[MilesToEmpty]

I dug around and found some eq settings in another thread and tried them and it really brought the sound stage together. Wish i could find the thread to share. I do hate how the screen doesnt give the eq +/- settings and is just a solid bar, kinda hard to adjust properly.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by MilesToEmpty

I dug around and found some eq settings in another thread and tried them and it really brought the sound stage together. Wish i could find the thread to share. I do hate how the screen doesnt give the eq +/- settings and is just a solid bar, kinda hard to adjust properly.

So it doesn't provide how many "clicks" of additive or subtractive eq we're applying? Just the bar?

I can't remember how it worked, but if that's true then unfortunately I won't be able to provide those specific settings as requested earlier in the thread. I thought it had precise increments of 10 above and below center but maybe it was just a slider.

[partialresponse]

Originally Posted by elambo

Well, it's not a joke per se. In high end systems you'll hear improvements after a break-in period, but it requires articulate components, and only certain components will endure a break-in of any kind. Speaker drivers, for one. I haven't personally experienced any settling in my HK system over the year and a half I've had it, but auditory memory is horrible in humans (we begin to forget what we just heard mere seconds after the event occurs) so the likelihood of us truly sensing this in our HK systems is about zero.

I've experienced it in high end home systems. Speakers, in particular, will lose the edge in their high end over the course of a couple days. Sometimes more. I've experienced it with amps, too, but I'd rather not open Pandora's Box and start the argument.

These components may technically exhibit different properties over the course of a few days of playing but I'd be surprised if it's much. It's certainly not going to promote it from good to great.

I have about 6k miles on my M440i with the HK system and there is no doubt that the character of the sound has changed over that time. Break-in of new speaker drivers is very real, and I’ve experienced it many times in my home audio systems over the past 30+ years. I’m an audiophile of the highest order. New electronics also break in but the effect is not as dramatic as with speaker drivers. The main component responsible for break-in of speaker drivers is the cone surround.

[LarryMarcia]

If break-in is a real thing, I hope my HK breaks in asap because it is currently not very good. Is there anything I can do to speed-up the break-in process short of leaving the radio on all night??? I can always charge the battery if it dies.

I have tried adjusting the settings with all of the suggestions on bimmerpost, and still it doesn't sound that great.

having experienced the Mcintosh in Jeep and Bang and Olufson in Audi that are similarly priced upgraded stereos, and so many others over the years, I am used to hearing great sound day 1 and w/o much setting adjustments or break-in.

Reality is I never went to an Internet forum to try and make my car stereo sound better until I got the 3 series with the HK.

Hopefully, after the "break-in" period, I will be able to post that it sounds better, which would be great as I don't have the 4 grand to spend on an upgrade a car audio place.

I will also say that I was a little worried whether an audio upgrade would void any warranty, and service told me it would not as long as it is done properly. If I do upgrade, I will keep the Harmon Kardon speaker screens so it looks like stock.

[cbagz]

Originally Posted by elambo

So it doesn't provide how many "clicks" of additive or subtractive eq we're applying? Just the bar?

I can't remember how it worked, but if that's true then unfortunately I won't be able to provide those specific settings as requested earlier in the thread. I thought it had precise increments of 10 above and below center but maybe it was just a slider.

It does + or - about 8 clicks!

[CGSNJ59]

Originally Posted by LarryMarcia

If break-in is a real thing, I hope my HK breaks in asap because it is currently not very good. Is there anything I can do to speed-up the break-in process short of leaving the radio on all night??? I can always charge the battery if it dies.

I have tried adjusting the settings with all of the suggestions on bimmerpost, and still it doesn't sound that great.

having experienced the Mcintosh in Jeep and Bang and Olufson in Audi that are similarly priced upgraded stereos, and so many others over the years, I am used to hearing great sound day 1 and w/o much setting adjustments or break-in.

Reality is I never went to an Internet forum to try and make my car stereo sound better until I got the 3 series with the HK.

Hopefully, after the "break-in" period, I will be able to post that it sounds better, which would be great as I don't have the 4 grand to spend on an upgrade a car audio place.

I will also say that I was a little worried whether an audio upgrade would void any warranty, and service told me it would not as long as it is done properly. If I do upgrade, I will keep the Harmon Kardon speaker screens so it looks like stock.

Agree!!!

When it comes to the so-called Harman upgrade that BMW offers on the new 3 series, that makes 2 of us. I would definitely pay for a better upgrade, but don't feel like removing the system that came with the car.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by cbagz

It does + or - about 8 clicks!

OK thank you! That's what I'd thought.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by partialresponse

I have about 6k miles on my M440i with the HK system and there is no doubt that the character of the sound has changed over that time. Break-in of new speaker drivers is very real, and I’ve experienced it many times in my home audio systems over the past 30+ years. I’m an audiophile of the highest order. New electronics also break in but the effect is not as dramatic as with speaker drivers. The main component responsible for break-in of speaker drivers is the cone surround.

