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      08-07-2016, 03:45 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by oshevtsov View Post
BO seems to be somewhat 'punchier', possibly explained by a more powerful amplifier.
odd, i feel the b&o has less bass but far more clarity. especially when you turn up the volume to the highest range.

i've had b&o on every vehicle it was offered in. i have no complaints except there should be much more bass considering the amplifier and output of the system.
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      08-07-2016, 03:47 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by letsddp View Post
Just picked up the F16 and the HK is no where near as good. How can that possibly be?
did you get the logic7 otherwise they are much different systems.
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      08-07-2016, 03:49 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by iconoclast View Post
did you get the logic7 otherwise they are much different systems.
Yep it's logic 7. It's mainly the bass that's different. On the E60 at half way it's amazing. On the f16 halfway it's fairly tinny
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      08-07-2016, 09:21 PM   #26
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agreed, but if you adjust the eq you'll find the sweet spot. the L7 in the RR and RRS are much different and the opposite of what i have found in the bmw vehicles. too much bass and not enough highs or mids sadly on the 2011.5+ l320 they ruined the audio because they added an electric hatch and they had to futz with the amp and the sub to make it all fit in the same area. the trade-off was now you have an electric trunk but a "premium" audio system that sounds like your generic blows (bose) system.

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Originally Posted by MysticBlue View Post
Exactly. I was also prepared to opt for the BO, but after listening to both, I couldn't justify it. With typical sources like ACC, MP3, and FM radio, I really couldn't tell much of a difference. If you are an audiophile listening to higher quality sources, I suppose the BO would sound good in your driveway, but road noise is going to nulify the very small advantage over HK. $3700 was just too much of a price to pay, in my opinion, unless there was an obvious advantage, and I just couldn't hear it.
i am not sure if something is wrong with your vehicle if you're having so much road noise that it drowns out your audio equipment. secondly on any system using fm or compressed audio you're not going to get top quality however if you listen to cd or flac you will hear the differences very clearly. i wasn't a believer of a $6300 radio option until i experienced it and then i had to have it in every Q7 it was offered in that i owned. if you put on pink floyd's "money" you can hear every little sound in the song. over 400 hours went into that system and it was done to that one song as a baseline then fine tuned around other various songs from different genre. they took it one step further for the 4M Q7. the first time around a system was designed to fit something that had a conventional radio system. this time around the vehicle's design and the b&o's design were done together (similar to volvo and b&w). the two were built to compliment each other and create one of the best audio systems out currently. the r&d was done with fraunhofer... these are the folks that are famed for inventing the mp3 and the system now is designed to have better audio using compressed media and not having everyone go to flac which is a less popular format.

the top of the line meridian that rr offers with 1700w is insane and clear all the way to the very end of the volume range. it is probably the top dog in the industry (that i have heard in person and in my opinion), the volvo xc90 b&w system is the value and the best system available in that price range on a vehicle in that segment. the b&o found on the x5 is worth every penny but as stated before it's lacking in some areas but overall i am extremely pleased.

my father was a recording engineer up to the day he retired. i grew up around audio equipment. he said "you're a damn fool for buying a $6300 radio for the car... home audio equipment that is far better can be had for a fraction of the price." when i took delivery of the car and he finally heard it he said "i can see why you bought but this but i would never." but he also drives a ten year old car and hardly spends any time in it except to go to the gym and visit family.
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      02-28-2021, 08:04 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iconoclast View Post
agreed, but if you adjust the eq you'll find the sweet spot. the L7 in the RR and RRS are much different and the opposite of what i have found in the bmw vehicles. too much bass and not enough highs or mids sadly on the 2011.5+ l320 they ruined the audio because they added an electric hatch and they had to futz with the amp and the sub to make it all fit in the same area. the trade-off was now you have an electric trunk but a "premium" audio system that sounds like your generic blows (bose) system.

