[muffking]

Having just received my 3er with the HK audio I now have a surplus full Rainbow speaker setup and Kenwood amp which I removed from my previous F31.

Am I likely to gain anything by replacing the HK speakers, or should I just sell the Rainbows?

I have the full 8 speaker set including component fronts, A-pillar tweeters & trims, rear door coaxials and under seat subs, plus a 5 channel Kenwood amp and quad lock loom originally ran from a base stereo setup.

[teaston]

The speakers maybe, but apparently the HK amp is a bugger to replace because it's connected on the MOST fibre optic loop.

[ashenfie]

Originally Posted by teaston

The speakers maybe, but apparently the HK amp is a bugger to replace because it's connected on the MOST fibre optic loop.

I did my own upgrade from base system with an Audison Prima 8.9 which is amazing.
Anyway I did consider going to HK, but when I did the research is was definitely a no go. The system is complex and fibre as you say.

[t5pilot]

The HK speakers aren't bad to be fair. Your Rainbows will be better (I looked at a Rainbow when replacing my subs), but by so little (to the resulting sound to your ears), it's probably not worth the hassle/time TBH.

[muffking]

Thanks guys.
I have my first long drive in it tomorrow and am loaded up with music to test the HK having followed some EQ settings from another thread. The Rainbows and amp were enough to shake a car apart, but I'll probably end up advertising them in a week or two, stay tuned

[muffking]

Thanks guys.
I have my first long drive in it tomorrow and am loaded up with music to test the HK having followed some EQ settings from another thread. The Rainbows and amp were enough to shake a car apart, but I'll probably end up advertising them in a week or two, stay tuned

[teaston]

That's probably a good idea, I think the only thing you might think it's lacking is really deep bass.

[muffking]

You may be right, although the sort of bass that the Rainbow subs with some real power put through them is enough to make you turn the volume down in urban areas so as not to be mistaken for a 17 year old Corsa driver who spent more money on the sound system than the car

[jedi-knight83]

ooh how much would you want for the set? I've just bought an F31 330 with the Hi-Fi set up that I'm looking to upgrade.

[muffking]

I'll be putting up an Ad possibly over next weekend as I'm working away this week, but I'll spend a bit of time writing what's what's below then this can form part of the Ad.

Essentially I have:-
Front speakers - Rainbow IL-C4.2 BMW F (part no 231242)
A-pillar trims for the tweeters (BMW part numbers 51337323507 and 51337323508)
Rears speakers - Rainbow IL-X4 BMW F (part no 231244)
£220 + £12 delivery

Subs:-
Rainbow IL-S8F (part no 231031)
£200 + £10 delivery
These are less than a year old as I amped the Base speakers on my F31 and blew a couple of them up before adding the Rainbows.

Then there's the Kenwood X801-5 amp. This is the one that's small enough to fit in the N/S/R boot well and powerful enough to blow your socks off.
I'll sell this with the 5m loom that runs the audio out from the head unit to the amp and back to the speaker connections just by plugging in to the quadlock connector on the back of the head unit. Then it's just a case of running the included speaker cables to the subs and getting power to the amp from the other side of the boot.
£180 + £8 delivery

[johnung]

Originally Posted by muffking

Having just received my 3er with the HK audio I now have a surplus full Rainbow speaker setup and Kenwood amp which I removed from my previous F31.

Am I likely to gain anything by replacing the HK speakers, or should I just sell the Rainbows?

I have the full 8 speaker set including component fronts, A-pillar tweeters & trims, rear door coaxials and under seat subs, plus a 5 channel Kenwood amp and quad lock loom originally ran from a base stereo setup.

HK audio is excellent on highs and midranges but subwoofers could be improved. My understanding is that Earthquake underseat subs are an improvement but need an added amplifier that puts out 150 RMS per channel. I'm in the process of installing it hopefully this week or next if all of the items that I ordered arrive. I'll post the results when the project is completed.

[sensible]

Let us know what EQ setting you use to get the best from HK.

[muffking]

Originally Posted by sensible

Let us know what EQ setting you use to get the best from HK.

There's a choice of two. I'm still on the first one.

Treble flat
Bass +1
L7 on
100Hz +5
200Hz -7
500Hz +1
1kHz +1
2kHz flat
5kHz -1
10kHz -1

or

Bass & Treble = Flat
Balance & Fader = Centered
L7 active
(Speed Volume = Center)
100Hz +4 (sometimes +5)
200Hz -5
500Hz +2
1kHz +1
2kHz Flat
5kHz -1
10kHz Flat

[jedi-knight83]

Originally Posted by muffking

I'll be putting up an Ad possibly over next weekend as I'm working away this week, but I'll spend a bit of time writing what's what's below then this can form part of the Ad.

Essentially I have:-
Front speakers - Rainbow IL-C4.2 BMW F (part no 231242)
A-pillar trims for the tweeters (BMW part numbers 51337323507 and 51337323508)
Rears speakers - Rainbow IL-X4 BMW F (part no 231244)
£220 + £12 delivery

Subs:-
Rainbow IL-S8F (part no 231031)
£200 + £10 delivery
These are less than a year old as I amped the Base speakers on my F31 and blew a couple of them up before adding the Rainbows.

Then there's the Kenwood X801-5 amp. This is the one that's small enough to fit in the N/S/R boot well and powerful enough to blow your socks off.
I'll sell this with the 5m loom that runs the audio out from the head unit to the amp and back to the speaker connections just by plugging in to the quadlock connector on the back of the head unit. Then it's just a case of running the included speaker cables to the subs and getting power to the amp from the other side of the boot.
£180 + £8 delivery

Yes please. I'll have the lot. PM coming.

[sensible]

Originally Posted by muffking

There's a choice of two. I'm still on the first one.

Treble flat
Bass +1
L7 on
100Hz +5
200Hz -7
500Hz +1
1kHz +1
2kHz flat
5kHz -1
10kHz -1

or

Bass & Treble = Flat
Balance & Fader = Centered
L7 active
(Speed Volume = Center)
100Hz +4 (sometimes +5)
200Hz -5
500Hz +2
1kHz +1
2kHz Flat
5kHz -1
10kHz Flat

Thanks

[Busted]

Originally Posted by sensible

Thanks

Top one works very well

[muffking]

Just got back from 3 days working away having tried the HK for the first time and using the settings above. It's pretty good, which saves me pulling the door cards off and lifting the front seats to change the speakers.
The bass isn't as powerful as the full on amped Rainbow system and the HK distorts a little as you reach towards the end of the volume scale, but it's not bad for a stock audio system. It definitely saves the effort and cost of an aftermarket upgrade.

[Marksw76]

Originally Posted by muffking

Just got back from 3 days working away having tried the HK for the first time and using the settings above. It's pretty good, which saves me pulling the door cards off and lifting the front seats to change the speakers.
The bass isn't as powerful as the full on amped Rainbow system and the HK distorts a little as you reach towards the end of the volume scale, but it's not bad for a stock audio system. It definitely saves the effort and cost of an aftermarket upgrade.

I find with HK, that it varies greatly dependent on the quality of the source. It doesn' t gloss over even the slightest imperfection to the point where I'm actually getting better results from switching back to FM rather than the shite that is BMW DAB.

My own playlists sound excellent but anything that is even a tiny bit compressed will be noticeable.