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      01-24-2011, 06:40 PM   #1
Tracy61
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New and another HiFi Professional question

Hello,

I'm new to this forum and have enjoyed reading all the information posted about the new X3. I currently drive a Mini Clubman JCW and need to add more space for the family. Tomorrow I will place my order for an X3 2.0D with following options:

Black
X Line
Xenon
Sport seats
Beige leather
Siena wood
Sport steering wheel
Automatic
Heated seats (front and back)
Navigation Professional
PDC
Automatic trunck

Before I place my order can someone explain in more detail why the HiFi Professional is a good option to take? I love music and audiobooks and will order the best in terms of sound quality. If the basic sound system or the
205 watts HiFi (next level after the base system) are good enough please let me know. I'm sorry to ask this question again but would like a clearer answer.

This will be an awesome machine to drive daily. The wife and kids loved the car during the test drive

Tracy
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      01-24-2011, 07:09 PM   #2
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I can't say whether the "medium" level would be good enough, but I can say I left the the HiFi Prof off one car and regretted it. At that time we had the upgrade in our Mini. The Mini sound was full, deep, clear. The BMW w/o upgrade sounded hollow, thin, and weak.

In the last car I did have the upgrade and used it regularly for audiobooks and foreign language news for language study (meaning, clarity was critical as I was struggling to catch everything being said!!). Worked well with that system. Before moving I sold that car and used another, non-BMW for several months. The sound quality was so dramatically different I stopped both the books and the language study in the car. Can't say how that other car would compare to the lower level BMW offerings, but I can say the upgraded BMW worked very well.

Don't know if that helps at all . . .
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      01-24-2011, 07:21 PM   #3
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Thank you Nahoa, this is indeed helpful. Here in Belgium the first upgrade is 600 € and the second one is 1.200 €. So before investing in the high end system it's good to have as many experiences / opinions as possible.
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      01-25-2011, 01:20 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracy61 View Post
Thank you Nahoa, this is indeed helpful. Here in Belgium the first upgrade is 600 € and the second one is 1.200 €. So before investing in the high end system it's good to have as many experiences / opinions as possible.
I have the same question as the first upgrade costs 780 € and the second 1560 € here in Finland (higher car taxes). I always listen to music when driving and unfortunately I am disappointed with the sound I have in my E91 as I didn't buy any speaker upgrade when I ordered it.
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      01-25-2011, 04:22 AM   #5
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I have ordered the equivalent of the first upgrade (not the most expensive 600W DIRAC option). Will provide some feedback when it arrives. I have an upgraded 600W system in my current VW as a comparison. I know it won't be as good but I rarely get the chance to have it on loud enough to make proper use of it.
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      01-25-2011, 06:35 AM   #6
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I intend to order the first level upgrade too, getting worried now though with all the talk about how necessary the top upgrade is..
I'm no audiophile, I listen to the music quite often and radio a lot.

I have a 4 year old BMW 3-series now and I kept the std. 4 speaker - Professional Business cd/radio that came with it, and I was sorely disappointed just how poor it was (before this car I had a VW Passat, which had a cheapish factory upgrade option and had 8 speakers).

I don't want/need super hi-fi, but I do want better than the tiny system I have now - the VW passat cheapish upgraded stereo was more than fine for me.
It's shocking that a £30k-£40k + car doesn't have a decent stereo as std. IMO.
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      01-25-2011, 02:04 PM   #7
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The X3 I had came with the base loudspeaker setup (5 speakers). It was loud enough but just too basic - everything sounded like it came from the single speaker in the driver's door. Pretty much the first thing I did when I got the car was look for the sound settings because I was sure someone must have left it set to 100% right, 100% front ... no such luck.

Having invested heavily in the Bang and Olufsen system for my current Audi A5 and a Bose setup in an earlier A3 I'm done with premium speaker setups because I still felt short changed so I've opted for the mid range system on the X3. 12 speakers and 200+W should be sufficient without breaking the bank.

