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      11-16-2020, 09:48 AM   #1
Jrunr
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Upgrading subwoofers in 19 X5 with HK system

I am going to be picking up the Bavsound Stage 1 speaker upgrade and I was wondering how people are upgrading their under seat subs. They aren’t listed as options on the BavSound site...

That being said, will they really be a big improvement over the stock subs? Anyone have any suggestions, or tips/tricks to get the already food
HK system to perform even better?

I am even considering adding one of these: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-HMucL3...EaAu7JEALw_wcB

Any thoughts on that? Thanks in advance!
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      11-25-2020, 09:26 AM   #2
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There are a lot of all-in-one sound options to up the bass. I would consider what connections the subs are hooked up to first. In the back of the X5 with HK, there's the factory amp that has Fiber inputs on it. In order to use most subs/amps/all-in-ones, you would need to first convert that digital signal into an analogue one (RCA) with a Mobridge DA1 or DA2 or something similar. That preamp would allow you to run RCA wires to the under-seat all-in-one subwoofer(s). Power and ground wires would have to be run from a separate location (battery + junction box?).

I, myself, am planning a full system upgrade but not from Bavsound.
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      11-27-2020, 09:00 PM   #3
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Bavsound speakers and subs are utter garbage, they are going to be a downgrade from your HK. Get OEM B&W subs and speakers if you want an actual upgrade.
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      11-28-2020, 12:13 AM   #4
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      11-28-2020, 06:47 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlowX6M View Post
Bavsound speakers and subs are utter garbage, they are going to be a downgrade from your HK. Get OEM B&W subs and speakers if you want an actual upgrade.
that is an interesting angle.. did anybody ever tried to source the B&W speaker ? from bmw ?
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      11-28-2020, 08:27 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by philooo View Post
that is an interesting angle.. did anybody ever tried to source the B&W speaker ? from bmw ?
Yes, all BMW speakers are made by HK anyway, including B&W, but obviously to a different quality standard.
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      11-29-2020, 03:29 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlowX6M View Post
Bavsound speakers and subs are utter garbage, they are going to be a downgrade from your HK. Get OEM B&W subs and speakers if you want an actual upgrade.
Why do you say this? Have you heard them? Why are they garbage?
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      11-29-2020, 07:44 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Jrunr View Post
Why do you say this? Have you heard them? Why are they garbage?
Yes, I had them in my e70, did not like them at all. Your HK system is already better, they are meant to replace base system subs.
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      11-29-2020, 08:10 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlowX6M View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrunr View Post
Why do you say this? Have you heard them? Why are they garbage?
Yes, I had them in my e70, did not like them at all. Your HK system is already better, they are meant to replace base system subs.
Same here. Bought a pair for my 235i. Returned them 3 weeks later. I had the HK version - didn't need the subs. Found them "muddy". Reinstalled the OEM subs.
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      11-29-2020, 08:35 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by BMWZ4 View Post
Same here. Bought a pair for my 235i. Returned them 3 weeks later. I had the HK version - didn't need the subs. Found them "muddy". Reinstalled the OEM subs.
Muddy is the perfect term to describe them.

BMW audio systems were never their strong point, and since about mid 2000s they have been using the same size shallow underseat "subwoofers" housing inside small plastic enclosures. You're just not going to get much bass out of these as they are shallow and there isn't much of an enclosure for them to interact with.

Bavsound subs at first give you an impression that they are a lot punchier, but once you spend some time with them, you start to notice how muddy and unbalanced they are. This is not even to criticize Bavsound, its mostly BMW no designing proper enclosures for their speakers, and Bavsound I guess resorts to the techniques of boosting certain frequencies which results in punchy but muddy and unbalanced bass.

I have had 8 BMWs over the years, and currently I have a m2 with HK, a F96 X6M with B&W and an E70 X5 that originally came with Logic 7. In the X5 I replaced the Logic 7 speakers and subs with Bavsound, but quickly ripped them out and replaced them with the same B&W speakers and subs as my X6M.

With HK I would not even bother upgrading unless its a full custom system. Anything OEM or aftermarket that utilizes OEM housings is going to be a very marginal improvement thats not worth the $ or the effort.
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      12-01-2020, 04:48 PM   #11
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What about the speakers (not the sub)? Are those better than the stock speakers?
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      12-02-2020, 12:43 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrunr View Post
What about the speakers (not the sub)? Are those better than the stock speakers?
I did not like the speakers either, they had horrible distortions at certain frequencies, Bavsound send me a pair of new speakers to see if I had a bad batch, but they too distorted. If you are going through the effort of the upgrade, get the oem B&W speakers, they are so much better.
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      12-02-2020, 12:56 AM   #13
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A little video that I made. Sorry for the quality, I am not an expert speaker or video maker, but I think it gets my point across.

This is my setup

65-13-2-622-510 - B&W subwoofers
65-13-2-622-774 - B&W midrange speakers
65-13-9-350-327 -B&W diamond tweeters (fronts)
Bimmertech Alpha One A10 tweeters (rears)


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      12-02-2020, 02:44 PM   #14
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Thank you for this video. It is very helpful. I’m not sure where to find the speakers though... also, if you see my first post, that is what I was thinking about doing for the subwoofer upgrade...
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      12-03-2020, 11:57 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrunr View Post
Thank you for this video. It is very helpful. I’m not sure where to find the speakers though... also, if you see my first post, that is what I was thinking about doing for the subwoofer upgrade...
You can google my part numbers, but the prices are kind of steep.

