Hey Everyone,
I just posted this review in the M2 Nav & Audio forum but wanted to repost here as I found this thread extremely helpful when trying to make a decision. I also think theres not enough traffic around these guys, so the little bump here might help!
Good riddance to that trash stock hifi system!
A solid year or so was spent deliberating between options as I was unsure of how much I wanted to be financially invested upgrading the audio in this vehicle, impacting my options considerably. Though the more I read - and the more I drove - the more I knew I wanted to do this right, and never have to think about it again.
A quick side about me: I work in Film/Tv doing sound design & compositions. I consider myself knowledgeable about acoustics & speaker design and I have worked with building and modifying studio monitors in the past. I remain continually impressed & humbled by the expertise of some of you DIYers, so I’ll try to speak to what I know & let you all make up your mind about some of the points I may not have addressed.
So - I had narrowed my choices down to a Match Up 7 Amp with a set of focal speakers and Integral Audio’s SoundstageDSP for the bmw 2 Series. I own a pair of focal monitors which I use in my home studio - and LOVE them. Huge supporter and fan of that brand, so I was pretty excited about their bmw specific products. From what I had been reading on this forum, the biggest improvements to my system were going to come from an amp upgrade by supplying more power to the drivers and getting more bass out of the under-seats. This, along with finding a decent set of speakers to match, seemed like the upgrade I was looking for. I didn’t question it much until I thought about how many folks were still toying with their DSP/EQ’s post-upgrade. DSP is powerful but really complex, you can quickly run down a very deep rabbit hole and get lost in settings. If so many people are still searching for the correct settings, that says to me that something isn’t right. After doing some more research, I read about Integral’s tuning process. They claimed that their upgrades are tuned to the vehicle, but based on my experience I know the devil is in the details, and claiming is not the same as doing. Yet everything I saw about Integral Audio’s process meshed with what I know to be true from my studio monitor work.
At this point, I was starting to get excited about what Integral Audio had to offer but the price point was a solid $1K north of what I originally set out to spend. After seeing all that went into their system, from wiring harnesses to adapters, to even mirror sail trim with tweeter mounts… (seriously who else is doing that)… I realized how much more I’d have to spend on installation if I went with the focal/bimmertech route. Ultimately, the price isn’t really that different and I thought the overall value was going to be worth it.
Now install was easy & left no trace of vehicle modification. No loose wires, no sign of any changes to the interior - all the parts had fabricated adapters and mounts that integrated seamlessly. The installation instructions are incredibly comprehensive and took me about 6 hours to complete.
Kevin Bennett, president of the company, was extremely accessible for every step of the process. He even offered to be available for Facetime during my installation, should any questions arise.
Here I am, post-installation and I am VERY HAPPY. Audio is tricky because you just don’t know how good something can sound until you experience it and with this system, I ended up with an upgrade that accomplished far more than I had expected to be possible. This exceeded my expectations by a long shot. So my favorite parts?
The soundstage is wonderfully detailed. Without moving my head or shifting in my seat, I feel front and center of a lush, rich, full & balanced stage which leaves me totally immersed in the music. It sounds right for just about every genre. When I play my mixes on the system, they sound exactly like how I intended them from rock to techno. No frilly curves boosting unnecessary frequencies to compensate for a weakness elsewhere in the system.
As I said, I can’t be happier with how this turned out & I encourage everyone to give them some consideration.
Website:
https://integralaudio.com/soundstage...ies-coupe.html