As I said, some components do settle over time, but these aren't of a pedigree that typically does so to a degree that's noticeable. It's more likely that auditory memory is changing (or, rather, adapting) and that's what's perceived as breaking-in. This is almost impossible to determine, of course, but there have been tests proving that high end components migrate electrically, it simply takes pristine monitors/cabling/etc. to sense those shifts. These speakers are certainly NOT pristine. Maybe the treble frequencies will settle in a little. The driver surround of the sub and woofers might loosen a little, allowing freedom of movement. But, again, we'd be asking a lot to sense any of this (theoretical) change in a car.

[zazzau]

I coded B&W and use it along with the eq settings posted across the forum. It works well with the STUDIO profile. However if I remove my coding but leave the eq settings I can’t hear much of a difference but I left the code in there anyway.

HK does a decent job and those bashing it probably can opt for other solutions. But for the average listener I find it sufficient. Certainly not as powerful as my B&O home system but it gets the job done when driving. From outside the car (with doors closed) I can hear the bass while music is playing and it’s very clean.

[SLGrassoPA]

I also tried the code for the Bowers, and found it sounded a bit different, maybe better with ktreble and voice , but not significant enough to really change the overall sound when playing most genres.

[JITH]

Also somebody around here proposed to send the fader somehow to the rear and that helps a lot the way it sounds. He was right IMO. Bass magnified nicely.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by JITH

Also somebody around here proposed to send the fader somehow to the rear and that helps a lot the way it sounds. He was right IMO. Bass magnified nicely.

That was me, and it's because those rear speakers provide a fuller sound (deeper bass extension) so it makes sense to bring them into the mix because front speakers lack the size to be truly full range.

And although this part is subjective, I've never loved that the sound comes only from the dashboard in a default setup. With the fader moved a bit toward the back, the front passengers get a more encompassing sound. Fuller and more 3D. It's win/win, imo. FWIW, this is not to be confused with Surround mode which separates and distributes audio in a very different way. One I don't much like in most cases. (though Meridian handled it quite well in their mobile systems)

[JITH]

Well... Thanks a lot... made my music enjoyment a lot better inside my m440i!

Originally Posted by elambo

That was me, and it's because those rear speakers provide a fuller sound (deeper bass extension) so it makes sense to bring them into the mix because front speakers lack the size to be truly full range.

And although this part is subjective, I've never loved that the sound comes only from the dashboard in a default setup. With the fader moved a bit toward the back, the front passengers get a more encompassing sound. Fuller and more 3D. It's win/win, imo. FWIW, this is not to be confused with Surround mode which separates and distributes audio in a very different way. One I don't much like in most cases. (though Meridian handled it quite well in their mobile systems)

[CGSNJ59]

I'll try that adjustment with the fader and see if it helps. Thanks for the advice.

[Ramos]

Originally Posted by zazzau

I coded B&W and use it along with the eq settings posted across the forum. It works well with the STUDIO profile. However if I remove my coding but leave the eq settings I can’t hear much of a difference but I left the code in there anyway.

HK does a decent job and those bashing it probably can opt for other solutions. But for the average listener I find it sufficient. Certainly not as powerful as my B&O home system but it gets the job done when driving. From outside the car (with doors closed) I can hear the bass while music is playing and it’s very clean.

I’m running that code now, and I find that it sounds a bit better in concert mode with surround effect turned all the way up.

Now having said that, the overall sound is still terrible compared to the HK on my F30 340i

I dont know if I have a faulty amp which is a common issue for the 20 and 21’s M340 or if the system is really this bad!!

I’m going to start by fighting with the dealer to try and get the amp replaced, then I’ll try to upgrade the bass by adding a secondary amp / LOC and changing the under seat subs.

Not sure if this will solve everything but it should be much better, at least I hope!

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by Ramos

I’m running that code now, and I find that it sounds a bit better in concert mode with surround effect turned all the way up.

Now having said that, the overall sound is still terrible compared to the HK on my F30 340i

I dont know if I have a faulty amp which is a common issue for the 20 and 21’s M340 or if the system is really this bad!!

I’m going to start by fighting with the dealer to try and get the amp replaced, then I’ll try to upgrade the bass by adding a secondary amp / LOC and changing the under seat subs.

Not sure if this will solve everything but it should be much better, at least I hope!

I’m not sure you can get dealer to just replace it unless the amp is really faulty. The most common fault reported on this forum is the bass cutting out randomly. I have a 21’ with no issues and sound quality is sufficient. In any case you’re better off with an upgrade than going after dealer. But certainly no harm trying. What’s your music source. Maybe try playing just one high quality FLAAC file from USB and see if you can spot the difference.

To your point about CONCERT, I tried them all but finally settled on the more natural option.

[psaav]

[/QUOTE]Now having said that, the overall sound is still terrible compared to the HK on my F30 340i

I dont know if I have a faulty amp which is a common issue for the 20 and 21’s M340 or if the system is really this bad!!

