[Mr.blue]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

Same here... All the ambient lighting is shut off for us. I do not care for it or want it on. The kids enjoy it but after the novelty wears off they prefer to stare at the BMW tablets on the back of the seats or the iPads in their hands.

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.

[thereef510]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

Same here... All the ambient lighting is shut off for us. I do not care for it or want it on. The kids enjoy it but after the novelty wears off they prefer to stare at the BMW tablets on the back of the seats or the iPads in their hands.

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

[buddenfan]

Originally Posted by JC316

I recently built out an M50i and added the B&W for three reasons:

1) I listened to it from my friends M50i and was surprised to hear how clear everything was. Conditions: Connected via Apple Car Play/ Listened to KPOP. LOL I know, not the best of conditions to really get the most out of the B&W but amazing nonetheless.

2) I asked my friend what options he would get again if he had the opportunity to reorder his vehicle and he said most definitely DHP and B&W.

3) I was already looking at paying a significant amount of money for the vehicle. I figured, what's $3400 more. Much better than me regretting it later.

All in all, if you search the forums, you'll find that the majority of people who have posted will agree that the B&W is worth it. You'll get the best experience if you add high def audio files to a USB and connect it to your car. Realize that there is no direct connection option from your phone to the sound system.

If you intend on listening to SAT or just plain old radio, the B&W may not be for you.

I usually listen to my Apple Music playlists from the carplay

[CreativeMind]

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.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by CreativeMind

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.

Qualcomm recently announced supporting lossless tracks via bluetooth (Sept 1)

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/qua...aptx-lossless/

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

Qualcomm recently announced supporting lossless tracks via bluetooth (Sept 1)

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/qua...aptx-lossless/

Great news! I’m super excited to use wireless CarPlay next year while enjoying good quality music

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by CreativeMind

Great news! I'm super excited to use wireless CarPlay next year while enjoying good quality music

You realize that Apple iPhones do not support Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth CODECs?

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by Auricom

You realize that Apple iPhones do not support Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth CODECs?

No, I did not realize that. Guess it’ll be a longer wait… or hopefully Apple upgrades the BT module on next year’s iPhone to support aptX CODECs.

[goobies818]

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.

[Norbimmer]

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 ��

[lake_eleven]

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.

[omasou]

Originally Posted by CreativeMind

No, I did not realize that. Guess it’ll be a longer wait… or hopefully Apple upgrades the BT module on next year’s iPhone to support aptX CODECs.

Apple is focused on CarPlay which streams music over WiFi. I don't see them spending resources to improve BT music streaming.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by CreativeMind

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.

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

[ksavostin]

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.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by ksavostin

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.

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)

[dynamic]

Originally Posted by FCX5

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 whole better than the base HiFi are still not good.

So you get bent over for another 5 grand for this HK system that needs more money spent to upgrade it to what it should be in the first place.
Words like stupid and ridiculous come to mind here.

[lake_eleven]

Originally Posted by FCX5

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)

Sat in the rear seat to see how it sounds. Feel ver bad for my rear seating kids, the sound is so pathetic from the speakers in the door handle.
Anyone replaced door handle speakers with focal, how easy or difficult is it.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by lake_eleven

Sat in the rear seat to see how it sounds. Feel ver bad for my rear seating kids, the sound is so pathetic from the speakers in the door handle.
Anyone replaced door handle speakers with focal, how easy or difficult is it.

I have and they are very easy to replace. Plug and play. Huge difference.

[Timmer-Bimmer]

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.

[dynamic]

Originally Posted by Timmer-Bimmer

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.

What about for listening to Fox News and Business thru XM, LOL.

[aussieintexas]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Solid advise. Just to add: if you are going to get the B&W, get the acoustic glass. Just like if you are going to get the rear entertainment system you should also get the B&W. All these items are designed to be used together to further enhance the experience. Obviously if you don’t have a budget when ordering a luxury vehicle you check all the boxes. Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

How do you option the acoustic glass?

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by aussieintexas

How do you option the acoustic glass?

Not available in the US.