2024 BMW i5 - Bowers & Wilkins 17-speaker Sound System Review

[@william_ochieng]

This is the best sound system testing channel on KZbin. 💯 If anyone has a problem with my statement, come find me 😂.

[@rocioportillo8997]

I think is not that loud but inside the car it sound nice and clear👍👍

[@BrandonSKW]

Requested and delivered 👍🏼

[@MrMoose0987]

I'm in a bit of a unique position in that I had the iX, dropped it to try to save money on a GV60 (bad idea, those seats were not right for me in the GV60) then moved over to an i5 so I could comfortably drive. Had the Bowers system in the iX and I have it in my i5. Definitely feel the iX system is better than this one, but I don't feel that it is all that far off -- I think your assessment of A Tier is right on the money with this. I do think this improves somewhat when playing with the EQ settings and gets close to the iX, but the subwoofers in the seats of the iX put that system over the top and make it easily the best I've heard. Whereas here in the i5, its like...my #2. Personally, for the cars with premium sound systems I've listened to over the past few years, my order goes (And the top 4 are VERY close): iX M60 -> Volvo XC60 -> i5 -> MDX Type S -> GV60 -> Model Y. Was pretty lucky to be able to swap cars a few times during the pandemic while prices were stupid and local dealers didn't mark up over MSRP, so I got to listen to a lot of really nice systems. And really, there are a lot of nice systems out there right now too, its great. I don't think you can really go wrong with most luxury car upgraded sound systems at this point!

[@dhruvgrg]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Did you get a chance to test out HArman kardon in i5 ? I realize BW is in a different league but does HK sound good in i5 ? Thanks

[@DailyMotorSound]

Didn't get to test HK in i5, but tested it in X5 and it was nearly as good as the BW. Would not pay extra for the BW in the BMWs right now, except maybe 7 series.

[@dhruvgrg]

@@DailyMotorSound thanks and good to know. I have the M340i and the HK on that one seems lean and dry sounding . I did listen to to X5 myself and is definitely a step up ( richer bassier and same clarity ). I saw your review on HK in m340i/m3 and I think you had the same conclusion that the bass is recesssed and too forward in upper mids. I hope they correct this in the i5, atleast when compared to M3/M340i

[@JRB41]

@@DailyMotorSound So go with HK instead of BW in current BMWs?

[@vloppel]

​@@JRB41depends on the car ig. I have an i5 with B&W sound system but also listened to the HK in the i5 and I think the B&W one is way better. Especially when it comes to bass because the HK only has those two door woofers (which the B&W also has) and they do nothing compared to that trunk mounted subwoofer in the B&W system. But don't get me wrong the HK is also good but the B&W is much better in the i5. But as always it depends on what you want and what kind of music you listen to. So if you don't need much bass the HK is also a good option for less money.

[@jfddoc]

Will be interesting to see if the Gas version has improved bass with the subwoofer more forward.

[@vazgenavetyan7015]

No(( there is no bass in gas version((((

[@Mano_421]

@@vazgenavetyan7015ur dumb

[@Wickedly_so]

How does it compare to 2021-2023 5 Series B&W sound system? I hate how they downgraded from Diamond 1300w sound system to 650W :/

[@LaHaine01]

It costs only 800€ so chill

[@Wickedly_so]

⁠@@LaHaine01exactly, i want it to cost 4000$ and deliver 4k quality. I want to have that option

[@AZMike]

In your comments around the 16 minute mark, have you tried increasing the 1st band in the equalizer (bass band)? That should definitely put more power out of the subwoofer.

[@Wasabi9111]

Appreciate the review. It would be disappointing to spend all this money on this system only to later find out it’s not S tier.

[@g-mailglongaviki4157]

Its no longer 5k$ it costs around 1k

[@Tylervp]

Appreciate the review. I actually was able to listen to the system around a week ago and agree with the rating. Was hoping that it would be better but sadly was disappointed with the performance. Was "good" but not a great system

[@qkaicheng]

This sound system is optional in the Chinese market version of i5 (G68) at $830. Not bad. 🎉

[@G82Watts]

The x6m with this sound system is the 2nd best ive ever heard right behind a porsches Bose

[@supposedlysavvy]

Then you cleary never been in a Volvo…

[@Mister_5150]

Heres an idea, make a video ranking the best sound systems and what cars they are found in for heavy Bass

[@josephquinto5812]

You should try to get your hands on a Grand Wagoneer with the McIntosh 1375, or even better, a Bentley Batur with the $30,000 Focal Utopia system! The latter may be a hair more difficult lol

[@DailyMotorSound]

This one perhaps? kzbin.info/www/bejne/emScc4iFYpmjmck

[@dhruvgarg2737]

Excellent review as ever ! I was looking forward to this one . Hope you get the time to review the harman kardon as well in the i5. I would be particularly curious to know how the harman in this car compares to the one in i4. Thanks

[@b286guy]

Yes. I believe he gave the HK in the i4 his highest rating.

