[Tr4ckD4ys]

Finally got around to semi-seriously adjust the Harman Kardon sound settings. I am no audiophile or sound engineer, but I did always feel like something is off with the HK system - both in my M4 as well as my X7 although the two do not have the same amount of speakers/different positioning. I am very happy with the results, although this does not elevate the sound to anything like a full B&W system. This post is for all of you out there who enjoy podcasts, music and radio and want a good "allrounder" profile of sound.

A few caveats:
- There are active members on here who have sound engineering experience, so they will be able to help much more with any intricacies or specific sound profiles
- Sound is, to a certain degree, subjective. Your ears may work better or worse than mine but they for sure hear differently!
- I like Jazz music and minimal electronic (also referred to as Techno sometimes by some neo-electronic snobs) so that is what I tested on, in addition to a high-definition Pink Noise audio file.
- If you care to know I tested it with these two tracks and I'll let you guess which one is the techno one and which the jazz one: 1. Monologue - Doiicie; 2. Avishai Cohen - Intertwined
- I used the Octave RTA app to make my frequency band measurements with my iPhone 13 Pro Max (calling out the model because I don't know if the microphones in the phone are any different to other models)
- I tried to achieve a "flat curve" as opposed to the smiley face, because I felt the HK system is so out of whack that I wanted to start with an allrounder profile. I am actually very happy with the results considering that I like pronounced bass and mid's. The HK system is a bit too heavy on those so I was able to dial the frequencies down a ton and still get a strong profile while getting a bit more crispness out of the system by having reduced that thumpiness. I did add a +1 overall treble at the end for a bit extra clarity.
- I did chose to add a bit more sound to the right and rear of the vehicle (both +1) as well as the B&W "Concert" sound setting, since I really like the immersive effect of the surround (intensity set all the way to +2). This is probably the point where most pro's will fight me on!

Alright without further distraction:
- First curve nicely shows the HK sound systems shortcomings in the 200Hz range and High Frequencies, as well as the thumpiness
- Second curve shows how I was able to flatten the curve out to a certain degree
- Third picture is the settings I picked







My sound settings in text format:
Overall bass 0
100Hz -5
200Hz -7
500Hz -3
1Khz 0
2Khz 0
5Khz +2
10Khz +4
Overall treble +1
Right +1
Rear +1
Surround +2
"Concert" setting

Hope this helps all you folks who didn't get the B&W but coded in the settings!

[cardtables]

Nice work! I’ve too noticed that the HK system wasn’t “right” from factory. I am a professional music producer/songwriter, and I set the EQ by ear based on reference material I know very well. I arrived at nearly the same eq settings as you. It makes all the difference! I haven’t tried the B&W codes yet but as of now, I’m much happier with the HK.

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by cardtables

Nice work! I’ve too noticed that the HK system wasn’t “right” from factory. I am a professional music producer/songwriter, and I set the EQ by ear based on reference material I know very well. I arrived at nearly the same eq settings as you. It makes all the difference! I haven’t tried the B&W codes yet but as of now, I’m much happier with the HK.

Can you help me understand what that mountain on the left side of the spectrum is? It appears in the sub 100Hz range and I obviously can't adjust for that. I was wondering if that's an effect of the general sound deadening within the vehicle and the engine vibrations?

[X5M50D]

Thanks Tr4ckD4ys for this helpful information.
I needed this as I couldn't get to grips with obtaining the right sound out of the HK system.

[cardtables]

Originally Posted by Tr4ckD4ys

Can you help me understand what that mountain on the left side of the spectrum is? It appears in the sub 100Hz range and I obviously can't adjust for that. I was wondering if that's an effect of the general sound deadening within the vehicle and the engine vibrations?

Unfortunately, there’s probably not much you can do there. I do wonder, since many folks mention that the B&W system can be bass light, that this is a low end EQ bump included with the B&W setup? Perhaps go back to the HK software and see if it’s more evened out?

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by cardtables

Unfortunately, there's probably not much you can do there. I do wonder, since many folks mention that the B&W system can be bass light, that this is a low end EQ bump included with the B&W setup? Perhaps go back to the HK software and see if it's more evened out?

