# 2 series Hifi sucks



## Xtina0 (Jan 6, 2021)

Hi all, I’m so upset I just picked up my 228 grand coupe which I leased. When building the vehicle I wanted to add the Harmon Sound system upgrade and the dealer told me that Bmw doesn’t skimp on Soundsystem and hi-fi should be fine. Coming from my Z4 which had premium HiFi It sounds terrible and I’m super disappointed. Does anyone know if I can upgrade the sound system on a lease vehicle or any other ideas to improve the sound quality in my new car which I’m going to have for three years now. Im
Super super annoyed.


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## TropikThunder (Oct 4, 2020)

Xtina0 said:


> Bmw doesn’t skimp on Soundsystem


Yeah, that's a lie (at the lower end at least, maybe the higher end models have better). That said, there's nothing easily fixable about the head unit, but a number of stereo manufacturers make plug-and-play upgrades to the speakers and amp. From my research, options include:

Bavsound: Which BAVSOUND upgrade is right for me? Build your Kit!
Bimmertech: BMW Sound System Upgrade: Speakers & Amplifier | BimmerTech
Eton: BMW Upgrade | ETON
Audiotech/Fisher MATCH: MATCH
Focal Inside: Focal Inside – Rediscover the pleasure of listening to your favourite songs whilst on the road with Focal’s audio kits
Audison: Prima | Audison - car audio processors, amplifiers and speakers

All of the current BMW's use the same size speakers (4" midrange, 1" tweeter in cars that have them, 8" subwoofers under the seats) so there's a pretty strong aftermarket for dedicated equipment since the manufacturers only need to make one size. All of the above speakers will be drop-in exact fits, and all of them except Audiotech Fisher/MATCH will be complete plug-and-play as far as the wiring (the MATCH speakers require cutting/splicing but all the others have pre-wired connectors that match the factory hook-ups). The fact that they are specifically made for BMW's and are plug-and-play also means they can be swapped back out when you return the lease and could fit the next car as well.

Note that these systems can be expensive if you replace everything, but you can either do it in stages or just upgrade a part of the system. Upgrading the speakers alone for example will give considerable improvement, while adding a better amp will make the existing speakers sound better. You'll have to look over the options and decide but IMO not getting the HK upgrade means your end result will be less expensive (I've read the HK upgrade isn't very good either, certainly not $875 good). They're all about $2,000 if you upgrade everything, except for the Focal stuff which is closer to $3,000.


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## Xtina0 (Jan 6, 2021)

What do you think about just adding an amp and subwoofer? I want to try to not to touch the inside of my brand new car. 
I got quoted at a place for $1700

If I do it myself I saw the bimmertech gear but when I put in my vin it only shows the two mids as compatible I guess cause my model is brand brand new and I would have to call them to see if it’s plug and play with the rest on my hifi system.


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## Xtina0 (Jan 6, 2021)

So they only have the sub AvailableFor my vehicle with the rest in production they said hopefully by March do you think switching the subs out now myself is going to improve the sound. Or should I go to the shop and just have them do it


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## TropikThunder (Oct 4, 2020)

Xtina0 said:


> So they only have the sub AvailableFor my vehicle with the rest in production they said hopefully by March do you think switching the subs out now myself is going to improve the sound. Or should I go to the shop and just have them do it


There's always a lot of personal preference to stuff like this, but I think it's safe to say that out of all available options, changing out the subs while using the stock amp will have the least benefit. The stock amp is really a limiting feature of the system because it doesn't have enough power, and a lack of power is most noticeable from the subs. Midrange and tweeter sounds are very easy for a speaker to produce so a weak amp can still make enough volume to make you think it's ok even it the quality is lacking. That's not the case for subs, because low frequencies take more power to be noticeable through the seats- subs are "felt" more than "heard". I think you'd be disappointed with the new subs if you keep the old amp, so I'd put the subs farther down the list.

