[Amlethae]

Originally Posted by Bimmerforlife

Wanted to share my setting on the 2011 HK system, I've been using these setting for about 4 days and for me, I think they enhance the system. It's nice to finally hear the surround rear speakers working to enhance the system.

I first started out with the basic setting as mentioned in the first post and tweaked most of the latter ones that seemed to really open up the rear speakers. I also took the advice of another poster by moving the balance +2 to the right (this is great advice because as your driving you are further away from the right side of the car so bringing those speakers on the right closer to you helps in that respect)

2011 E90 335i iDrive with HK

Treble +2
Bass +1
Balance +2 (to the right)
Fader +4 (to the rear) (trust me it still gives to plently of volume in the front)

HK EQ settings:

100hz -2
200hz -1
500hz +1
1khz +3
2khz +8
5khz +8
10khz +8

I'm finding this sounds pretty darn good. Thanks for the tweaks!
2011 E90 335xi with HK with iDrive

[bikenski]

I'm not sure if the audio system was changed with the addition of the Combox in more recent builds, but I'm having a heck of a time getting decent sound quality.

Some history: My last car was an '08 E92 without iDrive and with the (then standard) Logic 7 system. I was quite pleased with the sound quality of that setup when using the suggested settings from the first post - punchy bass, crisp highs, and full and rich sound across the entire range.

Fast forward to today when I paid extra for what seems to be a downgraded Harman Kardon system. For lack of a better description, it seems hollow and tinny, with a shortage of the punchy bass and crisp highs that I had become accustomed to.

I've been experimenting with different settings since picking up the car a few weeks ago, and this is the best I can come up with:

100hz +2
200hz -2
500hz -3
1khz -2
2khz +2
5khz +2
10khz +8

BASS 0
TREB +1
FADER +2 (towards the rear)
S-VOL: +2

Are there any others with recent E92 builds who are disappointed with the sound quality compared to the former Logic 7 system? If not, which settings are you using to obtain comparable sound?

[CJ421]

I left the settings in my '11 E92 at stock for a week, just now tried malek's settings out. At stock I think the L7 system tries too hard to impress you with all the directional sounds and stuff - very processed and 'floaty'. I admit I like the sound but the audiophile in me knows it's not accurate. Some songs would just sound strange while others would sound really cool. I want a more predictable balance.

Malek's settings tighten up the sound considerably; the mids are much more accurate. Bass is also stronger and tighter. I kept his settings except I turned the treble down to +1 and bass to +1. Even at treble +1 the sound gets sibilant sometimes, esp. w/ female vocals, so depending on the song I put it at 0 or +1. I put balance at +2 to the right, it seems to center the sound from the driver's perspective (haven't tested from passenger's).

Anyways I'm quite pleased with the L7 system. The bass is a little lacking, I agree, but the low end is still very satisfying IMO.

I don't do speakers as at an audiophile level; I do headphones though. Headphone setup: Denon D2000s w/ Jena Labs 18G cable + Furutech FP-704 plug + full MarkL mod, Little Dot I+ amp (need a better one), KECES DA-151 DAC, custom Jena Labs 18G IC.

Source for L7: iPod touch 3G > SendStation digital out > AUX
Music types: electronic/dance, some classic rock (320KBPS CBR Lame 3.97 ripped w/ EAC)

I'll spend some more time with the settings and see if I can post more impressions.

Edit: did some more listening today. Fading to the rear helps a lot, I put mine up to +3. Thinking about moving it to +4. Malek's settings are definitely much better than stock to my ears. It's a livelier, more energetic system afterwards. After fading it I put the bass up to +2 as well; could probably go to +3.

Edit2: I have been playing with the basic settings quite a bit lately. I found that fading +2 to the rear is good OR +4, but not +3. Some of my songs - I listen to a lot of dance music - have a more 'centered' sound, if that makes sense, so if I have the fade at +3 then there's a constant jump in sound between the front and rear which is disorienting. +4 works better for some songs, +2 for others.
I've left the bass at +2 and that's pretty nice, treble I keep at +1. +2 can work depending on the music; mine gets a bit too sibilant sometimes on +2.

[bikenski]

Originally Posted by CJ421

Anyways I'm quite pleased with the L7 system. The bass is a little lacking, I agree, but the low end is still very satisfying IMO

CJ: Out of curiosity, is your E92 iDrive or non-iDrive? I'm still not happy with the sound from my iDrive equipped vehicle. It has a hollow / overly processed sound that's not natural to my ears at all, much like a cheap home theater system.

