[nater123]

I am bit surprised that this has not come up yet, but the system is rated at ~ 1.5 KW. At peak usage that's 1.5KWh battery drained for every hour of usage. Now granted most people are not going to be using it at that level but deep bass (low frequency, long wavelengths) and gimmicks such as exciters are very physical unlike mids and highs, so take up a lot of power. Go to town with such systems on an ICE but losing 15-20 miles of EV range for listening to loud music (~1KW) for 5 hours on a road trip seems excessive. Thoughts?

[AvGeek]

Originally Posted by nater123

I am bit surprised that this has not come up yet, but the system is rated at ~ 1.5 KW. At peak usage that's 1.5KWh battery drained for every hour of usage. Now granted most people are not going to be using it at that level but deep bass (low frequency, long wavelengths) and gimmicks such as exciters are very physical unlike mids and highs, so take up a lot of power. Go to town with such systems on an ICE but losing 15-20 miles of EV range for listening to loud music (~1KW) for 5 hours on a road trip seems excessive. Thoughts?

The system may be rated for that, but I doubt you will break even 100W before you lose your hearing. As a very unscientific example, take a very nice Focal car woofer with a sensitivity of 91.5db, meaning 1W RMS will produce 91.5dB of sound. Let's say you turn it up to 94.5dB, well that would only need 2W RMS. At 100W RMS, you would be at an ear-splitting 114.5dB, enough to hit OSHA's recommended daily limit of sound exposure in just 15 minutes.

[crabman]

Got my car yesterday. My best source with the B&W is Tidal master recordings via android auto. The long and the short of it is that it isn't close to the 4D Burmy in the S580 I was driving. And I do mean not close, it's quite a bit down in impact in difficult sections, doesn't do as well across differing genres, and lacks adjustability.

For all that it sounds ok, and in fairness the Burmy cost twice as much, but I was hoping for a little better.

[nater123]

Originally Posted by AvGeek

The system may be rated for that, but I doubt you will break even 100W before you lose your hearing. As a very unscientific example, take a very nice Focal car woofer with a sensitivity of 91.5db, meaning 1W RMS will produce 91.5dB of sound. Let's say you turn it up to 94.5dB, well that would only need 2W RMS. At 100W RMS, you would be at an ear-splitting 114.5dB, enough to hit OSHA's recommended daily limit of sound exposure in just 15 minutes.

You're probably quite right in your assertions but one thing to note is that the Focal woofer you linked to has a frequency response rating starting from 60 Hz. There are systems that can go down to 10 Hz or lower and that's what gives that very physical rumbling effect. That's also the reason why subwoofer amplifiers have high power output usually. These require powerful magnets at their core, no getting around it. On an EV or PHEV, having these kind of systems, with exciters and ambient lighting etc feels a bit paradoxical. But, it could all be just be a big number that never gets utilized, only rationalized.

[aussieintexas]

I love the B&W. I’m no audiophile but I came from the X3MC with HK and my wife’s X5 45e has HK and the B&W blows it away. Love the sound through Spotify and my USB stick.

[Cityman]

I think the B&W system blows it away, and is worth the extra dough. I listen to Apple Music in its highest quality format, Lossless (ALAC) and it sounds amazing. Plus, you get handsome stainless steel speaker grills and cool looking lights.

[lsutigers]

Originally Posted by crabman

Got my car yesterday. My best source with the B&W is Tidal master recordings via android auto. The long and the short of it is that it isn't close to the 4D Burmy in the S580 I was driving. And I do mean not close, it's quite a bit down in impact in difficult sections, doesn't do as well across differing genres, and lacks adjustability.

For all that it sounds ok, and in fairness the Burmy cost twice as much, but I was hoping for a little better.

Interesting…I cross-shopped the GLE S63 AMG with the Burmester and thought the Bowers was significantly better. Most auto reviewers also seem to agree that the Bowers Diamond system in BMW’s is one of the best.

[aaaaaaaaaz]

I only play music maybe 10% time I am driving, so any upgrade is just a waste of money.

[crabman]

Originally Posted by lsutigers

Interesting…I cross-shopped the GLE S63 AMG with the Burmester and thought the Bowers was significantly better. Most auto reviewers also seem to agree that the Bowers Diamond system in BMW’s is one of the best.

The Burmy or the Burmy? In other words the stock stereo or the 6700 dollar 4D option? I haven't heard the stock stereo in a while and I can't comment on it but the optional 4D hits significantly harder, has much more setup and tuning options, more clarity, better soundstaging, etc.

It's not close.

[aussieintexas]

Originally Posted by alanzyy

I only play music maybe 10% time I am driving, so any upgrade is just a waste of money.

Appreciate the input 😉

[lsutigers]

Originally Posted by crabman

The Burmy or the Burmy? In other words the stock stereo or the 6700 dollar 4D option? I haven't heard the stock stereo in a while and I can't comment on it but the optional 4D hits significantly harder, has much more setup and tuning options, more clarity, better soundstaging, etc.

It's not close.

The GLE 63S AMG is only offered with one Burmy system. Here are the specs from the Mercedes website:

Burmester Surround Sound System
One of the most respected makers of handcrafted high-end home audio, Germany's Burmester® has developed a surround-sound system specifically for the GLE. Thirteen high-quality speakers including twin FrontBass® subwoofers and a 590-watt 9-channel digital amplifier can fill the cabin with pure digital surround sound while seamlessly compensating for ambient noise. Exquisitely detailed metal speaker grilles are as rewarding to the eyes as the system's output is to the most discerning ears.


