[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by SteveC

Building a good sound system in a car is nothing like building a good home system; the challenges are totally different. But the end result is the same...great music, thrillingly presented and that's entirely possible in a car.

My home system is special but that doesn't mean I can't have a ball listening to my favourite music on a well sorted 1 Series system.

Your metaphor of adding lemonade to wine is, with respect, really not valid...think of it as drinking a lovely chilled chardonnay with a fine picnic lunch or a beautiful mellow Merlot with a fillet steak and spare rib barbeque. The smoke may mask the bouquet, but its still most enjoyable. Would it make more sense to save your money and drink a sharp Supermarket red? Not in my book....what the scented smoke masks is more than made up for by a host of other aspects and cheap wine still tastes like cheap wine. The point is, I probably wouldn't drink vintage Bordeaux, but a really good Aussie Shiraz, Cape Cabernet, Chilean Syrah or Argentinian Malbec? MMmmmmm Its the same in a car...a cheap, poorly installed system will never approach the sensory overload and pleasure of a well designed and implemented higher-end system.

We'll have to beg to differ. You can spend as much as you like on hi end music systems for a car. But you still have the white noise in the background.If it wasn't the case sound labs wouldn't worry about soundproofing, as based on your rationale, the white noise would be masked anyway.And together with the M135i's synthetic engine note, all your good works undermined.

Besides, anyone who drinks a Shiraz, is a knuckle dragger

[diesel20]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

We'll have to beg to differ. You can spend as much as you like on hi end music systems for a car. But you still have the white noise in the background.If it wasn't the case sound labs wouldn't worry about soundproofing, as based on your rationale, the white noise would be masked anyway.And together with the M135i's synthetic engine note, all your good works undermined.

Besides, anyone who drinks a Shiraz, is a knuckle dragger

The H/K is hardly high end price wise for either a car or home sound system. The real top end systems available on cars like B&O and burmeister cost at least 5X as much, maybe at that level these factors of environment and white noise start to become a consideration. As does the source of the music, the vast majority of 1 series drivers with H/K systems are using their ipod as their source I'm sure.

Although those systems are designed to compensate for the draw backs of the car environment... one day when I have that kind of cash to spend on such a car with the option of such a system it's a decision I will gladly worry about. And maybe I'll start using the highest quality source possible to play music on the system.

I enjoy my music, I turn it up. I spend a lot of time doing very unexciting commuting, and being able to enjoy my music on a good sounding system while crawling in traffic is something I really like about my car. I feel the H/K system offers good value for the sound it offers, I've been very pleased with the system.

The standard system is fine for talk radio, not much more. Its actually noticeably worse than the system that came on my humble VW polo a few years ago.

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

We'll have to beg to differ. You can spend as much as you like on hi end music systems for a car. But you still have the white noise in the background.If it wasn't the case sound labs wouldn't worry about soundproofing, as based on your rationale, the white noise would be masked anyway.And together with the M135i's synthetic engine note, all your good works undermined.

Besides, anyone who drinks a Shiraz, is a knuckle dragger

Of course interfering noise matters in a sound studio or sound lab....no one wants to listen to background noise on a recording and you want to make reliable measurements in a lab.

In a car it simply doesn't matter. You're not looking for pristine high fidelity....you're looking for highest enjoyment and that can easily be achieved with a good system, background noise or not, while it cannot be even hinted at by the harsh, compressed, coloured sound of the standard system. In a car you're not looking for audio perfection...its just supposed to rock yer sox off, which it won't do if you're cringing with the distortion.

Call me a knuckle dragger but a really good Mclaren Vale Shiraz...Mmmm

[ripkord]

For anyone thats interested - now I have the car I think the standard sound system is fine and on par with the professional radio I had in the E90. No doubt the others would be better but I havent heard them so ignorance is bliss, once again

[Bob UK]

I took a USB stick with me when viewing tracks on it were samples at varying bit rates from 128bit to 192bit (CD quality) and 320bit all were fine. I was moving from the BMW 10 speaker HiFi I had in the e46 so I think you will find it ok.

It seems to need a lot of winding to get the volume up to listenable levels though but it has plenty of range.

[ripkord]

Originally Posted by Bob UK

It seems to need a lot of winding to get the volume up to listenable levels though but it has plenty of range.

Thank god, thought it was just me.

[Bob UK]

Originally Posted by ripkord

Thank god, thought it was just me.

LOL strange isn't it, adjusts faster if you use the steering wheel buttons though and I like the way the track title comes up in the info display when you press it or roll the thumbwheel.