[tallslenderguy]

Originally Posted by Want the thrill

I paid $900 for the amp and didn’t have to pay anything additional to get the ASD in check. I do feel that Bimmertech is getting greedy now and nickel and diming for things that should be included. For what I paid 2 years ago it was worth every penny.

i feel the same way. $900 seems about right to me, a ~55% increase in 2 years seems unreasonable to me. They don't have much (any?) competition, so i guess they are just going for what the market will bear, which is a few steps to far for me. They've lost me as a future customer.

Meanwhile, i did download bimmerlink and am waiting for an OBD i ordered. The Bluedriver i have that i bought for my Jag 2018 is still usable, but it's proprietary and only works with their ap. Which does not have an ASD feature, but still has a lot of useful features, so i'll keep it along with the bimmerlink, which also has other cool features that are worth having to me long term. i'll let everyone know how it works to solve the ASD issue once i get the compatible OBD.
Thanks for all your input, very useful discussion. Life is good. :-)

[tallslenderguy]

Got an MHD OBD2 Universal (turns out many OBD's are proprietary). This one had good reviews and works with lots of apps, including bimmerlink and bimmercode. $79.

ASD was about a 5 second fix using bimmerlink. Literally an "on/off" switch and the stereo now sounds awesome with out the added bass from the engine being mixed in to the music.

[doug_999]

It is $99 to turn off ASD And I need to buy the cable too?

[tallslenderguy]

Originally Posted by doug_999

It is $99 to turn off ASD And I need to buy the cable too?

Yeah, wow. i bought my Alpha One for $1350 after the Black Friday 10% off.

i've just been through the debacle of turning off th ASD, hopefully you and others can benefit from my experience.

i didn't mind the ASD prior to installing my amp. After installing the Alpha One, the engines sounds were amplified too, and reallllllly obnoxious, especially when mixed with the music you're trying to enjoy. The idea of paying an extra $99 to bimmertech to turn off the ASD grated on me, i think at that price point it should be a free option... but that's just my opinion.

i did some investigation and ended up getting an OBD and the bimmerlink app that has an "on/off" switch for the ASD. my reasoning is it's an advantage to be able to have access to that switch, and a myriad of other useful diagnostic features with bimmerlink, vs being dependent on Bimmertech to turn the ASD back on or off.

So, i got the OBD and bimmerlink (both can be had for <$100 total depending on the OBD you get), used bimmerlink to turn off the ASD and was thrilled with the difference.... until the next day when the ASD seemed to be back on my way into work? Turned it off again yesterday, drove around to double check, and the ASD was again off and the sound system sounded great.

my suspicion was the bimmerlink ASD switch might only work while connected? So, did some more investigation and found the link before. At the 6 minute mark, the presenter confirms that bimmerlink only controls the ASD while connected. However, bimmercode will code it off or on permanently. So, to me, it makes sense to get bimmercode if the ASD is your only requirement. Frankly, i think both bimmercode and bimmerlink (same company) are useful to have. The former is a coding app, the latter is primarily a diagnostic app. i found this explanation to be helpful, and again, the explanation re ASD starts about the 6 minute mark:

[tallslenderguy]

Update for those interested, with some additional thoughts. (warning, i nerd out at the end)
i have a '21 M4Oi and it had the stock HiFi before adding the Alpha amp. The stock sounded okay to me as long as the top was up and the car engine was off lol. Retrospectively, i think the ASD interferes with the sound quality even prior to the Alpha install, but it was more subtle, more refined interference. Adding the Alpha made it an in your face issue.
i refused to pay Bimmertech another $99 to code off the ASD as i thought @ $1499 ($1349 with the 10% Black Friday 'discount'), it should include everything to make this truly "plug and play."
i tried bimmerlink initially to disappear the ASD, and it was not a permanent solution in my experience. I.e., it worked as long as you had the OBD plugged in and the ASD in the off position. Further investigation enlightened me that bimmerlink is more a diagnostic tool, bimmercode is a coding tool. Both are the same company, frankly i think the ASD on bimmerlink is a bit misleading.
Using bimmercode was a two step process. When i initially coded the ASD off with BC, it didn't work. i went to their FAQ and it informed if the first code didn't work, to try an additional that they link in the FAQ. That did work and has been a permanent solution after about a week of driving after that fix.
Over all, i love the new sound. Is it worth every penny? Not to me, i feel a bit gouged by bimmertech. Would i do it again? Yes, lol. The sound improvement (to me) is profound.

That said, i've begun to wonder what the effect would be on the stock HiFi or HK system by just turning off the ASD? Prior to the Alpha install, frankly, i didn't even notice the ASD, but of course it was still there... and here's where i nerd out.

