darkside

I was not operating the i-drive so I do not know the settings that were used. Also I did not spend a lot of time so need to do another trial. I did talk to the installer of my system and they indicated that with i-drive you cannot really do too much. But they could install my bass box and its amp. Evidently they splice off a rear speaker to get the signal, and it does not interfere with anything and should help.

Thanks for all the info.

subterFUSE

I am on vacation at the moment, so I can't go check my settings in the car.... but I will tell you what I can remember.


I know that I use the Concert Hall setting for the Logic 7 processor. I found that the frontal imaging of the Theater Mode is more solid, but the bias is too hard on the center channel. It makes the sound come from a small space to the center of the windshield.

The Concert Hall setting makes the soundfield wider up front. Like the sound is coming from up front, but from a wider space that on the Theater setting. It sounds better on music, I think. I also feel that the Theater setting made the music sound slightly "metallic" (for lack of a better word). Concert Hall just sounds more natural to me.

Both settings color the sound, though. I can also hear the processors distorting the music on both settings. There are sometimes audible clicks and pops where the processors have difficulty with certain sounds.


I also adjusted the EQ settings. I can't tell you my exact settings, because my car is at home.... but I found that by boosting the bass and highs slightly, and putting a dip in the midrange... I now have a more neutral sound. Telling you my EQ settings would be pointless, anyway. EQ settings are individualized for every stereo and furthermore for every peice of music you choose to play. No two CDs are ever mastered to the exact same levels. You have to experiment with your own settings to find what is right to your own ears.

I had Dynaudio speakers in my Lexus, so that is what my ears have been used to for years now. Dynaudio are known for being among the very finest speakers available in car audio. They are arguably the most acoustically neutral speakers you can buy for a car. This means the speakers have little or no coloration of sound. In fact, most people who hear Dynaudios for the first time don't like them.... because chances are they're the first truly neutral speakers they have ever heard, so they are used to hearing speakers that color the sound.

So moving to the Logic 7 was a disappointment to me from that perspective.... but I am still impressed with it for a stock stereo system. I did not expect for it to sound as good as it does.

pmmeke

Yeah i know dynaudio. Especialy the dyn aud tweeters are amoung the best in the world. A lot of people use the tweeters in combination with other brands because they are not so metal sounding.

In the car audio world we in general like the sound coming from the middle of the front wind glass. Thats why they invented time correction. I am use to sounds coming from the middle of the windscreen. So i am very curious how the sound coming from everywhere will be for my ears that are use to perfekt staging theatre in my others car. I guess i will have to waith and find out for myself. Thanks for the setting tips. I like to know peoples point of vieuw and tweeking tips so when i finaly have it in my hands i can cut of few corners using set ups that people feel on the board that they like

Evenflow545

Hint: No one with a $65,000.00 luxury sedan, except for perhaps P. Diddy, gets an aftermarket stereo with amps and a "basebox" in the trunk.

Get the Logic 7 and learn to like it. We're not 18 years old anymore.

Just my two cents, like it or not.

darkside

I know I'm not 18 years old; in fact I'll soon be 56 years old. And I also know what sounds good, and this system is not very good. I went back to the dealer and tried it again on all the settings. I seriously think we get better sound in our Mazda Tribute, and I know the sound is better in our Lexus Rx330 sans the Mark Levinson. I think it is pathetic that BMW would use such cheap audio components, and then charge $1800 dollars for it. If they put in decent componets this discussion would be moot.

Rudy

Isn't it around age 40 that the hearing begins to slowly deteriorate?

mlahti

Don't we drive BMW's because of the way they drive and handle and not how the sound system sounds?

I had the upgraded sound systmem in my previous 528 wagon and thought it sounded great. I feel the current stock system sound fairly close to the previous "premium" one. So if Logic 7 is better than that I am happy. I will find out March 17th., picking up my 545 with Logic 7 in Munich

wolverine

What?

darkside

I had an 01 5 series with the DSP sound prior to my M3 which came with the Harman Kardon sound system as an "upgrade." The Harman Kardon did not come close to the DSP of the 5 series which is why I upgraded to the aftermarket. In my opinion, and it could be my memory is not serving me well, the Logic 7 is not nearly as clean or crisp as the DSP in the e39 5 series. Or it could be that I am so used to a really good quality system that it just seems very poor in comparison. But then again I have my Lexus and Mazda as comparisons.

And while I choose BMW for the driving experience, I am not really upgrading that in going from the M3 to the 545, at least not from a purely performance standpoint. I would be making the change for comfort while retaining a great deal of the driving excitement. And I really do enjoy music in my car, especially when I can actually hear the voices and instruments with clarity, something I think is lacking in the Logic 7. Unfortunately, it seems that with i-drive, another feature that I am not wild about, there is not even an opportunity to improve this feature.

subterFUSE

Well.... I would upgrade my stereo like my old Lexus, if it were not for the iDrive and other electrically integrated issues.

When I had my last stereo, it was a competition sound quality system... not an SPL system. So it was not your typical ghetto ride with 15 inch subwoofers and little else. The power was for headroom, and clarity.

My car had ridiculous sound dampening, so that when I played the system.... you couldn't even tell how loud it was from the outside. Almost no sound could escape.


But.... you are right about one thing.... I'm not 18 anymore. I'm 26.