2023 BMW M3 (3-series) - Harman Kardon 16-speaker Sound System Review

[@Kimchiguy79]

I have noticed that HK systems take the longest to "break in" and reach their full potential. The ML system in my Lexus is still far superior but I noticed that out of the box that system sounded great right away. As you noted, the HK system here requires a lot more calibration but also note that after about 40-50 hours it will sound a bit better. Not amazing, but better.

[@misterdragzon]

I hate that BMW doesn’t bother bringing B&W down to the 3 and 4 series. HK as the top option is kinda weak on an $100k M3 when a $75k 5 series has a better audio system.

[@BDO47]

soundengineer speaking here. you need to put the whole sound config to reset. then you disable the logic surround, which is terrible terrible terrible software which fucks up the whole mix and master of a song. just disable it. and then you slightly turn up the bass to your taste, while listening to your favorite song, on the first screen. dont touch the equalizer, because harman kardon knows exactly what they are doing by designing their sonic wave, dont mess around with engineers work. wheter its the work thats put in the mix/master of a song or the design of a surround system. important note: if you put everything to reset and disable logic surround, ofc in first moment your song thats playing will be quieter. you just need to turn the volume up after these 2 steps. and then slightly adjust your bass to your own taste. thank me later

[@miroslavmusa9007]

I've just watched you review of improved HK in X5 2024. 3 series just went with second LCI (2025 facelift). Any information will there be any audio improvements?

[@jasonblair4057]

I have spent a lot of time getting the HK to sound good in my X3M40 and now I enjoy it quite a bit. Hope my next car is as good, looking at EV6, Ioniq 5 or Model Y.

[@The_Joker211]

Hi, could you share your settings ?

[@jasonblair4057]

@@The_Joker211 These are the two setting I found on the forums and use. I also turn off the engine sound been piped into to car. Setting for current L7: 80 = -2 200 = 0 500 = +2 1K = +2 2K = -3 5K = -1 10K = +4 T = +1 B = +3 F/R = +2 L = Music SVol = 1 Setting for old L7: 80 = 5 200 = 5 500 = 3 1K = 7 2K = 3 5K = 5 10K = 8 T = 7 B = 4 F/R = 5 L = Cinima I just adjust the base up and down a little depending on my mood. I hope this helps and check the bmw forums as these setting are update depending on your music preferences.

[@The_Joker211]

@@jasonblair4057 Hi Jason, thank you so much for your detailed explanation. Much appriciated 🙌

[@roboticvenom1935]

"getting it to sound good" because it's a lame system with poor tuning. BMW harman systems are essentially the worst in their class it's a joke.Model Y is ugly as shit, check out the ev6, lyriq, or ioniq 5

[@BinaryBlueBull]

@@jasonblair4057 Just want to chime in to say thanks for the settings. I have a 2023 BMW M340i and am looking to tweak the sound, because it is quite mediocre out-of-the-box. Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "L = Music" and "SVol = 1"? I seem to not have a setting which I can put on "music" or "cinema" but perhaps I'm overlooking it. I did disable the surround sound mode because that muted the sound quite a lot I noticed. I will try out your other settings, thanks again!

[@kentao4]

Already decided I’m adding my sub asap when my car arrives. Will likely do a alpha 1 install later too.

[@simonmenyatso7337]

So is the Harman kardon in the BMW i4 better than the Bowers&Wilkins in the Volvo v60

[@DailyMotorSound]

Comparable.

[@simonmenyatso7337]

So if we compare it to the 4D burmester

[@v12-s65]

@@simonmenyatso7337 volvo xc60 better than burmester

[@dhruvgrg]

You have an excellent playlist to showcase all the strengths/ pitfalls of any system. Great content ! If possible please review the Harman Kardon in the latest BMW i5 electric 5 series . Thanks:)

[@DailyMotorSound]

Thank you! And we absolutely will. Likely in November.

[@dhruvgrg]

@@DailyMotorSound look forward to it ! Thanks

[@tjoeller1]

@@DailyMotorSound And maybe also the Bower & Wilkins system! Don't know if you get it in the US, but should be available in EU :-)

[@MarcelloTheBandit]

I just downloaded Homeworld Collapse to compare. I know my base 2017 V60 setup is pretty bass heavy and slightly muddy, but I can see where you're coming from with this because BMW literally designed this car to not have a great stereo when the engineers had to put their theories into practice. Your midranges can't handle midbass, your tweeters are EVERYWHERE, but the only places that midbass or bass come from are under the front seats in small cubbies backed by the literal outer skin of the floor. And what space you DO have in the doors for air movement isn't being utilized for sound reproduction anyways because you have 5 inch midrange speakers. I wonder if they ever had "good" systems in them since the beginning though, because sound reproduction has never been a part of BMW's history like it has been with other manufacturers.