Best car audio I've ever had was the premium setup in a Volvo S60 - absolutely stunning and I've never really found anything to match it.
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      01-25-2011, 02:26 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracy61 View Post
Hello,

I'm new to this forum and have enjoyed reading all the information posted about the new X3. I currently drive a Mini Clubman JCW and need to add more space for the family. Tomorrow I will place my order for an X3 2.0D with following options:

Black
X Line
Xenon
Sport seats
Beige leather
Siena wood
Sport steering wheel
Automatic
Heated seats (front and back)
Navigation Professional
PDC
Automatic trunck
Welcome to the forum

Nice spec and good colour choices (you have good taste )
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      01-25-2011, 03:48 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by BIMMER UK 76 View Post
Welcome to the forum

Nice spec and good colour choices (you have good taste )
Thanks Bimmer! I have had lot's of grey cars in the last 10 years and feel it's time to get back to black like my now long gone beloved 320i from 1995. Looks like you are also waiting for a brand new black X3 !!!
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      01-25-2011, 03:59 PM   #10
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My dealer told me today that the first upgrade (205 W) is to have the sound coming from more corners in the cabin. If I want the best sound quality available today the 600 W upgrade is recommended.

It also seems that the quality of the 600 W HiFi depends on the size of the cabin: it is better in a 3 or 5 series than in an X3/X5 because the sound dispersion rate is much higher in the SAV's.

So I will probably order the 600 W upgrade and hope for the best !
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      01-25-2011, 06:32 PM   #11
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I've chosen the 205W upgrade and it performs well, but that's very subjective. I'm no audiophile, but I'm a musician, doing some recordings and sound engineering, so I put attention to what I hear. The sound is clear and natural, in a way, that you can clearly hear the difference between qood and bad recordings. The woofers under front seats go low, if needed, which sounds nice :-)
What I don't like about the system is lack of mids EQ - you only have standard bass/treble EQ. Another thing, there is one EQ/Fader setting for all sources.

Having written all that, I wouldn't make any decisions about audio stuff without testing it myself. A heard this system on a demo car and added this option to my order.
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      01-26-2011, 10:09 AM   #12
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I have logic 7 HiFi Prof in my E92. I have a mate with the same car but with Individual option and one with basic set up in a non motorsport E92. The basic system is rubbish if listening to music . The logic 7 is good and the difference between it and the individual is very small. IMO, too small to justify the extra.

I am a bit of an audiophile and have spent £1ks in the past on aftermarket systems as the BMW OEM products were so poor. With the 13 speaker set up in the E92, I felt the sound quality was good enough not to warrant this.

I believe the X3 logic 7 (or whatever BMW call it today) comes with 14 speakers and assume the quality will be on par or better than in the E92.
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      01-26-2011, 11:57 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant Man View Post
I have logic 7 HiFi Prof in my E92. I have a mate with the same car but with Individual option and one with basic set up in a non motorsport E92. The basic system is rubbish if listening to music . The logic 7 is good and the difference between it and the individual is very small. IMO, too small to justify the extra.

I am a bit of an audiophile and have spent £1ks in the past on aftermarket systems as the BMW OEM products were so poor. With the 13 speaker set up in the E92, I felt the sound quality was good enough not to warrant this.

I believe the X3 logic 7 (or whatever BMW call it today) comes with 14 speakers and assume the quality will be on par or better than in the E92.
I assume what you're calling Logic7 is the same as or equivalent to the 600W DIRAC option (professional loudspeakers) and what you're calling individual is the 200W business loudspeaker option, or am I missing something? So you're saying business loudspeaker option is enough in your opinion?
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      01-26-2011, 02:54 PM   #14
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Proficiat met je aankoop Tracy61, maar levering voor begin 2012 ?

translation:Congrats with your purchase Tracy61, delivery beginning 2012
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      01-27-2011, 08:44 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfax View Post
I assume what you're calling Logic7 is the same as or equivalent to the 600W DIRAC option (professional loudspeakers) and what you're calling individual is the 200W business loudspeaker option, or am I missing something? So you're saying business loudspeaker option is enough in your opinion?