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Originally Posted by MysticBlue View Post
Exactly. I was also prepared to opt for the BO, but after listening to both, I couldn't justify it. With typical sources like ACC, MP3, and FM radio, I really couldn't tell much of a difference. If you are an audiophile listening to higher quality sources, I suppose the BO would sound good in your driveway, but road noise is going to nulify the very small advantage over HK. $3700 was just too much of a price to pay, in my opinion, unless there was an obvious advantage, and I just couldn't hear it.
i am not sure if something is wrong with your vehicle if you're having so much road noise that it drowns out your audio equipment. secondly on any system using fm or compressed audio you're not going to get top quality however if you listen to cd or flac you will hear the differences very clearly. i wasn't a believer of a $6300 radio option until i experienced it and then i had to have it in every Q7 it was offered in that i owned. if you put on pink floyd's "money" you can hear every little sound in the song. over 400 hours went into that system and it was done to that one song as a baseline then fine tuned around other various songs from different genre. they took it one step further for the 4M Q7. the first time around a system was designed to fit something that had a conventional radio system. this time around the vehicle's design and the b&o's design were done together (similar to volvo and b&w). the two were built to compliment each other and create one of the best audio systems out currently. the r&d was done with fraunhofer... these are the folks that are famed for inventing the mp3 and the system now is designed to have better audio using compressed media and not having everyone go to flac which is a less popular format.

the top of the line meridian that rr offers with 1700w is insane and clear all the way to the very end of the volume range. it is probably the top dog in the industry (that i have heard in person and in my opinion), the volvo xc90 b&w system is the value and the best system available in that price range on a vehicle in that segment. the b&o found on the x5 is worth every penny but as stated before it's lacking in some areas but overall i am extremely pleased.

my father was a recording engineer up to the day he retired. i grew up around audio equipment. he said "you're a damn fool for buying a $6300 radio for the car... home audio equipment that is far better can be had for a fraction of the price." when i took delivery of the car and he finally heard it he said "i can see why you bought but this but i would never." but he also drives a ten year old car and hardly spends any time in it except to go to the gym and visit family.
DSP has a lot to do with the audio in a car. If you can get the B&O equalization on your car, even with HK speakers it will sound better. Given the size of the speakers are the same, the only thing you will miss is some power and with B&O you get the tweeter placement that gives the sound a brighter texture.

I am saying this with someone with B&O on my F15. The out of the box HK equalization is really bad. Makes it sound a bit muffled. I have equalized a friends X5 with HK and it sounds better post settings for the music he likes to hear. Neither the B&O on the F15 or B&W on the G05 are anywhere near audiophile speakers - at least what audiophile quality gear sounds like at home. Mark Levinson in a Lexus RX and what you can get for your home isn't in the same league. IMHO. Save the $.
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      03-01-2021, 07:10 AM   #28
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Candidly, the “base” system is a no-go for me; I would not by an X5 without upgraded audio. While there are probably better systems on the market than the HK, with the proper equalizer settings it is reasonably decent.
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      03-01-2021, 05:40 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iconoclast View Post
odd, i feel the b&o has less bass but far more clarity. especially when you turn up the volume to the highest range.

i've had b&o on every vehicle it was offered in. i have no complaints except there should be much more bass considering the amplifier and output of the system.
It's just down to equalizer mostly. You can crank up the bass on the B&O if you like. B&O signature settings tend to lower the bass compared to some other brands.
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      03-01-2021, 07:11 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iconoclast View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by oshevtsov View Post
BO seems to be somewhat 'punchier', possibly explained by a more powerful amplifier.
odd, i feel the b&o has less bass but far more clarity. especially when you turn up the volume to the highest range.

i've had b&o on every vehicle it was offered in. i have no complaints except there should be much more bass considering the amplifier and output of the system.
exactly! couldn't say it better
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      03-02-2021, 06:16 AM   #31
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This is a cheap way to upgrade the center speaker to Burmeister and improve the sound dispersion (I kid). Looks cool...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Inner-Centr...4AAOSwCtFd7zS6
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      03-02-2021, 10:13 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaffrey View Post
It's just down to equalizer mostly. You can crank up the bass on the B&O if you like. B&O signature settings tend to lower the bass compared to some other brands.
I've played around with the EQ and fader but not as punchy as other systems. Minor gripe. I've come to terms on the fact that B&O stands for Bass Omitted.
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      03-02-2021, 09:12 PM   #33
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i've had 2 cars with bo and 2 with hk and with bo you get better highs while with hk you get the deep bass.. you can always play with the equalizer and get the highs upon hk, with bo you just can't get the lows

