[HKD126]

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...8#post20911818

Made a thread.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by HKD126

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...8#post20911818

Made a thread.

There's the big dip in the response around 130Hz I referenced on page 1 of this thread! Thanks for the picture. Interested to try your tune later.

[HKD126]

No worries. Just updated the post as well.

[KCH1984]

Picked up my 330xd with HK today and first thing I did, having reset iDrive to factory settings, was search for a configuration thread!

I was very much underwhelmed with my initial listen, but using the settings mentioned as a base was an absolute god send - thank you!!

[Soul_Glo]

Help!!!

I applied the settings to our F30 and they are absolutely wonderful. From 100 miles to 12,000 miles there has been blissful listening...

I took delivery of my used approved F32 last week. With 14,000 on the clock. The first thing I noticed about the system was how flat it seemed. Upon further investigation all settings were flat and L7 was off. The assumption is that the previous owner never tuned it and ran it in.

I applied your settings Glenn immediately but the system sounds so disappointing. Even with the volume up it is awful. Nothing compared to our new F30.

Any help appreciated.

[smrtphusr]

Wondering if there is optimal setting with logic7 disabled. Tried with it on I find sound gets muddy especially at higher speeds.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by 37psi

Help!!!

I applied the settings to our F30 and they are absolutely wonderful. From 100 miles to 12,000 miles there has been blissful listening...

I took delivery of my used approved F32 last week. With 14,000 on the clock. The first thing I noticed about the system was how flat it seemed. Upon further investigation all settings were flat and L7 was off. The assumption is that the previous owner never tuned it and ran it in.

I applied your settings Glenn immediately but the system sounds so disappointing. Even with the volume up it is awful. Nothing compared to our new F30.

Any help appreciated.

Sorry mate, I do not have access to an F32 to provide first-hand assistance.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by smrtphusr

Wondering if there is optimal setting with logic7 disabled. Tried with it on I find sound gets muddy especially at higher speeds.

After determining I prefer Logic7 processing active I ceased further tweaking the system without it. Besides the staging and imaging improvements L7 provides, the next-largest benefit I appreciate is the additional midrange presence. You aren't going to improve a L7-OFF HK system's staging and imaging with the EQ and tone controls, but you can try to build up midrange by adding a click or two to midrange frequencies in the EQ. I wasn't fond of the result myself but your opinion may vary. Try it... It costs only time. Good luck.

[Soul_Glo]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Sorry mate, I do not have access to an F32 to provide first-hand assistance.

Solved it. Three things. Took longer to run in. Had to play a bit louder each time. Added a trunk sub for bass duties. It must be the cavernous design of the F32!

Still using your settings though

There are some inherent differences between the F30 and F32. IIRC the F30 has an amplifier with slightly more output.

It now sounds like the F30. Don't play loud so no trunk rattles or trousers flapping to bass but it is certainly capable of that on maximum setting; which is not my style of listening as I don't want to subtract from the vocals and other instruments.

[GCinFLA]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

The consensus among professionals is that the audio system should be sonically neutral; with the goal being to reproduce the what the engineers and producers intended as accurately as possible. The actual listening material is insignificant to this objective.

Interesting to see you aren't following your own advice.

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

After determining I prefer Logic7 processing active....

So much for neutral or as the Producer intended it.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by GCinFLA

Interesting to see you aren't following your own advice.

So much for neutral or as the Producer intended it.

My opinion is activating Logic7 is the path to this goal in this instance.

[GCinFLA]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

My opinion is activating Logic7 is the path to this goal in this instance.

Logic 7 moves the soundstage from where the producer intended it and plays with the phase, thus disorting the instruments.

So much for neutrality as intended.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by GCinFLA

Logic 7 moves the soundstage from where the producer intended it and plays with the phase, thus disorting the instruments.

So much for neutrality as intended.

I disagree. Nobody intends a stereo soundstage to be split across two sides of the listening area. This is the result when Logic7 is deactivated in an F30. Proof of this can be found by anyone playing an acapella and toggling L7. When processing is deactivated the vocal is on the door.

Luckily, we don't have to agree on this. Tune your car how you like.

[murrays]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

I disagree. Nobody intends a stereo soundstage to be split across two sides of the listening area. This is the result when Logic7 is deactivated in an F30. Proof of this can be found by anyone playing an acapella and toggling L7. When processing is deactivated the vocal is on the door.

Luckily, we don't have to agree on this. Tune your car how you like.

