AUTO SPIES WORLD EXCLUSIVE: BMW ready to trump Lexus in car audio domination?

ML is the best and will remain so.

I suppose that BMW got their hands on an LS 460 with the ML package already. (rolling eyes)

It's hard to 'beat' Mark Levinson when it comes to sound systems in the car since they are one of the premier companies. We won't know how good it will really be until we see/hear it. (Even then it might be a real pricey $8,000 option for all we know.)
Still, it's good to hear that BMW has finally decided to put a true high end sound system in their car besides Harmon/Kardon. BMW as I said before, wants to be the first for everything. That could explain why they cost so much.

Toughy,

Yes, they do not currently have the best sound systems but I am the one comparing this new audio system to Lexus because they currently have the best system on the market.

001

BMW will have a tough time trying to beat the ML system. One of the advantages the ML system has is the Incredible lack of background noise inside the vehicles they are installed in, something BMW cannot match because of the suspension setups and in order to get good feedback from the road (So BMW Claim).

I am not interested in Gimmicks and "SuperAudio" sounds like a Gimmick, so they will have to change that name.

MB tried to take the crown with their new 7.1 surround sound system but failed.

BMW better call up Mr Nakamichi.

I hate subwoofers.

A nice audio system is fine, but get rid of the low frequency thump thump.

BTW, I own over 50 thousand dollars in guitar amps and guitars and have been recoring my own music for many years.

When it comes to guitar amps there's nothing digital that can beat 4 burning hot EL34 power tubes or the like.

most auto manufacturers can't even get to lexus nakamichi sound from the early 90's let alone the relatively new contract with ML. Mark Levinson cost alot more than B&O and more than this other company BMW is using or trying to pioneer. Even though its not too much about cost, but when you spend over $100,000 just for an amp, you know the stereo imaging and sound quality are going to be superb. I don't think this will happen at all.

This is one situation where Lexus dominates hands down. I am waiting to see what the MB BMW and VW guys have to say about this. Will, brace youself for some harsh illogical comment hhmmmm!

They will start telling you about how ML Has no heritage and some stupid crap about it not being premium but luxury or it not being German enough type of crap.

I wouldn't pay 5 grand or more for a stock audio system. You can pay that much aftermarket and get a way better sound system than what Audi, Lexus, or BMW's about to offer!

The sound systems in cars are getting crazy.......I've never heard the B&O or the ML system, although they definitely cost a lot. The logic 7 in the BMW isn't bad, but by no means is it the best. At any rate I would never spend thousands extra on a sound system, well, unless I was mega rich I guess!

MunichRob,

You may be able to buy components almost as good as the Mark Levinson system (I am playing along, because I really do doubt it re: LS 460's ML system) for less, but you will not get those components working together cohesively like in the case of a stock setup since the engineers created a cabin to work in harmony with the components and those same components are tuned to work as ideally as possible in the cabin (ie, crossover, delay, yadda, yadda yadda,..)

positioning, etc etc etc.

Interesting.

Mark Levinson and Harmon/Kardon are divisions of Harmon International. I wonder if BMW is going to stick with Harmon or go with someone else entirely.

BMW teaming up with B&W and their diamond tweeter technology would be pretty cool.

I like the aftermarket Bosch sound system in my 530i just fine. Why do people place so much emphasis on sound systems though? I thought I'd need one and now I hardly listen to music when I drive.

I don't think people buy cars because they "have a good sound system". That is something you consider when shopping for a radio, discman or mp3 player, not a car IMO.

Bosch makes car stereos?

Why did I type Bosch? I meant BOSE. It's the Alzheimers! :p

Yeah, I have a BOSE sound system in the car which I thought I'd be able to use and enjoy. Instead, I hardly ever listen to music. But the sound quality is good enough for me. I can't imagine how ML could possibly produce something even more advanced.

There is absolutely no way that a factory sound system can compete with the aftermarket. Period. This is what I do and have done so for 12 years----The primary concern for the manufacturers (I dont care which one) is a low failure rate. They do not care as much about sound quality as they do about warranty issues. Take ML--it has factory equalization that reduces low frequency response as the volume goes up. Is this a true representation of audio? Do we hear less bass the louder the music gets? No.

Do you really think that manufacturers really design their cars around audio systems? And do you think that one company can make the best speakers, processors, amplifiers, and source units? An experienced installer can make high end components work together and produce sound quality beyond anything you may have thought possible in a car.

