Premium Audio

[RXC135i]

Going 150mph in my altima would be scary and truly anything over 110mph gets too uneasy because of the steering slop and suspension. BMWs were built for the Autobahn and 150mph is smooth and well within the comfort zone. Those big BMW brakes are definately needed though when a vehicle changes into the left lane doing 80mph; 150 meters shrinks down real quick.

[damian]

Originally Posted by Maximus Decimus

...call those opinions up when someone actually asks for them.

You mean like the OP did?

[kurichan]

Originally Posted by damian

You mean like the OP did?

[ducati]

I'm a dyed in the wool audiophile. That said, I'm of the same mind as ibeam81: the car will never be my living room, and I stopped trying long ago (although this doesn't mean I don't occasionally dream about a nice tubed setup in my car... LOL).

My wife and I auditioned the Logic 7 in the 335i Coupe, and I thought it to be quite acceptable. The soundstage was thrown forward of the window, with a solid center image, and since the 335 is quiet inside anyway, it was able to cope fairly well with the rigors of the road. It was clear, and the frequency range was mostly faithful on the tracks I knew and auditioned it with.

Some of my friends who know I'm an audio idiot find it strange that I only turn on my car's stereo about 5% of the time I'm driving. For me, driving (even to work) is a mechanical symphony of sound and feel. I do occasionally thumb up the news, or a CD if I'm so inclined, and for those instances I think the Logic 7 would satisfy.

The base 3er stereo (in the US, which I understand is not base in DE) was not satisfying, FWIW.

[ibeam81]

Originally Posted by ducati

I'm a dyed in the wool audiophile. That said, I'm of the same mind as ibeam81: the car will never be my living room, and I stopped trying long ago (although this doesn't mean I don't occasionally dream about a nice tubed setup in my car... LOL).

I've tried the 3rd party audio upgrade path in the past and found that it was a lot of effort for fairly marginal gains. I just try to get a decent OEM system now.

If you're going with tubes you might as well go all the way and get a bus sized RV with a chauffeur so that you can sit in back and really enjoy your tunes. :biggrin:

My wife and I auditioned the Logic 7 in the 335i Coupe, and I thought it to be quite acceptable. The soundstage was thrown forward of the window, with a solid center image, and since the 335 is quiet inside anyway, it was able to cope fairly well with the rigors of the road. It was clear, and the frequency range was mostly faithful on the tracks I knew and auditioned it with.

Some of my friends who know I'm an audio idiot find it strange that I only turn on my car's stereo about 5% of the time I'm driving. For me, driving (even to work) is a mechanical symphony of sound and feel. I do occasionally thumb up the news, or a CD if I'm so inclined, and for those instances I think the Logic 7 would satisfy.

The base 3er stereo (in the US, which I understand is not base in DE) was not satisfying, FWIW.

Thanks for the info. It sounds like (no pun intended) that an OEM system will suffice.

[bimmernotbeamer]

I've never had the pleasure of hearing the premium audio systems in the e36 and e46. I have however heard the base systems in both cars (especially the e36 since I have one), and they are pitiful at best. Base stereo's in Domestic and Japanese cars sound infinitely better.

I hope the base system is at least decent in the 128i. I'd hate to have to throw a fair amount of $$$ away on a factory upgraded stereo (and I probably won't anyway).

[SCA]

The Logic 7 audio system is a decent stock system in the 330/335. Nice upgrade from the HK in the E46.

[Chibana]

There are many old-school audiophiles who just throw their hands up in the air and say that car audio will never be anywhere near as good as home, so don't bother; however, I've experienced a fantastic stereo I had installed in my first car. It was installed by a high-end store in Toledo, OH (that has since gone out of business in Toledo, but I believe the main store still exists in Cleveland).

I've never heard that car stereo's equal. It was well balanced and had just the right amount of bass (i.e., not enough for many car stereo nuts, but the bass didn't draw attention to itself, but blended in nicely with the rest of the frequency range). No, it didn't sound as good as my home stereo, but that's not the point. Home audio will never sound as good as a live performance, either, but that doesn't mean you don't try to make it as good as you can. The difference in sound quality between that fantastic system I had in my first car and what I've heard since then in all of my cars is huge, and I still miss that stereo system.

Having said that, I will likely not ever replace the head unit again in any car I buy. I'd prefer to have a good sounding system from the factory, even if it's not *quite* up to what I could do for reasonable money in the after market. So I'm hoping BMW does offer a good upgrade option for the 1.

[adrean8j]

In my E39 I replaced all the speakers in the inner cabin with Hertz (http://www.hertzaudiovideo.com/default_en.htm) subs and 5 1/4's in the doors along with tweeters along with Audison (http://www.audison.eu/) amps, one for the front 5 1/4's(doors and rear deck) and one for the Subs in the trunk. I kept the stock head unit (by using a hi---> low filter to "remote" the amp) and the system sounded 100% better than stock. In order to do this I HAD to get a true professional boutique audio shop to do the install (no MediaMarkt-equivalent of Circuit City/Best Buy installs there). So it IS possible to do, you just need a real installer, preferably one who installs competition level equipment, to do the work.