WTH did BMW do to the F83 stereo?

[Chud777]

Literally am FUMING. Just picked up 2019 M4 vert from trading in my 2016 coupe and WOW. The subwoofers are almost nonexistent. My old coupe sounded SO incredible and I was assured from rep that the same system came in the vert. Nope.

Terrible subs under the seats and just an all around muted sound. Being an audiophile this was insanely important to me and I've unfortunately just spent 85k to feel extremely underwhelmed.

Give me back my 2016. Anyone want an M4 w 50miles on it cheap cheap?

Never been so disappointed in my life so looking to find out why the bass is just a joke in this car.... any info is appreciated.

[MR_X]

I don’t know if the vert is different from the coupe but when I got my 2019 coupe, the stereo sounded terrible. It sounded like it was coming out of a PVC pipe. I found this thread and it made a huge difference.

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1586576

[Chud777]

Hmmm... good to know. Thanks for sharing the settings. I pretty much tried to copy my old 2016 coupe's settings and played the same songs but it's bad. I need to hear a 2019 coupe to see if they changed out the amp, updated iDrive in a way that effed with the great sound my old car had or cheaped out with diff subs. Either way, out of the box my old car was leaps and bounds better if not for a fuller sound but also for that pure bass sexyness.

I'll try the settings to see if they make a difference but have already listened to all the songs that used to put a smile on my face and frankly, even w the bass topped out, there is no match from my previous vehicle's air rush from under the two fronts.

Legit teary-eyed :

[desertfox73]

I hear ya. I picked up my F83 in November and every time i drive it i think about replacing the speakers. I also just got an F85 and redid the speakers with Bavsound - which made an improvement there, so maybe I'll do the same for the F83. F85 still needs at least a 10" sub in my opinion, so I'll probably finish fixing the F85 and then see what i want to do with the F83.

But completely agree...these audio systems are basically like listening to music through the phone.

[Chud777]

Yeah I think it hurts most because it was the sound from my 2016 coupe that sounded leaps and bounds better than the 2019 vert. Bass-less!!

Gonna have to sit in a new coupe and try out my test songs. If that sounds neutered too then it's just BMW being cheap as time goes on...

Only choose another M4 vs Boxster FOR the amazing stock HK bass I had before. Now I ain't even got that!

[RickFLM4]

F82 was pretty good. F83 is not as good. Remember the top goes down - not going to have same set up. In any case, the F82 wasn’t some awesome once in a lifetime sound system. It’s a slight step down but life goes on.

[Chud777]

I get it... still a nice car just not what I thought I was buying.

But does anyone know if the components or new iDrive refresh since 16 could be to blame? I have to jack it up so loud to even hear a phone call for Lord's sake.... ?

[RickFLM4]

Maybe there is something wrong with your car or a setting in the phone? While I agree music sounds a little worse, I don't have an issue with phone volume in my F83. F83 with top up phone volume pretty much the same as my previous F82.

[Chud777]

Wondering if the newly updated iDrive has anything to do with it as my phone settings and volume are the same from my previous car?

[RickFLM4]

Maybe, my F82 was a 2015 and my F83 is a 2018. I haven’t kept up with changes between 2018 and 2019.

Just noticed you are in RI. I grew up there.

[mjposner]

I installed a 10" sub and amp in my vert's trunk, and it adds extra punch that is missing in the M4.

[Chud777]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Just noticed you are in RI. I grew up there.

Yup. RIer all my life but kinda wish for Miami-er with these potholes!!

[Chud777]

Originally Posted by mjposner

I installed a 10" sub and amp in my vert's trunk, and it adds extra punch that is missing in the M4.

Attachment 2025176

Nice!! Yeah I'm starting to wonder if it's the 4 missing speakers in the back that make the difference (2 tweeter and 2 mid).

Played a few bass-heavy tunes yesterday and got out to do a walk around of the car. In the coupe you'd heard the bass pumping and rattling behind the back window and trunk and now it's very subdued.

I realize it's okay sound but as I'm not a surgeon or famous politician, my car is all I really splurge on so wanted to feel like I made a good decision in buying the vert vs another coupe and I can't help but feeling I've downgraded.

Going to listen to a 2019 coupe today in all its 16-speaker glory to see if it really is tweaks to the iDrive since 2016 that has contributed. Kind of hope it is so I can tell myself the coupe would have been lackluster as well.

[Chud777]

So in case anyone cares, went to check out a 2019 f82 and just as I suspected, it sounded fantastic just like my previous 2016 f82. We could feel the under seat subs pushing air easily whereas in my new f83, none exists. Sound is fuller and more well rounded and it can't simply be from the 2 less mids and tweeters in the back. Plus it was more powerful as the same songs required 25% less volume than in my new vert.

Kind of crazy they would CHOOSE to neuter the sound in the vert - especially considering you've got to compensate for wind noise.

Calling customer service on Monday to find out exactly why (i.e. diff amp, subs or coding) it is so bad in the vert and to see if it is reversible.

