[buddenfan]

I am pricing out and making a build for a 2021 X6M Competition and the Bowen Wilkins diamond package is $3,400 whereas the Harman Kardon comes standard. I had the Harman Kardon in my i8 coupe and i8 Roadster but never heard the quality of a Bowen Wilkins.

For those verses in both can you give me the scoop on the difference in quality and whether Harmon is worth the $3,400. Thanks in advance.

[iconoclast]

Short answer: Yes. It lacks bass but it has clarity through the entire range when dialed in properly. A few threads on this where people go in to detail on it.

[AmooManiak]

If you're an Audiophile, yes. If not, it's not worth the difference. To me it all sounds very close while my brother can notice a difference. I prefer the sound of the exhaust

[Spencer518]

The increased noise in an M Competition vehicle will negate some of the benefits.

[MystroX5]

I had the HK in my last G05 X5 and now have B&W in my loaded X7M50i. Yes, it’s worth $5k up charge for how good it is. Lots of threads on this. HK is respectable but the B&W is in another zip code and one of the best audio systems you can buy.


This might help.

[Al Pinã]

If you're leasing remember that you're only paying a fraction of that option price.

Also, if you like the interior lighting ambience, then the B&W is a must have as the speakers light up as well.

Not sure about the guy commenting on bass lacking, this is an absolute falsehood. If you EQ everything correctly the bass will be knocking.

I have the B&W in my 750 and it absolutely blows the H&K out of the water. A recent 750 loaner I had came with the Harmon, and the most noticeable aspect is clarity and loudness. I could easily turn the H&K all the way up to max and not be blown out of the car, but with the Bowers by the time you get to 3/4 volume it's painfully loud.

[MystroX5]

The B&W has very full clear and separated punchy bass if you want to eq it that way. The mallet of a kick drum will punch you in the chest but you’ll still hear that initial attack. Even the bass guitar is punchy but you can easily hear the clean metallic overtones of fresh new strings.
HK is more of a muddy bass to the point it’s mids get lost in the mix.
Where the B&W excels is the soundstage front and rear. It’s the sum of its parts is what makes it a outstanding system. I can change the sound stage to the rear monitors and it will be THE best rear entertainment experience money can buy from a factory system. Factor in the ambient light and the sky lounge with the smell of ambient air and you are rolling large in the passenger seats.



I use many custom B&W monitors in my studio reference rooms for our far field mixes. They are incredibly pleasing and accurate without sounding flat.

[AmooManiak]

I think it makes more sense in an X7. The X5 is sportier and people who buy the M50i probably won't pay as much attention to sround.

It's like comparing a M550i to a 750i - different demographics.

[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.

[VTENGR]

I optioned the B&W on my M50i build. I have B&W for my home theater setup and they are tremendous! I was expecting the same for the X5. The fact of the matter is, unless you're going to be inputting a source that's uncompressed (FLAC) or very close, the average person won't tell a difference. Most ppl are listening to some sort of streaming service which is highly compressed. Any advantages of having the B&W system gets nullified at that point.

My #1 reason for getting the system was the aesthetics. I likes the aluminum speaker grills and ambient lighting of the speakers. That was the selling point for me. If the HK and B&W system looked the same I probably would have used that $$ for the dynamic handling package instead.

[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.

[BobsM3Coupe]

I had the upgraded HK system in my previous 2019 X3 M40i. To me it was garbage, but it was the best audio system BMW offered for the X3.
When I was upgrading to my current 2021 X5MC, even though the HK system was standard with the X5M, I didn't hesitate for one second about the added cost for the B&W system. To me, it is fantastic. It even makes XM radio sound decent. That is thanks in large part to the various sound stage settings the B&W system offers.

To the OP, you are already getting an X6MC, which is already well over 100K, another $3,400 isn't that much more for a great factory installed sound system. I know if I was ever going to get a used X5M in the future, I wouldn't even consider one without the B&W system.

Either way, congrats and good luck with the X6MC.

[OSCORP]

I have the B&W in my X6M50i and it sounds awesome, I use a USB-C MicroSD card dongle with all my music in flac format and it truly shines!
oh and the lighting looks fantastic on the speaker grille!

[JC316]

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.

Acoustic glass is not available in the US market. At least not for the G05 40i and the M50i.

[hiki08]

Originally Posted by AmooManiak

If you're an Audiophile, yes. If not, it's not worth the difference. To me it all sounds very close while my brother can notice a difference. I prefer the sound of the exhaust

The B&W speakers might make the speaker-fed exhaust sound even better

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by hiki08

The B&W speakers might make the speaker-fed exhaust sound even better

Dynamic sound stage options.....

I'd like my exhaust to sound like:

1) Recording studio
2) Open-air theatre
3) Concert hall

[jg05]

Just a few other thoughts: lights in speakers - yes!

Sound quality for SiriusXM, not worth it. Sound is too compressed. I use Apple Music and that music is too compressed as well. Sounds ok but didn’t really blow me away.

I signed up for the Amazon HD trial for a month and won’t be cancelling it. That little bit of improvement in compression (meaning less compressed) makes a huge difference.

With an iPhone, you max out at CD quality via wireless CarPlay or plugged in so anything higher will max out at CD quality but that CD quality sounds really good on the B&W.

Of course high quality files on a usb drive I’m sure would sound even better.

If you lease, you just pay the depreciated cost of the upgrade so 54%+/- so it ends up being about $40-$45/mo depending on lease term, etc.

I would have preferred not to have to spend the extra $$/mo for HD music but figured I would be doing that anyway. Just something to consider - figure out what you listen to most and go from there.

[xDrivex5]

Originally Posted by VTENGR

My #1 reason for getting the system was the aesthetics. I likes the aluminum speaker grills and ambient lighting of the speakers. That was the selling point for me.

I only have HK in my car, but if I had to spec a new car then definitely would choose B&W!

[JC316]

Originally Posted by Marko_1

I only have HK in my car, but if I had to spec a new car then definitely would choose B&W!

I would be lying if I didn't admit that part of the reason I purchased the B&W was because it looked so nice! I mean who doesn't like steel covers and speakers that light up!

FLAC by USB to get the best experience! +1

[thereef510]

I say this in every thread that digs up this topic: if you haven't listened to them, don't. You don't need to know what you're missing out on. Once you listen to them, you'll be stuck trying to come up with the funds to add it to your build.

having said that, if you only listen to music and media at conversational volumes, you'll be hard pressed to find any differences in audio quality. The system really shines at moderately loud volumes, which isnt really possible if you always have passengers in your car.

[Ninefourteener]

I got it because..... well..... why not. I thought it was fantastic.

Then I drove my friend's 2019 X5 with the H/K.... and thought to myself "this sounds like complete shit"

Only after hearing how poor the H/K was by comparison.... did I truly realize how worthwhile the upgrade was.

Get it..... absolutely.

[Chapel Hill]

Would love to get this on an M50i, but for some reason you can't order B&W without getting the Executive Package ... the latter of which has add ons that I have absolutely no interest in.