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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Navigation, iDrive, Audio, Video, Bluetooth, Phone, Cameras, Electronics Best audio upgrade options for non-HK 230i?

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      10-13-2020, 06:49 PM   #1
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Best audio upgrade options for non-HK 230i?

I drive a 2017 230i with the HK system and I am in that minority of people who really like it.

I listen to a lot of acoustic / Americana music and the imaging between the tweeters is great. I play at moderately loud but never crazy volume.

I'm looking at a demo 2020 that doesn't have the HK system and I have always said that is a dealbreaker for me.

But what is a really nice audio upgrade option that might give me confidence? I don't want huge numbers of mods and big amps in the trunk, etc. but I would like really nice sound.
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      10-13-2020, 08:10 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WriterDude View Post
I drive a 2017 230i with the HK system and I am in that minority of people who really like it.

I listen to a lot of acoustic / Americana music and the imaging between the tweeters is great. I play at moderately loud but never crazy volume.

I'm looking at a demo 2020 that doesn't have the HK system and I have always said that is a dealbreaker for me.

But what is a really nice audio upgrade option that might give me confidence? I don't want huge numbers of mods and big amps in the trunk, etc. but I would like really nice sound.
A ton of threads on this.

My opinion are that the non HK suffers from not enough wattage and no tweeters.

There are plug and play amp solutions for $700 or so for the Match amp.
I had trouble piecing together a simple front speaker tweeter setup.

I purchased the speaker Alpine F22 tweeter housing off eBay from Europe. Bavsound makes decent inexpensive plug and play speakers but the F22 ones set don't have tweeters and they don't sell them individually. I found them here on member classified sales.

That may not be super helpful but between the speakers and the amp I am now quite happy with the sound.
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      10-13-2020, 09:26 PM   #3
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wait for black friday. buy bavsound stage 1 package. plug & play install in less than an hour. enjoy.
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      10-13-2020, 10:14 PM   #4
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wait for black friday. buy bavsound stage 1 package. plug & play install in less than an hour. enjoy.
How much do you think we'll save by waiting?
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      10-14-2020, 08:20 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NewWorldOrder View Post
How much do you think we'll save by waiting?
i'm thinking they usually run about 15-20% off.

i only did the coaxial upgrade and it was a huge improvement. if you really like heavy bass then you may want to do the subs as well.
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      10-14-2020, 08:49 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by happyjack View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewWorldOrder View Post
How much do you think we'll save by waiting?
i'm thinking they usually run about 15-20% off.

i only did the coaxial upgrade and it was a huge improvement. if you really like heavy bass then you may want to do the subs as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by happyjack View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewWorldOrder View Post
How much do you think we'll save by waiting?
i'm thinking they usually run about 15-20% off.

i only did the coaxial upgrade and it was a huge improvement. if you really like heavy bass then you may want to do the subs as well.
Driving more power through the current subs makes a big difference.
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      10-14-2020, 10:24 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TonM3 View Post
Driving more power through the current subs makes a big difference.
so amp upgrade is better than a sub upgrade?
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      10-14-2020, 12:29 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by happyjack View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by TonM3 View Post
Driving more power through the current subs makes a big difference.
so amp upgrade is better than a sub upgrade?
I strongly believe that, yes.
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      10-14-2020, 09:07 PM   #9
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Whew. Just read most of the megathread. My brain hurts.

But I value all the sharing.
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      10-15-2020, 01:29 PM   #10
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I have a 16 with the non HK system, All i've done is replace the front speakers with a set of focal 4" speakers, ICU 100's which are efficient enough for the stock amp, on a set of speaker rings that i printed from a file on thingiverse. I grabbed speaker adapters off ebay and i put a JL 10w3 in a .60 cu.ft box running on an alpine PDX 600.1 in the trunk with the technic sub out cable and it woke the system up significantly. I still have the center hooked up, but i plan to disconnect it to see how it sounds once the new speakers break in up front.

I didn't do the component setup as i plan to migrate these speakers to the back shelf eventually, but seriously, it helped out a ton. The trunk sub is a requirement IMO and i plan to get the fitted box from visual ice on Ebay UK to make the trunk more useful, right now i pull the box to haul larger amounts of cargo.