Logic 7 = HiFi Professional or Harman Kardon or whatever BMW fancy calling it this week (SO677). It's the one below the Individual system. Maybe the Individual system is not available yet for X3 but it's an option on other models. It's the most expensive and comes with 16 speakers with neodym magnet drivers, digial 9 channel amp and DSP. It has silver speaker covers and is approx £600 more expensive than Logic 7 at around £1,200 - £1,400 depending on model.

Imo, the Individual is overpriced compared to the Logic 7. The £870 BMW Professional system is acceptable and the one to go for.

I've never heard the BMW Business.

Another point to bare in mind is aftermarket. By choosing the bog standard system and spending £1,000 approx on aftermarket. The sound quality would be far better than the BMW Professional without doubt. But not everybody wants to have their new car in pieces.
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      01-27-2011, 09:01 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant Man View Post
Logic 7 = HiFi Professional or Harman Kardon or whatever BMW fancy calling it this week (SO677). It's the one below the Individual system. Maybe the Individual system is not available yet for X3 but it's an option on other models. It's the most expensive and comes with 16 speakers with neodym magnet drivers, digial 9 channel amp and DSP. It has silver speaker covers and is approx £600 more expensive than Logic 7 at around £1,200 - £1,400 depending on model.

Imo, the Individual is overpriced compared to the Logic 7. The £870 BMW Professional system is acceptable and the one to go for.

I've never heard the BMW Business.

Another point to bare in mind is aftermarket. By choosing the bog standard system and spending £1,000 approx on aftermarket. The sound quality would be far better than the BMW Professional without doubt. But not everybody wants to have their new car in pieces.
Cheers, I'm a bit annoyed I didn't go for professional now but having spent a sh!t load on options already, I had to draw the line. Business is a 200W "upgrade" which is necessary so you don't get the bog standard system. Didn't BMWs still come with tape players as standard long after car CD players were the norm? Never owned one before but that's what I heard. Will post some feedback on business when I get mine.
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      01-27-2011, 09:06 AM   #17
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Tape players yes they did. I ordered a brand new E46 330Msport in 2005 and the standard system was tape. Hilarious.

Historically the standard of BMW's sound systems has been incredibly poor but they are now starting to catch up with the quality of the rest of the car.
Fantastic engines but piss poor hifi
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      01-27-2011, 09:11 AM   #18
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Quote:
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Tape players yes they did. I ordered a brand new E46 330Msport in 2005 and the standard system was tape. Hilarious.

Historically the standard of BMW's sound systems has been incredibly poor but they are now starting to catch up with the quality of the rest of the car.
Fantastic engines but piss poor hifi
2005 on an M Sport!!!??? Brilliant!
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      05-16-2011, 09:16 AM   #19
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I just bought the new x3 F25 20d. It was on stock with relatively good options. However the audio system is basic HiFi and it is really poor. I am now in the process to upgrade it either through BMW, which seems to be moving quite slow or through after the market. If you look at the spec is it not bad with 12 speakers and 205 W but in fact it is not good enough at least for those of us who like listening to good sound quality.
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      05-16-2011, 09:49 AM   #20
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205 is pretty good, bangs out the music nicely. The base is horrible, complete crap.
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      05-16-2011, 11:36 AM   #21
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205 is pretty good, bangs out the music nicely. The base is horrible, complete crap.
If you can do it, you might try removing the carpet covering the bass drivers under the front seats.
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      05-16-2011, 05:40 PM   #22
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The BMW rep came back saying they are not aware of any upgrade kit from basic HiFi to Professional or Premium and that I might need to replace the whole thing. I am still waiting for detail offer in this respect. An excellent car with such a poor audio. I am determined to solve this one way or another. Will keep you posted.
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