I actually played around with it some more today and was able to flatten out the curve further while perceivably maintain bass on the system. I had to actually take the overall bass reader down to -4, then the 100Hz (where the HK seems to have a little dip) back up to 0 and the 200Hz still at -5 to -7. Really crazy how much you gotta tune this system to get a decent sound out. One thing is clear: The bass and mid sound so much cleaner now than before when I had a flat curve and +3 on both treble/bass.

[mitch57]

Originally Posted by Tr4ckD4ys

I actually played around with it some more today and was able to flatten out the curve further while perceivably maintain bass on the system. I had to actually take the overall bass reader down to -4, then the 100Hz (where the HK seems to have a little dip) back up to 0 and the 200Hz still at -5 to -7. Really crazy how much you gotta tune this system to get a decent sound out. One thing is clear: The bass and mid sound so much cleaner now than before when I had a flat curve and +3 on both treble/bass.

So, did you change your original settings that you have listed in this thread? I would like to try them out. Do you still have it set to the settings listed below?

My sound settings in text format:
Overall bass 0
100Hz -5
200Hz -7
500Hz -3
1Khz 0
2Khz 0
5Khz +2
10Khz +4
Overall treble +1
Right +1
Rear +1
Surround +2
"Concert" setting

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by mitch57

So, did you change your original settings that you have listed in this thread? I would like to try them out. Do you still have it set to the settings listed below?
"Concert" setting

I actually updated them and achieved about the same subjective sound but a bit cleaner bass/mid's. The measured frequency bands are also much more even now, they were still a bit out of whack on the picture above. My big issue there was the dip at 125Hz as well as the peak at <100Hz. My updated settings/pics are here:

Overall bass -4
100 Hz +2
200 Hz -8
500 Hz -3
1 KHz -1
2 KHz -1
5 KHz +1
10 KHz +3
Overall Treble 0

As you see I changed them quite a bit, picture of the band below. It looks and sounds much cleaner, even better than yesterday where at 80% volume I would still get a lot of crap with the bass and mids.
If you wanted more bass than this you can then simply tweak this with the overall bass slider to I.e. -3 or -2 (and I'm a bass lover so I was surprised how much it had given how low the settings are).

[Leonard430]

Thank you. Will try this in the morning.

[Hammer110!]

Thank you for the leg work. I posted this question in the F90 M5 forum with no response.

New 22 F90M5 has H&K due to supply issues. Wife’s 22 X7 M50i has B&W and after a tune love it.

Is this post on your experience coding B&W sound profiles into your H&K system in the X7?

I am contemplating doing that to the H&K system in my F90M5 to see if I can improve the sound.

Thanks for feedback

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by Hammer110!

Thank you for the leg work. I posted this question in the F90 M5 forum with no response.

New 22 F90M5 has H&K due to supply issues. Wife's 22 X7 M50i has B&W and after a tune love it.

Is this post on your experience coding B&W sound profiles into your H&K system in the X7?

I am contemplating doing that to the H&K system in my F90M5 to see if I can improve the sound.

Thanks for feedback

So the B&W settings don't really improve the HK sound - they just give you a wider range of surround options (B&W sound modes, ie concert/studio/lounge/…) and adjustability (surround intensity).

I do like the B&W concert setting, however, that is very subjective and frankly, most sound engineers would fight me on choosing anything but the studio setting - since any addition of surround is just changing the intended sound that the artist created.
My last post with the latest adjusted HK settings based on the frequency measurements I did are independent of the B&W mode you chose. I have used those settings now for about a week and am very happy with the results. This is about as much "good sound" as you can get out of the HK! That being said: I am still *very* sad that the B&W was the only option I couldn't select on my vehicle - the biggest bummer for me is actually the additional LEDs in the speakers lol

[Hammer110!]

Coded it tonight and you’re correct the different profiles don’t make a lot of difference when choosing one from another. In the wife’s X7 there is a big difference when choosing either studio, concert etc.

