[Joe cat]

I have the new 2023 seven series with the standard stereo and the car sounds awesome I just bought a 840 with the bowers and Wilkins in system in it, and it sounds terrible the car is a 2020 and certified and I believe something is wrong with the system. My question is should the system if working correctly blow me away a little bit should it be better than the standard radio in the new seven series? Should I go inside it and say to myself wow this sounds awesome.? Because right now I get in it and I say this sounds terrible it sounds muddy. Has anyone heard about any problems with the systems and what are the problems specifically? Thank you very much joecat

[Buddym850icoupe]

Does the 840 come with B&W audio? I thought that was only for m850i and m8

[Wavy]

It would make sense that the base audio in the new 7 sounds better as it's a brand new generation and it's the brands flagship.

My 8 didn't sound to good with the stock settings but after tweaking the EQ it sounds great to me.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by Buddym850icoupe

Does the 840 come with B&W audio?

At least the 2024 does (a $3,400 option, I think); you can check on the configurator now. And I remember the 2023 did too, since I was looking at the 40, before moving to the 50. But haven't driven one yet, let alone listen to the sound systems. Having said that, at least one owner and one reviewer said that it wasn't worth it, so it might not be that great. I was planning to get it, but now curious what you find out. I honestly don't remember if the negative comments were on the M550 or M850, since I started looking for the former. Good luck.

[jargon]

My experience with the B&W in my ‘22 Cabriolet wasn’t satisfying until I got into the settings and played with it. Also, it might be my imagination, but Apple Music input sounded better than Sirius.

[Wavy]

Originally Posted by jargon

My experience with the B&W in my ‘22 Cabriolet wasn’t satisfying until I got into the settings and played with it. Also, it might be my imagination, but Apple Music input sounded better than Sirius.

The satellite radio signal is very compressed. FM radio is actually better sound quality than satellite

[Joe cat]

Yes my 2020 had and has the $3400 option -

I am being to dealer tomorrow and have to test one side by side - i believe something is wrong as when cranked up the door speaker don’t thump that much

When you put you hand it is mild at best as another car you can feel the boom
- let’s see I guess

[Wavy]

Originally Posted by Joe cat

Yes my 2020 had and has the $3400 option -

I am being to dealer tomorrow and have to test one side by side - i believe something is wrong as when cranked up the door speaker don’t thump that much

When you put you hand it is mild at best as another car you can feel the boom
- let’s see I guess

I'm pretty sure the door speakers are just mid range speakers. The bass comes from the speakers under the seats. If the dealer is no help, I can share my EQ settings for more bass.

[M8Bimmer]

Yup only mid base from door speakers. Do a balance fade from one door to the other. Listen for a loudness difference. Should be fairly obvious if the level is not close.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by Joe cat

…I just bought a 840 with the bowers and Wilkins in system in it, and it sounds terrible the car is a 2020 and certified and I believe something is wrong with the system. …

What are your settings for the system? What adjustments did you make? Take pics of your EQ settings and tone settings and any other setting so we can see if there’s a simple adjustment you can make (or didn’t make).

[jargon]

As with any forum worth it’s salt, ‘there’s a thread on that’


https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=26766185

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by jargon

As with any forum worth it’s salt, ‘there’s a thread on that’


https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=26766185

Yep and I'm on that thread as well given although a G07 my mantra is to pay it back in anyway possible for the education I've received from fellow forum brethren.

Joe cat check out the following thread. Ignore the first page as it's a different topic but on the second page I share the latest (and untouched) settings for my B&W configuration.

Default settings are no where near what you want to make the B&W system shine to its true capabilities. Do it right and it will meet or exceed your expectations. I'm a tough critic on audio and the B&W once dialed in exceeds my expectations including absolutely right accurate bass you can feel in your chest. 👍

https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=30060143

[Joe cat]

JUST SAYING- the b&w system is DEFINITELY NOT WORTH THE MONEY- and with all the tweaks and eq adjusting- it’s good - it so is the stock radio -
I had gone to the dealer with the service manager cause I thought my system was failing or speaker were off- and we had sat it two cars side by side and we played with both systems and the service manager even said - the stock system was as good Or totally not worth the extra- I had bought my car certified and was lucky enough to get the light up speakers - but compared to my past cars (Porsche 911 with Bose). This was a major disappointment- MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT!

