[BlueBlackM40]

Picked up a new 2024 M40i about a month ago - I absolutely love the car. I optioned the HK stereo knowing it would be 'okay,' but better than HiFi. I followed all the interwebz advice to tune and improve it (equalizer settings, high quality audio files, direct inputs, etc.). It sounds pretty decent to my ears in most cases.

Unfortunately since the day I picked up the car there had been significant distortion (buzzing, vibrating, crackling) in several of the speakers. It only got worse so I took it to the dealer and they agreed 3 speakers are busted and replaced them. Unfortunately this did not resolve the issue (dealer agreed), so they are going to have me bring it back when the 'BMW NA engineer rep' is back in town to take a look at. That being said, they think there is 'not much more they can do.' I obviously pushed back on this as the car is new and under warranty (and I'm in California where we have Lemon laws that I'd rather not resort to)

Has anyone here had severe issues with HK for recent X3 purchases? (or heard of any in other X models). The buzzing/crackling only appears at certain frequencies in certain songs, exists at all volumes, with Logic7 on/off, is isolated to select speakers, and persists on these songs despite changing formats and connections (e.g., playing via iDrive Spotify, via Bluetooth, Carplay, direct USB, even Sirius XM). I wonder if this is a processing issue with the RAM or something else - I am no auto audio expert so advice is greatly appreciated!

If my local BMW dealership 'gives up' on this - what is the escalation? Other local dealership?, BMW NA email?, local car audio shop? (that's likely out of pocket), something else? Thanks for the advice!

[Rottweiler]

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2079680

Might be something helpful in here

[BlueBlackM40]

Originally Posted by Rottweiler

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2079680

Might be something helpful in here

Thanks for sharing! Been through that thread as well - sounds like some folks in that thread have similar issues with recent purchases, but the OP has pre-LCI HK, so likely not a similar enough setup (and admittedly half the thread is about a rattling sunroof)

[TXGrey]

I’d prob pursue a complete change out of the RAM and all speakers (warranty/dealer covered). It’s not like that will cost them tens of thousands of dollars… small price to pay to see if that solves it IMO.

[BlueBlackM40]

Originally Posted by TXGrey

I’d prob pursue a complete change out of the RAM and all speakers (warranty/dealer covered). It’s not like that will cost them tens of thousands of dollars… small price to pay to see if that solves it IMO.

Thanks - I was thinking that and was wondering if it's reasonable to push the dealer to do that. Haven't read much about folks here replacing the RAM ever, but curious if you've seen anything along those lines.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by BlueBlackM40

Thanks - I was thinking that and was wondering if it's reasonable to push the dealer to do that. Haven't read much about folks here replacing the RAM ever, but curious if you've seen anything along those lines.

Have you listened to the same material in a different HK RAM based BMW car/s?

Maybe the dealership could facilitate this, plus the G01 RAM unit is very easy to swap, which may establish if it's a faulty unit, if playback is ok in other HK RAM cars.

I've never come across a wide-scale declared RAM problem, similar to the PUMA issued for the HK Booster module. However, over time there are numerous hardware, and possibly software variants of the RAM units.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by BlueBlackM40

Thanks for sharing! Been through that thread as well - sounds like some folks in that thread have similar issues with recent purchases, but the OP has pre-LCI HK, so likely not a similar enough setup (and admittedly half the thread is about a rattling sunroof)

My guess is the audio systems are very similar, if not identical, subject to manufacturing/supply variations. I don't know what impact, if any, the iD7 OS version may play in this, as not all G01 will have the same OS version.

iDrive 7 G01's use the same RAM audio architecture, and AFAIK LCI didn't change the RAM setup as RAM predates this.

Originally Posted by BlueBlackM40

.The buzzing/crackling only appears at certain frequencies in certain songs, exists at all volumes:

Some examples others can try to establish if it’s a wider issue.

[Hot bimmer]

I had the same thing happen on a 2003 330i, it ended up being the power amp, they put in an updated one and it was fine. That’s all I can tell ya.

[Arod96]

Originally Posted by BlueBlackM40

Picked up a new 2024 M40i about a month ago - I absolutely love the car. I optioned the HK stereo knowing it would be 'okay,' but better than HiFi. I followed all the interwebz advice to tune and improve it (equalizer settings, high quality audio files, direct inputs, etc.). It sounds pretty decent to my ears in most cases.

