[phc77]

Originally Posted by Terras14

Hi, I am noobs to audio. Just got an 2020 X5 with Harmon Kardon. However the previous owner change the front and rear door speaker to Eton plug and play as well as the 2 subwoofer under the seat. I went back to the audio shop that did the change as I really feel the music is average. He recommend me to upgrade to Helix V12 amp or a cheaper alternative match up 10 dsp.

I guess the Helix is better but is it worth paying 50% more for the Helxi for its performance? I just want my normal sound pop sound to sound better. Thanks.

Forget Helix, it's no better because it's not made for new BMWs, especially if your car is equipped with HK.
To get up to speed with the Helix, you'll have to build a custom harness, take every wire that comes out of your HK system and plug it into the Helix. I think there's a good chance that PDC and other sound settings will be lost along the way, in addition to the time and labor involved.

Changing an HK system for Eton or any other brand of loudspeaker is pointless, as the situation you're in now proves: the contribution will have been non-existent, or at best very small in relation to the cost.

Thinking about amplification and controlling the system with a DSP is the place to start. The MATCH UP10 make a really good job.

[Terras14]

Thanks for the post. Yes I agree. However the previous owner already change out the HK speaker to Eton PNP so I need to get the match up now. Thanks.

[Terras14]

Originally Posted by phc77

Forget Helix, it's no better because it's not made for new BMWs, especially if your car is equipped with HK.
To get up to speed with the Helix, you'll have to build a custom harness, take every wire that comes out of your HK system and plug it into the Helix. I think there's a good chance that PDC and other sound settings will be lost along the way, in addition to the time and labor involved.

Changing an HK system for Eton or any other brand of loudspeaker is pointless, as the situation you're in now proves: the contribution will have been non-existent, or at best very small in relation to the cost.

Thinking about amplification and controlling the system with a DSP is the place to start. The MATCH UP10 make a really good job.

Hi, I got the matchup 10 amp installed with harness so everything is plug and play. Done tuning and the effect is good. I can hear a significant difference in the music.

However I encounter a problem. When I drove off the shop, my car comes with a exhaust sound button. I usually leave it on. Now the sound is extremely loud, is even lounder thanI am at my most aggresive M setting before the amp. Also my signal stalk indicator sound and apple carplay phone ringing are all very loud now. I ring the installer and he says he can reduce the master volume in dsp. I am not sure if that is able to solve my loud exhaust cabin sound? If I turn that off, the whole car will be so quiet and not used to it. Any advise greatly appreciate. Thanks.

[phc77]

Originally Posted by Terras14

However I encounter a problem. When I drove off the shop, my car comes with a exhaust sound button. I usually leave it on. Now the sound is extremely loud, is even lounder thanI am at my most aggresive M setting before the amp. Also my signal stalk indicator sound and apple carplay phone ringing are all very loud now. I ring the installer and he says he can reduce the master volume in dsp. I am not sure if that is able to solve my loud exhaust cabin sound? If I turn that off, the whole car will be so quiet and not used to it. Any advise greatly appreciate. Thanks.

Maybe you need to look at the Signal Detection Sensitivity, on the left, as it generates accessory noise.
Advanced Gain Setup, in the Signal Magangement menu, should be used to manage gain, then ISA.
https://www.audiotec-fischer.de/en/k...P-PC-Tool/isa/

ASD is a problem, it's hidden in the audio signal between 100 and 250hz. Bypass or deactivation solutions are available from Bimmertech, depending on the car model.

[Terras14]

Originally Posted by phc77

Maybe you need to look at the Signal Detection Sensitivity, on the left, as it generates accessory noise.
Advanced Gain Setup, in the Signal Magangement menu, should be used to manage gain, then ISA.
https://www.audiotec-fischer.de/en/knowledge-base/DSP-PC-Tool/isa/

ASD is a problem, it's hidden in the audio signal between 100 and 250hz. Bypass or deactivation solutions are available from Bimmertech, depending on the car model.

Hi appreciate your reply but I am a noobs in car audio. So is it possible to retain the same asd sound like before after installing the amp or the best is to try make it softer?

Right now the drone sound with the exhaust button on is too loud for comfort and I got to turn off my exhaust sound button. In the worse case senario, I will need to take out the amp and revert to original. Will the ASD go back to normal or is it already messed up by the tuning? Many thanks.

[phc77]

Originally Posted by Terras14

Hi appreciate your reply but I am a noobs in car audio. So is it possible to retain the same asd sound like before after installing the amp or the best is to try make it softer?

Right now the drone sound with the exhaust button on is too loud for comfort and I got to turn off my exhaust sound button. In the worse case senario, I will need to take out the amp and revert to original. Will the ASD go back to normal or is it already messed up by the tuning? Many thanks.

That's unfortunate because being familiar with audio is the best way to keep ASD under control, since ASD is audio.
Anyway, feel free to ask Bimmertech any questions you may have about your car.
support@bimmer-tech.net

In the meantime, you can make the ASD sound softer with the equalizer, by lowering the frequencies between 100 and 250 hz.

ASD noise should come from the underseat woofers:
(Fastest, but not the finest setting).
. Go to the Outputs menu,
. Select your subwoofers (Amp Out I + Amp Out J),
. Using the equalizer, decrease frequencies 100, 125, 160, 200, 250 by 2db,
. Accelerate fully,
. Repeat until you find the sound you like.

[NealfromNZ]

With the asd the other way of dropping the audio levels would be old fashion loading plugs to drop the audio output level.

