[Malonelmaton]

Originally Posted by DanG

A better picture of the new speakers from the Focal website:

What is the size of the speakers ?

[DanG]

Originally Posted by Malonelmaton

What is the size of the speakers ?

All the stock speakers are four inch speakers.

[SchmullisBob]

Question: Supposedly, HK has "matched" all of the speakers for their upgraded sound system. Any concerns with having "mis-matched" speakers with this upgrade?

I'm just thinking back to when I called Crutchfield to get new surround sound speakers for my home theater. Since the front were Polk, the Crutchfield advisor recommended that I buy his suggested Polk rear speakers, so that they were "sonically matched".

[SchmullisBob]

Originally Posted by DanG

Car Toys in Bellevue across the street from BMW Bellevue.

They have a life time installation guarantee.

Dan - Did you have the stock stereo or the HK upgraded stereo?

[DanG]

Originally Posted by SchmullisBob

Dan - Did you have the stock stereo or the HK upgraded stereo?

Stock speakers as you should be able to tell from the thread title.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by SchmullisBob

Question: Supposedly, HK has "matched" all of the speakers for their upgraded sound system. Any concerns with having "mis-matched" speakers with this upgrade?

I'm just thinking back to when I called Crutchfield to get new surround sound speakers for my home theater. Since the front were Polk, the Crutchfield advisor recommended that I buy his suggested Polk rear speakers, so that they were "sonically matched".

See this post from the Dr. Strangelove thread. It should provide most of the knowledge you need.

Nutshell: Speaker-matching is the ideal, but far from necessary if you know what you're doing ...

... and about the HK 'matching': marketing hogwash half-truth. One listen to the incredibly harsh OEM tweeters in the 2 Series HK system dispels that. HK uses two types of mid driver in the system ... then again, so does BMW in the base Hi-Fi system.

[RocketBoots]

Does anyone know the max depth the front door midrange spot can accommodate?

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by RocketBoots

Does anyone know the max depth the front door midrange spot can accommodate?

Accounting for the OEM speakers' built-in spacer -- which, by the way, not only provides more under-surface mounting space but is designed to couple the driver to the ring that surrounds the speaker cone in the door panel -- you've got about 2.2 inches, or 55mm. But you'll need to replicate that spacer with any new speakers you install.

I didn't measure the OEM spacer, but if memory serves, it provides 10-12mm of height above the cone surround.

[RocketBoots]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Accounting for the OEM speakers' built-in spacer -- which, by the way, not only provides more under-surface mounting space but is designed to couple the driver to the ring that surrounds the speaker cone in the door panel -- you've got about 2.2 inches, or 55mm. But you'll need to replicate that spacer with any new speakers you install.

I didn't measure the OEM spacer, but if memory serves, it provides 10-12mm of height above the cone surround.

Thank you. That seems to be about the same as all 3 and 4 series. I was worried the window might be closer, because the door card is thinner in the 2's.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by RocketBoots

Thank you. That seems to be about the same as all 3 and 4 series. I was worried the window might be closer, because the door card is thinner in the 2's.

Not much thinner, though. I'd be willing to bet that part of BMW's door-design parameters are to ensure that as many current part numbers are compatible as possible, including the front-door speakers -- which, IMSC, are used from the 1 Series up through the 5 Series on both the Hi-Fi and HK models.

[MatSmith749]

I just installed some Focal IFBMW-C in my front doors only.

In the UK the standard system is very very standard (less so than in the USA) - we only get the 2x door speakers, 2x rear, 2x underseats (no centre).

Improvement is huge.

Testing with just 1 side installed, the volume level is exactly the same, but punchier & clearer on the new speaker.

An easy way to describe it, when doing side to side comparisons with the same track - the old speaker sounds just like the new one if you place both hands to the side of your ears & press hard.

I was amazed it was so 'deadened' & muffled.... almost like being under water in comparison.

Fantastic

[DanG]

Originally Posted by MatSmith749

I just installed some Focal IFBMW-C in my front doors only.

In the UK the standard system is very very standard (less so than in the USA) - we only get the 2x door speakers, 2x rear, 2x underseats (no centre).

