[kdog26372]

Originally Posted by rjd598

has anyone compared this to the hk in an f30? thoughts?

Yeah it's worse. Less speakers, no equalizer, and lower powered amp.

That said the HK system in the 3 series is still very mediocre for a $60k car.

BMW likes to only give some options on the 5 series and above; ventilated seats and good audio are 2 of these things. For some reason, maybe they're right for the masses, they think we all aspire to move from the 2, to the 3 to the 5 and eventually the 7 series. So they put certain stuff in the higher priced bigger cars as a carrot to move you to something you probably don't want/need.

You can get a B&O setup in a $40k Audi S3, yet you need to go up 2 car sizes to get that with BMW. Annoying.

[selmeralto]

Originally Posted by Robimplicit

This stinks! Very sorry you have to go through this. The only glimmer is that it you were not in the car when hit.
Good luck getting it back on the road in good shape and with the proper speakers.

Thanks very much. The long term rental car sure makes me appreciate the M235i.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by kdog26372

Yeah it's worse. Less speakers, no equalizer, and lower powered amp.

That said the HK system in the 3 series is still very mediocre for a $60k car.

BMW likes to only give some options on the 5 series and above; ventilated seats and good audio are 2 of these things. For some reason, maybe they're right for the masses, they think we all aspire to move from the 2, to the 3 to the 5 and eventually the 7 series. So they put certain stuff in the higher priced bigger cars as a carrot to move you to something you probably don't want/need.

You can get a B&O setup in a $40k Audi S3, yet you need to go up 2 car sizes to get that with BMW. Annoying.

i'm not an audophile whatsoever. i love the hk in my f30. so i guess my ears will do with crap hahah but i still have a feeling that the 2 series will disappoint me even.

[Beartato]

I was jamming out to some Beastie Boys the other day and all I could think of was how much I'm glad I upgraded my speakers and changed the EQ per this thread.

[kdog26372]

Originally Posted by rjd598

i'm not an audophile whatsoever. i love the hk in my f30. so i guess my ears will do with crap hahah but i still have a feeling that the 2 series will disappoint me even.

I'm no audiophile either, but I've heard decent updgraded factory systems and they are quite a bit better then our BMW HK options. You will be let down by the M235i HK system coming from the F30 HK; like I said less power, less speakers and no equalizer. But, if you follow the recs in this thread it will probably be close to or better sounding than your HK in the F30 which you enjoy. I had an X3 which had the HK option and I believe 15-16 speakers and I find after just swapping out the rears and disconnecting the center I'm pretty close to the sound quality of that system, of course much smaller space. If I changed the doors I'm sure it would be better than the X3 HK system.

The biggest issue in the M235i is the back speakers do nothing in stock HK form, literally no sound. Changing these out adds substantial mid-bass to the system and really improves the overall front/rear soundstage instead of being 100% in front of dash, it's balanced around your ears. Then in the front, the center speaker ruins the soundstage completely as no left/right balance can be determined in music it all just washes together in a harsh garbage sound, finally the HK door speakers are very harsh sounding and are cheap POS. Once you take out the M235i speakers and compare to basic $100-$200 aftermarkets you'll see exactly how lightweight and cheap the M235i HK speakers are and it all starts to make sense.

For about $300 you'll be plenty happy with the M235i HK setup after you've done the mods. If you leave it as-is, it'll be a noticeable downgrade from the F30.

[selmeralto]

It has just been reported by Silver6spd that the ASD bypass harness may have an incorrect wiring setup that is causing the reported bass loss in the driver's underseat woofer and that the fix is pretty easy. I'll update this forum when we have a confirmation of this.

In the meantime see Silver6spd's post #68 at http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showt...1202389&page=2 .

[selmeralto]

It looks like what's causing the bass loss is an incorrect wiring setup in the harness that is the result of a mistake in BMW's original schematic regarding speaker polarity.

Here's the fix:

1. In the looping wires you'll find a white wire and a white/black wire.
2. You cut these two wires roughly in the center.
3. You connect the wires crosswise so that each wire consists of a white-connected-to-a-white/black wire.
4. You then put a wire connector cap or electrical tape on each and you're all done.

Piece of cake.

Thanks to Silver6spd for catching this!

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by selmeralto

It looks like what's causing the bass loss is an incorrect wiring setup in the harness that is the result of a mistake in BMW's original schematic regarding speaker polarity.

Here's the fix:

1. In the looping wires you'll find a white and a white/black wire.
2. You cut these two wires roughly in the center.
3. You connect the wires crosswise so that each wire consists of a white-connected-to-a-white/black wire.
4. You then put a wire connector cap or electrical tape on each and you're all done.

Piece of cake.

Thanks to Silver6spd for catching this!

So the woofers were running out of phase of each other?

[selmeralto]

Originally Posted by BentZero

So the woofers were running out of phase of each other?

Yes - when the harness is installed.

If I'm understanding the exchange between Technic and Silver6spd correctly, Technic designed the harness on the basis of the BMW ASD schematic but it turns out that the polarity of the left (driver's side) woofer was erroneously reversed on the BMW schematic. (Bad on you, BMW.) So installing the harness results in the two woofers running out of phase. If I'm wrong about that, please someone do correct me.

In any case, the wire splice corrects the polarity. I understand that Technic is working on a solution for those who don't want to splice the wires. But, honestly, it's such a simple fix that it makes sense for people to do the fix and save everyone some trouble. I also understand that all new harnesses shipped out by Technic will have the correct wiring.

I salute Technic for designing the harness, which is a terrific help for the system and is a large part of what makes the speaker solution in this thread work, and for standing by his product. Also kudos to Silver6spd for tracking down the problem.