[@dhruvgrg]

@@b286guy yes hence I have my fingers crossed . I hope the hk in 5 series delivers :)

[@coolfreund7455]

I4 is having 464w HK and i5 is having 205watt. So answer is nearly obvious. I‘m coming from a V60 2020 HK with 610w. It is so disappointed to hear the HK and also the B&W of the i5…

[@dhruvgrg]

@@coolfreund7455I have not listened to the HK in i4. I took an extended listen of the HK in i5 and the gas powered 540i of the g60. The i5 system just plainly sucks , but the gas powered version is significantly BETTER ( lot of bass kick , I’m biased towards extra bass/rhythm vs overdose of treble/ clarity). The electric version mounts the subs in doors , the gas version mounts it under the seats - big difference in the bass weight - gas version is superior . I listen to B&W as well in both versions and didn’t like them at all - they just lack a satisfying low end punch and are too loud in the mids/treble( very technical and not musical to my ears) . HK of 540i is quite superior to the one I have in my current M340i, sounds richer and punchier.

[@cenktezcan]

it doesnt see my usb drive. it is type C and formated to ntfs. i formated it to fat32 and no luck.

[@glorifiedbusdriver7036]

I was expecting the B&W in the i7 to perform better than this, but I did not expect the HK i4 to sound better than this B&W. Not only the i5 is in a segment above, it's also that B&W is being known as a more premium brand vs HK.

[@sshannon01]

if you look at specs and details online this is an obvious re-brand by BMW. So on the g60 model the HK audio is the same as standard on other models and the B&W on the g60 is comparable to HK on other models like the current 4 series. BMW have stated they intend to cut production costs by 25% and you can see this with g60 with the interior - like the audio, no cover over cup holders, less cushioning/leather on doors, no m sport sills etc.

[@DailyMotorSound]

I think that's further evidenced by the BW system having Logic 7 surround. I've never seen Logic 7 on a BW system before, only HK. So rebranding seems likely.

[@dirtydeeds2012]

Was expecting this bowers in the more expensive car to the i4 would of been better or at least S tier..

[@dirtydeeds2012]

Also seems to me you prefer having subwoofer in boot , than under the seats which i agree with

[@nsmwdkjsbdjsjdn299]

@@dirtydeeds2012subs under the seat are horrible

[@degou3438]

why?@@nsmwdkjsbdjsjdn299

[@snakeeyes9246]

The i4 got S Tier with its Harman/Kardon system. Crazy that the Bowers and Wilkins in the more expensive i5 is worse. It's still A Tier, but at this price, S is needed.

[@christophertaveras1691]

The Harmon Kardom system is ok on this car bass isn’t there on the hk system

[@ali3d975]

Can you review any audio system with dolby atmos feature ?

[@DailyMotorSound]

I've been thinking about how best to integrate Atmos without using copyrighted music. In the works.

[@Xenqrator]

Can you kindly compare this i5 bowers wilkins to 2021-23 E Class 3d burmester and the new e class 4d burmester

[@MarkusThorssellNordicIntKronob]

I have B&W in my bmw 540i ultimate edition 2018 and to be honest, it really sucks compared to what A system in that price should sound like! It sounds okay but NOT more. Is it only me who thinks that? The mellanregister is not sharp at all and its not clear if you understand what I mean.

[@DailyMotorSound]

Agreed, that is not a good system for the price. New one is leagues better.

[@newyorkerik]

The easiest way to make it sound as good as is by using a cable

[@ShahramHakim-s5n]

Really appreciate the review. Would it be possible to do one for the i5 with the Harman Kardon system. I would greatly apricate it.

[@DailyMotorSound]

Great! Yeah I'll try to get one later this year, or at least the gas 5 series.

[@coolfreund7455]

I‘m also curious to see the result as I don’t think HK with 205w will perform.