I hadn't looked before, but yeah only Eton and Audiotech/MATCH list the GC F44 (probably since it's relatively new). At least from what Eton shows, the F22 coupe front door speakers (which Bimmertech makes) are the same as the ones in the F44 GC front doors and rear doors, so Bimmertech makes speakers that fit even if they don't say it yet. Might be worth contacting them.
Eton compatibility chart: https://www.eton-gmbh.com/fileadmin...chnische-Daten/compatibility_list_bmw_web.pdf

If it were me, I'd go in this order: front door speakers, rear door speakers, amp, subs but like I said there's a lot of personal taste (and budgeting!) involved.


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## Xtina0 (Jan 6, 2021)

Would you change the tweeters at all? 

Thanks so much for all the information, I’m
Gonna do the work myself. 🙌🙌


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## jaye944 (Jul 5, 2015)

Xtina0 said:


> Hi all, I’m so upset I just picked up my 228 grand coupe which I leased. When building the vehicle I wanted to add the Harmon Sound system upgrade and the dealer told me that Bmw doesn’t skimp on Soundsystem and hi-fi should be fine. Coming from my Z4 which had premium HiFi It sounds terrible and I’m super disappointed. Does anyone know if I can upgrade the sound system on a lease vehicle or any other ideas to improve the sound quality in my new car which I’m going to have for three years now. Im
> Super super annoyed.


mine has the box standard BMW, I was also told that the HC system was the bollox but mine doesnt have that, but anyway, my sounds are fine, I'm a DJ, and I have sound check CD's and that kinda crap.......... it's a car your not sitting in the ideal place to listen to hi-fidelty music, the stereo imaging will be wrong, the accoustics are wrong PLS unless your running a dedicated smoothed power supply, forget all the bells and whistle's because the VERY first point of contention in ANY HI-fi setup is the power supply.

I guess it depends on how much of an audiophile you are, or bass bad boy you is  back in the day I did amps and speakers and that kinda crap.

The problem with BMW's and newer cars, the cabling, headunits and stuff, I think it's all fiber now anyway.

If you REALLY REALLY REALLY wanna go the route here's a few tips

1. DONT DO ANYTHING WHICH WILL INVALIDATE YOUR W'TEE
2. Battery 1st, get it checked, check the earthing as well
3. Sound deadening in the doors
4. Upgrade the speakers

dun and dusted or buy a 'stang or a capri, LOL 

sorry re-reading, it's a lease... don't touch it..... just IMHO


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## Xtina0 (Jan 6, 2021)

I’ve decided I’m going to update with bimmertech gear as they become available I ordered the subs they will be here on Thursday and I’ll install myself , I’ll let you all know if it makes any different without changing out an amp. I have the money to spend and want it to be a project ( I’m a girl who likes working on cars) once plug and play speakers and new amp become available I’ll upgrade those 

I have to say I really miss my z4, the premium sound and the drive...


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## Xtina0 (Jan 6, 2021)

The subs did the trick !!!! Installed them yesterday they made a world of a difference. I’m not going to change anything Else for now. Just so everyone knows bimmertech products are so worth it !!!


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## TropikThunder (Oct 4, 2020)

Xtina0 said:


> The subs did the trick !!!! Installed them yesterday they made a world of a difference. I’m not going to change anything Else for now. Just so everyone knows bimmertech products are so worth it !!!


That’s good to hear (pun intended lol)! I’m surprised the subs made that much difference with the stock amp (they are pretty efficient though) so definitely a valuable data point for decision making. Thanks for posting.


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## SG_92 (Mar 9, 2021)

Very surprised the subs alone made that big of a difference too! I'd been on the hunt for a while looking at new setups for my 2 series as I was also extremely upset about the audio quality. Was torn between the Match Up 7 paired with a focal speaker set or the SoundstageDSP by Integral Audio. I ended up going with the Integral Audio system, should be arriving later this week. Anyone have any experience with this product or their other systems?









SoundstageDSP™ for BMW 2-Series Coupe & Convertible


Perfect sound, perfectly engineered specifically for your BMW 2-series. Our SoundstageDSP™ is the ultimate audio experience - a complete, plug-n-play replacement audio system upgrade acoustically tailored to your BMW.




integralaudio.com


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