[CJ421]

Originally Posted by bikenski

CJ: Out of curiosity, is your E92 iDrive or non-iDrive? I'm still not happy with the sound from my iDrive equipped vehicle. It has a hollow / overly processed sound that's not natural to my ears at all, much like a cheap home theater system.

Non-iDrive.

You could try turning L7 off and then it'd be stereo sound. What kind of music do you listen to if you don't mind me asking?

[bikenski]

Originally Posted by CJ421

Non-iDrive.

You could try turning L7 off and then it'd be stereo sound. What kind of music do you listen to if you don't mind me asking?

Something must be different in the systems with and without iDrive. For one, the equalizer starts at 100 Hz in iDrive, and 80 Hz directly on the head unit.

I've tried killing L7, but the sound is still not full and natural like it was on my '08.

As far as types of music, it pretty much runs the gamut. Indie rock, dance/electronic, classic rock... The system definitely sounds better playing from CD than it does from terrestrial and satellite radio, but it's a downgrade across the board compared to what I'm used to.

I may sit in a new E92 w/ iDrive at a dealership to see if they all sound like this, or if there's possibly something wrong with my system.

[eekthecat]

Maybe I'm just not as picky, but I think my 2011 sounds just as good or even a bit better than my 2008 (both HK and iDrive)

Out of the box, neither sounded good at all -- but after trying Malekreza11's settings, I've enjoyed both systems immensely.

[CJ421]

Originally Posted by bikenski

Something must be different in the systems with and without iDrive. For one, the equalizer starts at 100 Hz in iDrive, and 80 Hz directly on the head unit.

I've tried killing L7, but the sound is still not full and natural like it was on my '08.

As far as types of music, it pretty much runs the gamut. Indie rock, dance/electronic, classic rock... The system definitely sounds better playing from CD than it does from terrestrial and satellite radio, but it's a downgrade across the board compared to what I'm used to.

I may sit in a new E92 w/ iDrive at a dealership to see if they all sound like this, or if there's possibly something wrong with my system.

That's interesting. Wish I had experience with an '08 . . .

Have you played around with the fading? A few posts up I mentioned I was between +2 and +4 to the rear, now I'm keeping it almost always at +2. A lot of my electronic/dance songs like to make voices sound bigger/dominating by positioning the mids more toward the back. Great for headphones, hit or miss for surround sound speakers.

If you let me know the name of an electronic/dance song you like, I'll d/l it and see what it sounds like in my E92 and play with the settings a bit.

[Canyoncarver]

Noob question as I am on the train to go pick up my E90 M3.

Can someone direct me to a link to replace the two subs and upgrade the amp to power them?

Thanks

[rooringhusky]

Thanks for the settings Malek!!

Works awesome so far might tune it a little bit for my liking..

[caesarp]

Originally Posted by Bimmerforlife

Wanted to share my setting on the 2011 HK system, I've been using these setting for about 4 days and for me, I think they enhance the system. It's nice to finally hear the surround rear speakers working to enhance the system.

I first started out with the basic setting as mentioned in the first post and tweaked most of the latter ones that seemed to really open up the rear speakers. I also took the advice of another poster by moving the balance +2 to the right (this is great advice because as your driving you are further away from the right side of the car so bringing those speakers on the right closer to you helps in that respect)

2011 E90 335i iDrive with HK

Treble +2
Bass +1
Balance +2 (to the right)
Fader +4 (to the rear) (trust me it still gives to plently of volume in the front)

HK EQ settings:

100hz -2
200hz -1
500hz +1
1khz +3
2khz +8
5khz +8
10khz +8

That's a lot of boost in the mid and treble on the EQ settings. Did you use tools, or just your ears?

[Newman918]

Agreed Logic 7 system with Malek's setup was sweet but new is lacking.

Got these as from bimmerUKF10 and have been playing with these

Fader +2 rear
Treble +4
bass +3
100hz -2
200hz -1
500hz 0
1khz +2
2khz -3
5 kHz +4
10 kHz +6

Originally Posted by bikenski

I'm not sure if the audio system was changed with the addition of the Combox in more recent builds, but I'm having a heck of a time getting decent sound quality.