Bosch makes Blaupunkt-----found in many porsche, ferrari, volkswagen, etc. vehicles.

lolol bose = sux. i know some people think y the fuss over steros but just like how people love their cars, people are just as crazy or more over audio systems. theres speakers that cost more than porsches

Audi is the leader right now.

Let's hope we don't need a year just to learn the manual.

Interesting...

Hopefully it'll be in the 3 Series coupe by 2008 when I get my next winter car...

I saw a new 3 Series coupe the other day, I was stunned! Much more elegant and somehow more agressive than the last-gen in person.

However, I couldn't see which model it was. It was too far away.

530......you can't get a Bose system in a BMW, and they don't make aftermarket car stereos to my understanding.

And I agree with dbohno....as good as a factory system can be, an experienced installer can create as good if not better results for less than you pay the factory to put one of their systems in.

i dont listen to my sound system in my BMW, i listen to the concert of the engine and exhaust performance much better. Haha

Aftermarket systems may play louder than a good factory sound system, but louder does not equal better.

Unless you are stuck in the early 90's and like to show everyone how loud your car stereo is by blasting it at every intersection, there are no advantages to a aftermarket system compared to today's top tier factory systems.

Well... I'm of the opinion that ALL car sound systems are only okay at best - when compared to the standard that you can easily get at home.

And if anybody even comes close to implying that they need a $5000 system in their car that they can plug their iPod into then don't - 'cos it would be an incredibly stupid thing to say.

The kind of sound you get with home audio is VERY hard to achieve in a car, but not impossible.

If there were no advantages then there be no aftermarket manufacturers. Fact is, about 60-70% of my clients vehicles are 50k+. Porsche, ferrari, lambo, bmw, lexus, I have done them all and I have NEVER had a customer say that the factory system performed anywhere near what the aftermarket equipment did.

Some people prefer entertaining other cars and ruining the interior of their car I guess.

Dbohno
If you are telling the truth please send us links to pics of cars you've worked on.
While Tarting-Up cars are done almost as the norm in the USA and a bit in the UK by wealthy owners as a way to make their cars Unique, Ill be dammed that you claim to be able to install a system that will trounce the Mark Levinson System in the LS or the B&O in the A8.
Do you honestly think that these systems are the Gimmicks Bose & Infinity are when they just slap on badges to key areas and claim Sound Superiority ??
ML & B&O Will not and Do Not take Sound Reproduction Lightly and to think you can Match or beat Months if not Years of R&D and Testing and Caliberation just to make a system that fits perfectly into a Very Expensive Luxury Sedan with Owners who have very High Expectations from their audio systems ( Why else would they choose the Very Expensive Audio Package) with a couple of aftermarket speakers and amps and gold wiring is just....... Well just DAFT.
Unless you are going to tell me your installs cost upwards of 250k and do not include LCD screens on headrests and other Stupid stuff i will not beleive you.

Better yet send me the Name of your Business and Location and ill get one of my Friends to send you one or two of their cars after they check out your business, Im sure you guys have some demonstrator vehicles.

Louder is not always better in sound Reproduction.
The guys who introduced me to Nakamichi and Meridian systems are only interested in Clarity and ability to have every NOTE HEARD not concussive Bass only, and i am yet to see any aftermarket installer match the ML or B&O system for less than 100k
NOTE: (I am only refering to LS430 ML systems and A8 B&O Systems, not Ferrari/BMW/MB or all the other Factory Installed Systems)

Louder is not always better.

Very true - however, one of things that impressed me the most about the (domestic, not in car) Meridian DSP5500's (+800 series DVD) was the clarity and weight at any volume (really REALLY loud). Louder is not always better, but the best of the best is loudest the of the best.

Mark Levinson (used by Lexus) is just a brand of Harman International Industries, Inc. The same company that furnishes the Lexicon Logic-7 for the current BMW's and of course the previous Harman Kardon systems.

Some of their other know brands are JBL and Infinity.

But Mark Levinson is the top tier of Harmon International.

I can send photos of installs, photos of before and after response curves using an rta, testimonials, etc. I do not want to use this forum to advertise for business. If you are interested in seeing our work I will be happy to send you a link pointing to our home page.

Sound quality is objective. Every person hears things differently----I had one lady prefer a set of speakers with blown tweeters we had in our demo board to a set of focal components. There is also brand bias but if a person really wants to hear the possibilties of in car audio I recomend attending a SANCTIONED s.q. contest. There are not many things that beat a long drive in a quiet vehicle listening to your favorite music the way the artist intended.