Improvement is huge.

Testing with just 1 side installed, the volume level is exactly the same, but punchier & clearer on the new speaker.

An easy way to describe it, when doing side to side comparisons with the same track - the old speaker sounds just like the new one if you place both hands to the side of your ears & press hard.

I was amazed it was so 'deadened' & muffled.... almost like being under water in comparison.

Fantastic

Yes the stock paper speakers are terrible.

[MatSmith749]

After hearing for myself how much better the Focal IFBMW-C cleared up the sound from the doors, it made it very apparent that the rears were just as 'dead' sounding.

So today in went a pair of Focal ISC100 in the rear deck. Very easy as most have commented, just snap off 2 of the tear-off lugs & mount the third screw utilising a repair washer. Grills just snap back on with no space issues. Used the pigtail lead from ebay to simplify the connection.

Sound is now clearer from the back end, and combined with the fronts I can really feel the sound improvements coming together (even though this is the bog standard base system).

I also have a pair of the Focal IFBMW-SUB v2 here for under the seats which will have to wait until we have a dry day for installation. The v2 version includes a spacer ring which is needed for the 2 series due to the shallow enclosure (so I have read).

I'm not expecting a massive sub-bass increase, but the accounts I have seen report that the mid bass handling is much improved over the standard subs. This should fill in the frequency hole that is left from the 4 inch units much better & give a more satisfying overall result.

Will report back when the subs go in

[MatSmith749]

Ok the Focal IFBMW-sub v2 are in

Few notes on installation (on a 2017 m240i). The original subs are glued in place (not screwed) to the enclosure. You have to break them out & then drill holes for the 4 mounting points on the focal. Not a nightmare, but something extra to deal with.

You definitely need the v2 version of the sub as it does not sit flush with the surround as it comes, and needs a spacer which is included with the v2. You could use a v1 & just make the spacer yourself if you are handy I guess.

Other than that, slots together easily as per the online instruction guides.

Result:

The 'boomyness' & 'hollow' bass has gone, and the focal definitely acts as more of a mid-bass driver than a real sub. It integrates perfectly with the other focal upgrades in the doors & rear to give a much more rounded sound. The frequency hole from where the response drops off on the 4 inch drivers is now picked up smoothly by the underseat 8 inch unit.... lots nicer sound.

So overall sound quality has definitely gone up a few notches.

However the low bass kick has definitely been reduced compared to the original sub.

I can definitely live with that as the overall sound is now fantastic, but the very lowest of the sub bass range is not there.

It's like the car now has a fantastic full range setup (sans subwoofer) with no boomy hollowness.... I think I am finished

It's possible that an amp may be added at some stage in the future (definitely not now), if that happens I expect that the platform of speaker upgrades will perform even better when more power is thrown at them.

Edit: I've just spent an hour listening to various tunes & playing with the bass / treble. It's definitely so much better from a sound quality point of view - the sound is almost spot on. The bass performance sounds perfect, with the caveat that it is bass you can hear (rather than feel). The focal subs really fill in the missing spectrum.... they should be sold as 'mid bass' drivers rather than 'subs' then nobody would be surprised. very pleased!

I spent some time listening to the HK system prior to buying my m240i with the base stereo - I just wasn't impressed enough with the HK to buy it. Now I have seen the quality of the stock speakers (junk), the HK speakers would all have ended up being replaced anyway!

Costs were reasonable, Focal IFMBW-C fronts were £170 for the pair, Focal IFS100 rears were £55 for the pair, Focal IFBMW-subv2 were £250 for the pair. So £475 all done & it sounds great!

[ivegotklas]

Originally Posted by bernstem

I would agree that the center speaker in a car audio system is probably not as important as the door speakers, but for a home theater system, the center speaker is critical.

The center speaker carries all the on-screen dialogue and anything happening in the central image will be routed through the center speaker. You can often send a lot of that information to the left and right speakers if you want, but it will throw off the soundstage for anyone not sitting centered on the screen. An ideal front speaker setup for a home theater will have identical or nearly identical speakers for the center, left and right front.

What this guy said.