I’m going to start by fighting with the dealer to try and get the amp replaced, then I’ll try to upgrade the bass by adding a secondary amp / LOC and changing the under seat subs.

Not sure if this will solve everything but it should be much better, at least I hope![/QUOTE]




Is it possible to just get a new 22 or 23 "improved" amp and switch out the old amp like a straight plug and play?

[CGSNJ59]

When it comes to the HK sound in the 3 series, I would say that nothing short of swapping out the amp, speakers etc will give you a good sounding stereo. I tried everything under the sun in terms of setting changes, codes, etc... to get my HK to sound half way decent and nothing worked.

The amp issue was something that was fixed by BMW a few years ago. It's not the amp that''s the problem. It's that the whole HK system is not good to begin with in terms of sound.

It comes down to 2 choices,

1) read a million posts about setting choices and play with the settings for months on end and tell yourself it now sounds better (when it really does not),

or

2) bite the bullet and spend 3000 - 5000 and really have a good stereo.

[Ramos]

Originally Posted by CGSNJ59

When it comes to the HK sound in the 3 series, I would say that nothing short of swapping out the amp, speakers etc will give you a good sounding stereo. I tried everything under the sun in terms of setting changes, codes, etc... to get my HK to sound half way decent and nothing worked.

The amp issue was something that was fixed by BMW a few years ago. It's not the amp that''s the problem. It's that the whole HK system is not good to begin with in terms of sound.

It comes down to 2 choices,

1) read a million posts about setting choices and play with the settings for months on end and tell yourself it now sounds better (when it really does not),

or

2) bite the bullet and spend 3000 - 5000 and really have a good stereo.

Probably true, but as many have said, a secondary amp and better under seat woofers may make enough of a difference for under $1k

[james1138]

For what it’s worth, I used the settings listed in this article, which I found linked somewhere on this site and it took the system from sounding bad to good.

https://totallyev.net/bmw-ix3-audio-...harman-kardon/

I did some adjustments from what the article recommended. I turned the bass up and turned down the treble because I tend to prefer a warmer sound. Even with the treble turned down, I did experience a little bit of listening fatigue after a while.

I’m excited to try the settings listed in this post and adjust the fader towards the back in hopes that it will make the sound even better. I feel like the sound of the drums gets lost in the settings that I currently have. The tom and snare drums don’t hit as hard as I would hope they would.

My gut tells me that the system can sound good but never great. My first love was home theater and hi-fi so I spend a lot of time listening to quality music and have a nice set up at home. I knew before buying this car that the stereo quality was going be a trade-off for me. I came from an Acura, which had an amazing stereo set up in it. Interestingly, there’s a great article about how car stereos are set up for optimal performance in this months Road and Track. The whole issue is worth reading, especially if you like music.

One question I do have is does anybody know what impact the adjusting of the HK has on the car’s Iconic Sounds? I’m assuming adjusting the sound settings will impact the engine notes that are pumped through the speakers?

I haven’t spent enough time with my car to figure out if there is a correlation with it yet, but I plan to.

[NLJ]

Originally Posted by james1138

For what it’s worth, I used the settings listed in this article, which I found linked somewhere on this site and it took the system from sounding bad to good.

https://totallyev.net/bmw-ix3-audio-...harman-kardon/

I did some adjustments from what the article recommended. I turned the bass up and turned down the treble because I tend to prefer a warmer sound. Even with the treble turned down, I did experience a little bit of listening fatigue after a while.

I’m excited to try the settings listed in this post and adjust the fader towards the back in hopes that it will make the sound even better. I feel like the sound of the drums gets lost in the settings that I currently have. The tom and snare drums don’t hit as hard as I would hope they would.

My gut tells me that the system can sound good but never great. My first love was home theater and hi-fi so I spend a lot of time listening to quality music and have a nice set up at home. I knew before buying this car that the stereo quality was going be a trade-off for me. I came from an Acura, which had an amazing stereo set up in it. Interestingly, there’s a great article about how car stereos are set up for optimal performance in this months Road and Track. The whole issue is worth reading, especially if you like music.

One question I do have is does anybody know what impact the adjusting of the HK has on the car’s Iconic Sounds? I’m assuming adjusting the sound settings will impact the engine notes that are pumped through the speakers?

I haven’t spent enough time with my car to figure out if there [...]

Iconic Sounds on the LCI is also exhaust valve related. So if you turn it off, the valves won’t fully open.
You can test it in Neutral or Park. You will hear a clicking when you toggle it on and off.

[james1138]

Originally Posted by NLJ

Iconic Sounds on the LCI is also exhaust valve related. So if you turn it off, the valves won’t fully open.
You can test it in Neutral or Park. You will hear a clicking when you toggle it on and off.

I didn’t realize that, I thought it was whether or not you wanted the engine noise to be pumped through the speakers.

There is an element of the engine sound that goes to the speakers, right?

Thanks