[rounderman]

HK sound was an add on option, disappeared when supply change shortages occurred. happened on many models even the X7 had stereo issues.

[rice_rocket88]

The match Amp is the standard upgrade for amps that is recommended for bmw. Bavsound does have their own, maybe enter a 2019 model which should be all the same in terms of the Amp. (Both hifi and HK use the same amp) if you are elsewhere in the world there are other models "lower" than the hifi which is called standard in North America.

[GoinDahnTahn]

Originally Posted by rounderman

HK sound was an add on option, disappeared when supply change shortages occurred. happened on many models even the X7 had stereo issues.

oh, ic....i would have expected the M level version to have the premium sound without having to add it....

well at least that means im not 'missing it' but instead just wasnt possible to add as an extra....

[trnguyen]

I am not an audiophile, but I found the HiFi in the X2 sounds worse than the Bose in the Audi we have.

Then I found a thread on these forums showing how to add the tweeter speakers to the front door and the center. It sounds much better and I am happy that I did it.

Instructions: https://f48.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1258862
I ordered the parts (trims and speakers) from the local dealer.

[King_Leonard]

I'm curious. Has anyone considered high-end Bluetooth speakers?

Something like this seems like it should fit into the cupholder.
https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/w...rs/boom-3.html

**I'm not a shill for this company.

[adc]

Originally Posted by King_Leonard

I'm curious. Has anyone considered high-end Bluetooth speakers?

Something like this seems like it should fit into the cupholder.
https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/w...rs/boom-3.html

**I'm not a shill for this company.

A single device placed low in the car (cupholder) will not reproduce sound with any sort of high fidelity, that's simple physics.

You ideally want the high frequencies to come from somewhere level with your ears and have one source per ear. The high frequencies are mostly what creates the "stereo" immersive effect, which is why most of the better systems have tweeters placed in the front window sail panels. Lower frequencies (bass) is perceived as less directional by humans, which is why most subs can be located in the floors, or in the trunk etc.

So if you want good sound quality, my advice is to buy one of the systems engineered to work with the car's electronics (signal/sound bus, head unit, amplifier etc.). If your car doesn't have the front tweeter locations, it isn't hard nor expensive to retrofit the door sail panels with tweeter locations inside. (see other thread linked above).

Once you have these, you can pick any of the aftermarket systems designed for the X2, and the sound improvement should be considerable and very noticeable, not meek. To make the best choice, I would call all these companies, speak to their sales reps, and describe the improvement you are trying to achieve as well as the budget. See what they recommend, then making a choice should be easy.


Now if you want spectacular sound, you typically junk most of the car system and go really high end, ideally with the help of an audiophile shop. This will move the cost needle to the $3-4k and beyond.

[King_Leonard]

Originally Posted by adc

A single device placed low in the car (cupholder) will not reproduce sound with any sort of high fidelity, that's simple physics.

You ideally want the high frequencies to come from somewhere level with your ears and have one source per ear. The high frequencies are mostly what creates the "stereo" immersive effect, which is why most of the better systems have tweeters placed in the front window sail panels. Lower frequencies (bass) is perceived as less directional by humans, which is why most subs can be located in the floors, or in the trunk etc.

So if you want good sound quality, my advice is to buy one of the systems engineered to work with the car's electronics (signal/sound bus, head unit, amplifier etc.). If your car doesn't have the front tweeter locations, it isn't hard nor expensive to retrofit the door sail panels with tweeter locations inside. (see other thread linked above).

Once you have these, you can pick any of the aftermarket systems designed for the X2, and the sound improvement should be considerable and very noticeable, not meek.


Now if you want spectacular sound, you typically junk most of the car system and go really high end, ideally with the help of an audiophile shop. This will move the cost needle to the $3-4k and beyond.

Thanks for the info.
I can live with the hifi system for now, but I will definitely go for an upgraded system on my next purchase.

[GoinDahnTahn]

Originally Posted by GoinDahnTahn

oh, wow, i didnt even look at an M3, since i had just assumed it wouldnt work for me....i had no idea there is now an AWD version of the M3....oh well, figures right...

my wife loves my X2 and now she wants me to research the X3 to potentially replace her Honda Passport, lol...so we'll see if anything comes out of that...

as far as winter tires go, i was looking at TireRack and experimented with packages....so far i built a package with Continental VikingContact7 with Moda MD29 wheels....pics below

wanted to give an update on the wheels....i abandoned the idea of getting aftermarket and opted for BMW wheels.

Below are the 19" wheel choices sent to me by my local BMW dealer which are compatible with my M35i that the dealer gave me.....

BMW WHEEL STYLE 511 (#36-11-6-851-785)
BMW WHEEL STYLE 580 (#36-10-6-883-003)
BMW WHEEL STYLE 573 (#36-11-6-856-074)
BMW WHEEL STYLE 715M (#36-10-8-008-616)
BMW WHEEL STYLE 572M (#36-10-7-849-120)
BMW WHEEL STYLE 816M (#36-10-8-092-163)

after some searches i decided on getting the Style 816M, which i thought looked the nicest....in fact, i felt they were nice enough that i decided to just get all-season tires and am planning to leave them on year-round instead of messing around with seasonal swapping, which seems like more of a PITA than its worth, really.

below are 'current' vs 'future' pics...the 'future' sections are obviously an edit, where i put in a cut-out of the 816M wheel design.

NOTE: I plan to sell my set of 20" Style 717M wheels with Pirelli P Zero Run Flat performance (summer) tires, which should have probably less than 1,000 miles on them by the time my wheels arrive (from Germany)...(right now my car has just over 400 miles on it) So if anyone is interested in them, let me know.

.

[GoinDahnTahn]

as far as the stereo goes, i plan to do a full system upgrade on mine, including the door tweeters (which will require me to order the BMW parts)

i am leaning toward the bimmer-tech solution....prob second half of 2022 or so, depending on whether i can get my wheels sold.

[glassguysf]

Just got one of these, and I absolutely LOVE it!

[rounderman]

love the color have fun, welcome to the addiction

[//TMT]

Orange-in-orange, spiffy!

[babayimben]

Style 816 is definitely a good choice. I love those wheels