Another thing I noticed is that her system has a much wider selection of modes and most of them are also labeled 3D. Studio 3D, concert 3D etc. The B&W software we coded does not have those selections? I’m wondering if it’s because it was a F90 chassis?

Perhaps most surprising is I used your settings for EQ which I had guessed would be very flat on the base end, and it sounded great. Thanks for that. Will tweak in the days ahead

Interested in knowing if your B&W software had the 3D options being as you’re a G07 chassis.

Thx

[Snatcher]

What do you guys mean by "coding the BW" with an HK system? Is it enabling sound modes like concert and studio? I don't see those on my HK.

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by Snatcher

What do you guys mean by "coding the BW" with an HK system? Is it enabling sound modes like concert and studio? I don't see those on my HK.

Yes - coding the sound modes - nothing else possible from a coding perspective. As the previous poster states, the difference between those modes isn't as significant as with the actual B&W system.

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by Hammer110!

Coded it tonight and you’re correct the different profiles don’t make a lot of difference when choosing one from another. In the wife’s X7 there is a big difference when choosing either studio, concert etc.

Another thing I noticed is that her system has a much wider selection of modes and most of them are also labeled 3D. Studio 3D, concert 3D etc. The B&W software we coded does not have those selections? I’m wondering if it’s because it was a F90 chassis?

Perhaps most surprising is I used your settings for EQ which I had guessed would be very flat on the base end, and it sounded great. Thanks for that. Will tweak in the days ahead

Interested in knowing if your B&W software had the 3D options being as you’re a G07 chassis.

Thx

I also don't have those 3D designations - not sure why, I used BimmerCode and the option available there that doesn't even require expert mode.

That being said, you're absolutely right about the expectation for my settings to sound flat but that's the exact crux of the problem with the HK system: It's just really crappy! The baseline tune from factory is all over the place with the frequency bands and it just really sounds wrong all the time. All I really did here was even out the frequency volumes and the sound was definitely clearer for me but certainly still not great - it's as much as one can get out of this disappointing system that BMW puts into $120k+ vehicles… it is truly the one thing that I will always be unsatisfied about with my X7 which I otherwise love.

[Eugr]

I'm so glad I found this thread. These sound settings are so much better than the default! One thing I knew I'd miss by choosing X7 over Volvo XC90 is it's absolutely fantastic Bowers & Wilkins setup. Too bad they don't offer B&W in BMWs anymore, but with these settings the sound is tolerable. At least I've got HK with my M50i, the base system is pretty meh, I don't know why they put it in $80K vehicle.

[Phasers]

Originally Posted by Eugr

I'm so glad I found this thread. These sound settings are so much better than the default! One thing I knew I'd miss by choosing X7 over Volvo XC90 is it's absolutely fantastic Bowers & Wilkins setup. Too bad they don't offer B&W in BMWs anymore, but with these settings the sound is tolerable. At least I've got HK with my M50i, the base system is pretty meh, I don't know why they put it in $80K vehicle.

Couldn't agree more. I have my settings set to:

Overall bass -2
100 Hz +2
200 Hz -6
500 Hz -3
1 KHz -1
2 KHz -1
5 KHz +1
10 KHz +3
Overall Treble 0

[cavalierx7]

Originally Posted by Hammer110!

Coded it tonight and you’re correct the different profiles don’t make a lot of difference when choosing one from another. In the wife’s X7 there is a big difference when choosing either studio, concert etc.

Another thing I noticed is that her system has a much wider selection of modes and most of them are also labeled 3D. Studio 3D, concert 3D etc. The B&W software we coded does not have those selections? I’m wondering if it’s because it was a F90 chassis?

Perhaps most surprising is I used your settings for EQ which I had guessed would be very flat on the base end, and it sounded great. Thanks for that. Will tweak in the days ahead

Interested in knowing if your B&W software had the 3D options being as you’re a G07 chassis.

Thx

Disclaimer* I've searched, but i can't seem to find the absolute coding used to enable.

Can someone post a link to the coding required on bimmercode interface? I'll keep looking but hoping someone can help me out lol.