[JimD]

Bavarian Sound Werks (BSW) IS aftermarket. They are not Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The pictures and description of their speakers on their website look good. But that doesn't say a lot. I did not see discussion of the crossover, which is a bit of a concern. I would also love to see the frequency response in the car. That can be "fixed" with equalization but it is better not to have to adjust things a lot.

Aftermarket is a very wide open category. You can get aftermarket coaxial speakers that are probably better than what is in the base system for $50/pair. I do not know what the top end component speakers would be but I would think they are around 10 times this much. The BSW system is about what I've seen advertised for relatively inexpensive component 4 inch speakers. I've seen others twice as much and haven't looked that seriously. If they are at the reasonable end of the component speaker pricing, you have a right to expect better than OEM, perhaps, but if they sound as good as speakers costing twice as much, they would be an outstanding deal - normally you get about what you pay for.

You also have to give BSW some credit for making a plug and play system for our cars complete with instructions. I believe they moderate the car audio forum for Bimmerfest. I would give them the benefit of the doubt if they are trying to provide quality products for our cars.

Jim