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      05-10-2016, 08:28 PM   #89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kdog26372 View Post
I recommend people start with the JL's in back along with center disconnect and see if this cheap/easy investment isn't enough for your needs. If you want more, add the Eton or whatever door componants you want. For such a small car, I can't really see needing anymore sound/volume that what I've got now, but to each their own; amp and subwoofer upgrade if already have HK system seems overkill in terms of cost, and from what I've read so far, improvement in sound.
Yes, that's a reasonable way to proceed. But, if after a few days or weeks, you find that the sound is harsh or grating and you're not enjoying listening to your system, chances are that the Terrible Tweeters and the anemic, messy mids in the front are the culprits. Then it's E.T. (Eton Time).
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      05-11-2016, 12:26 AM   #90
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kdog26372 View Post
I recommend people start with the JL's in back along with center disconnect and see if this cheap/easy investment isn't enough for your needs.
I wanted to chime in with my .02 on this upgrade. The Eton's aren't perfect, they're a bit restrained (brings to mind British audiophile speakers of a certain vintage) with a slightly depressed midrange, but by God they're clean and accurate compared to the stock HK; a world better. I listen to most of my stuff through an iPod Classic, and through a fluke of BMW's interface each time I mess with the USB socket the first song up in the queue is Sleigh Bells' A/B Machines, which is a bit of a test for a system's bass response. With the stock speakers it was all hissy piss and flatulence. After the upgrade, even my daughter said she likes that song. Similarly, Peter Gabriel's live version of Shaking the Tree before was just muddy water, but now it's clean and clear. I can hear when Tony Levin's bass transfers from the Etons over to the stock mid-subs and it gets a little blatty, but in general it's really, really livable.

So in short, yes unplugging the center channel is a no-brainer. For a hundred bucks, the JL's can't be argued with. However, most of the music is coming from the front, unless you're a passenger in the back. My experience with music is to spend the majority of your hard-earned shekels on the speakers that are right in front of you, you'll get the biggest bang for your buck that way.

But hey, that's just my thoughts, and I did the JL's last. If you did them first and they work for you, then that's cool. That's why they make both chocolate and vanilla ;-)
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      05-11-2016, 05:35 AM   #91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Solarphil View Post
I wanted to chime in with my .02 on this upgrade. The Eton's aren't perfect, they're a bit restrained (brings to mind British audiophile speakers of a certain vintage) with a slightly depressed midrange, but by God they're clean and accurate compared to the stock HK; a world better. I listen to most of my stuff through an iPod Classic, and through a fluke of BMW's interface each time I mess with the USB socket the first song up in the queue is Sleigh Bells' A/B Machines, which is a bit of a test for a system's bass response. With the stock speakers it was all hissy piss and flatulence. After the upgrade, even my daughter said she likes that song. Similarly, Peter Gabriel's live version of Shaking the Tree before was just muddy water, but now it's clean and clear. I can hear when Tony Levin's bass transfers from the Etons over to the stock mid-subs and it gets a little blatty, but in general it's really, really livable.

So in short, yes unplugging the center channel is a no-brainer. For a hundred bucks, the JL's can't be argued with. However, most of the music is coming from the front, unless you're a passenger in the back. My experience with music is to spend the majority of your hard-earned shekels on the speakers that are right in front of you, you'll get the biggest bang for your buck that way.

But hey, that's just my thoughts, and I did the JL's last. If you did them first and they work for you, then that's cool. That's why they make both chocolate and vanilla ;-)
Agreed. I did the Eton/front swap first and would recommend the same. But some people are leery of pulling the panels off the doors. For those folks the JL's in rear are still a substantial improvement.