[@JayeBass]

the bass under the seat is not an issue. Maybe they made somoe changes to the car yall are referring to but in my 430i coupe it pressurizes the cabin

[@oxmodius]

I thought the HK on my 2014 435 sounded incredible. Is this new one really that big of a downgrade? Just ordered a 2025 3 series with it

[@brotherdubious]

Hey Charlie! Interesting how the new 600W HK systems in the 3 Series/X3 rank lower than the older 464W HK system in the X5. What do you think the reason for that is?

[@v12-s65]

600w is the old version the new ones have 464

[@roboticvenom1935]

@@v12-s65 BMW sound systems are just pathetic these days. stay away from the brand if you'rr an audio enthusiast or really like music

[@v12-s65]

@@roboticvenom1935 Most of them are. The new i4 has a nice sound h/k system and the i7

[@TJZTechShow]

You also rated the new 2-series much better than this. Surprised to see!

[@EastWood2004]

I got a loan car 118i having HK. Surprisingly the sound is better than my X5’s HK although the volume is not louder.

[@roboticvenom1935]

@@EastWood2004 x5 sound is pathetic, "luxury"

[@BinaryBlueBull]

@@EastWood2004 I have the same experience with a 2018 1-series and now a 3-series, both with HK system. The 1-series had much better sound. I suspect BMW is cutting costs or something because the difference in sound quality is a disgrace for a car that costs about €25000 more

[@sapz3667]

Si basically a cx5 with bose has a better sound system?

[@ravic1754]

What after market speakers would you recommend for the 3 series? Also I understand you are disappointed with the system but how much better is it over the Hifi system? Is it even worth the $800 upgrade over the base Hifi? Also it seems from your videos that the HK system is getting fixed in the newer models. I would appreciate it if you could revisit the M3 or 3 series in 2024.

[@Anonymous-bs8it]

How do the HK vs. BW systems in the BMW iX compare to each other? I read the HK system in the iX might be better for hip-hop/pop music?

[@Anonymous-bs8it]

Surprising about this M3 because the 17-speaker HK system in the i4 was one of your faves!

[@MukisaSS]

​@@Anonymous-bs8it Here's the link to his review of the Bowers and Wilkins System in the IX: kzbin.info/www/bejne/enrSc6yvqdFsr9U

[@krishtandon7394]

Wondering about this too. Hoping he could make a video with iX HK

[@Anonymous-bs8it]

@@MukisaSS Thanks. I've seen his BW review in the iX, was hoping for a comparison with the HK system in the iX since it seems there's some variation in the quality of BMW HK systems.

[@v12-s65]

@@Anonymous-bs8it the i4 has a completely different setup

[@BILLYKRAN30]

Can you also test the 1series??

[@pc7377]

Greetings, thx for the review. I have a 2019 M5 with the BW system. I love it. Looking to upgrade to a 2022. I have a feeling I won't be happy with the HK in that car. Do u concur? Am I able to upgrade to the BW in that car?

[@roboticvenom1935]

do not do HK, it's shit

[@luciafeeney5553]

Can you please do 2022 Venza limited? Please!

[@DailyMotorSound]

This should be the same system kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4uqiIVnjt2No5I

[@ji9starrz]

The HK in my F15 X5 is disappointing as well. Looking to get a GLE with the Burmester 3D

[@roboticvenom1935]

do that, BMW HK systems are anemic

[@v12-s65]

burmester 3d whole nother world. If sound is the only importance try a range rover too

[@A_guan]

Do you think the 4 series gran coupe has the same HK system from the i4?

[@badrelmaguiri2934]

The one with idrive 8 yes

[@therealnickd3011]

How good is the bass due to the lack of subs in the car….

[@lixiaochen6]

I wonder what the audio engineer of the car would say about this car and their limitation. Budget shouldn't be too big of a concern for this price range, and the speaker placements are all kinda odd. It really makes no sense.

