[MGRMLN]

Has anyone upgraded their sound system?
I had the Bavsound upgrade in my previous X5 and loved it.
In my previous X5, I upgraded the amp and added a sub so I'm not sure this kit for th i8 really compares since it does not touch the existing little 6x9 "sub"

They make a kit for the i8 that I'm curious about. Any thoughts?

https://www.bavsound.com/pages/build...FrQG1lLmNvbSJ9

[ghaffari46]

You mean more upgrade than H&K?
I think Most of i8s in US come with H&K

[socalml]

I got the Bavsound upgrade on my i8. Love it over the stock HK. Must better sound. Only thing that sucks is that there is no woofer upgrade for it.

[MGRMLN]

Originally Posted by socalml

I got the Bavsound upgrade on my i8. Love it over the stock HK. Must better sound. Only thing that sucks is that there is no woofer upgrade for it.

Do the new Bavsound speakers still blend well with the stock sub?
What aspects are better in your opinion? I’m very interested in this upgrade.

Thanks!

Minsoo

[MGRMLN]

BUMP. Anyone?

[fbuzila]

Originally Posted by MGRMLN

BUMP. Anyone?

In my opinion I wouldn't change it.
i8 sounds very good.

I did the upgrade to bavsound on my X5 and I didn't notice a big difference.
Only after I added a sub in trunk...but not the case for i8.

[MGRMLN]

Originally Posted by fbuzila

In my opinion I wouldn't change it.
i8 sounds very good.

I did the upgrade to bavsound on my X5 and I didn't notice a big difference.
Only after I added a sub in trunk...but not the case for i8.

Cool. Thanks. That's kinda where I am. Without an amp, it feels like not worth the effort. I also happen to think the HK in my i8 sounds decent.

[Flossoraptor]

So since I have installed apple carplay MMI from BimmerTech in my i8 and used the equalizer through that, I have been much more impressed with my HK's than before the installation. I do not feel compelled to upgrade, and doubt the bavsound speakers would provide that much more of an increased experience beyond what the equalizer has done for me. Of course I do not really know until I hear the bavsound's for myself and will always wonder, but I do not want to spend $850 to find out.

[MinusWorlds]

Originally Posted by Flossoraptor

So since I have installed apple carplay MMI from BimmerTech in my i8 and used the equalizer through that, I have been much more impressed with my HK's than before the installation. I do not feel compelled to upgrade, and doubt the bavsound speakers would provide that much more of an increased experience beyond what the equalizer has done for me. Of course I do not really know until I hear the bavsound's for myself and will always wonder, but I do not want to spend $850 to find out.

How did you get the CarPlay to work? When you go to the Bimmer-Tech site it says it’s not compatible.

[Flossoraptor]

Originally Posted by MinusWorlds

How did you get the CarPlay to work? When you go to the Bimmer-Tech site it says it’s not compatible.

So I find that strange and have no idea as to when they made it incompatible. I would recommend an email or phone call to their customer support to find out why and if it is in fact not compatible anymore. I will include the installation instruction attachment for the i8 that they sent me when I ordered the MMI.

[thesubmitter]

Related but off-topic. The Spotify app on idrive is it lossless or hifi? Does it actually work directly from the car or is it through your phone. I normally use CarPlay as I had issues getting Spotify to work but I noticed the icon recently...

[MinusWorlds]

Originally Posted by Flossoraptor

So I find that strange and have no idea as to when they made it incompatible. I would recommend an email or phone call to their customer support to find out why and if it is in fact not compatible anymore. I will include the installation instruction attachment for the i8 that they sent me when I ordered the MMI.

Awesome, thank you Flossoraptor.

[MGRMLN]

I also have the Bimmertech MMI wired CarPlay module so I'm not sure why they would say it isn't compatible.

The Spotify app with the stock BMW is essentially "Spotify Connect" which streams Spotify directly into the car and NOT through your phone. Sadly, until they go lossless in the fall, Spotify is OGG/Vorbis compression, which is lossy and IMHO, doesn't sound all that great.
I believe Spotify will charge a surcharge to have lossless however. Apple Music however just announced they have moved to lossless and high resolution Dolby Atmos for the same fee as Apple Music. Between Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music, I'm likely only going to keep two services...