Last edited by selmeralto; 05-12-2016 at 12:20 PM..
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      05-11-2016, 07:02 AM   #92
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Solarphil View Post
I wanted to chime in with my .02 on this upgrade. The Eton's aren't perfect, they're a bit restrained (brings to mind British audiophile speakers of a certain vintage) with a slightly depressed midrange, but by God they're clean and accurate compared to the stock HK; a world better
You really hit the nail on the head here and I like your reference to the old gear: very clean but not lots of sparkle. That's why the JLAudio makes for a nice combination. Provides a little more zing without sounding brash or unnatural. Kind of mid-Atlantic.
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      05-11-2016, 10:42 AM   #93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Solarphil View Post
each time I mess with the USB socket the first song up in the queue is Sleigh Bells' A/B Machines, which is a bit of a test for a system's bass response.
and vanilla ;-)
That is so odd, my car using my iphone always starts with that same song A/B machines? WTF is going on??? I'm assuming we both just have that song on our Apple device and it's playing alphabetical, still odd.
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      05-11-2016, 10:45 AM   #94
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I kinda think my passenger front tweeter is somehow 1/2 blown. It crackles slightly with certain parts of certain songs. When I turn the music all the way to the left, all fine, if I turn all to back, all fine. Looks like I'll be an Eton swapper after all. Hoping it doesn't take the 4 hours originally described. Also, I don't find the JL's to be overly bright, so hopefully I don't find the Eton's muffled sounding.
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      05-11-2016, 11:59 AM   #95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Solarphil View Post
I wanted to chime in with my .02 on this upgrade. The Eton's aren't perfect, they're a bit restrained (brings to mind British audiophile speakers of a certain vintage) with a slightly depressed midrange, but by God they're clean and accurate compared to the stock HK; a world better. I listen to most of my stuff through an iPod Classic, and through a fluke of BMW's interface each time I mess with the USB socket the first song up in the queue is Sleigh Bells' A/B Machines, which is a bit of a test for a system's bass response. With the stock speakers it was all hissy piss and flatulence. After the upgrade, even my daughter said she likes that song. Similarly, Peter Gabriel's live version of Shaking the Tree before was just muddy water, but now it's clean and clear. I can hear when Tony Levin's bass transfers from the Etons over to the stock mid-subs and it gets a little blatty, but in general it's really, really livable.

So in short, yes unplugging the center channel is a no-brainer. For a hundred bucks, the JL's can't be argued with. However, most of the music is coming from the front, unless you're a passenger in the back. My experience with music is to spend the majority of your hard-earned shekels on the speakers that are right in front of you, you'll get the biggest bang for your buck that way.

But hey, that's just my thoughts, and I did the JL's last. If you did them first and they work for you, then that's cool. That's why they make both chocolate and vanilla ;-)
Yup, yup, yup.

(Incidentally, my iPhone's first song is Genesis' "Abacab", which starts off with that Doppler-esque synth flourish, followed by semi-grating guitar fills and the song's signature Moog quarter-note mid-bass metronomal riff. It's actually a good test of a system's sonic tautness and detail. Sooo much better with my Hertz's in!)
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      05-15-2016, 09:15 AM   #96
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Forum members weighing the option of simply swapping speakers v. adding a 3rd party amp such as Bimmertech will want to stay in touch with Zooks527's account of his experience with a dealer ECU flash that failed, very likely due to the incompatibility between the flash and the circuitry of the 3rd party amp, with the result that his car was (temporarily) bricked at the dealership.

Zooks reports that the 3rd party amp provides better amplification than the stock amp but that, at least in the case of the flash he received, the flash would not have failed if he had swapped out the 3rd party amp back to the OEM amp before the visit to the dealer. Zooks reinstalled the 3rd party amp after the flash with no apparent negative consequences.

So, on the Boo-Hooray evaluation scale, we have:

3rd Party Amp:
Better sound (Hooray)
Having to swap amps before and after visits when a flash is due (Boo)
Risk of flash failure & bricking the car if you don't swap the amps (Boo)

Speaker Swap without 3rd Party Amp:
Not having to swap amps (Hooray)
No risk of incompatibility with the flash (Hooray)
Worse Sound, perhaps (Boo, perhaps)

For further updates on this, it would be a good idea to check in on Zook's thread at http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1260271 in case there are more developments.

Last edited by selmeralto; 06-14-2016 at 08:41 AM..
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      05-15-2016, 05:39 PM   #97
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HK mods - less is more.

