02-07-2021, 10:33 PM | #45 |
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So I happened to stumble onto this thread. I wanted to see what owners thought of the HK system in the X5. I just purchased an 2021 X5 M competition, I am coming from a 2018 M550I sedan with the HK system as well. In the M550I the system sounded pretty good once you get the EQ set right, but I also changed the the woofers out for the Bavsound woofers and they added all the mid bass that I needed and I actually had to turn down the bass as the drivers are more efficient. But back to the point, the sound was nice and smooth with good detail but in the X5 I can't seem to get the settings right. Maybe it needs to break in but the sound is not that enjoyable at the moment. Do they use different drivers in the in the X5? I didn't think to opt for the B&W upgrade because I've heard that it wasn't worth the extra cost but now I am second guessing myself. I will probably upgrade to the full Bavsound or Focal system if it is offered at a later time but I am surprised at the difference in sound from the sedan to the SAV. I would probably suggest one to take a listen to the B&W system before making a purchase or order just for the peace of mind.
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02-08-2021, 02:32 PM | #46 |
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I am no longer comfortable in a car without lighting everywhere and having to just sit in the dark till I get to my destination. Ambient lighting has spoiled me
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02-10-2021, 06:42 PM | #47 | |
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10-04-2021, 04:17 AM | #48 |
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Apple Music supports lossless & Dolby Atmos since June. Can’t wait to try it with the B&W when my car arrives. Of course, it has to be connected by wire rather than BT.
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10-04-2021, 06:59 AM | #49 | |
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10-04-2021, 05:30 PM | #50 | |
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10-04-2021, 05:35 PM | #51 | ||
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10-05-2021, 03:22 PM | #52 |
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10-05-2021, 04:09 PM | #53 |
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I find myself enjoying my M50i's sport plus soundtrack more than any music...most times.
I still have a few "Dwight Schrute" get pumped moments before i have a meeting to go to where i blast the music...and i'm sure a B&W would have made me 4.75% more jacked up for the meeting. |
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10-05-2021, 04:17 PM | #54 |
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I had the HK in my previous G05 and currently have the B&W in a G05 and even when listening to Spotify with the built-in client there is a difference in my ears, but know that I am no audiophile nor do I have a trained ear. The HK sounded good after some dialing in and was slightly more bass-heavy and leaned a little more towards party music. B&W has more clarity, sounds more balanced overall and vocals have a great presence and I find myself listening at higher volumes for longer without getting tired and feeling the need to dial back on the volume. I have to admit that at the first listen to the B&W after the HK I initially during the first seconds felt slightly underwhelmed, as I have read others have too on the forum, which for me I attribute to a less heavy bass that doesn’t feel as much as the HK, but when I listened more and when vocals and the clarity came thru my mind changed completely. To me it is a great system and as a bonus the lights are pretty cool
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10-28-2021, 08:28 AM | #55 |
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Harman Kardon is 'toyota' of audio systems. It has no place in a vehicle like X5. BMW should have gone with better audio brand than HK. But it is definitely much better than base hifi. If you dont want to listen to music when driving, then go for base hifi.
Note: this comment is applicable only for those who have keen ear for sound quality. |
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10-28-2021, 08:23 PM | #57 |
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Apple is pretty iffy on what exactly this means, and certainly for "high res" - there's a 99% likelihood it means 48kHz only .. .which, on the surface sounds pretty good, but that also *may* mean Apple is upsampling 95% of their library which is CD quality (i.e., 44.1kHz), which may also mean better, but it also may mean worse (i.e., add new data to the audio file via interpolation isn't for sure a good thing) ... in any event, if the "wire" you connect with is MFi certified then it's for sure capped at 48kHz, and I'm also fairly sure wireless carplay (which is via 5GHz wifi) is also 48kHz
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10-28-2021, 10:37 PM | #58 |
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HK shines a bit more at electronic bass music, trap and other bass heavy styles.
B&W shines at vocal, classic and other styles of music where having a mid frequency clarity is a must. |
10-29-2021, 06:13 AM | #59 |
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This is true. Just replacing the HK mid woofers in the door will lead to much better clarity and 99% of people will be very happy. The mid woofers on the HK while better than the base HiFi are still not good (IMHO)
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10-29-2021, 07:58 AM | #60 | |
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Words like stupid and ridiculous come to mind here. |
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10-29-2021, 01:49 PM | #61 | |
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Anyone replaced door handle speakers with focal, how easy or difficult is it. |
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10-29-2021, 09:18 PM | #62 | ||
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10-30-2021, 03:38 PM | #63 |
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Of course you realize that Bowers and Wilkins is a sub-brand of Hartman Kardon, and, in turn, Harmon Kardon is a part of Samsung.
I would say for rock, pop, country, hip hop, Harlan Kardon is plenty. If you listen to music with a large dynamic range, like, say, symphonic music, the Bowers can be great for that, You can turn up the volume loud enough to cover the road noise for the soft passages, and it will still sound good and distortion free in the loud passages. |
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10-31-2021, 01:01 PM | #64 | |
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11-27-2023, 01:19 PM | #65 | |
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11-27-2023, 01:22 PM | #66 |
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