[selmeralto]

For those who may not be following the Technic harness thread here are some helpful pictures of the simple fix for the harness: before and after with the splices secured by wire nuts. This is courtesy of fancyfl1ght.

[selmeralto]

And another fix by Grentz. Note the sophisticated filmic lighting, worthy of a scene in Young Frankenstein. RIP Gene Wilder.

[Grentz]

lol, nothing like a mag light in a dark garage.

[fancyfl1ght]

Originally Posted by selmeralto

And another fix by Grentz. Note the sophisticated filmic lighting, worthy of a scene in Young Frankenstein. RIP Gene Wilder.

Attachment 1485965

RIP

[selmeralto]

For those not following the Technics harness page: here is a harness fix that involves switching the pins rather than splicing the wires: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showt...9#post20512019, courtesy of forum member mdputnam. A cleaner solution but it requires slightly more time, effort, and skills to use a jeweler's screwdriver to unlock and switch the pins.

[fancyfl1ght]

Originally Posted by selmeralto

For those not following the Technics harness page: here is a harness fix that involves switching the pins rather than splicing the wires: http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showt...9#post20512019, courtesy of forum member mdpputnam. A cleaner solution but it requires a little more time, effort, and somewhat greater skills than just splicing.

Elegant solution!

[voukephalas]

Originally Posted by fancyfl1ght

Elegant solution!

Would anyone have a link to the Technic harness page? Also, would all of the harnesses be affected? I ordered in August so not sure which ones would have the issue.

Thanks!

[fancyfl1ght]

Originally Posted by voukephalas

Would anyone have a link to the Technic harness page? Also, would all of the harnesses be affected? I ordered in August so not sure which ones would have the issue.

Thanks!

And I cut the wires and heard immediate improvement.

[selmeralto]

Originally Posted by voukephalas

Would anyone have a link to the Technic harness page? Also, would all of the harnesses be affected? I ordered in August so not sure which ones would have the issue.

Thanks!

Here is the link for the website: https://technicpnp.com. Questions are best addressed to Technic, whose e-mail is at the top of the website.

[zenmaster]

Originally Posted by kdog26372

I'm no audiophile either, but I've heard decent updgraded factory systems and they are quite a bit better then our BMW HK options. You will be let down by the M235i HK system coming from the F30 HK; like I said less power, less speakers and no equalizer. But, if you follow the recs in this thread it will probably be close to or better sounding than your HK in the F30 which you enjoy. I had an X3 which had the HK option and I believe 15-16 speakers and I find after just swapping out the rears and disconnecting the center I'm pretty close to the sound quality of that system, of course much smaller space. If I changed the doors I'm sure it would be better than the X3 HK system.

The biggest issue in the M235i is the back speakers do nothing in stock HK form, literally no sound. Changing these out adds substantial mid-bass to the system and really improves the overall front/rear soundstage instead of being 100% in front of dash, it's balanced around your ears. Then in the front, the center speaker ruins the soundstage completely as no left/right balance can be determined in music it all just washes together in a harsh garbage sound, finally the HK door speakers are very harsh sounding and are cheap POS. Once you take out the M235i speakers and compare to basic $100-$200 aftermarkets you'll see exactly how lightweight and cheap the M235i HK speakers are and it all starts to make sense.

For about $300 you'll be plenty happy with the M235i HK setup after you've done the mods. If you leave it as-is, it'll be a noticeable downgrade from the F30.

This is the info I was looking for! Music coming from the '16 M235i HK system is such a downgrade from my '13 AH3 F30, '10 335i F30, and '07 335i E90 that it almost angers me - a big disappointment.

So you are saying for only $300 you can get sound quality in the 2-series that's as good as the 3-series setup?

[kdog26372]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

This is the info I was looking for! Music coming from the '16 M235i HK system is such a downgrade from my '13 AH3 F30, '10 335i F30, and '07 335i E90 that it almost angers me - a big disappointment.

So you are saying for only $300 you can get sound quality in the 2-series that's as good as the 3-series setup?

I believe so, but my only reference is the 2012 HK system in my old X3. I would assume that is comparable to the 3 series as it has 16 speakers and 600 watts. I thought that system sounded pretty good and I think my system sounds pretty good with just new rears and no center. Most feel adding the Eton door speakers makes an equal or bigger difference than the rears, so if/when I get around to the doors I'm sure I'll be quite content. If you drive with windows down the m235i wattage just isn't that powerful and the sound will degrade much quicker than the higher wattage 3 series stuff, but if you more often than not have windows up or slightly cracked and sunroof open the M235i can sounds pretty good with some tweaks.

End of the day, if you already have an m235i and don't like the sound, for $300 there's zero downside as it's cheap and much better than stock HK setup. I would pay to have doors swapped as I just don't have the space in my tight garage spot to do that job myself, so that's why I've delayed that step as I don't know any installers and that'll add another $100-$200 to install I'd guess and I'm happy enough for now.

The rears have some reversed wiring that is addressed in this thread, just need to mach sure if you use eBay harness that you match the wires as explained in this thread. Very easy to follow, but if you just plug them in how you logically think you'll end up running out of phase.

[selmeralto]

For those who may not be following the Technics harness fix page, it appears that the adverse effect of the original harness wiring may be the result of a combination of a phasing issue and an issue regarding the ASD amp boost. I can't report on my own subjective impression of the fix right now because my car is still in the shop for an auto body repair. But reports do indicate that the fix is worth doing. I'll be back in touch after I get my car back.

[123Britt]

So looking into front door and sail tweeters for my HK replacements which I think are the most important speakers in the system.
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Etons are certainly a choice . Leaning to the more costly Focals.
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Are they worth the extra $$$. The BAVsound speakes look as cheap as the original HK.
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Are the Focals considered the Best?
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Recommendations Appreciated