I tried the Logic 7 and standard stereos, and for what I need, the standard stereo is great.

Does anyone notice that the highs are extremely loud? In other words, the standard stereo seems WAY to trebled out. WTF!

Um....so turn down the treble.

Yeah, turn them down. They are metallic, so they will be a little more than say paper or silk. But if you just turn down the treble, maybe the mid it should sound great.

I tried the Logic 7 and standard stereos, and for what I need, the standard stereo is great.

Does anyone notice that the highs are extremely loud? In other words, the standard stereo seems WAY to trebled out. WTF!



I noticed the same exact thing with the logic 7 stereo. I gotta say i'm a bit disappointed with it in general. The stock stereo in my honda sounds better than it.

Thanks for the responses guys. Yea, I am used to the system in my Audi, and have only had the bimmer for a day. So maybe it will take some getting used to.

I have tried messing with just about every bass/treble combo there is, and still cannot get it right.

High highs, and punchy lows - but the midrange is something to be desired.

So what would you guys suggest? To turn the treble all the way down??? I have tried that, and it still does not sound right.

Also, is there another setting in the audio menu other than the bass and treble to mess with? (Remember, I dont have the Logic 7) Thanks

As far as I can tell, you can't mess with the base stereo's EQ

Thanks for the responses guys. Yea, I am used to the system in my Audi, and have only had the bimmer for a day. So maybe it will take some getting used to.

I have tried messing with just about every bass/treble combo there is, and still cannot get it right.

High highs, and punchy lows - but the midrange is something to be desired.

So what would you guys suggest? To turn the treble all the way down??? I have tried that, and it still does not sound right.

Also, is there another setting in the audio menu other than the bass and treble to mess with? (Remember, I dont have the Logic 7) Thanks

Oh you DON'T have it...hmmm.

I don't remember if I listened to the stock system at all, so I can't help. The L7 sounds really good. I had an A4 with the BOSE system (remember it stands for Buy Other Stereo Equipment) and it was okay. I had the stock stereo in my 350Z and it made my ears bleed.

That's a shame there is no EQ with the stock system, because it is the way that I made the L7 system sound amazing. I wasn't very impressed even with the L7 at first, but after I adjusted the EQ to my taste (lots of bass :buttrock) I think the system sounds the best of any factory stereo I have heard.

Peoples' taste about what sounds good and doesn't is usually very skewed as most average listeners believe somehow that bass is the sign of a good stereo when in fact in the audiophile world you'll find just the opposite. It's all about mids and highs and the right balance of bass. The L7 is a great system for sound, but it is a mass produced product and like all of the others, there is crap used in Hyundai and Honda and then there is the cream of the crap which is something like the L7. if you want an outstanding system for your car, take $10-15K to a real installer and have the car sound architected and have a system mapped out for you.

Unfortunately for me, I have a background in audio recording and have spent too many hours in front of a mixing console... so most consumer stereo systems sound like crap to my ears.

I haven't listened to the standard stereo, but the L7 was a little bright in the mid to upper-mids (say 2khz, around the vocal range). I didn't get a chance to look at the EQ -- is it more than just bass/mid/treble?

The other thing I noticed was the front center speaker. Aside from home-theater, most professional audio is intended to be played through a left and right channel, with the brain doing the fancy work required to hear sounds in the 'center'. I found the center speaker in the L7 system to be way too pronounced, resulting in a predominantly mono sound with some exaggerated left/right stereo information coming from the sides of the car.

Does anyone know if the level of the center speaker can be adjusted, or whether the surround sound can be disabled entirely and put back into regular L/R mode?

Peoples' taste about what sounds good and doesn't is usually very skewed as most average listeners believe somehow that bass is the sign of a good stereo when in fact in the audiophile world you'll find just the opposite. It's all about mids and highs and the right balance of bass. The L7 is a great system for sound, but it is a mass produced product and like all of the others, there is crap used in Hyundai and Honda and then there is the cream of the crap which is something like the L7. if you want an outstanding system for your car, take $10-15K to a real installer and have the car sound architected and have a system mapped out for you.


I couldn't disagree more. The L7 is FAR from the cream of the "crap" from stock stereos. As I mentioned earlier my honda stereo is better than it along with many others i'm sure. For a 40K+ car I think it should be equipped with something better.

Unfortunately for me, I have a background in audio recording and have spent too many hours in front of a mixing console... so most consumer stereo systems sound like crap to my ears.

I haven't listened to the standard stereo, but the L7 was a little bright in the mid to upper-mids (say 2khz, around the vocal range). I didn't get a chance to look at the EQ -- is it more than just bass/mid/treble?

The other thing I noticed was the front center speaker. Aside from home-theater, most professional audio is intended to be played through a left and right channel, with the brain doing the fancy work required to hear sounds in the 'center'. I found the center speaker in the L7 system to be way too pronounced, resulting in a predominantly mono sound with some exaggerated left/right stereo information coming from the sides of the car.

Does anyone know if the level of the center speaker can be adjusted, or whether the surround sound can be disabled entirely and put back into regular L/R mode?

You can choose that option called music, and it changes how the system uses the center channel. You cannot directly control the balance between them though. The EQ in the L7 system I think lets you choose 5-7 (can't remember off hand) frequencies to adjust, not just bass, mid, treble. If you have not messed with the EQ, then you are definitely not able to get as good as sound of it as you could.