[RickFLM4]

Don’t forget the seats are different between F82 and F83, so perhaps subs have to be different to accommodate different seats.

Realistically if you are that disappointed, I think you will need to go aftermarket for an upgrade. You should be able to get something better than what is in the F82 with aftermarket.

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by Chud777

Wondering if the newly updated iDrive has anything to do with it as my phone settings and volume are the same from my previous car?

Your F83 OEM woofers are the same as all HK woofers since MY2012 F3x/2015 F8x, the HK OEM amp changed in mid MY2016, the same since then.

The MY2016 iDrive was version 4, the MY2019 iDrive is version 6 however, the OEM amp is digital - there is no difference in the input type between v4 and v6. There could be a firmware difference in the HK profile/EQ for Coupe and Convertible to compensate for the difference in acoustics, though.

The 4 missing speakers in the Convertible make no difference in sound compared with the Coupe as long as the "Surround" feature is enabled -rear speakers are for surround effects only.

Try changing the HK/Pro LogicII coding of the OEM amp to Bang & Olufsen or Bowers and Wilkins (search in the coding section), bypass ASD, or add an aftermarket amp to the OE woofers, and see if that "fixes" your sound issue.

[Chud777]

Originally Posted by Encanto

Your F83 OEM woofers are the same as all HK woofers since MY2012 F3x/2015 F8x, the HK OEM amp changed in mid MY2016, the same since then.

The MY2016 iDrive was version 4, the MY2019 iDrive is version 6 however, the OEM amp is digital - there is no difference in the input type between v4 and v6. There could be a firmware difference in the HK profile/EQ for Coupe and Convertible to compensate for the difference in acoustics, though.

The 4 missing speakers in the Convertible make no difference in sound compared with the Coupe as long as the "Surround" feature is enabled -rear speakers are for surround effects only.

Try changing the HK/Pro LogicII coding of the OEM amp to Bang & Olufsen or Bowers and Wilkins (search in the coding section), bypass ASD, or add an aftermarket amp to the OE woofers, and see if that "fixes" your sound issue.

Wow... thanks for the info Encanto. I'm planning on calling BMW customer service and BAV audio on Monday to see if there is anything I can do to change the config.

To your point,if the subs are same it's either the amp or a different iDrive firmware for vert because the difference is very obvious both in volume and SQ as both are quite held back.

[Chud777]

Uncovered coupe is 600 watt vs 515 in the vert. Still digging though in case anyone is following...

[Encanto]

Originally Posted by Chud777

Uncovered coupe is 600 watt vs 515 in the vert. Still digging though in case anyone is following...

The HK OEM amp is the same... the lack of 4 speakers in the Convertible is the reason for the 500W peak of the same OEM amp -no power output to the missing speakers. The rest of the speakers are receiving the same power as in the Coupe/Sedan - 50W front/rear side/center + 125W per woofer = 500W total.

For you to notice the missing rear shelf speakers then Surround must be disabled.

Your OEM amp has the Convertible tune and obviously, it is not of your taste.

[Chud777]

Originally Posted by Encanto

The HK OEM amp is the same... the lack of 4 speakers in the Convertible is the reason for the 500W peak of the same OEM amp -no power output to the missing speakers. The rest of the speakers are receiving the same power as in the Coupe/Sedan - 50W front/rear side/center + 125W per woofer = 500W total.

For you to notice the missing rear shelf speakers then Surround must be disabled.

Your OEM amp has the Convertible tune and obviously, it is not of your taste.

I know you mentioned that I could look at coding the amp to a different profile and as such, wondering if I can change the config of that to match the coupe sound profile(?) if not that, perhaps another setting B&O or otherwise would do the trick per your earlier point.

I have an issue in spending even more money on top of what I just put down to make the sound bearable but would consider a little out of pocket spend to tweak the OEM hardware already in my vert.

Appreciate all the info and advice and so it seems my attention will turn to the amp itself and whatever config BMW gave it (and how to undo it!) Frustrating enough the bass is lacking and the volume needs to be cranked to hear a phone call (with my phone volume all the way up) but it's another thing to hear a very unbalanced sound, which in my F83, is VERY center channel focused, too treble-heavy and terribly forward vs. the coupe.

[///MToronto]

Had a 2018 440 convertible loaner when my 16 F82 was in for maintenance
I had the same impressions; sounded horrible compared my car. Had to boost the bass all of the way up to hear anything low and even then the quality was not comparable. Like your impressions, it felt unbalanced

[Pauldunlop13]

I also recently picked up a 2019 Vert. I use these settings and I do hear and feel bass

I have the Bavsound Ghost Subs which are NOT yet installed. They made a quality difference in my 2015 Vert. I am waiting until after the 1200 mile service to install.

I DO have the ASD coded to Off. that may be a factor as well

I hope this helps.


Radio settings
Treble. 1
Bass. 4
Fader. 2 (front)

EQ
100. 6
200. 3
500 2
1k. 6
2k. 4
5k 2
10k. 4