03-27-2020, 12:00 PM | #1 |
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B&W audio setup
Hey guys,
I'm looking to see what folks consider the optimal setup for their Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Surround system. The permutations are... well, a lot and I'm not convinced I've nailed the sweet spot yet. I guess the optimal setup may change between the Coupe, the Convertible and the GC but I'd be interested to hear from anyone who thinks they've nailed it. If you wouldn't mind posting a few pics of the surround choice (I chose the 'leave it the hell alone' setting), bass, treble, front:rear fade and graphic equalizer I'd very much appreciate it. I'll post mine shortly. Thanks! |
03-27-2020, 12:45 PM | #2 | |
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That said, if you're like me and want some good low end response and don't feel like adding a dedicated aftermarket subwoofer, try boosting your first two parameters (100hz & 200hz) up 3 or 4 increments. The purists will tell you to leave the EQ completely flat for the most faithful reproduction of the source material, but there's nothing wrong with boosting/cutting frequencies until you're happy with what you're hearing.
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limeypride4425.00 |
03-27-2020, 01:32 PM | #3 | ||
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Here are my current settings: |
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03-27-2020, 01:57 PM | #4 | |||
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I keep mine mostly in the middle default, except I change the bass up and down depending on who is in my car and what I'm listening to. I listen to everything from hip hop & r&b, to pop and country. when my wife is in the car, some Tswift (I hate but she likes to make her happy) to kiddie cartoons (like baby shark) for my 2 yr old. so it's a wide range, but if it was just me in the car: I would tune it more to my music and my liking. |
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03-27-2020, 04:54 PM | #5 |
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These are my settings - Coupe. Rich and plenty of doof doof (which is the limit of my technical sound vocabulary).
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03-27-2020, 05:16 PM | #6 |
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03-27-2020, 07:11 PM | #7 |
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As per Resjudicata, everyone's mileage may vary depending on the source material. That said so far everyone is posting Studio as the chosen sound profile (aka surround logic mode) and I too started there as I'm a 2-channel audio snob. In fact I was completely disappointed that you cannot disengage surround logic with the B&W as that would be my preference just like the H&K in my wife's X5.
However, I've found that Concert is the clear winner over Studio as it portrays a more accurate soundscape no matter how many times my bias gravitates me towards the the Studio setting. The difference may lay in bass response as Studio does better at lower volumes. However, I'm primarily the sole occupant in the M850i and as previously posted the B&W does not open up to the full sound landscape until you're at least at 50% of volume. At that point Concert for the sound profile wins every time as the presence of the sound stage produced is flat out amazing vs Studio. A picture of the equalizer settings is not accurate so if there is interest I can post the specific increments for each setting. So far I'm seeing a lot of mid range roll off which will enhance the bass response but ultimately take away from the soundscape potential of the B&W. Then again my settings may not be conducive to everyone else's situation as they require the minimum of 50% volume to produce the soundscape. Lucky me as the M850i is my personal daily driver and as posted on the gesture control thread ultimately I need one to mute my wife's commentary from the passenger seat regarding the volume of the B&W. Just wishful thinking as reality states I just have to turn down the B&W when she is in the car and lose out on the amazing audio experience. Thankfully she loves the sound of the engine so no issues there or I'd be forced into Comfort mode and truly hating the drive. Last edited by bloozemanAZ; 03-27-2020 at 08:28 PM.. |
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03-27-2020, 07:37 PM | #8 |
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03-27-2020, 08:04 PM | #9 |
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Agreed given the small cabin and the B&W well thought out layout center mass is the choice. This contrasts against other cars I've owned (4 door sedans) in which I would bias towards the rear as it produced the better bass response (example being my GS430 with Mark Levinson audio).
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Resjudicata1604.00 limeypride4425.00 |
03-27-2020, 08:51 PM | #10 | |
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I'll give Concert a shot... although I confess, I'm not optimistic but you never know. |
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03-27-2020, 09:34 PM | #11 | |
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03-27-2020, 10:20 PM | #12 |
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I tried to capture a video of Rush Freewill sourced from my high resolution FLAC 24-bit/192khz source off of the SSD in the console. Unfortunately, my Pixel 3 XL audio capture in the video is flat and thus no difference between Studio and Concert. That said given the source and roughly a 70% setting on volume (if it's too loud you're too old) in order to open up the B&W soundscape Concert ran circles around Studio.
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03-27-2020, 10:38 PM | #13 | |
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03-28-2020, 12:47 AM | #14 | |||
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03-28-2020, 11:57 AM | #15 | |
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// EDIT: it's also better at higher volumes. // DOUBLE EDIT: well I'll be a monkey's uncle—I prefer it. Thanks, dude! |
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03-29-2020, 05:23 PM | #16 | |
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I haven't tried it yet but wondering if you can use the hard buttons to store B&W audio settings. Idea would be to use #1 for Concert and #8 for Studio. That way if my wife is in the car I can just select #8 and Studio is activated for the lower volume listening. |
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03-29-2020, 05:30 PM | #17 | |
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Don't hold your breath on programming the 1-8 buttons for the surround settings--feels too deeply nested to me but I haven't tried. I'm gonna fork my own thread for a second: is your traffic info working right now? Mine failed yesterday evening just after a coding session and I'm trying to isolate root cause. Last edited by limeypride; 03-29-2020 at 05:57 PM.. |
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03-29-2020, 05:32 PM | #18 |
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For folks here who have their B&W sorted out and are happy, please see:
https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1676036 |
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03-29-2020, 06:27 PM | #19 | ||||
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I'm fairly certain Bimmercode will let you set the default Volume at start up to anything from 0 or 10, all the way to 50%. mine is set at 50 at startup |
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03-29-2020, 06:57 PM | #21 | |
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Of course my dreams were crushed as the only thing I could do is set a hard button to open up the Sound Profiles menu setting. Not completely useless as ended putting that at #8 so can toggle between Concert or Studio (when the wife is in the car) with just a small bit of iDrive controller requirement. Now as I type this I'm wondering if BMW Assistant can control the Sound Profile setting. Pretty sure that's a big "NO" as well. RE traffic info... sadly I haven't really driven the car in about a week now so not sure. The last drive was just a quick run to the corner market to pick up some beer on Friday. This COVID-19 self-isolation has turned me into a hermit. Last edited by bloozemanAZ; 03-29-2020 at 07:11 PM.. |
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03-29-2020, 07:04 PM | #22 | |
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