Speakers: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_091ICU...00.html?tp=102
Speaker Rings: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:40.../thing:4075904
Wiring Adapter: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Y-Harness-F...EAAOSw~K9dza0u
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      10-16-2020, 08:58 AM   #11
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Replacing speaker will give you the best bang for the buck. Start with with the fronts. You can go with either a 2 way speaker or a component speaker such as the Eton B100 N. The latter route requires that you buy the HK "sails" in which the tweeters go. As for an amp, I've installed the Audiotec-Fischer MATCH 7UP BMW amp. I've added the optional Bluetooth module. The amp is fully tune-able using a laptop and the free Audiotec-Fischer software. Using the amp's BT input makes a world of difference as the digital to analog (D2A) converters in the factory head unit suck compared to those in the MATCH 7UP BMW amp.
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      10-16-2020, 08:01 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarcoZandrini View Post
Replacing speaker will give you the best bang for the buck. Start with with the fronts. You can go with either a 2 way speaker or a component speaker such as the Eton B100 N. The latter route requires that you buy the HK "sails" in which the tweeters go. As for an amp, I've installed the Audiotec-Fischer MATCH 7UP BMW amp. I've added the optional Bluetooth module. The amp is fully tune-able using a laptop and the free Audiotec-Fischer software. Using the amp's BT input makes a world of difference as the digital to analog (D2A) converters in the factory head unit suck compared to those in the MATCH 7UP BMW amp.
Does CarPlay work in that setup?
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      10-16-2020, 09:51 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TonM3 View Post
Bavsound makes decent inexpensive plug and play speakers but the F22 ones set don't have tweeters and they don't sell them individually. I found them here on member classified sales.
Bavsound has a HiFi 676 upgrade kit with 5x 4" coax (F/C/R) and a HK 674 upgrade kit with 5x 4" separates. I see no reason why you couldn't install the separates in a HiFi car as long as you get the sails. The center channel and rear package tray locations in the HiFi system have spaces for the tweeters, they just don't have the tweeters. And the way they're connected, either way there will only be one speaker wire at each location for the mid, then the tweeter is daisychained off the mid using the crossover/high-pass filter.
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      10-17-2020, 10:25 AM   #14
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Does CarPlay work in that setup?
It doesn't affect car play unless you go directly from your phone to the amp via BT. In that case the head unit is not used, so no carplay.
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      10-24-2020, 11:18 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarcoZandrini View Post
Replacing speaker will give you the best bang for the buck. Start with with the fronts. You can go with either a 2 way speaker or a component speaker such as the Eton B100 N. The latter route requires that you buy the HK "sails" in which the tweeters go. As for an amp, I've installed the Audiotec-Fischer MATCH 7UP BMW amp. I've added the optional Bluetooth module. The amp is fully tune-able using a laptop and the free Audiotec-Fischer software. Using the amp's BT input makes a world of difference as the digital to analog (D2A) converters in the factory head unit suck compared to those in the MATCH 7UP BMW amp.
Where did you get the Eton speakers? So far I've only found one place in the US that sells them online (Madisound in WI). There are tons of places in UK and EU but I don't know if one has to pay customs, taxes, etc to have an EU company ship to my address in the US.
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      10-24-2020, 11:53 PM   #16
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Thanks for all your excellent advice. I decided to order a 2021 with the HK.
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      03-23-2021, 04:45 PM   #17
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Hey - after much deliberation i just went with Integral Audio's new product for the 2 - series. Hoping I made the right choice, shipment should arrive this week. I was going to do the Match Up 7 with focal's bc I didn't want to touch bav sound. Ended up hearing about Integral Audio's product last minute and went for it - their definition of "vehicle specific" seems to be next level in terms of how they build their crossover and components. The brain damage for install seems low-ish, plug-n-play connectors and they tuned the system already.

Will keep you posted but definitely worth checking out.

https://integralaudio.com/soundstage...ies-coupe.html
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      03-23-2021, 05:20 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SG_92 View Post
Hey - after much deliberation i just went with Integral Audio's new product for the 2 - series. Hoping I made the right choice, shipment should arrive this week. I was going to do the Match Up 7 with focal's bc I didn't want to touch bav sound. Ended up hearing about Integral Audio's product last minute and went for it - their definition of "vehicle specific" seems to be next level in terms of how they build their crossover and components. The brain damage for install seems low-ish, plug-n-play connectors and they tuned the system already.

Will keep you posted but definitely worth checking out.

https://integralaudio.com/soundstage...ies-coupe.html
That looks pretty good but imho is too pricey for just two channels. For that price you could get 5 channels of Morel speakers with up mixing so sound is great for all passengers and distortion is lower due to large number of driver/lower cone excursions.
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      03-26-2021, 08:10 PM   #19
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The new Bavsound Revenant amplifier with the MB Quart QM200C (Front 2-way component speakers and 8" woofers) are also a great upgrade for both the HiFi(676) and the HK(674) system in the 2-Series for about $1500, and full PnP.
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      04-09-2021, 04:39 AM   #20
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Does the Hifi system (7 speakers + 205W amp, no tweeters) require signal processing if replacing the amplifier? Ie. does the headunit output a clean signal to the amp that then get's adjusted by the OEM amp itself because of the lack of tweeters or is that the headunit already sends an EQ'ed signal to the amp?

I'm sorry if this has been answered before, but I can't find it anywhere.
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      04-09-2021, 11:33 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radio3 View Post
That looks pretty good but imho is too pricey for just two channels. For that price you could get 5 channels of Morel speakers with up mixing so sound is great for all passengers and distortion is lower due to large number of driver/lower cone excursions.
You'd think it's too expensive BUT by the time I was to add or make adapters for speakers, wiring harnesses for the amp, speakers, etc I thought I'd spend as much or more... Ultimately, I went with the SoundstageDSP as it seemed that it is less expensive for what you get - and easier. I didn't want to cut any wiring, so you have to have the crossover for the doors.

Also - it's not just 2 channels. Full DSP amp for all speakers with proper processing. To each his own, though. I'll get a full review posted, but I have zero regrets - best upgrade money I've ever spent.
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      04-11-2021, 10:20 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gosi View Post
Does the Hifi system (7 speakers + 205W amp, no tweeters) require signal processing if replacing the amplifier? Ie. does the headunit output a clean signal to the amp that then get's adjusted by the OEM amp itself because of the lack of tweeters or is that the headunit already sends an EQ'ed signal to the amp?

I'm sorry if this has been answered before, but I can't find it anywhere.
The head unit sends full range, unmolested sound to the amp. All processing is done in the amp.
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