I'm with Glenn here, every audio reproduction system has some level of processing involved. Think of a digital photo, every camera applies processing to change the ones and zeros into a visible image file with additional processing to display the image on a screen. It's perfectly reasonable to use something like Photoshop to make an image more "neutral" to correct previous processing that took the image away from "neutral".

Using L7 to correct for flaws in the system can make it more neutral, not less as I see it.

[Dang3r]

I was happy with the L7 and the HK mids and highs but added Bavsound subs. You cant force L7 to push up tracks when they are crappy. For stock recorded music, radio and/or CD/DVD the HK was fine for me.
Although I must state, that when the system wasnt installed into my car, I had considered the money twice before spending. On the other hand HK offers not enough output for the value you had to pay to get it. This are only my 50ct.

[murrays]

Per some of the conversations here, I'm happy with the HK system, but realize it lacks when listening to some songs.

OTOH, we bought a Volvo V90 Cross Country for my wife. We opted for the upgraded Bowers & Wilkins stereo and, after driving it for a few hundred miles, OMFG!! It blew my HK system completely out of the water the moment I turned it on.

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

I disagree. Nobody intends a stereo soundstage to be split across two sides of the listening area. This is the result when Logic7 is deactivated in an F30. Proof of this can be found by anyone playing an acapella and toggling L7. When processing is deactivated the vocal is on the door.

Luckily, we don't have to agree on this. Tune your car how you like.

Glenn, thanks for your revised settings. I find these to be much more appealing to my ear. Having come from an e90 with upgraded Morel speakers, sub and Amp this system does lack but I am hoping with a few hardware pieces we can improve on this setup.

Have you given any thought to adding a trunk sub or upgrading/powering the underwear subs seperately? Or frankly, any other hardware upgrades to help bring this system to full life?

Cheers, and really appreciate your insight.

[DerDichter]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

My current settings haven't changed much but after almost 42k miles this is how it's set...

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

Older post, I know, but I was lazy. I have a 2013 328 that I bought brand new, but I have barely dirven it on regular basis until now. (It only has ~27,000 miles and at least half of those can be attributed to 5 or 6 long trips with the family with sound either off or at a very low volume) So I didin't have too much time to really play with the audio system, and I have a terrible ear, I can tell if I like something or not, but can't figure what or why easily. Anyways, I tried your settings and I love my sound now. I do hear all types of music, from Pop, to Classic, to Alternative to Electronic, to folk, etc . And my iPod is in shuffle mode so I really needed a neutral setting that made worth the $1200 HK option and this made the trick

Thanks glennQNYC

[CaptainSloww]

Thank you glennQNYC for this post! It has been a noticeable improvement for the H/K Sound System!

Here are the EQ settings that I am using:


Treble +1
Bass +3
Balance 0
Fader +2

Logic7 ON

100 Hz -6
200 Hz -8
500 Hz -6
1 kHz +3
2 kHz -6
5 kHz -2
10 kHz +2


At first it could seem that is some kind of bass recessed setting, as jgoens said to me in this thread:

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1480176

But it is definitely an EQ aimed to a coloured sound, for the ones who like some sort of soft V-shaped sound signature.

Hope it could help somebody to tune their system!

[B7]

Hi All,

This is counter intuitive but seems to solve the main probleme of the HK system which is lack of bass, distorsion in mid-bass, and unbalaced/harsh HF... Don't spend thousand of dollars to upgrade this system unless you have tested my EQ set-up below. I was looking to change all my speaker + insulate doors + install a dsp and amplifier for USW because I was unable to be statisfied with the HK system with any kind of music, then I came to this EQ set up:

100 Hz +10 (max)
200 Hz -10 (min)
500 Hz +7
1 kHz +0
2 kHz +0
5 kHz -5 (HF tweeter is too agressive to my ears)
10 kHz +0

My LOGIC7 is ON and bass/treble flat but you can set it to your preference.

I was really suprise to crank the volume and be happy with the system on all kind of music! When I reset the EQ, it sounds so agressive and boring, I can't believe that Harman Kardon has configured their amp like this by defaut...

[Skyhigh]

Does anyone know if the HK system (components) evolved in any way through the years? Any changes intriduced for LCI?

The question really is - are the recommendations here directly applicable to an LCI F3x and has anyone verified that?

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Does anyone know if the HK system (components) evolved in any way through the years? Any changes intriduced for LCI?

The question really is - are the recommendations here directly applicable to an LCI F3x and has anyone verified that?

This thread goes back to 2014 and yes things have changed with the LCI it has a higher amp rating. Sound quality is affected quite a bit depending on eq settings and using the logic 7 setting.