03-28-2015, 11:58 PM | #1 |
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3er's BAVSOUND Stage 1 Review
![]() Featured on BIMMERPOST.com Magazine Layout ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Traditional Layout Installation ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() First and foremost, watch BAVSOUND’s installation video on YouTube. The install will realistically take 4-5 hours and isn't as simple as the video makes it look. However, the installation is very achievable for even novice DIY’ers. It takes patience and attention, but it’s ultimately quite simple. When starting on the driver’s side front door, one of the plastic pry tools immediately broke when attempting to remove the panel that covers the two screws. So, what's the trick? Insert the pry tool on the bottom side (see picture on the next page) and pull up and out just a touch to release one of the clips. At that point, set the pry tool down and use your hands, with a decent amount of force, to pry the cover from bottom to top. ![]() After this step, the next (very minor) trouble area was removing the door panel. However, once I realized where one of the plastic clips was located, it was easy as pie (notice the hole in the top right corner of the photo below – that’s where you should start prying the door panel off). One thing to note is that once you successfully replace the speakers in one door panel, the other three are much easier because you’ll learn how and where to separate each panel. ![]() As others have recommended, do not disconnect the door panel. Leave everything connected, with the exception of a plug or two, to gain a bit of headroom, and set the panel on a box while working. This saves a good amount of time and prevents added risk of accidental damage when prying off the window/door lock mechanism. At that point, the speakers are very easily installed. One thing to note, however, is that I accidentally installed the thin foam rings that are should be placed between the door and speaker. Instead, I used 3M adhesive spray and installed them on the front of the speaker several weeks before the install – DOH! After speaking with a good audiophile friend of mine and BAVSOUND, they stated that the rings are designed to prevent the speaker from rattling on the door panel. Luckily, no rattles are present. ![]() Next, create a paper template to use before cutting the sound deadening. Remember when cutting that this stuff is more function than form. Therefore, don't worry too much about beautifully laying it out unless you'll toss and turn in the coming nights knowing it wasn't a work of art. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The center channel was very simple provided that you have a tool similar to what BAVSOUND ships as a part of their toolkit. I ended up purchasing this tool and it worked like a champ. Due to the screw length and center channel speaker bracket, I ended up just snugging the center channel down to prevent stripping the holes by over-tightening. The back two speakers & tweeters on the rear deck are incredibly easy to replace - if only the entire system was this simple!! ![]() ![]() This is a bit hard to see, but I had to cut a small tab off of the tweeter mount on the rear door panels with a box cutter so that the BAVSOUND tweeter would click into place. ![]() It’s worth noting that the HK midranges were quite cheap feeling and light. However, the tweeters had decent weight to them. I suspect the BAVSOUND tweeters were only heavier due to the metal casing versus HK’s plastic casing. Yes, I made a boo-boo on the HK midrange on the far left ![]() ![]() ![]() Sound NOTE: I used Bluetooth as my source since it's the most convenient and likely the most used option of owners. After comparing CD's at BAVSOUND's recommendation (yes, I still have those), I didn't find much of a noticeable difference between the two. Any minor differences are further negated when driving. So, how does it sound?! To be honest, I was initially very displeased. A lot of harsh frequencies were present in the 2 KHz range. With a combination of speaker break-in and EQ adjustment, I’m happy to report that I am extremely pleased with them. Now, to be honest, we’re talking diminishing returns. In my opinion, the BAVSOUND system won’t “blow away” a well EQ’d Harmon Kardon system. However, I’d venture to say that most of BMW's customers don’t find great EQ settings for the HK system. If leaving the EQ flat – HK vs. BAVSOUND, BAVSOUND will win hands down. They're naturally more balanced across the frequency range whereas the HK system sounds quite flat until tinkering is performed. Although BAVSOUND recommends leaving the EQ completely flat in their videos, use this as a starting point and adjust to taste. To better balance the system for my ears and tame a bit of the 2 kHz region, I ended up with the following settings. "Driving" Settings: Treble: 0 Bass: +2 Balance: 0 Fader: 0 Logic 7: OFF 100 Hz: +2 200 Hz: 0 500 Hz: 0 1 kHz: +1 2 kHz: -3 5 kHz: 0 10 kHz: 0 ![]() After using the following settings, I became very pleased with the system. It’s incredibly tight. As others have mentioned, the mid-bass is much more present and overall the system sounds more natural over the frequency spectrum. I like a lot of genres for music, but I’m mostly into Blues, Rock, and Jazz. I dabble in other genres as well (good music is good music), but I used those as my testing ground due to my familiarity with “how they should sound.” “I’m Old Fashioned” by John Coltrane This song sounds fantastic on this system. The piano is clear, the trumpet and saxophone are crisp, and the cymbals/drums sizzle. Everything sounds airy, as they should with this recording. No instruments or frequencies overpowered one another and it was sublime. The system also remains quite balanced with instruments panned to either the left or right while representing space quite well. ![]() “One Of These Nights” by The Eagles In my opinion, this song is a bit harder to pull off well due to the guitar solo later in the song. On unbalanced systems, the solo is typically too harsh due to how much treble has been mixed on the guitar. I’m happy to report that these speakers handled the entire song and the solo very well without being fatiguing to the ear. Harmonies were well placed and balanced, the bass guitar sounds incredible at the beginning while the expected hint of space/reverb is represented very well. ![]() Of course, I sat and listened to many more songs (Time Out Of Mind, Free, Skyfall, Money For Nothing, Ten Long Years, I Would Do Anything For You, Hotel California [Hell Freezes Over version], among many others). As much as I’d love to cover each one, I’ll end up sounding like a broken record – very even and balanced, improved low-end, sizzling highs, crisp midrange, etc. Conclusion: Should I Buy? Now is the part where a recommendation is in order. I walk away from this experience quite pleased with the system. I can’t say that I’m left speechless, as I am used to hearing high quality audio out of my home system (Bowers & Wilkins + Marantz). Those that have a nice home setup will likely have a similar opinion just because a car system can’t compete very well with such setups. A well EQ’d HK system will satisfy the ears of most. BAVSOUND, fortunately, takes BMW's offerings over the edge for those of us that are serious about audio, but lack the interest (or budget) to rip out amps, custom fit speakers, etc. For the money, I believe the system is well worth the upgrade for discerning listeners. If you’re not a discerning listener, spend your money elsewhere. As is the case with many upgrades, this is a case of diminishing returns. I.e., I don’t feel that the system is 2x better than an EQ'd HK system to justify the cost. Instead, one should intend to pay 2x the price for 20% better sound. In the audio world, however, this is quite significant. -3er Pros:
