[elitex]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

In have had both in the G05 and G07. The HK system is good and should be the bare minimum of audio system at this price point. The HK has low end but lacks any refinement and clarity. This in turn can muddy up the soundstage.
The B&W is in a completely different league anyway you want to look at it. It is possibly THE best factory audio system you can get at any price point. I have owned B&O in Audi, etc.. B&W is better equipment and fine tuned that one step further for BMW.
The clarity and spatial separation is breathtaking. The lows are punchy and full yet still so clear. You can hear the mallet strike the bass drum where in the HK system you just get a thump. Surround sound with the B&W is probably the best you will ever hear in a car. I am a professional and have a degree in acoustic engineering. The opportunity to even get a audio system this refined is so rare that you really have to get it at this price point of a vehicle. Its a opportunity to become a audiophile if you are not one already. The HK is great if you are price point shopping your family rig and on a tight budget. If this is a halo vehicle for you, then B&W should be the first option you check off. Hope this helps.

FYI:I use B&W speakers in our studio's control rooms and have a ground up $150k media room in my home and use B&W speakers.

Agreed. It's not over boosted like some other Audio systems. My burmester in C63S sounded like crap until it broke in and now it sounds reasonable. B&W is just much better but they are at different price points. C class doesn't offer the high end burmester option.

I consider myself a "junior" audiophile. B&W's in my office, Martin Logan's in living room and Klipsch RF7iii in the theater room.