Standard radio good enough in a convertible?

[ejm3]

Is the standard radio in the 1 conv good enough?
I am willing to ante up the $875 for the HK upgrade but then you also have to get some other $650 option I don't want.

So is it really necessary to pay an additional $1500?

[RoundelM3]

I don't have it in the wife's 128i and the standard HD radio is fine for us. With the soft top, you aren't going to get much in the way of acoustics to really enjoy the higher-cost stuff IMO. Plus - I put a BMW PE on the car and with the top down, there's not much point in trying to listen to the sound system unless you're going under 40MPH.

[JimD]

I think my convertible is as quiet as most hard top cars. I'm glad it is a 2009 so the base system is the mid level in most of the world. The only time it is a little noisy is when large trucks go past.

With the top down and the windows up, I hear the radio pretty well but I would admit the quality would be hard to determine.

I did not pay for the premium system but I am glad to have the mid-level. You might also want to investigate possible upgrades in the aftermarket and see if they are less.

Jim

[Allencic]

We have found that in our 2011 128i Convertible at highway speeds on California freeways (and many other roads) the road surface is too coarse and very noisy. It's simply annoying to try to listen to anything other than talk radio or an audiobook. Serious listening of music is best left to around town speeds.

I just can't imagine that $875 for an audio upgrade makes any sense. At some point you have to ask does this option or accessory give any value for money spent? Of course that's true for many other options as well

[Mark16q]

I haven't heard the standard sound system, and my '10 convertible has the premium. Much to my surprise, even on the freeway with top down, it sounds pretty fantastic. Between the subwoofers and door speakers, it isn't necessary to have it cranked obnoxiously loud to enjoy. The HD radio, when receiving digital does sound a lot better than standard FM and the ipod interface sounds quite good for compressed music.

So hard to say if it's "worth it" but I believe it sounds good enough that it's worth test driving both to see if the value is there for you. Aftermarket is probably cheaper if you could find something that looks right, but having everything integrated in a convertible is a good thing.

[litebulb]

09 vert here, brought it used and happy it came with the premium with the right settings tunes sound great, I read reviews and the base system isn't that good. Also, I have to agree with Mark16q and JimD with the top up i am very happy with the sound proofing, I hardly hear any road noise and now that it's winter I'm surprised it isn't too cold. The triple layer soft top is wonderful.

Here's a paste of my hifi settings thread.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161120

Tested, for my E88 non I-Drive this work very well:

80hz -2
200hz 0
500hz +2
1khz +2
2khz -3
5khz -1
10khz +4

BASS +3
TREB +1
FADER +2
S-VOL 1
Aux-In Level 3 (center position)
LOGIC7 = MUSIC
For those who have the IPOD adapter as well.. make sure the IPOD internal EQ is turned off! (This applies to ALL CARS!)

Cheers

[BrokenVert]

Ive never had an issue with it before. Top Up you cant notice that you arent in a coupe.

[ejm3]

I test drove it with the top up (its very cold in CT these days!) and it was very quiet.
I was more concerned with listening with the top down.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by ejm3

I test drove it with the top up (its very cold in CT these days!) and it was very quiet.
I was more concerned with listening with the top down.

below 65-70 it isnt a problem

above that and you get a bit too much wind sound

[Raudy]

So I have a '11 135 cv and my service advisor said that the hk was good but he did not say he thought it was worth the extra money. I am confused about which BMW stereo I have as I heard the base has no pillar tweater? So my car has the pillar tweeter(does not say HK), front door and rear speakers and small sub under the front seat. THe sound is decent and what I did was add the infinity sub(all in one) and since the battery and speaker wire harness is in the trunk it is an easy install. The additional bass(although to an audiofile might not be perfect) is really helpful and I set my headunit to bass of 3-5 (depending on jay-z or Dave matthews LOL) and even with the top down at 80, it sounds really good. I think the sub on amazon was like $199. Well worth it!!!

Let me know if you have any questions...and yes it is damn cold in ct right now and I think the top up driving is good with respect to outside noise...but I can hear the engine and exhaust

[Dackelone]

I would spend the extra bucks and get the HK system. It is my only regret option wise on my 135i (coupe).

[ejm3]

Problem is that to get the nice HK stereo you have to add BMW assist, which adds another $650. So $1500 is a lot of money unless the stereo is A LOT better.

[Mark16q]

Originally Posted by ejm3

Problem is that to get the nice HK stereo you have to add BMW assist, which adds another $650. So $1500 is a lot of money unless the stereo is A LOT better.

true, but you'd really want bluetooth anyways and I think the BMW assist package is the only way to get it.

[the1andonly]

Originally Posted by Mark16q

true, but you'd really want bluetooth anyways and I think the BMW assist package is the only way to get it.

my 2012 came with bluetooth standard...all do now

[Mark16q]

Originally Posted by the1andonly

my 2012 came with bluetooth standard...all do now

I stand corrected. And makes that $650 seem pretty steep for just the assist. Wonder why they even mention bluetooth along with the option. Of any cars I had looked at, they all had the option, but i guess if you're ordering it can be left off.

[coda72]

I think the standard stereo is fine in my convertible, but I'm not the best judge of what a good system sounds like. I agree that $1500 is too much for the HK system and BMW assist. I think for that price you can find an aftermarket option that sounds even better than the HK one.

[mdputnam]

If you didn't pay more than $875 for your receiver and speakers at home, then you're probably not the target demographic for one in your car.

[coda72]

If it were just $875, it's probably worth the upgrade in the stereo. But it's actually around $1500 because you have to add BMW assist. I didn't want BMW assist so I didn't get the HK system, although I may spend the $1500 at some point to get an even better than HK system.

[Barry45RPM]

The base radio will sound nice when you turn the volume up (you'll get more pronounced Bass & Trebel when the radio is pushing more to the speakers) whereas the HK upgrade will sound better at all volume levels even low levels. The better amp & speakers take care of that. When you turn the volume up the HK will sound really good.

The equalizer has too few bands to be a real equalizer, but if you've got the dough, I'd reccomend the better radio. If not, the base radio will do.

[bayer]

I have done the HK upgrade twice and didn't regret it either time. Unless you have big brother objections to the BMW assist, is the $750 over the life of the car that big of deal? Do what makes you happy or not regret things with the car later.

[Pangloss]

Originally Posted by mdputnam

If you didn't pay more than $875 for your receiver and speakers at home, then you're probably not the target demographic for one in your car.

This is a good point (even at the $1500 level). I sunk almost $4,000 into the sound portion of my home entertainment system, more than all of the other components combined. (IMO you really have to put down some money to get good movie sound, whereas picture quality is relatively cheap these days -- a PS3 and any decent HDTV will do the trick.)

To each his own, of course.

[Mark16q]

My last car, an Audi A4 had the Bose system that was decent sounding. But not great. Have to say now that I've had my car a few weeks and getting used to power and handling that I'm enjoying the good tunes with the top down more than anything. Buying new music, loading the ipod up with new tunes and really enjoying music all over again. If music is important to you, get the better system. And if you lock your keys in the car, you'll be glad you've got the bmw assist...