Question on base sound system

Hi everyone,

I am look to get an i3 Rex, but I am torn between getting the car in 3 weeks with the base sound system (i.e. it has already been manufactured), or having to wait 6-8 weeks to get one with the Harman and karman system (I.e. order from scratch). I know this was discussed 2 years ago based on my search results, but I could not detect a concession on the following questions. I would appreciate your impressions/feedback for those of you with the base system in your cars. I don't mind not having rear speakers, I rarely have passengers, and I am not an audiophile, but I do appreciate descent quality speakers that don't distort, have sufficient base (not Beats-like) with clear mids and highs (i.e. I listen to classical music and movie soundtracks), while also capable of delivering enough volume at highway speeds, particularly when conducting a phone call over Bluetooth.

1- does the base system have two or four speakers? My understanding is that none are in the rear regardless of the answer.

2- I know the H&K system is leaps and bound better based on reading thru the forum, but is the base system good enough in terms of quality? Does it distort at high volume? Not enough base? Too soft at highway speeds? Is it a deal breaker or do you regret having chosen the base sound system?

Thanks in advance...

I have the base system. It has two two-way speakers in the front, none in the rear. i have to say, it came as a surprise, I've never had a car without the rear speaker. The overall sound is decent. The bass is on a weaker side. I never reach the maximum volume, although I'm past the age when I liked my music really loud. Overall the audio feels better than in my Toyota minivan with a "premium" JBL, which sounds slightly distorted. The system has some weird limitations, it is not possible to change tracks on a Bluetooth feed with the steering wheel buttons, have to go through the inconvenient iDrive menus.

I cracked it all the way up this morning, and the sound was distorted a bit at the top end. Noticed that some of my mp3 files were played out of order. The files have the ID3 tags and are always in the correct order in my phone.

The base system gets the job done. For music on the go, it's good enough for me.

gt1 said:

I have the base system. It has two two-way speakers in the front, none in the rear.

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FWIW, there are actually 4 speakers in the base system, all up front.

I'm not an audiophile and rarely use the sound system, so paying $800 for the HK system would have been a waste for me. The base sound system is sufficient for my needs.

Maybe you could compare the sound systems on i3's that the dealer has on hand or that an i3 owner nearby has. Only you know for sure what's sufficient for your needs.

2. If you are asking, it means you care about good quality sound system and if that the case, I would wait for the better system. I leased my i3 with little knowledge about them prior to showing up at the dealership looking for a car (not the i3). I thought mine was fully loaded and I didn't pay much attention to the sound system nor crank it up during the test drive. Afterwards I was very disappointed. Not sure how to describe it, but just lacking on all bases: sound volume, highs, lows, range, etc.

gt1 said:

I have the base system. It has two two-way speakers in the front, none in the rear. i have to say, it came as a surprise, I've never had a car without the rear speaker. The overall sound is decent. The bass is on a weaker side. I never reach the maximum volume, although I'm past the age when I liked my music really loud. Overall the audio feels better than in my Toyota minivan with a "premium" JBL, which sounds slightly distorted. The system has some weird limitations, it is not possible to change tracks on a Bluetooth feed with the steering wheel buttons, have to go through the inconvenient iDrive menus.

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I think you may be able to control the bluetooth with a small wheel within the steering wheel. it took me 6 months to stumble upon it by accident and I constantly forget its there. Hope this helps.

alohart said:

gt1 said:

I have the base system. It has two two-way speakers in the front, none in the rear.

Click to expand...

FWIW, there are actually 4 speakers in the base system, all up front.

Click to expand...

Yep, this is what I said- two two-way speakers. Each two-way speaker consists of a woofer and tweeter, so the marketing department counts them as two speakers.

davidzi3 said:

gt1 said:

I think you may be able to control the bluetooth with a small wheel within the steering wheel. it took me 6 months to stumble upon it by accident and I constantly forget its there. Hope this helps.

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No. When I'm spinning the wheel, it says "not possible".

I will agree with davidzi3 . .if u care about it wait for it . .my first i3 had base sound and I was very disappointed . .4 speakers . 1 in the kick panel one in the front door on each side . . it will try to cut back on bass as u crank it up to avoid distorting the speakers . .it makes it seem like the sound is cutting out . . my new i3 will be here this week . with H/K . I will try to give u a update once I listen to it . as a side note I never bought a car without upgraded sound system . on my 1st i3 I figured what a hell cant be that bad . .

I think it depends on whether you're willing to wait for it and spend the extra money. I was lucky enough to get an i3 with the HK upgrade since the dealer was trying to get rid of inventory and I'm glad I have it. The HK system has sufficient full range sound and I have played it really loud and it hasn't distorted the music. I mostly play music from a low profile flash drive plugged into the USB port, compressed anywhere from 192kbps to 320 kbps depending on the music. Not sure if the base sound system includes an amplifier either as the HK upgrade does. If you get the HK upgrade, you'll be very happy on those occasions when you do want to crank music.

Not the same topic but I will say that the bass in a 3 series that I drove had a more depth and it felt like it was behind me which seems like it added more bass presence, even though bass isn't directional.

Thanks to everyone for the useful and constructive feedback. I was able to find an i3 with the base speakers at the dealership to test out, and though I could not take it on a road test while listening to the audio, I found the quality to be more than adequate. In other words, it is fine and I don't think it would make me hate the car which is what I had feared. The loudness seems good enough to mask any possible road noise at highway speeds, the quality is acceptable, and I could only detect distortion at a volume I would never reach. Sad/angry passengers on the rear are also not a consideration for me as I rarely carry them. And I am glad, as you guys pointed out, that there are actually 4 speakers (i.e. there are tweeters for highs) as opposed to just two. I have decided that the base system is good enough for me. Thanks again!

Now off to waiting for a very long 2-3 weeks...

Just curious as I'm considering a used i3 down the road. Is there a way to tell from interior photos whether a car has the HK package? I can run the VIN of course but it would be much easier to have a visual cue to look for.

The A-pillars should tell you right-away as there is nothing there on the base system: http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aauj_prd/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-HK-US-Library/default/dw2557e06f/glp/automotive/brandpage/bmw_features_3.jpg

Ah, perfect. Thanks!

If we end up buying one it will be to keep for a long time. I care about sound quality and getting the HK system is well worth it for me.

Every single time I drive my car I wish I had the HK Sound System option.

After have ing base system in my first i 3 i Got my new i3 on thursday with H/K and after driving it for a weekend it is nothing crazy compared to other premium systems i had in other cars but it is still a night and day difference to base system. As somebody else mentioned there are speakers in a pillars with harman/kardon logo as well as center channel in the dash behind the screen and speakers in rear door. It is worth a upgrade in my opinion especially if u plan to keep the car for a while.