[jetvet]

After several weeks of research, along with trial and error, I finally have came up with what I consider a decent system for the 2 Series. I'll preface this with saying that I'm not an audiophile or a sound engineer (at least not the sound part). However, I do demand a certain level of performance from my sound systems; whether they be in the home or in my vehicle.

We all know the 2 Series HK sound system is very lacking. Unfortunately it's one of those things I didn't scrutinize when I test drove the car. My wife's '15 X5 with the HK option sounds incredible. The fidelity is very pleasing to me - even at higher volumes. My old '08 335i's BMW Professional system with the Logic7 was pretty darn good too. The 2 Series, not so much. For some reason it just lacks any depth and separation. The output seemed pushed too forward and centered with the factory HK amp.

What I ended up doing was purchasing and installing the below and after several hours of tuning, I'm overwhelmingly satisfied with the outcome.

I tried the HK tune from Nelson@Bimmertech and while I do appreciate his efforts, it didn't quite suit my needs. I'm sure it's related to the different components I now have installed. Being a neophyte when it comes to audio tuning, I had hoped to use it as my baseline. I ended up creating my a really good tune just by using my own ears and tailoring everything to what I feel sounds best to me.

Amplifier: Bimmertech PP82DSP
Positives: Definitely a solid product and highly recommended.
Negatives: Worthless without a customized tune. You will spend hours tuning yourself if you have varying components out there.

Speakers: Bavsound Stage 1 (for the F80). Yes, I rolled the dice on these.
Positives: Incredible clarity, more so than the factory HK speakers, especially when paired with the PP82DSP. No regrets with the purchase.
Negatives: This may be a tuning issue which took me a while to work out but they definitely don't seem to handle a lot of power very well.

Speakers: Bavsound Ghost Subwoofer
Positives: Not entirely sure to be honest. I wasn't overly impressed with them. The factory HK subs just seemed more stout/heavy and provided a deeper base response.

Subwoofer box: JL Audio ACS112LG-TW1
Positives: I wanted a little more oomph out of the low end of the spectrum. Not so much that things in the car rattle or the car next to me can hear. I just wanted a little more punch to the sound. I'm mid-40's and mostly listen to alternative rock and metal. This definitely did the trick. I'm very pleased with this sub box.

Final thoughts:

As I mentioned, after several hours of tweaking the PP82DSP and sub box, I finally got things to where I wanted them. The sound is amazing and I'm very pleased with the results.

If anyone has questions, shoot me a PM!

I've attached my tune file for those interested. Just rename the file to .afpx

Thanks....

[chemh0ser]

Awesome! That's great that you found your setup. I have the Bimmertech amp and ghost subs installed. I am waiting for Bavsound's F22 set. The latest tune is a little harsh. It sounds treble and mid heavy to my ears but it fills out nicer than the F30 tune. I will use it for now until a better tune comes along. Could you share your tune and some pics of the install?

[Nelson@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by chemh0ser

Awesome! That's great that you found your setup. I have the Bimmertech amp and ghost subs installed. I am waiting for Bavsound's F22 set. The latest tune is a little harsh. It sounds treble and mid heavy to my ears but it fills out nicer than the F30 tune. I will use it for now until a better tune comes along. Could you share your tune and some pics of the install?

Is your treble tone setting set to flat? the harness doesnn't have to do with the tune is with the HK tweeters. If you look at the eq graph, we did some heavy cutting on it to reduce some of it and even put a 10k lp filter on it to tame them.

[BentZero]

how'd you connect the sub?

[jetvet]

Thanks for the response Nelson. I'm sure the tune file is pretty solid and has everything to do with the different components I have now. Not trying to discourage your efforts or anyone else from using it. The amp itself is a fantastic product for sure.

I impulsively went a la carte on the speakers from Bavsound and replaced the front/rear tweeters and front/rear mid ranges (along with the Ghost Subs) along with the JL powered sub.

After I installed those I felt I needed to dial out more mid-range and base for some odd reason. The highs were crisp but not over the top like the HK speakers. I'm probably OCD when it comes to things and I spent hours tweaking everything to the point my car said the battery was going to die. I ended up spending at least a few hours with the car running in a random parking lot (to not piss off the neighbors) tuning things

[chemh0ser]

Originally Posted by Nelson@BimmerTech

Is your treble tone setting set to flat? the harness doesnn't have to do with the tune is with the HK tweeters. If you look at the eq graph, we did some heavy cutting on it to reduce some of it and even put a 10k lp filter on it to tame them.

Yes, I set the treble on the tone control to flat and subsequently dropped it a bit lower. I totally understand that it's the tweeters. I think you guys did a great job on the tune. Those tweeters just give it a bright, harsh, boxy sound.