Good to hear. I'll dive into those settings when my car arrives. For the record, both systems probably sound better than my E30's stereo. :-)

Peoples' taste about what sounds good and doesn't is usually very skewed as most average listeners believe somehow that bass is the sign of a good stereo when in fact in the audiophile world you'll find just the opposite. It's all about mids and highs and the right balance of bass. The L7 is a great system for sound, but it is a mass produced product and like all of the others, there is crap used in Hyundai and Honda and then there is the cream of the crap which is something like the L7. if you want an outstanding system for your car, take $10-15K to a real installer and have the car sound architected and have a system mapped out for you.

Thanks for the laugh :rofl

Well, shit happens. I will just listen to the sweet sound of the engine and exhaust note if there is nothing else I can do!

Peoples' taste about what sounds good and doesn't is usually very skewed as most average listeners believe somehow that bass is the sign of a good stereo when in fact in the audiophile world you'll find just the opposite. It's all about mids and highs and the right balance of bass. The L7 is a great system for sound, but it is a mass produced product and like all of the others, there is crap used in Hyundai and Honda and then there is the cream of the crap which is something like the L7. if you want an outstanding system for your car, take $10-15K to a real installer and have the car sound architected and have a system mapped out for you.

I couldn't disagree more. The L7 is FAR from the cream of the "crap" from stock stereos. As I mentioned earlier my honda stereo is better than it along with many others i'm sure. For a 40K+ car I think it should be equipped with something better.

Your own comments (which you deleted from post #4) are exactly what SocratesBMW is referring to. You freely admitted that to you loud bass equals good stereo. So in your mind even if the L7 is a superior system in terms of staging, sound reproduction, etc, YOU consider it inferior to your Honda because the Honda likely produces louder bass.

If this is your preference, who are we to dissuade you from adding some 15's and an amp in the trunk. It won't qualify as "good" quality sound, but it will probably add the bass you're looking for.

Your own comments (which you deleted from post #4) are exactly what SocratesBMW is referring to. You freely admitted that to you loud bass equals good stereo. So in your mind even if the L7 is a superior system in terms of staging, sound reproduction, etc, YOU consider it inferior to your Honda because the Honda likely produces louder bass.

If this is your preference, who are we to dissuade you from adding some 15's and an amp in the trunk. It won't qualify as "good" quality sound, but it will probably add the bass you're looking for.

You are confusing me with someone else. Post #4 was like that from the start because I quoted the wrong person at first and didn't know how to delete that. I never said anything about the bass.

You are confusing me with someone else. Post #4 was like that from the start because I quoted the wrong person at first and didn't know how to delete that. I never said anything about the bass.

What we can say is that Honda chooses OEM stereo setups that promote bass-centric systems because of the demographic that buys them. I'm going to guess that you weren't referring to a Element, but a Civic or Prelude or something along those lines that usually end up with a coffee can on the back?

BMW's have had some pretty horrifically bad stereos, so lets at least say they're improving significantly with the E90/92 stereos. My E46 M3 had the premium Harmon Kardon, and it was absolutely awful, made worse by the fact that the subwoofer caused the rear shelf to vibrate sympathetically (with bass level set to 0, mind you).

In comparison, my prior A4 had a Bose system which was much, much better. And Bose is generally reviled by audiophiles as being very colored with overly enhanced bass. But it was still miles better than the BMW system.

So lets give a few points for progress.

And don't forget. BMW has no reason to design a stereo system designed for audiophiles. Not their target demographic. Just like BMW has very little reason to design a light-weight stripped down sports car without all the bells and whistles.

</rant>

You are confusing me with someone else. Post #4 was like that from the start because I quoted the wrong person at first and didn't know how to delete that. I never said anything about the bass.

Oops. Sorry about that. Where did that post go then?? Strange....maybe I'm losing my mind and it was never there to begin with!

The L7 is an incredibly average sound system. Fair highs and lows. Nothing extraordinary, but adequate.:rolleyes

The only sound system you guys should really be talking about is the one under the hood. For audiophiles, the drive is best enjoyed without music and the music is probably better enjoyed at home.

+1, I find myself driving with the windows down and the stereo low all the time just to listen to the "noise" from the car. Especially since I have put on an aftermarket intake and did the exhaust flap mod.

BMW's have had some pretty horrifically bad stereos, so lets at least say they're improving significantly with the E90/92 stereos. My E46 M3 had the premium Harmon Kardon, and it was absolutely awful, made worse by the fact that the subwoofer caused the rear shelf to vibrate sympathetically (with bass level set to 0, mind you).

In comparison, my prior A4 had a Bose system which was much, much better. And Bose is generally reviled by audiophiles as being very colored with overly enhanced bass. But it was still miles better than the BMW system.

So lets give a few points for progress.

And don't forget. BMW has no reason to design a stereo system designed for audiophiles. Not their target demographic. Just like BMW has very little reason to design a light-weight stripped down sports car without all the bells and whistles.

</rant>

My last A4 did not even have the Bose upgrade, and was MILES ahead of the Bimmers system. I just think that you should get something thats better for a $40K car!!! I do not even try to turn the sound up to medium anymore, and I have only had the car for less than a week, LOL.

Thank god for this cars other pleasant sounds!!! However the cars other qualities are awesome - cant focus on a bad stero in a car like this. Lets stick to the driving experience, (which is unbelievable) but in BMW's mind does not include the stereo!