Otherwise you could experiment with bimmercode or similar as there is a amp type volume profiles with the ASD.

For the other sink channels ( nav / chime / announce ) another option would be to into the ewaygps idrive7 Ethernet to toslink converters. If the eway is like what Mobridge does on ID4 - ID6 you can drop the sink audio levels without dropping the digital audio channels. You can then route the main audio straight to the match via toslink. You’ll get a higher quality digital audio signal rather than reamplifying the idrive7 amp outputs. Then you could route the ASD directly into match high level imputs and have more control volume to bring it down.

[Terras14]

Hi, Phc77 and Nealfromnz,

Thanks for the input and appreciate. I am a noob to audio and the installation and tuning were all done by shop with a tuner. What he did for me today was he reduce the dsp master volume by 10 ( thats what he said ). He cannot go lower than 10. The signal indicator sound is now much softer. So is the ASD. However it is still louder than original sound esp during aggressive mode. Can feel the floor of the car kind of vibrating.

I feedback to him and he try reduce the output by 3 ( not sure wht he meant ). I tried and he then increase back the output by 1.5 so the end result is master volume minus 10 plus output reduce 1.5

What I get is slightly lounder ASD than original and sound ok thou still fake sound.
I live with this first and contemplate coding my ASD off instead. Without this incident, I never felt the ASD is a useless feature.

But one point is that after installing the amp, my car volume at 35% already sounded loud and powerful. After his adjustment to account for the ASD, I need to get my volume to around 50-55% for the same effect. Also somehow I feel it is not as powerful. Something is missing a bit.

Did reducing output result in all this or is just my imagination? Is the 1.5 redution in output significant? Thanks.

[NealfromNZ]

You installer is trying to make a trade off with the ASD volume verse the audio channels as the audio signals are pre mix before getting to the match. -3 and -10 is in db so -10 is half as loud as it was before.

Unfortunately the only audio level adjustment that can be made in is via id7 audio settings menu and BMW don’t give a choice with ASD volume.

I was looking at a wiring diagram for ASD and it uses analog audio for id7. The ASD makes its noise and the signal go into the RAM system vis analog and is then mixed into the audio.

It could be possible for your installer to modify the ASD connection loom and insert an adjustable 4 channel LOC to reduce its output / audio level going into the ram module. That way they could further reduce the ASD volume without have to reduce the overall input volume into the match.

The installer was no doubt trying to optimise the levels originally for the audio music experience.

Edit, I just had another thought.

Another option would be if there are any spare high level inputs left on the match dsp 10 then the installer could upplug the aSD from the ram module and plug it directly into the match. This would give them full control of its volume via the gain and audio routing function inside the match.

[phc77]

Originally Posted by NealfromNZ

another option would be to into the ewaygps idrive7 Ethernet to toslink converters

I found this here:
https://ewaygps.com/product/optical-...t-description/
The idea is good but it doesn't seem compatible with the G22 and seems to be like some kind of hack that the system won't like. Anyway, I'll send them an email tomorrow.
If you have any info on this box or a thread that deals with it I'd like you to let me know.
I'll be going through Bimmertech for the ASD but I won't miss a chance to get the digital audio even though my system sounds pretty good.

[phc77]

Originally Posted by Terras14

I feedback to him and he try reduce the output by 3 ( not sure wht he meant ). I tried and he then increase back the output by 1.5 so the end result is master volume minus 10 plus output reduce 1.5

But one point is that after installing the amp, my car volume at 35% already sounded loud and powerful. After his adjustment to account for the ASD, I need to get my volume to around 50-55% for the same effect. Also somehow I feel it is not as powerful. Something is missing a bit.

Did reducing output result in all this or is just my imagination? Is the 1.5 redution in output significant? Thanks.

Next time, ask him to show you what he's doing in which menu. I don't see how he can validly set the gain except here, see the picture.
If he's using Gain Channel Output Level, that's not the best way.

When the system is correctly set, the sound should be loud at 75-80% of maximum level.

[phc77]

Originally Posted by NealfromNZ

I was looking at a wiring diagram for ASD and it uses analog audio for id7. The ASD makes its noise and the signal go into the RAM system vis analog and is then mixed into the audio.

It could be possible for your installer to modify the ASD connection loom and insert an adjustable 4 channel LOC to reduce its output / audio level going into the ram module. That way they could further reduce the ASD volume without have to reduce the overall input volume into the match.

Another option would be if there are any spare high level inputs left on the match dsp 10 then the installer could upplug the aSD from the ram module and plug it directly into the match. This would give them full control of its volume via the gain and audio routing function inside the match.

I thought the ASD went directly to the amp via the K-CAN.
On the RAM and Booster, there are only speaker outputs which are picked up as they are by the harness.
I'd like to have the ASD wiring diagram please, I haven't found a recent one.

[NealfromNZ]

Apologies , looks like the wiring diagram with ASD ( separate module )was for g series with idrive 6 . Ram has asd built in.

[phc77]

Originally Posted by NealfromNZ

Apologies , looks like the wiring diagram with ASD ( separate module )was for g series with idrive 6 . Ram has asd built in.

There's no reason to, for me any idea is good to take, it all depends on what you do with it.
The best is the box, which should work for me. I found a video that reassures me a little, I'm curious but with this I'm going very cautiously. This integration will certainly require maintenance after Idrive MAJ.

I've sent an e-mail to Cambridge Autosound, so if I decide to do it, I'll do it with them. Thanks.