[@v12-s65]

they don't have to say anything cause nowadays in those 'non' luxury cars it's not their priority. When an audio engineer and car maker actually do care about it they make some banging results like bowers volvo, meridian L405, s class high end etc.

[@taubingdesmarlianto2231]

I think because your microphone is good, so the audio also good..

[@El139sy]

What’s the song you played while driving ?

[@El139sy]

I tried to search in the Spotify the illuminate song but unable to find a match. Let me know which is the right one. Appreciated😅

[@ttsec3956]

It’s terrible, all my previous m cars had good stereos were I didn’t need to change it. My G82 was so poor i changed it for a Morel system at a huge expense, id seriously give it a D.

[@spoudaois]

I was going to buy a Golf R that had Harman Kardon and it sounded so bad I rejected the car.

[@peskyzebra]

I've heard coding the B&W sound settings for some reason makes it sound better even though it's purely a coding change obviously the same hardware? Anybody try it?

[@DailyMotorSound]

I don't think Bowers & Wilkins uses the same hardware. I can check with Harman.

[@peskyzebra]

@@DailyMotorSound Sorry i meant I've heard coding the BW sound profiles makes it sound better even though changing the coding doesn't change the fact you're using HK hardware. And the BW profiles are only available to code to a G20 if you optioned HK.

[@itbeginx]

Interesting, it's a C tier to me lol

[@krishtandon7394]

Have you compared HK in BMW iX vs. its B&W? It seems to be quite good, so quite a bit of difference between HKs in BMWs. I saw your B&W review of iX and am wondering if it is worth $3400 over HK. Also would you recommend keeping Logic 7 surround on or off?

[@roboticvenom1935]

The BMW iX is not a very good product and will age terribly(resale value will be insane), and battery tech in it is just decent.

[@snakeeyes9246]

​@@roboticvenom1935well, it's B&W system got S Tier.

[@JayeBass]

poor sound performance? Listen i have many high end systems in home and in vehicles. Focal utopia M and focal aria stuff. PRoperly tuned ect. The bmw harmon system is better than almost any other stock system i've heard for its upgrade price. If you are expecting high end performance from an $850 upgrade then you dont know what sound quality really costs. This is a solid A for factory systems. the bass extension is crazy and the tweeters have great sparkle for factory. I have a 2021 430i btw. On my channel you can see some of the systems i've had over the years and i currently have a full focal utopia m setup in my mercedes. Trust, this FACTORY system is well tuned and equipped from the gate.Every car will be slightly different in the space it can create and the bass response but as far as the typical listening frequency range, the bmw harmon kardon system delivers

[@v12-s65]

you got all that at home and think the h/k is anywhere good? Lmao

[@gurupurkha]

Dude, the bass response sucks in the M3.

[@Submersed24]

Comparing this to the audi s4 sound, this is clearly lacking in bass

[@EastWood2004]

The sound system used in Tesla is far better than most German cars’ Hi-Fi systems. My rs3’s B&O is a bit better than HK used in X5 and M2C. Btw can you withstand the carbon bucket seat? It is the Sperm destroyer!

[@roboticvenom1935]

"than most" most aren;t hifi systems they're just the base sound system, harman kardon BMW is not hi-fi lmfao it's bogus. mark levinson from Lexus is easily superior to teslas, same with burmester mercedes, wilkins volvo, lexicon genesis. levinson and lexicon are cheap upgrades but burmester and wilkins are not

[@v12-s65]

@@roboticvenom1935 I found my Meridian Surround to be quiete better than Burmester surround in my cars

[@Loot_Train]

What a fking shambles, basically 100k car with an audio system you can get an accord

[@steelcowboy2751]

First, it’s ridiculous to judge a system with an equalizer and not use it. Second, I have s 3 series and I added a trunk mounted 12” sub and the system really came alive; it allows you to use the equalizer to not push the under seat mid base drivers to be complimentary to a real sub. It’s night and day. My only complaint is you can’t adjust the center channel as it’s tied directly to the left channel so it muddies up the sound stage a little.

[@drepark2294]

Ahhhh, sounds hallow and muffled. No clarity, muddy and distorted.

[@pierrecastanets1974]

HK system is trash. Standard system is slightly worse.

[@johncoronado1792]

Why does the 4 series bc get the 600w hk same as 8, 7 and 5

[@v12-s65]

all new h/k systems with 16 speakers have 464w instead of 600 now