Hi:
I disconnected the center channel speakers today. Straightforward but took some time to release the blue connectors from the larger speaker.
Immediately noticed the absence of muddle in the audio along with better spatial distribution. More enjoyable for sure. Not exactly the same, but reminded me of the de-cluttering effect of installing the ASD disable harness about 4 months ago. Less is more better.
I have the Eton speakers on order and will follow with the JL Audio co-ax in the rear.
Many thanks to all who experimented and contributed to this work around. Too bad BMW chose these inadequate components for the HK. Don't think sacrificing quality to increase profit is a good strategy, particularly on an extra-cost upgrade.
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      05-15-2016, 06:38 PM   #98
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Viffermike View Post
...first song is Genesis' "Abacab", which starts off with that Doppler-esque synth flourish, followed by semi-grating guitar fills and the song's signature Moog quarter-note mid-bass metronomal riff...

It's funny you mention this as I also use it as a reference, along with some overtones from Supertramps "School" !
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      05-16-2016, 06:16 AM   #99
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Perhaps I should add a clarification to my feeble attempt at humor in my note of a few posts back about the Boo-Hooray evaluation of the Eton/JL v. Bimmertech/Bavsound-or-Bimmertech/anyotherspeakers choice.

The elephant in the room is still the quality of the sound. Sadly, we haven't yet had any reports of people who have heard the two options side by side.
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      05-16-2016, 07:33 AM   #100
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Quote:
Originally Posted by selmeralto View Post
Zooks reports that the 3rd party amp provides better amplification than the stock amp but that, at least in the case of the flash he received, the flash would not have failed if he had swapped out the 3rd party amp back to the OEM amp before the visit to the dealer. Zooks reinstalled the 3rd party amp after the flash with no apparent negative consequences.
Absolutely correct. I will note that I have most (all?) of the electronic goodies on my car, and the flash I received appears to have been directed towards the Navigation / head unit operation.
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      05-16-2016, 12:04 PM   #101
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Quote:
Originally Posted by selmeralto View Post
I'll PM you the contact number for their distributor. They've been very helpful. I recommend you give them complete information: year, make, model, location of speakers, and ohmage if you know it.
PM'd you requesting phone #.
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      05-17-2016, 10:20 AM   #102
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I mistakenly ordered the wrong Eton speakers through Amazon. The only Etons they list are model B100T. I didn't realize at the time that my M235i requires the B100W. I emailed Thorsten at Extreme Audio in Germany, the Eton distributor, asking if the B100T would work in my car. I have since researched the difference and found that they have different methods of mounting and will not work. Unfortunately, I got a not very helpful response as follows:

Hello,

you have to try, there can work.

The Only difference is the Mounting deepth.

regards
Thorsten Immekus

I have made a request through Amazon to return the speakers. That request goes to Extreme Audio for their approval. Hope so, cause , if not, I am stuck with $239 useless speakers + $35 in shipping charges. Just be careful and don't make the same mistake.

Where you guys getting the Eton B100W's?

By the way, disconnected the center channel and it made a drastic improvement.
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      05-17-2016, 10:45 AM   #103
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Eton speakers

Quote:
Originally Posted by White Lightnin View Post
I mistakenly ordered the wrong Eton speakers through Amazon. The only Etons they list are model B100T. I didn't realize at the time that my M235i requires the B100W.
I have made a request through Amazon to return the speakers. That request goes to Extreme Audio for their approval. Hope so, cause , if not, I am stuck with $239 useless speakers + $35 in shipping charges. Just be careful and don't make the same mistake.

Where you guys getting the Eton B100W's?
Follow this link (another listing on Amazon): http://www.amazon.com/Eton-10-Way-Co...ilpage_o00_s00

The model is listed as B100W in the product description. i ordered these and they shipped as of today.
You should be able to return and re-order through Amazon.
Best.
-Robert.
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      05-17-2016, 10:57 AM   #104
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Thanks, greatly appreciated.
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      05-18-2016, 10:10 PM   #105
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just curious, what speed volume setting are you guys using? I have mine maxed out and prefer the way it sounds.