i'd go with hk anyday
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      03-02-2021, 09:33 PM   #34
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I have both, x5 has the HK, x6 has the B&O, can't really tell the difference due to atrocious road conditions here in the pacific nw. IMO neither will make a difference unless you live in Europe or somewhere where roads are made of fine asphalt and not concrete plates or rough asphalt like here
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      03-02-2021, 10:16 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ponytuning View Post
I have both, x5 has the HK, x6 has the B&O, can't really tell the difference due to atrocious road conditions here in the pacific nw. IMO neither will make a difference unless you live in Europe or somewhere where roads are made of fine asphalt and not concrete plates or rough asphalt like here
Sounds like you need quieter tires. Try all season non runflats.
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      03-03-2021, 05:38 PM   #36
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Originally Posted by turboawd View Post
Sounds like you need quieter tires. Try all season non runflats.
That I do, I am looking at getting a spare and switch to non rfts this spring.
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      03-08-2021, 10:47 AM   #37
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Originally Posted by turboawd View Post
Sounds like you need quieter tires. Try all season non runflats.
LOL

Also, this thread is from 2015, and I may be biased, but B&O all the way for me. I've heard (and had) HK in multiple cars, and it's fine, but B&O sounds SO good. The highs & lows, the base, the sound if you run the entertainment system in the back, it's all fantastic. I'm actually pissed BMW switched away from B&O in the newer models - probably another BS cost saving feature.
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      03-08-2021, 11:04 AM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeopardM3 View Post
LOL

Also, this thread is from 2015, and I may be biased, but B&O all the way for me. I've heard (and had) HK in multiple cars, and it's fine, but B&O sounds SO good. The highs & lows, the base, the sound if you run the entertainment system in the back, it's all fantastic. I'm actually pissed BMW switched away from B&O in the newer models - probably another BS cost saving feature.
I have to somewhat disagree my X5 is equipped with the Harmon Kardon and its best for the type of music I listen to and when I got into a friends X5 with the B&O it sounded off. It could be because he hasn’t messed with the equalizer settings but I found a sweet spot for me with the HK.
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      03-08-2021, 12:11 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bdeshcollection View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeopardM3 View Post
LOL

Also, this thread is from 2015, and I may be biased, but B&O all the way for me. I've heard (and had) HK in multiple cars, and it's fine, but B&O sounds SO good. The highs & lows, the base, the sound if you run the entertainment system in the back, it's all fantastic. I'm actually pissed BMW switched away from B&O in the newer models - probably another BS cost saving feature.
I have to somewhat disagree my X5 is equipped with the Harmon Kardon and its best for the type of music I listen to and when I got into a friends X5 with the B&O it sounded off. It could be because he hasn’t messed with the equalizer settings but I found a sweet spot for me with the HK.
Do you mind sharing your settings?
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      03-08-2021, 12:38 PM   #40
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How many here have coded BO into their HK system to unlock the EQ and Surround effects? Seems like a simple way to improve or at least customize audio quality without spending a dime.
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      03-08-2021, 02:17 PM   #41
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How many here have coded BO into their HK system to unlock the EQ and Surround effects? Seems like a simple way to improve or at least customize audio quality without spending a dime.
A friend did it and it was a nice upgrade. He then added Focal speakers and it sounds amazing! By the way when you code the B&O settings, it also gives you the internal B&O lighting settings.

I have the B&O amp, which is more powerful than the HK, so eyeing upgrading all the speakers to Focal except the center one. Although the B&O sounds pretty good.
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      03-08-2021, 02:53 PM   #42
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I do not have any interest in the lighting and have disabled mine but how does anything light up for the B&O light settings if there aren't led in the H/K speakers?
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      03-08-2021, 07:14 PM   #43
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I do not have any interest in the lighting and have disabled mine but how does anything light up for the B&O light settings if there aren't led in the H/K speakers?
I believe you can upgrade just the center speaker to B&O and get the lights working (around $500 new on ebay or Ali Express). With just HK the lighting is useless...since there is nothing to turn on.

I can get the settings for my friend with HK system with B&O settings. I believe we went with 'expanded' and turned up the bass a bit. Overall, the sound with the B&O setting is more punchy than the HK equalization. The bass is still subdued. One option with HK is to turn on the B&O settings (which I prefer to Logic 7) and replace the under-seat woofers with Focal subs for more punch. The Focal subs will work with the B&O amp, but not sure if the HK amp can power them adequately.

I am almost certainly going to update the subs and speakers (other than the center one) to Focals by the end of this month. So looking forward to putting the 1200W B&O amp to good use ��
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      03-23-2021, 01:11 PM   #44
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Originally Posted by parthpatel1 View Post
Do you mind sharing your settings?
I'd have to check mine too, I forget where I have it set. But honestly, I've never heard a better car sound system (stock) than the B&O in my X5.
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