If I was going with an aftermaket route, I would go with Focal over Bavsound, although I have no experience with them, but usually Focal products are top notch. Bimmertech midranges are another choice, they are much better than Bavsound, I compared them directly, but they are not as good as B&W. Not sure about their subs.
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      12-05-2020, 11:12 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlowX6M View Post
Bavsound speakers and subs are utter garbage, they are going to be a downgrade from your HK. Get OEM B&W subs and speakers if you want an actual upgrade.
I disagree with your strong opinion but understand that audio quality is very much a subjective thing. I found the HK system “ muddy” and lacking “clarity and punch”

I had the Bavsound speakers installed and am very pleased with the results. To my ears there is distinctly more “separation” and “mid range punch”.

I have ordered the Bavsound subs with the understanding that the installer will attempt to remove the HK subs with reasonable heat and force application but if he feels that he can’t remove them without damaging the housing he will abandon the job and return the Bavsound subs. There’s still some limited but acceptable risk in my opinion.

It’s not the first time that I have disagreed with someone else’s opinion on car audio. I guess this illustrates that we all hear audio differently but in my opinion the Bavsound speakers are certainly not “garbage” and are a worthwhile upgrade.
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      12-05-2020, 03:45 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterK1 View Post
I disagree with your strong opinion but understand that audio quality is very much a subjective thing. I found the HK system “ muddy” and lacking “clarity and punch”

I had the Bavsound speakers installed and am very pleased with the results. To my ears there is distinctly more “separation” and “mid range punch”.
I actually have HK system in my M2, and while it certainly sounds flatter than the B&W system, it actually sounds pretty good to my ears, and while its flatter it also has less distortions than B&O, L7, or B&W, in fact it has no distortions. But then HK system in the M2 might be different than HK system in the G05, as BMW's audio branding designation is weird.


Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterK1 View Post
I have ordered the Bavsound subs with the understanding that the installer will attempt to remove the HK subs with reasonable heat and force application but if he feels that he can’t remove them without damaging the housing he will abandon the job and return the Bavsound subs. There’s still some limited but acceptable risk in my opinion.
Not sure what you mean, did I miss anything? Why do you need heat and force to remove stock subs?

Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterK1 View Post
It’s not the first time that I have disagreed with someone else’s opinion on car audio. I guess this illustrates that we all hear audio differently but in my opinion the Bavsound speakers are certainly not “garbage” and are a worthwhile upgrade.
No problem at all, I've disagreed with people regarding audio systems myself in the past. Bavsound midranges sound ok, but there are certain frequencies where they horribly distort, I'll find a video for you to demonstrate.
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      12-05-2020, 04:19 PM   #18
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Look towards the end when I got to the Bavsound speaker - they exchanged it for me several times, but they all kept distorting horribly, I ended up ripping them out in my E70 and replacing with B&W.
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      12-05-2020, 05:02 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlowX6M View Post
I actually have HK system in my M2, and while it certainly sounds flatter than the B&W system, it actually sounds pretty good to my ears, and while its flatter it also has less distortions than B&O, L7, or B&W, in fact it has no distortions. But then HK system in the M2 might be different than HK system in the G05, as BMW's audio branding designation is weird.




Not sure what you mean, did I miss anything? Why do you need heat and force to remove stock subs?



No problem at all, I've disagreed with people regarding audio systems myself in the past. Bavsound midranges sound ok, but there are certain frequencies where they horribly distort, I'll find a video for you to demonstrate.
Apparently the HK subs are glued into the housings on the G05 and require heat to remove them. Bavsound warn of the possibility of damaging the housings when trying to remove the subs. The replacements are, not surprisingly, expensive.

Several people on this board have successfully done the removal and install but it’s out of my comfort range/skills. My installer who is an experienced Bavsound dealer and installer will go slow and abandon the project if they feel more heat or force could damage the housings.
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      12-05-2020, 05:25 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterK1 View Post
Apparently the HK subs are glued into the housings on the G05 and require heat to remove them. Bavsound warn of the possibility of damaging the housings when trying to remove the subs. The replacements are, not surprisingly, expensive.

Several people on this board have successfully done the removal and install but it’s out of my comfort range/skills. My installer who is an experienced Bavsound dealer and installer will go slow and abandon the project if they feel more heat or force could damage the housings.
I have two spare housings that came with my B&W subs designed for F96 (2020+ X6M), they should fit your car, and bavsound subs fit right into them. I can send them out to you, pm me.

Last edited by SlowX6M; 12-05-2020 at 05:37 PM..
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      12-06-2020, 07:44 PM   #21
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This is why I think something like this would be a good, cost effective, upgrade.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-HMucL3...EaAu7JEALw_wcB
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      12-07-2020, 07:54 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrunr View Post
This is why I think something like this would be a good, cost effective, upgrade.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-HMucL3...EaAu7JEALw_wcB
Probably so. Years back, in the late 90ies I think, I had an Infinity Basslink subwoofer in one of my cars, it was great.
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