Unfortunately since the day I picked up the car there had been significant distortion (buzzing, vibrating, crackling) in several of the speakers. It only got worse so I took it to the dealer and they agreed 3 speakers are busted and replaced them. Unfortunately this did not resolve the issue (dealer agreed), so they are going to have me bring it back when the 'BMW NA engineer rep' is back in town to take a look at. That being said, they think there is 'not much more they can do.' I obviously pushed back on this as the car is new and under warranty (and I'm in California where we have Lemon laws that I'd rather not resort to)

Has anyone here had severe issues with HK for recent X3 purchases? (or heard of any in other X models). The buzzing/crackling only appears at certain frequencies in certain songs, exists at all volumes, with Logic7 on/off, is isolated to select speakers, and persists on these songs despite changing formats and connections (e.g., playing via iDrive Spotify, via Bluetooth, Carplay, direct USB, even Sirius XM). I wonder if this is a processing issue with the RAM or something else - I am no auto audio expert so advice is greatly appreciated!

If my local BMW dealership 'gives up' on this - what is the escalation? Other [...]

I had the same thing on my 02/24 build. I had my shop foreman take a second look after they replaced the mid range speaker on my front passenger door. It turned out to not be the speaker itself but the speaker grille was not installed securely from the factory. I have a video I can show you if you want to compare the possibility of similarities. I work for BMW also.

[BlueBlackM40]

Originally Posted by Arod96

I had the same thing on my 02/24 build. I had my shop foreman take a second look after they replaced the mid range speaker on my front passenger door. It turned out to not be the speaker itself but the speaker grille was not installed securely from the factory. I have a video I can show you if you want to compare the possibility of similarities. I work for BMW also.

That would be great if you could share the video. I’m headed back in on May 30 to meet with a BMW NA engineer who will be onsite that day.

[BlueBlackM40]

Originally Posted by avi66

Have you listened to the same material in a different HK RAM based BMW car/s?

Maybe the dealership could facilitate this, plus the G01 RAM unit is very easy to swap, which may establish if it's a faulty unit, if playback is ok in other HK RAM cars.

I had a similar line of thinking, so will mention this at the dealership when I’m back in on May 30th. They have plenty of G01s onsite, so hopefully there is one with HK to compare to.

Originally Posted by avi66

Some examples others can try to establish if it’s a wider issue.

Some examples are: ‘Good Life - Kanye’ ‘On Hold - Jamie XX Remix’ ‘Simplicity is Bliss - Rufus Du Sol’ ‘Roses - Outkast’

Also loaded them into a Spotify playlist for the service department to reference directly: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3v...5156af5187b631

[avi66]

Originally Posted by BlueBlackM40

Some examples are: ‘Good Life - Kanye’ ‘On Hold - Jamie XX Remix’ ‘Simplicity is Bliss - Rufus Du Sol’ ‘Roses - Outkast’

Also loaded them into a Spotify playlist for the service department to reference directly: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3v...5156af5187b631

Had a listen to those via iDrive Spotify and didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary to my ears that wasn’t in the source compared to listening via headphones. Listened at 50-60 volume level in the car.

[BlueBlackM40]

Originally Posted by avi66

Had a listen to those via iDrive Spotify and didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary to my ears that wasn’t in the source compared to listening via headphones. Listened at 50-60 volume level in the car.

Thanks for checking! And good to know - I’ll share that when it goes back to the dealer this week (and have them cross compare a few X3 HKs on the lot)

[BlueBlackM40]

Closing the loop for those who may be interested / in similar situation.

Had the BMW NA specialist look at my car this week. They quickly identified the issue, as BMW had posted a bulletin on this issue recently and has been affecting HK installed on cars recently.... Of note, my loaner '24 X3 (2K miles) had the same issue except 10x worse than mine!

Solution: removal of 'foam pads' under the speakers. Who knows what this actually means or if these foam pads are a new addition to HK (or maybe a new foam supplier), but it seems to have worked (mostly)

Outcome: I'd say they 97% fixed my issue where speakers would buzz/vibrate at certain mid-range frequencies in certain songs. Why 97%? Well there is still some light vibrations at very high volumes, but sounds like not from speakers and just elsewhere in the cabin (ah the 'high quality' german manufacturing...). Not a rabbit hole I feel worth chasing on a lease. I will note - the sound from the speakers does sound 'less warm' and seems to feel 'less powerful' at the same volume + settings as before, so the foam was certainly doing something positive for the sound (except in certain frequencies, the buzzing was unbearable). I wonder if they tried to improve the HK with this foam (if it's truly a newer addition) - seems like it held potential, so we'll see what the future brings. Either way my HK sounds in line with the 1000+ descriptions on this forum - 'adequate enough if tuned right'

[2wheelfish]

Probably not the right place to post, but, I’ve had a new G01 w/HK for about a month. I’m not sure what engineer designed this system, but they must not like music. This is the deadest, most uninvolving sound I’ve ever heard for a premium car sound system. I feel like I wasted nearly a thousand bucks. Am I missing something?

