Audison HK Upgrade

[BzsBimmer]

Kevin, your pictures show a sub on both the left and right side of the trunk in different pictures. Is that due to whether it’s a sedan, coupe, or vert?

Lastly, do the branded grill pieces come with the kit or are those just stickers? I’m really digging this kit.

[Kevin @ Integral Audio]

Originally Posted by 5ABIVT

Hope you don't mind me asking... but do you guys offer a solution or plug and play harness to get signal input to an Lc2i ? I wanted to add my Jl 600/1 and 12w6v3 in the trunk Im fairly happy with the hk system and just wanted a little extra low end.

We don't, but Elias at www.technicpnp.com probably does. Just a word of caution: unless you use a MOST converter you're input signal is NOT going to be flat. Depending on which vehicle you have, you're input signal will look like one of the three on the left in this graph:

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One of our development vehicles (an F80 w/ HK) came in with essentially that setup. Did not sound good....

[Kevin @ Integral Audio]

Originally Posted by TheirThere

how many total speakers are included in the HK replacement kit?

Seven - front right and left tweeter, midrange, and underseat woofer, and trunk subwoofer. I'm guessing next question is probably why not replace the rest? This is why we don't: https://integralaudio.com/blog/the-e...rear-speakers/.

We believe - and experience/research confirms - that your money is better spent on the front sound stage. Audio manufacturing is a pretty small world, we know who supplies our competitors speakers and what they cost. I can confirm that we spend more on those 7 speakers plus crossovers than what others are spending on their 9 or 11 speaker packages.

[Kevin @ Integral Audio]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Kevin, your pictures show a sub on both the left and right side of the trunk in different pictures. Is that due to whether it’s a sedan, coupe, or vert?

Lastly, do the branded grill pieces come with the kit or are those just stickers? I’m really digging this kit.

Thanks, glad you like it! I'd really like for you to have one

We have three different vehicle-specific subs for the 3/4 series. The F30/F80 and the F32/F82 are on the left side of the trunk (different enclosures with different responses). The F36 is the one you see on the right side. We prefer not to cover the battery if possible, but it wasn't feasible for the F36. Even so, the F36 enclosure (and the F30 and F32 for that matter) remove in under 30 seconds (really!). Each model has its own 12ga powder coated custom bracket that allows them to install/remove with just those two hex screws you see in the picture. Every other enclosure that we've seen offered mounts through the inside of the enclosure, requiring you to remove the speaker the remove the enclosure. None of the others we've seen use threaded inserts either, so every time you remove you tear down those screw holes a little more (and you get less clamping force to begin with).

Side note, each of those enclosures is different not just because of the physical differences in each vehicle but also because of acoustic differences. We design the enclosures after we've measured the in-vehicle response and calculated the transfer function. This is an old write up that sorely needs updating, but gives an overview: https://integralaudio.com/blog/car-a...woofer-design/. We still do that word even with our new DSP unit, because EQ'ing to fix response can eat up tremendous amounts of amplifier headroom, among other problems.

[Kevin @ Integral Audio]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Lastly, do the branded grill pieces come with the kit or are those just stickers? I’m really digging this kit.

Ooops, missed that question....

Yes, they come with the kit. They are domed labels that replace the HK labels. Fun fact: we've had to have about 5 or 6 different sizes of those made. You'd think BMW would just use one size and save them (and us!) money, but no. And they're not cheap (for quality ones at least - UV resistant urethane, quality printing, aggressive permanent adhesive, and extra flexible urethane so they curve nicely).

[TheirThere]

Originally Posted by Kevin @ Integral Audio

We believe - and experience/research confirms - that your money is better spent on the front sound stage. Audio manufacturing is a pretty small world, we know who supplies our competitors speakers and what they cost. I can confirm that we spend more on those 7 speakers plus crossovers than what others are spending on their 9 or 11 speaker packages.

with your system, do people normally leave some or all of their stock speakers in the rear stage?

[hellokitty]

How much does this system weigh?

[Kevin @ Integral Audio]

Apologies for the slow response on these.

Originally Posted by TheirThere

with your system, do people normally leave some or all of their stock speakers in the rear stage?

Yes, absolutely. This is why: https://integralaudio.com/other_file...20Speakers.pdf. TL;DR: you want to limit the volume and frequencies of rear speakers in a stereo setup. The money/power/etc are far better spent on the fronts. Hint: anyone selling you the same speakers for the fronts and rears/centers is....not doing the best for you.

Originally Posted by hellokitty

How much does this system weigh?

Total added weight vs the OEM system is 29lbs, 20 of that is the subwoofer. All of that extra weight is easily removed for tracking. We spend a LOT of time thinking about details that you don't see and that most people don't think about, like weight. Some examples:

-See those cutouts on the front side of the amp rack? Nothing passes thru them. They are there simply to remove weight. It's a bit more time on the laser for cutting, but it shaves off a few ounces and ounces add up. The amp rack design itself was analyzed with FEA to determine deflection rates and make sure we spec'd the sheet metal thickness correctly - strong enough with no wasted weight (or cost).

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-ARC supplies the amp with a thick heavy machined aluminum cover. Purely cosmetic. We changed it to a lighter cover, saved over a pound I think.

-Look at the wiring harness below. Different gauge wires are used based on current. Same as BMW does, we make sure we aren't wasting weight in wire. I'm always amused when I see competitors using giant cables carrying low current loads. Nothing but wasted weight and $$.

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-We're always seeking out new/better/lighter materials. To my knowledge we were the first to use EPVC for our machined adapters. It's basically foamed PVC. Acoustically well damped, strong, impervious to moisture, doesn't need to be painted (more $$ and weight), AND it's less than half the weight of acrylic.

-We're careful with our subwoofers and enclosures as well, especially since a) they are the heaviest component by far, and b) you just aren't going to get true sub bass performance without one. When we sourced our new subwoofer from ScanSpeak we were able to shave 7lbs off the woofer while still increasing performance. We design the enclosures to be stiff while keeping the fiberglass enclosure wall thickness to a minimum. That wide curved depression in the back of the F80 enclosure below is there as a stiffener - without it the walls would need to be thicker (and heavier).

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Just a few examples off the top of my head. FWIW, our new regular SoundstageDSP™ (as opposed to the SoundstageDSP™ Ultra above) will add zero weight to the vehicle, but that's without a subwoofer and it also won't be available for HK-equipped vehicles.

[BzsBimmer]

Kevin
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