[@Niclas0299]

I cannot understand how a top end priced audio system have tweeters in that door location. The tweeters are so off axis they will roll of at 10-12k hz. Also to be honest how should an 8 inch sub in the back under the cover be noticeable when it’s overpowered by the frontsystem. The idea of a sub in the back is good with decent woofers. But how should a 8 inch play sub bass frequency’s with a 10-12 db rise compared to the front. While standing the bass might be sufficient but while driving sub frequency’s need to be at least 6 to 10db louder. It is a shame to demand this much money and deliver something like that. If you cannot deliver bass through a sub than give the car woofers that can play subbass and loud. And the fact that the tweeters are harsh is indeed because of tuning. How can they offer a car with a DSP and not see this problem. How should a 9 band Equalizer fix this problem. If you reduce the input on the Equalizer you will reduce the response for all tweeters. The problem is that every frequency response is different on every seat. You need a graphic Equalizer for every channel to solve a problem like that. And guess what the sound engineers can do that with this amp installed. But you as a consumer cannot.

[@ihormanzii]

is it worth it over harman kardon?

[@JohnDeerek-u5m]

Where do you get lossless music from? Streaming always sounds very bad

[@DailyMotorSound]

Amazon Music HD or Tidal

[@sunshadow9704]

Thank you. Is it worth 900$ over HK?

[@DailyMotorSound]

Ehhhhhhhhhhh, not sure, but probably.

[@sunshadow9704]

Alright. Time to pay a visit to a dealership. Thx for the info.

[@Dashcamfailz]

18 speakers btw

[@DailyMotorSound]

Pretty sure the i5 is 17. Gas version is 18

[@Steve-s3x]

Great review, thank you! The current H&K in the X3, X5, X6, X7, and the 3 and 4 Series has about 462W per channel. However, the new H&K in the 2024 5 series has about 200W per channel. Many people may now know, but there is a significant difference between the B&W Diamond System which is about $3,400 option yu can have in the BMW X5M, X6M, X7, X5 M60, X6 M60, and the new 7 Series vs. the regular B&W you just tested in 2024 i5. Just out of curiosity, what is the wattage per channel in your tested vehicle, as I cannot find that information posted on any BMW official's platforms. Thank you!

[@kingm3llo]

yeah many people dont realize the new 5 series has a lower-end bowers and wilkins sound system compared to the x5, x6, x7. There is a reason the option is $700 on the i5 and $3400 on the x7

[@jfddoc]

Drat!

[@wilho0]

This is really poor system. St least in i5 M60I don’t know why the title in this video says ”a very strong audio..” - i consider that it’s laying to audience. 😅😅😅 Justification: F11 HK was ~ok, F15 B&O (best this far) and G05 B&W were sounding great but this boomy, muddy sounding system in i5 was really a disappointment. Lack of low end, lack of clarity were imminent. Why on earth to label poor HK system as B&W? BMW - you can do better. The iX1 HK in my wifes car sounds better 😢

[@cenktezcan]

i own i5 and sound is bad.

[@Vision06]

Great videos! V60 s tier B&W but in the BMW it must be the top of the line car to have an s Tier Sound? That is the problem of todays car companies. Why not give the lower priced cars an a tier sound system as an option? Ah well … it’s one ugly mf anyway. On the outside but also inside. This light show is just beyond me 🙄

[@christopherrmcg]

The new 7 series is ugly too.. honestly, all of these newer BMW's are getting ugly as f

[@DailyMotorSound]

Yeah, Volvo B&W still walks over this one.

[@ali3d975]

Have you ever reviewed a car sound system with dolby atmos feature ?

[@DailyMotorSound]

Yes, been starting to consider how to integrate that. Requires a lot of alignment between devices and tracks, especially because most Atmos music is copyrighted. We've tested them on members videos before.

[@TRX25EX]

I believe the next S tier car will be Lotus Eletre with their KEF audio, it's best sound system I have ever heard in a car (including Bentley Naim)

[@DailyMotorSound]

Good to know! I'll have to try and get my hands on one

[@laser3210]

What kind of audio reviewer is expecting big bass from Bowers and Wilkins ?? This is not your usual average sound system focused on bass. B&W is meant for high resolution listening.

[@garrylong2993]

For the top of the line sound system, it better have everything. Burmester already does, and the bowers in the iX and the i7 do as well. This is just bmw cheapening the brand