search this site for good starting points. This topic has been discussed quite a bit.

[aboulfad]

Adjustments or not, the HK on such premium cars sucks so bad, that at times I wonder if some of the speakers are blown... No adjustment is gonna change the poor quality of the speakers and the weak amp.

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by aboulfad

Adjustments or not, the HK on such premium cars sucks so bad, that at times I wonder if some of the speakers are blown... No adjustment is gonna change the poor quality of the speakers and the weak amp.

Something tells me that no OEM system will satisfy you, and that's ok. But this HK is not the "poor quality", "blown speakers" that you are declaring in here.

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by Encanto

Something tells me that no OEM system will satisfy you, and that's ok. But this HK is not the "poor quality", "blown speakers" that you are declaring in here.

My wife's Golf Fender system kicks ass on a car that is 1/3 the price of ours. And this isn't that I may be an audiophile, ... it's just the SQ for BMW radios has always been subpar to many other car manufacturers. Listening is highly subjective, and certainly I don't have the designation of an "expert listener" but BMW continues to disappoint w their SQ in 3/4 series.

[cmacclel]

Originally Posted by Encanto

There are about 125W per woofer in your M4, 40W per woofer in your 135i. The bass is in there, you need to adjust it to your liking via the EQ.

I have played with all the settings in the M4. I also have both cars at the moment and the 135i is louder has 5 times more base and just sounds better.

[aboulfad]

OP, for giggles, just check that you don't have any DOA speakers, some new owners did no joke. After two years of ownership I learned to focus on the engine sound, if you listen really really hard there are few good options to install a sub in the trunk, very nice w matching carpet, installs on top of battery, and some options for amps,... I forgot the company but there's a thread here.

[Jaymax85]

Originally Posted by cmacclel

I have played with all the settings in the M4. I also have both cars at the moment and the 135i is louder has 5 times more base and just sounds better.

Had a 135 with hk and an m3 with hk and m3 sounds wayyy better.. something is off on ur car

[Encanto]

The thing is, HiFi is not louder than HK. It just electrically cannot be.

I suggest to get an USB stick with some FLAC files with tight bass/midbass. Adjust EQ while playing those files. If these files alone cannot dramatically change your mind then there's indeed something wrong with your system.

By the way, you cannot play FLAC files in the 135i regardless of OEM system.

Originally Posted by cmacclel

I have played with all the settings in the M4. I also have both cars at the moment and the 135i is louder has 5 times more base and just sounds better.

[cmacclel]

Originally Posted by Encanto

The thing is, HiFi is not louder than HK. It just electrically cannot be.

I suggest to get an USB stick with some FLAC files with tight bass/midbass. Adjust EQ while playing those files. If these files alone cannot dramatically change your mind then there's indeed something wrong with your system.

By the way, you cannot play FLAC files in the 135i regardless of OEM system.

I have the same music from a usb imported to both cars so my music library is identical ie same source files. Also im no audio rookie. I have installed custom systems or added subwoofers to most if my cars personally. I will try and test to see if the under seat woofers are working. This morning i drove the M4 to the dealer to get an inspection sticker then dropped it off at home and grabbed the 135i. The 135i almost feels if it has a 12” sub installed compared to the M4. The M4 pretty much has 1/4 of the bass of the 135i. I have the M4 bass up 3/4 of the way.

[Super Spartan]

FYI to the OP, it's not Harmon/Kardon, it's Harman/Kardon.

I see this spelling mistake everywhere

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by cmacclel

I have a 2011 135i with non upgraded radio and just picked up a MY16 M4 Vert with the HK Upgrade. Can someone explain why the radio in the 135i sounds so much better with actual Bass.....LOL

Something no one has mentioned, convertibles are totally different animal from a sound reproduction standpoint than a hardtop.

Using the same system in a F82 and F83 while expecting similar results is nuts.

It’s much easier to produce good bass in a solid environment (not that the HK does it exceptionally well) than it is in a setup where there is only cloth covering and is flexible.

Convertibles requires more woofers and power.

[cmacclel]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Something no one has mentioned, convertibles are totally different animal from a sound reproduction standpoint than a hardtop.

Using the same system in a F82 and F83 while expecting similar results is nuts.

It’s much easier to produce good bass in a solid environment (not that the HK does it exceptionally well) than it is in a setup where there is only cloth covering and is flexible.

Convertibles requires more woofers and power.

Both are convertibles I bought the M4 convertible to replace the 135i but the dealer trade in was too low so I decided to wait until warmer weather and sell it myself. As for your theory I agree but that puts the soft top 135i at a bigger disadvantage over the M4 Hardtop

[AW M4]

Agreed. Coming from an e92 with HK, I can say for sure that in comparison the F chassis HK is much worse. Sound quality is definitely subpar and flat.

I decided to upgraded to the Bavsond Stage 1 speaker and ghost underseat woofers recently. It was one of the best decisions mod wise for the car. Being in SoCal, traffic is something we deal with all the time and listening to the radio, streaming music, etc is crucial to help pass the time and make the drive more enjoyable.

I’ve had the system now and have completed the initial break in period of 10-12 hours of listening time. I can say with all honesty that the improvements can be heard right off the bat and just gets better as it fully breaks in.

One major benefit to me is the fact that the cracking, popping, and distortion from the HK system was been remedied. You can say “Bye Felecia” to all those annoyances!

Sound is more crisp and quality is improved. I was pleasantly surprised to hear new instrumentals for the first time in certain tracks that I’ve actually never heard before with the factory HK system. The bass is not like having some 10” or 12” woofers in the trunk kind of feeling. That’s not what the ghost underseat woofers are intended to do. However, the Bass is definitely improved and you can feel it in your seat. It definitely packs a nice punch and gives it a bit more umph that was missing with the HK system.

Installation is straight forward and everything is direct plug and play. You do not need to cut or modify any wires and it all integrates nicely as if it was OEM. It took about 6 hours to complete. Watch the install DIY video to familiarize yourself with the steps. It’s very useful and a fairly accurate step by step process.

[Super Spartan]

Originally Posted by cmacclel

I have a 2011 135i with non upgraded radio and just picked up a MY16 M4 Vert with the HK Upgrade. Can someone explain why the radio in the 135i sounds so much better with actual Bass.....LOL

Dunno about the 135i but in the M4 Convertible only has 12 speakers vs 16 speakers on the coupe.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by Encanto

There are about 125W per woofer in your M4, 40W per woofer in your 135i. The bass is in there, you need to adjust it to your liking via the EQ.

Is the 135i system 4 ohms or 2 ohms?

The 125W 8 Ohm HK System is equivalent to 62.5W with 4 ohm speakers and 31.25 Watts with 2 ohm speakers.

But even if you had 1000 Watts, nothing can change physics are you need space to create a bass wave frequency, which the underseats woofers just do not have.