Btw, I checked out the base system on a test drive and it seemed way more engaging.

[damadamadama]

Originally Posted by 2wheelfish

Probably not the right place to post, but, I’ve had a new G01 w/HK for about a month. I’m not sure what engineer designed this system, but they must not like music. This is the deadest, most uninvolving sound I’ve ever heard for a premium car sound system. I feel like I wasted nearly a thousand bucks. Am I missing something?

Btw, I checked out the base system on a test drive and it seemed way more engaging.

I think it's better than the stock system, but not by $875. The unfortunate bit is the stock system is easily upgraded (amp/drivers) and there are fewer channels to deal with.

I've been playing spotify via android auto, and being able to crank to full volume and still wanting more when I'm cruising with the windows/top open... not great.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by 2wheelfish

Probably not the right place to post, but, I’ve had a new G01 w/HK for about a month. I’m not sure what engineer designed this system, but they must not like music. This is the deadest, most uninvolving sound I’ve ever heard for a premium car sound system. I feel like I wasted nearly a thousand bucks. Am I missing something?

Btw, I checked out the base system on a test drive and it seemed way more engaging.

The HK settings need to be adjusted to taste imo using the DSP settings, and source quality also plays a role. Spotify, Car Play, Android auto etc are lossy relatively low or limited bit rate content sources in the G01.

Bottom line, it all comes down to individual acquired taste, so no right or wrong answer, only what happens between our ears. Think of it like people taking their coffee with 4 sugars, to then trying coffee without sugar, or the reverse. Their reaction is unlikely to be positive.

The base HiFi system uses fewer, lower cost speakers, and doesn’t fully support the range of DSP/codec support available in ALEV 3 option.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by BlueBlackM40

. I wonder if they tried to improve the HK with this foam (if it's truly a newer addition) - seems like it held potential, so we'll see what the future brings. Either way my HK sounds in line with the 1000+ descriptions on this forum - 'adequate enough if tuned right'

My guess is it’s a change in gasket material, speaker spec, or assembly process.

AFIK the door cards are supplied to BMW pre assembled with appropriate options installed. The most likely driver for this is cost reduction or material availability issues in the supply chain. Would be interesting to know if there is a manufacturing date range on the SIB.

Given the G01 is end of life, I can’t see it being an action to improve anything.

[BMWbiker]

Originally Posted by 2wheelfish

Probably not the right place to post, but, I’ve had a new G01 w/HK for about a month. I’m not sure what engineer designed this system, but they must not like music. This is the deadest, most uninvolving sound I’ve ever heard for a premium car sound system. I feel like I wasted nearly a thousand bucks. Am I missing something?

Btw, I checked out the base system on a test drive and it seemed way more engaging.

If I write that the H-K stereo in my M40i is far better than the one in my ‘15 328xi wagon, I’m not exactly contradicting you.

In general, one doesn’t buy a BMW if one wants a superior stereo system, alas.

I haven’t decided yet if I want to go down the rabbit hole of upgrading my car’s stereo. I remember the days when it was easy to install an aftermarket system without screwing up the car’s electronics. Everything is so integrated now that it’s a completely different process with different possible bad results.

[83883]

LOTS of info on this, do a search. I'll add that I found the HK system to be the worst factory upgrade audio system I've experienced, out of 25+ cars. Earlier BMW HK's were noticeably better and I still own some of them. I added a JL powered sub and changed out the front 3 speakers to Match Audio in the X3. It made a very big difference in quality and accuracy, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. However, the HK amp is still weak and/or limited by the software. So while you can get much better audio with better drivers and deeper bass with a sub, you will eventually still need to deal with the gross lack of power if you like to crank it. I can literally talk louder than this system will play cleanly.

[avi66]

I do wonder if many of our cousins in the USA regularly shoot, or have in the past, without proper ear protection lol

[Philconfer]

Originally Posted by BlueBlackM40

Closing the loop for those who may be interested / in similar situation.

Had the BMW NA specialist look at my car this week. They quickly identified the issue, as BMW had posted a bulletin on this issue recently and has been affecting HK installed on cars recently.... Of note, my loaner '24 X3 (2K miles) had the same issue except 10x worse than mine!

Do you happen to know when that bulletin was released? I had my 2024 at the dealer with the same issue in May and they couldn't even replicate the sound I was hearing. As if they didn't even know it was a common problem. As soon I picked it up I could still hear the vibration/distortion.