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Update: April 13, 2015 After having the system installed for a few weeks, I noticed door rattles on two of the four panels. After further inspection, I found that I flattened a few of the clips when putting the panels back on. This might sound obvious, but be very careful when reattaching the door panels to ensure each clip lines up with its respective hole. Without doing so, you're very likely to flatten a few. I replaced the few that were flattened with some OEM units from Amazon (link here). Surprisingly, they're of higher quality than the white original clips and the foam is a touch thicker. I also found a few original clips in which the thin foam rubber pad that goes between it and the door panel had fallen off during the speaker install. After replacing those (take them from the set you get from Amazon) and putting just a 2" strip of 3M double-sided foam pad between the bottom edge of the door panel where it could rattle against the bare metal, I have been rattle free. I'm not sure which of the fixes actually remediated the problem, but I did not want to remove the door panel again (of which I now feel like a pro, lol)!
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03-29-2015, 04:28 AM | #2 |
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Thanks for the how too... Great Work, are you planning on upgrading the Subs?
An the 1st Picture is pure sex man.. Its classy, staged perfectly. An I was your 100th...Just saying |
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03-29-2015, 09:08 AM | #4 | |
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03-29-2015, 09:09 AM | #5 |
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03-29-2015, 09:25 PM | #7 |
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03-29-2015, 09:36 PM | #8 |
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Wow - very kind. Thanks!
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03-29-2015, 09:47 PM | #9 |
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What's your take on just upgrading the front doors and center speakers?
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03-29-2015, 09:52 PM | #10 |
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It's not a bad option if you plan to fade your music to the front. It seems that many do that to have a more natural soundstage.
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03-29-2015, 10:54 PM | #11 |
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Great write up. Very realistic in terms of what to expect. I think the overall clarity the upgrade provides make sit worthwhile to me. Being able to turn up the volume and not just hear a lot of distortion is great.
Really hope Bavsound comes up with a sub replacement. I think it would make a huge difference. Of course I wonder how much they will charge.
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03-29-2015, 11:18 PM | #12 |
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Nice write-up!
What source were you using for the music? Can the HU even play lossless or HD audio?
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03-30-2015, 10:04 AM | #13 | |
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03-30-2015, 10:15 AM | #14 | |
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I thought about playing different sources, but I ultimately just used Bluetooth via my iPhone. I chose this route because it's the most convenient and likely most leveraged audio source for our cars. I also have the far majority of my "seat time" in my and my wife's car listening to Bluetooth audio. The music I listened to was down-sampled to M4A @ 256 kbps from either CD quality or Hi-Res (HDTracks.com) audio. Although I'm a huge snob when it comes to Hi-Res audio (either via HD Tracks, SACD, or Blu-Ray Audio) when listening to my home system, I'm more of a realist with car audio systems. I'll likely find more time and test some CD's out to listen for improvements (which I'm sure there are). However, I'm not so sure I'll be able to hear the differences when driving (road noise, etc.).
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03-30-2015, 03:36 PM | #15 |
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Nice write-up and pics. I experienced many of the same things when I installed.
Have you installed the 9500ci? Did you cut the bottom grill to install the radar receiver? Getting a STi-R and ALPs installed tomorrow and wanted to see what you did. TIA. |
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03-30-2015, 03:59 PM | #16 | |
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03-30-2015, 04:22 PM | #17 | |
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03-30-2015, 04:28 PM | #18 | |
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03-30-2015, 08:31 PM | #19 |
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Yes the factory stereo can play FLAC files, I got some from hdtracks and loaded via USB to the internal hard drive, they play fine.
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04-01-2015, 07:20 PM | #20 |
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Feedback requested....
I'm looking for a shop to install the BavSound Stage 1 kit, which I've already purchased. I was just quoted 6 hours @ $861. Is it just me, or does that seem ridiculously high for both the hours and total cost??? -X- |
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04-01-2015, 07:29 PM | #21 |
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Seems very high to me given the low difficulty of the install. I know it can be scary to embark upon this install on your own, but it really is quite simple. With that said, I wouldn't want to pay more than $400 for the install (pro = 4 [or less] hour install @ $100/hr).
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04-01-2015, 07:31 PM | #22 |
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