I speak only on the eight series-
Thank you for letting me vent

[bloozemanAZ]

Could be the case, i.e., comparing the B&W vs HK leveraging SiriusXM, Spotify, or good old HD FM. That said comparing the B&W vs HK with literally zero tweaking (both vehicles stock on my dealers lot) with 5 various HiRez FLAC I use to test out all audio equipment (primarily for the home) and I'll stand by night and day in the comparison.

Have I lost one waking moment from the $3400 for the B&W? Nope. Rather miles of smiles with my only bitch being the inability to completely negate the DSP sound profiles. I'd do that in a heartbeat for the 5.1 FLAC album sources on my 2TB SSD in the console. Everyone's mileage may vary and sorry that you are disappointed with the B&W but the HK with 2 crossovers and less power cannot compete. The B&W has 3 crossovers plus power to drive the mash up of B&W D series diamond components along with the Nautilus drivers/tweeters used for the subs, back seat/rear window roof deck speakers.

Oh and Bose? No serious audiophile would consider them for any home deployment unless the wife factor forces them to do so. That said mileage may vary for car audio and I'll admit outside of what they have in the C8 which I helped tweak for a friend who has one still in my opinion completely pedestrian. Made it sound better but a complete failure vs the B&W in the M850i

[Beemer5to3]

Completely agree with bloozemanAZ that there is no comparison, especially when you start to add volume into the equation. The HK is actually pretty good to my ears when setup correctly, but moving from an HK equipped car to B&W, once you start to dial in the volume the difference is night and day. The sound is much richer, warmer, and you can feel the bass is much more tight at higher volumes. I do agree however, if you’re looking at the cost, it is on the expensive side. There are systems (Mercedes Burmester for example) that get close to the B&W and they are way cheaper. The problem is, people expect a high end sound system to put out gut thumping bass and are disappointed / displeased when it’s not the case with B&W, but I’m sorry to say that’s not the measure of sound quality. If that’s what you’re after then you’re better to go aftermarket and get your boot / trunk full of subs!

[Wavy]

Speaker technology is older than me but physics are physics. Loud, deep bass requires lots of space and power.

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by Wavy

Speaker technology is older than me but physics are physics. Loud, deep bass requires lots of space and power.

Agreed and in regards to space in the way of bass frequencies that equals air movement. At least in my coupe I'm still amazed at how the 8.5" Rohacell subs perform and move air in conjunction with the 4" mid-range drivers in the coupe doors plus the center channel. It's the 3-way crossover that does that magic. As LFE frequencies go to the subs and the mid-range drivers can blow the socks off of nearly anything equivalent as had them in my 800 Series D3s although their midrange were 5".

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uBb...w?usp=drivesdk

[Bulent Ali]

B&w also comes with technology pack . I don't know if you can option just the B&W separate.

[jeezz]

Originally Posted by Bulent Ali

B&w also comes with technology pack . I don't know if you can option just the B&W separate.

At least in germany it's not part of any package and has to be ordered seperately for around 4500€.

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by Bulent Ali

B&w also comes with technology pack . I don't know if you can option just the B&W separate.

Correct - in the UK it’s in the Technology Plus Package, which from memory is £6k.

[bloozemanAZ]

Yes, different markets dictate packages, etc. for various options. It's macroeconomics bundling strategy in play. Thankfully for NA the B&W is a completely standalone option for $3400. In fact just running through the UK configurator to match a build for the US market to include all that is standard equipment plus chosen options on my M850 it comes in at £138K. I started with piecemealing the packages but ended up with the "Ultimate" package as it includes everything including items just flat out standard here in the US.

Granted this included Tanzanite Blue, full Fiona Red/Black interior and some other items someone can choose to forgo on the cost and go with serial paint, extended leather, etc. US build came in at $120K. Quick currency conversion and the UK version is $179K USD. The UK does include VAT at 20% so here in the US that mileage may vary with adding 8 to 10% tax on top for a full cash buyout.