My Logic 7 really rocks...I have it set in "concert hall" permanently and love the rich sound. How pathetic I am sitting in the garage at night listening to CDs....hmm.

 

That was me above....I forgot to log on first.

Marcus

 

I'm an old audiophile, and I like the Logic 7, particularly when the volume is fairly loud. The sound is very clear and accurate for a car system, altho I agree that getting the bass right is difficult. In the default mode, I thought the bass sounded heavy and inconsistent with the midrange and highs; I used the equalizer to drop the bass a bit, and then the sound was much more balanced to my ear.

 

I have been messing with the equalizer but don't seem to get it right. Anyone cares to share their settings?

 

On a general note it is always better to get the option (any option) when in doubt than to regret it for the length of ownership. The way the stereo is integrated into the idrive and car makes an aftermarket installation that would beat the logic 7 a pretty daunting procedure even in a money is no object installation. This should definitely be taken into account if a person had the idea of getting the standard sound and upgrading. As far as the logic 7 itself I would rate it as a very good OEM stereo. It has a neutral relaxed sound devoid of brightness and without being muddy. The bass is not one-notey and not over boosted but does get a little loose at higher SPLs. As long as you dont listen at very high levels it would be hard to beat without spending a lot more money. I would highly recommend it.

 

I love the Logic 7. One of the best systems I have ever heard. For the equalizer settings, I pushed up the low end a little and the mid range a lot. I didn't touch the high frequency settings at all. The real magic occurs when you go over to your bass and treble settings. Pump them up and then you'll really feel the bass.

 

someone who is an expert with the equalizer should indeed share their settings, all i did was pump up most of the frequency's.

 

Re: Equalizer Settings... I had my friend set mine. He is definitely what audiophiles call a 'golden ear'. I can give more details on his background if anyone wants to know. Professional symphoic french horn player. Rock/jazz drummer. He also helped me pick components and interconnects for my home system. Here they are with a couple of notes below...

100hz +8
200hz +5
500hz +7
1Khz +9
2Khz +9
5Khz +7
10Khz +1
Fader +4 (to front)

Note1: I usually like to drive with my window open and sunroof usually closed. This was taken in to account in the above settings but I don't know exactly how.

Note2: He had the fader originally at +7 or 8 to the front and indicated that when he put it any more toward the back, a somewhat minor problem was caused, but he gave me clearance to change it. I found a reduced left/right soundstage at his original setting and my change fixed that with no apparent ill effects.

Note3: Once you have settings that you like, write them down! That way, if a s/w update or something else erases them, you won't need to worry.

Sam

 

Those settings sure are biased to the low/mid-range. Most cars I've been in have a natural Mid-bass boost, so I usually de-emphasize the mid-range/mid-bass freq's. I almost always bias the fader towards the front, and since the L7 system has the subs ostensibly on a different channel of the amp, doing that shouldn't attenuate the power going to the subs. I will try your friend's settings. I know the open window would impact the acoustics of the car cabin, but I wonder how much?

I would like to see an adjustable crossover for the subs and one extra bass frequency EQ band, but that's just picking nits, really. It's the best OEM system I've ever heard.

-MrB

 

No matter how "golden" someone's ear is, it's still an individual thing based on many factors.

Everyone's ear hears things a bit differently, some people prefer a boomier bass while some people prefer a tight bass, etc. Every music source varies as well. Some FM stations compress the signal to be stronger but that results in a lower fidelity. Just about every CD I listen to has a different sound quality since each artist and engineer at the recording studio has opinions on what sounds good to them. An equalizer is provided to help tweak these discrepancies to tailor the sound to your liking. You may find that you prefer certain settings while listening to Classical music and you may find that you prefer entirely different settings while listening to rock and roll. (A "flat" equalizer -- everything set to zero -- is what the sound engineers that developed the system for BMW felt was a good "baseline" for the car's interior and the different listening positions.)

There's no right or wrong way to set things up with any audio system. It's all about what you like best. It's not too much of a stretch to equate the audio settings in the car to the adjustment settings on the seats. Our seats adjust to many different postitions to take into account the different sizes and preferences of each individual.

Your friend's settings may sound good to him, but may not sound good to others. Again, I'm not saying your friend isn't more experienced than others about the finer points of setting things up, I'm just pointing out that YMMV. (I have a friend who's a drummer as well and, if you ask me, he has hearing damage! )
I am curious about something -- did your friend use any of the L7 surround modes?