[momoboy]

I wanted to wait until I've had the bimmertech amp for a few weeks to do a review. I not only review the bimmertech amp but the Jenherts speakers I had installed as well. I'll review each separately as I had them done at different times. I had these installed on an F25 X3 and I believe that it would sound even better in a sedan/coupe as the acoustics in the F25 aren't the best (but in the end it sounds amazing). Please bear with me as this will be a long post but I hope it will be helpful.

Bimmertech PP82DSP Amp

I won't cover the install as it has been covered in many other threads. Suffice it to say it's truly plug and play and took me about 15 minutes. Like others have said plug in the USB connection before mounting as once it is mounted the plug is hard to get to and you will be using that connection a lot to make tweaks.

So, why did I want this? Well I had the HIFI system and to be honest, it wasn't that bad. The bass was good but the vocals were a little muffled and the only adjustments were the Bass and Treble. I knew that more power and the tuning options through the DSP would make things better (understanding that the speakers would still be limited) Well after the install I downloaded a tune for the F25. It sounded much better overall. Bass was less boomy and tighter and vocals were clearer. I also won't get into the various sound files as I know there are threads about that. One thing I will agree with is that there is not a "one size fits all" for the tunes. Some people will like more bass, others will like it more centered and others will like the vocals sharper, etc. Anyway, I admit I didn't know squat about using the DSP tuning software. It can do a LOT. On the positive side it can make all the difference in the sound AND take advantage of speaker upgrades in the future. On the “not quite a real negative” side if you tweak it the wrong way it can sound worse than stock. I’m only saying that because the wrong adjustment in gain, crossover, time alignment, etc. can have a detrimental effect and don’t get frustrated. Use many of the tunes on the forum as a start but don’t be afraid to play! You can always revert back to a saved file. Tweak, drive around for a few days and tweak more. Learn about the various functions. I myself wanted to learn more so I decided to reach out to a local forum member (6spdcoupe) who owns a company called Unexpected Creations here in NJ. His name is Don and I asked for his assistance in tuning the amp. I met up with him and we spent some time tuning and it sounded really great. Not only did he tune the car but spent time educating me on what he was doing. That evening even my girlfriend noticed the difference and she said she "feels like I'm at a concert" as things were sounding really good. Again, this was using the stock speakers but the change was very apparent. Now if you just do the amp I can assure you that things will sound better than stock. It really comes down to the right tune. I spent some time on the internet and researched the various frequencies and what they do. Take a look at this article as it very helpful (link to article) when tuning. Like adjusting the car seat the tune is what YOU like and while you can use someone’s tune as a starting point don't be afraid to make changes. All in all at this point I was happy and thanks again to Don for helping me!

Overall if someone is thinking what should I do first? Speakers or amp. I would say amp because:

• It will provide more power to your stock speakers. That alone will make a difference
• You can tune the sound to make the stock speakers sound much better. You might not feel you have to upgrade your speakers
• If you do upgrade your speakers you already have the power you would want and more importantly, the tuning ability you need to take advantage of the new speakers. What’s the advantage of having new speakers with a better frequency range if you can’t take advantage of it? The stock amp was designed for the stock speakers so the crossovers are set for them. This amp gives you the ability to adjust crossovers (amongst other things) as much as you need.

So, why then did I upgrade to the Jenherts next? Well I had my car in for servicing and I was given a brand new 2016 X3. This one has the HK Logic 7 sound. I have to admit it sounded better than mine in some respect. Bass was the same but the vocals were clearly better. The speakers are a higher quality than the HiFi speakers I have. At this point I had the power I wanted but wanted a higher quality speaker. There was nothing available for the F25 X3 (doors/center) until a few days ago. I know that they had ghost subwoofers though but I started reading more about the Jenherts. Well Don is a local dealer so I talked to him more about them.

Jenhert Speakers

I decided to have the front door speakers and underseat subwoofers replaced with Jenhert. I won’t discuss pricing but let’s just say that they are in line with what you would pay for the bavsound speakers. Don gave me the choice of just having the speaker setup the same as my current speakers (midrange and tweeter tied together in each door) or do an “active” setup where each speaker gets power and tuning separately. While doing it this way removed the center dash speaker from being powered. You won’t even notice it’s not there though. With proper time alignment the sound still sounds like its coming from the front. So, how does it sound? All I can say is NIGHT AND DAY. The bass is super tight and you can feel it in your bones. Not boomy like a giant subwoofer but tight and controlled. Instead of just feeling the boom under your seat it surrounds you. I can’t think of a better description. I never experienced such tight bass. The vocals are amazing. The voices are so clear. Since you can adjust the gain and frequency of each speaker separately you can really tune every aspect. Don and his team did a great job on the install. I have never met someone so meticulous. And the tune was amazing. I’ve never been happier! I seriously just sit in the car trying different songs and I actually hear things musically that I didn’t hear before. It’s truly impressive.