Some history: My last car was an '08 E92 without iDrive and with the (then standard) Logic 7 system. I was quite pleased with the sound quality of that setup when using the suggested settings from the first post - punchy bass, crisp highs, and full and rich sound across the entire range.

Fast forward to today when I paid extra for what seems to be a downgraded Harman Kardon system. For lack of a better description, it seems hollow and tinny, with a shortage of the punchy bass and crisp highs that I had become accustomed to.

I've been experimenting with different settings since picking up the car a few weeks ago, and this is the best I can come up with:

100hz +2
200hz -2
500hz -3
1khz -2
2khz +2
5khz +2
10khz +8

BASS 0
TREB +1
FADER +2 (towards the rear)
S-VOL: +2

Are there any others with recent E92 builds who are disappointed with the sound quality compared to the former Logic 7 system? If not, which settings are you using to obtain comparable sound?

[dryam]

I'm a total noob & just got a 2011 335d with the Harmon Kardon upgrade. I have put in OP's non-idrive settings for the e90. The question I have is how do you set the Logic 7 setting to music? I can only turn it on & off. Btw, the system sounds very good with the new settings & I'm very appreciative of the OP's efforts and all of the other folks who have added a lot of good info in this thread.

Thanks in advance.

[kaigoss69]

[QUOTE=dryam;9848253]I'm a total noob

[pmb458]

Originally Posted by Malekreza11

Hey guys,

***UPDATE*** This thread has now been updated with 2009+ iDrive SETTINGS.. ***

As promised before, I am starting a NEW thread )

I have a 2011 E90 M3 here in Taiwan with Harmon Kardon with iDrive 2nd gen. ( claimed 13 speakers ) I am not sure if it's the same as US's LOGIC 7. I have used your settings on the sticky. It turns out quite good. Thank you!

Aux-In Level 3, I don't see any options to select in the iDrive. I can only turn L7 Surround on or off. Am I running the most optimal setting for my car? I listen mainly to R&B, Pop, Trance, house, and hip hop.

Thank you for any inputs!!

[hiter202]

hey guys, just wondering, not quite sure, I usually listen to hiphop, techno, or radio....not sure what EQ settings are best, I want it to sound good with good bass and sound

I've got a 2011 335i xDrive Coupe E92, I have Navi, combox (accoriding to the vehicle info, not sure what that is), i-Drive (assuming that is the space on the system to store music on the HDD)

any help would be great

[mjollnir19]

THANK YOU FOR MAKING my Stereo sound like God talking!!

[CJ421]

I stopped using Logic7 a while ago, it's now disabled. The music sounds much more accurate without it.

I'm using the settings in the first post and I keep the fader at +4 towards the rear (windows open: +3). Really sounds phenomenal ...

[CJ421]

Hey guys, I found this interesting thread over @ bimmerfest:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=492794
For E92 LCI h/k:

-3
-7
-8
-7
-3
+3
-3

Treb: +1
Bass: 0

w/ L7 on.

At first I wasn't sure about them, but after using it for an hour I believe it is more accurate sound. Voices have a lot better separation and a more even tone. Definitely better balanced sound.

I briefly experimented with fading it to the rear but left it at 0 for now. With L7 on, I find the rear speakers are used plenty. Additionally I left the balance at 0.

tl;dr - with these settings you give the h/k system a lot of headroom and can crank the volume more, which compensates for not boosting the bass frequencies. You're better off reducing the frequencies than boosting them, as boosting them can introduce distortions. This is a very smooth EQ curve.

Give it a try!

EDIT: After more listening I'm leaving the fade at +1/+2 (to the rear) and the balance at 0. The fading was debatable, one or two songs I listened to might have benefited from +2 to the rear. However in my opinion, a sound system should not require different settings for different songs, I've left it at +2.

And the balance I'm leaving centered, before I had it biased to the right. Just didn't sound right non-centered with these settings for whatever reason.
Having Logic7 enabled seems beneficial with these settings. I had it turned off before because it made some of my songs harsh, that is no longer the case since the EQ curve has been evened out.

[Malek@MRF]

If anyone would like to bring me their Harmon/Kardon equipped cars to be adjusted, I will be more than happy to take care of that.

I will then post the ideal settings here in the original post for everyone else to see.

Feel free to PM me if you are in the OC area and wouldn't mind coming down!

-Malek

[lalessi526]

Thanks for taking the time cant wait to try it out on my 335

[aykim2188]

I have a 335i w/ L7..can I get a recommendation as to what I can do for now?