To me, not only is the sound quality of my music far superior, but my car feels lighter and quicker (bear with me lol). Obviously, that is not the case, but i've been pondering the effect that sound has on those perceptions.
Part of what drove me crazy with the amplified ASD was my car acceleration 'felt' slower. Now that the ASD is off and not amplified, i've realized that what's missing is the bass sound of the ASD. For me, the ASD didn't truly synch with real engine sounds. Higher RPM typically creates a higher frequency sound/pitch, and i didn't hear that with the ASD. The sound was very low frequency when it 'felt' like it should be higher, to match the acceleration. I found this particularly glaring at accelerating 0-35mph. Without the amp, the ASD is more subliminal, but for me the car feels lighter and quicker than it did even before the Alpha install and me becoming conscious of the ASD.
i realize, it's all perception... but then, perception is what the ASD is all about anyway. It's weird, but the difference in the way i hear/experience the engine and acceleration now is far superior without the ASD, before or after the Alpha install.

[TXGrey]

Originally Posted by tallslenderguy

Update for those interested, with some additional thoughts. (warning, i nerd out at the end)
i have a '21 M4Oi and it had the stock HiFi before adding the Alpha amp. The stock sounded okay to me as long as the top was up and the car engine was off lol. Retrospectively, i think the ASD interferes with the sound quality even prior to the Alpha install, but it was more subtle, more refined interference. Adding the Alpha made it an in your face issue.
i refused to pay Bimmertech another $99 to code off the ASD as i thought @ $1499 ($1349 with the 10% Black Friday 'discount'), it should include everything to make this truly "plug and play."
i tried bimmerlink initially to disappear the ASD, and it was not a permanent solution in my experience. I.e., it worked as long as you had the OBD plugged in and the ASD in the off position. Further investigation enlightened me that bimmerlink is more a diagnostic tool, bimmercode is a coding tool. Both are the same company, frankly i think the ASD on bimmerlink is a bit misleading.
Using bimmercode was a two step process. When i initially coded the ASD off with BC, it didn't work. i went to their FAQ and it informed if the first code didn't work, to try an additional that they link in the FAQ. That did work and has been a permanent solution after about a week of driving after that fix.
Over all, i love the new sound. Is it worth every penny? Not to me, i feel a bit gouged by bimmertech. Would i do it again? Yes, lol. The sound improvement (to me) is profound.

That said, i've begun to wonder what the effect would be on the [...]

You aren’t wrong… I wrote (somewhat) the same thing. I said when ASD was ON, yes it was amplifying sound at certain levels, but it was also MUTING sounds at OTHER levels…. It was really weird. Not only does it not interfere with music anymore, but my car sound is natural and actually LOUDER at some RPMs… crazy.

[chiefsalami]

Hey everyone - I am looking to do this upgrade for my 2022 X3 with HiFi. The Bimmertech kit price is now $1449. Looking at the installation youtube videos, it seems that power is integrated into the RAM harness. I called BT and asked them about this, and they said that provides sufficient power and would not impact anything. They said that if power is run directly to the battery, it would overpower the speakers.

I also reached out to the ebay seller someone else mentioned about their kit, and noticed they include a separate power kit. I asked them about it and they said they would really not recommend getting power from the RAM harness, as it could cause the RAM module to fail, and that is very expensive and controls a ton of things in the car. So, the opposite recommendation.

Anyone have thoughts on this? For those of you using the BT kit, any issues (blown fuses, amp going into protection mode, etc.)? For those of you who sourced the Match UP amp elsewhere, are you running dedicated power? Any issues with the stock speakers? And the Match UP does include the accessory cables, including the power connector, right? I am clear that I would need the RAM 1.7 harness plus the amp's power connector to get it wired up.

[X4HARV]

Been reading all the reviews on this alpha one. I am also on the fence about this. Bought a 2024 x4 and very disappointed with the standard hi fi system. My first BMW and had expected it to have a decent sound system. Think going take the plunge. Has anyone had a bad experience with the alpha one system?

[jwong77]

chiefsalami I used the provided plug and play harness and brackets only, didn’t do any other changes to wiring. This is with the Matchup 7BMW model. I think the current model is the 8BMW, you get an additional channel of power with the new one.

I’m completely happy with my amp. Just remember to do time alignment using the distance from the speakers to the location of your head. It will sound awesome.

Btw, I only spent 799 for it on eBay, but that was almost a year ago.

[chiefsalami]

Originally Posted by X4HARV

Been reading all the reviews on this alpha one. I am also on the fence about this. Bought a 2024 x4 and very disappointed with the standard hi fi system. My first BMW and had expected it to have a decent sound system. Think going take the plunge. Has anyone had a bad experience with the alpha one system?

I would not recommend spending the extra money to go with the Alpha One. Buy the amp and RAM harness from ebay (PM me for a recommendation), save yourself some money. The Alpha One draws power from the RAM, which is not a good idea. From ebay, you will get a dedicated power input (with included wiring kit) which would would run to your battery. Gives the amp more room to breathe and doesn't risk frying your RAM. I now have it installed and have an audio profile that I am pretty happy with. I am happy to share.

Actually, the only thing you don't get from the ebay purchase is a mounting bracket for the amp. I am working on designing something that I intend to produce and sell (at a relatively low cost) to anyone else who needs it. For now, my amp sits pretty securely in the pocket under the compartment where the RAM is located on the left side of the trunk.