So, my final thoughts are:

If you just get the bimmertech amp and stay with stock speakers you will hear a difference. While it might not be night and day it WILL be noticeable and a lot depends on what you expect. Is it tons more bass? No. Is it better vocal clarity, separation and tighter bass, YES. Will it set you up well for speaker upgrades? Definitely! Use some of the tunes others have used but don’t be afraid to tweak yourself. You will be much happier than stock and if you decided on speakers later you are part of the way there.

If you are planning to do the amp and speakers then I urge you to speak with Don about the Jenherts (even if you aren’t local he can get them for you). They are truly amazing! Even if you just do the Jenherts for under the seat you will be impressed with the bass. Add the door speakers and you will hear things musically there you didn’t before. I honestly come home and sit in the garage until the song ends as it just sounds “that good”

And another plug for Don. He is the most patient, responsive person I have dealt with. I don’t think he ever sleeps! Even if you just purchase the speakers from him you can be assured of fantastic service.

Nelson and Patryk have provided great support as well. Bimmertech finally created a true Plug and Play solution that works. And with the support of the forum and people creating tune files there is a lot of expertise to be utilized.

If anyone is local to central jersey I would be happy to let them listen to my system and judge for yourself. I’ve done sound system upgrades for many of my cars and the combination of the bimmertech amp and the Jenherts have exceeded my expectations. Feel free to ask any questions!

[TePee]

Thanks a lot for your detailed info. I've just bought the Jehnert speaker set. So glad to read your very positive experience with them.

Plan to install it semi active with a 4-channel amp for the beginning. I also have a small Eton 8-channel DSP amp, which I'll add later and then maybe run the system fully active...

By the way, the Match82DSP has 8x55W at 4Ohm. Is the power enough for the Jehnert woofers or can you bridge 2 channels? I'm just curious as Jehnert suggests at least 130W for the complete system, of which most is probably needed for the woofers I guess, if they are really that "hungry".

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Don at Unexpected Creations is a true Master Craftsman and ultra knowledgable at the same time. I can't recommend he and his team enough.

[momoboy]

Originally Posted by TePee

By the way, the Match82DSP has 8x55W at 4Ohm. Is the power enough for the Jehnert woofers or can you bridge 2 channels? I'm just curious as Jehnert suggests at least 130W for the complete system, of which most is probably needed for the woofers I guess, if they are really that "hungry".

To be honest I'm not sure if you can bridge 2 channels but I can say that the PP82 has enough power to drive the Jenhert woofers. With the right settings with the DSP software you will be blown away. The bass is clean and tight and the overall sound is better than I expected. Everyone that has listened to it agrees. The best thing about the PP82 is the ability to tune to what YOU like.

[NOGBMW]

That is a great review. I am in the same boat and was on fence about amp or speakers or both for my HiFi.
I think I will get the amp first and go from there.
Thanks for the detailed review.

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by TePee

Thanks a lot for your detailed info. I've just bought the Jehnert speaker set. So glad to read your very positive experience with them.

Plan to install it semi active with a 4-channel amp for the beginning. I also have a small Eton 8-channel DSP amp, which I'll add later and then maybe run the system fully active...

By the way, the Match82DSP has 8x55W at 4Ohm. Is the power enough for the Jehnert woofers or can you bridge 2 channels? I'm just curious as Jehnert suggests at least 130W for the complete system, of which most is probably needed for the woofers I guess, if they are really that "hungry".

You can not bridge channels.

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Thanks for the GREAT review Mark

[TePee]

Thanks momoboy and Nelson.
Then the Jehnert woofers should be fine with less power than the quite high recommendation of Jehnert itself. Good to know

[6spdcoupe]

Thank you very much for the review Mark !

[6spdcoupe]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Don at Unexpected Creations is a true Master Craftsman and ultra knowledgable at the same time. I can't recommend he and his team enough.

Very much appreciated Glenn. As always, we try our best !

[6spdcoupe]

Originally Posted by TePee

Thanks momoboy and Nelson.
Then the Jehnert woofers should be fine with less power than the quite high recommendation of Jehnert itself. Good to know

All paper numbers, but 55 X 2 for the underseats, 55 X 2 for the doors= 220, no ?

[TePee]

If you count it like this, yes

I was just curious whether the 2x55W are enough for the woofers. Jehnert recommends 2x 120-160W for the complete system and I thought that the woofers need most of it.

But anyway I believe you and I'm happy to read that the woofers are not that hungry for power as I don't want to install huge amps

[6spdcoupe]

Originally Posted by TePee

If you count it like this, yes

I was just curious whether the 2x55W are enough for the woofers. Jehnert recommends 2x 120-160W for the complete system and I thought that the woofers need most of it.

But anyway I believe you and I'm happy to read that the woofers are not that hungry for power as I don't want to install huge amps

The PP82 is definitely more than adequate for the setup. Nope, no need for big amps !