I guess I got used to it being maxed out over time, since I recently did some more coding to hu_nbt and it reset my tone settings. I couldn't put my finger on why my system sounded off after I re-adjusted the treble, bass, and fader, until I realized I forgot about setting the speed volume to max again.
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      05-19-2016, 10:14 AM   #106
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Quote:
Originally Posted by White Lightnin View Post
I mistakenly ordered the wrong Eton speakers through Amazon. The only Etons they list are model B100T. I didn't realize at the time that my M235i requires the B100W. I emailed Thorsten at Extreme Audio in Germany, the Eton distributor, asking if the B100T would work in my car. I have since researched the difference and found that they have different methods of mounting and will not work. Unfortunately, I got a not very helpful response as follows:

Hello,

you have to try, there can work.

The Only difference is the Mounting deepth.

regards
Thorsten Immekus

I have made a request through Amazon to return the speakers. That request goes to Extreme Audio for their approval. Hope so, cause , if not, I am stuck with $239 useless speakers + $35 in shipping charges. Just be careful and don't make the same mistake.

Where you guys getting the Eton B100W's?

By the way, disconnected the center channel and it made a drastic improvement.
Well, they approved the return which costs $54 thru USPS. Fedex wanted $124 but it only costs $35 shipping via Fedex FROM Germany. So I've wasted $85 because I didn't pay attention to one digit in the model #. Now I must spend another $35 if I want to re-order for a total of $120. Not sure it's worth it. All my own fault though.
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      05-19-2016, 10:17 AM   #107
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Quote:
Originally Posted by White Lightnin View Post
Well, they approved the return which costs $54 thru USPS. Fedex wanted $124 but it only costs $35 shipping via Fedex FROM Germany. So I've wasted $85 because I didn't pay attention to one digit in the model #. Now I must spend another $35 if I want to re-order for a total of $120. Not sure it's worth it. All my own fault though.
The speakers are an exact fit and they sound good. I'd say just chalk it up to an absent-minded moment and order the correct speakers. Three months from now you'll have forgotten the extra cash and you'll be enjoying your audio system.

My $.02.
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      05-19-2016, 11:54 AM   #108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by White Lightnin
Quote:
Originally Posted by White Lightnin View Post
I mistakenly ordered the wrong Eton speakers through Amazon. The only Etons they list are model B100T. I didn't realize at the time that my M235i requires the B100W. I emailed Thorsten at Extreme Audio in Germany, the Eton distributor, asking if the B100T would work in my car. I have since researched the difference and found that they have different methods of mounting and will not work. Unfortunately, I got a not very helpful response as follows:

Hello,

you have to try, there can work.

The Only difference is the Mounting deepth.

regards
Thorsten Immekus

I have made a request through Amazon to return the speakers. That request goes to Extreme Audio for their approval. Hope so, cause , if not, I am stuck with $239 useless speakers + $35 in shipping charges. Just be careful and don't make the same mistake.

Where you guys getting the Eton B100W's?

By the way, disconnected the center channel and it made a drastic improvement.
Well, they approved the return which costs $54 thru USPS. Fedex wanted $124 but it only costs $35 shipping via Fedex FROM Germany. So I've wasted $85 because I didn't pay attention to one digit in the model #. Now I must spend another $35 if I want to re-order for a total of $120. Not sure it's worth it. All my own fault though.
If it's just mounting depth why not just get some spacers on eBay? Much cheaper than shipping them back.
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      05-20-2016, 06:45 AM   #109
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It is more than depth. They are different types of mounts.

Bit the bullet and they are on the trip to Germany.

Still undecided on whether to re-order.
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      05-20-2016, 07:01 AM   #110
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Quote:
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It is more than depth. They are different types of mounts.

Bit the bullet and they are on the trip to Germany.

Still undecided on whether to re-order.
Oh man, hope it works out. I know it stings now, but I wouldn't let it stop you from upgrading. Just chalk it up to lessons learned. Once the new speakers come in you'll be over it and I'll be jelly. :'(
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