Here are the details on the Bowers system from BMW:

Bowers & Wilkins® Diamond Surround Sound System has it all: 20 speakers - including exclusive Diamond Dome tweeters, 1,500 watts of audio power, 10 fully active amplification channels, QuantumLogic Surround/Dynamic Sound Equalizing via measuring microphone and three analog crossover networks for consistent sound quality.

On paper, the Bowers blows the Burmy out of the water. Both are good but Bowers sounds significantly better.

[evanseric21]

Originally Posted by lsutigers

The GLE 63S AMG is only offered with one Burmy system. Here are the specs from the Mercedes website:

Burmester Surround Sound System
One of the most respected makers of handcrafted high-end home audio, Germany's Burmester® has developed a surround-sound system specifically for the GLE. Thirteen high-quality speakers including twin FrontBass® subwoofers and a 590-watt 9-channel digital amplifier can fill the cabin with pure digital surround sound while seamlessly compensating for ambient noise. Exquisitely detailed metal speaker grilles are as rewarding to the eyes as the system's output is to the most discerning ears.

Here are the details on the Bowers system from BMW:

Bowers & Wilkins® Diamond Surround Sound System has it all: 20 speakers - including exclusive Diamond Dome tweeters, 1,500 watts of audio power, 10 fully active amplification channels, QuantumLogic Surround/Dynamic Sound Equalizing via measuring microphone and three analog crossover networks for consistent sound quality.

On paper, the Bowers blows the Burmy out of the water. Both are good but Bowers sounds significantly better.

To add to this, we recently took delivery of a 2024 Mercedes GLE 450 for my wife, equipped with the Burmester Surround System, and I received my 2024 X6MC, featuring Bowers and Wilkins. The Bowers system definitely sounds better. However, the Mercedes includes a built-in Apple Music app, and when playing songs with Dolby Atmos listed, the effect is pretty noticeable and cool. I use Spotify in my car, and I don't believe Spotify supports Dolby Atmos. I need to try Apple Music to see if I can get that same effect. Both systems sound good, though.

[Daedalus0101101]

I just have the Harmon Kardon system in mine and when I first got it I thought it sounded flat and had no depth. After I did a software upgrade it took a little time, but it sounded much better than it origianlly did. So I am not sure if the software did something, or if the previous owner on my CPO never used the speakers but it sounds a lot better and I am happy with the sound. Before, my previous vehicle ( non BMW) with a Sony system sounded better. I'd say now that it sounds just as good or better.

[crabman]

Originally Posted by lsutigers

The GLE 63S AMG is only offered with one Burmy system. Here are the specs from the Mercedes website:

Burmester Surround Sound System
One of the most respected makers of handcrafted high-end home audio, Germany's Burmester® has developed a surround-sound system specifically for the GLE. Thirteen high-quality speakers including twin FrontBass® subwoofers and a 590-watt 9-channel digital amplifier can fill the cabin with pure digital surround sound while seamlessly compensating for ambient noise. Exquisitely detailed metal speaker grilles are as rewarding to the eyes as the system's output is to the most discerning ears.


Here are the details on the Bowers system from BMW:

Bowers & Wilkins® Diamond Surround Sound System has it all: 20 speakers - including exclusive Diamond Dome tweeters, 1,500 watts of audio power, 10 fully active amplification channels, QuantumLogic Surround/Dynamic Sound Equalizing via measuring microphone and three analog crossover networks for consistent sound quality.

On paper, the Bowers blows the Burmy out of the water. Both are good but Bowers sounds significantly better.

As I said, I came from an S580, it comes with a base Burmy, and then you can upgrade to the 4D which is a 6500 dollar option. Cut and paste follows...

Raising the pinnacle of automotive audio, the Burmester® 4D system features seat-integrated resonators that help you feel surround sound in new dimensions. Analog-digital amps deliver 1,750 total watts via 30 high-end speakers, including six 3D speakers and dual body-integrated FrontBass subwoofers, plus a trunk-mounted sub with its own 400-watt amp. In-car communication, five preset modes, seat-specific VIP functions, and ear-level speakers for discreet driver voice commands, are included.

End cut and paste...

As I said it's not close and the difference is greater than the numbers might imply. It has way more headroom and impact, is far more configurable, sounds better across genres, has better sound staging, better voicing, etc.

Again, it's not close. In fact the Burmy over at Porsche while not as good as the MB unit in the S class is also better than this unit.

To me this is a downgrade and I'm finding it passable, but no more.

[BMPHIL]

Sounds brilliant to me, better than Harmon Karmon which I found acceptable.

[swainbmw]

Save your money keep the hk Get an amp and add to the existing system. Problem solved higher volume better base and replace the front speakers.

[MADBMWX5MC]

To the original question, they are both good systems and they are both different. I had the H&K when I had the 2019 BMW X3 M40i and thought it was a good system with to need to updgrade. Then I got the B&W in my 2023 and said dang, what an improvement. Sound quality was better. The question is: If I only had the H&K, would I spend $$ to upgrade, no, but that's just me.

[X5bmwmn]

Got a 2024 X5 for my wife with HK and a I have a 2020 x5 with B&W. The B&W is hands down better and makes the drive all the more enjoyable. Wish BMW will add the B&W option to its lineup for Xdrive 40i like they did in 2020 model.

[shed]

This feels like such a depends question.

If you listen to mostly music driving, have a very keen ear and/or audiophile it might be.

I'm close to tone death, most of my listening is news or podcasts, so it's never going to be worth it. Harmon Kardon is hardly terrible brand, at least not on my previous cars.

Out of interest, how does HK compare with just stock BMW?