Sound System in 2011 Z4 35i

[tommyinorlando]

Got my new Z4 a couple weeks ago and love it EXCEPT for the sound system, it is awful, speakers sound like they are about to break if i turn it up with any bass whatsoever. I had a 09 328i with the base factory system in it and it sounded light years better.
A local shop said they could make it sound "much better" for around $3500.00, that includes: 2 new 3" inch speakers, amp and labor. Im not much of a hands on guy so me personally upgrading the system isnt going to happen nor do i want to be cheap and risk having someone mess up my car.
Im just really frustrated, have you run into this same situation, if so what route did you take, would like any advice to have a better sounding ride without needing to take a loan out of the bank to do so.

Thanks

[Chuck76]

I assume you didn't get the premium audio option? It sounds pretty damn good. have heard a lot of complaints on the factory non premium audio.

[tommyinorlando]

Correct, to be honest since my last system wasnt premium in the 3 series i just assumed it was a decent system, i had no idea it was as bad as it is or i would have probably went after the same vehicle with a better system, well now im stuck, live and learn i guess... i just dont get it though, why put so much engineering into such a nice vehicle and put a horrible sound system in it? Its not for money reasons because even the model with the base system like mine was over 70K because i have every other option. Very frustrating.

[zEdP]

Originally Posted by orlandotommy1

$3500.00, that includes: 2 new 3" inch speakers, amp and labor.
Thanks

This is way too expensive. Even when you would replace all speakers, the head unit and adding some sub woofers and amps, including labor costs, 3500 would also be expensive. Of course it is difficult to estimate the labor costs / man-hours because. For instance a custom made woofer could be very expensive.

[Chuck76]

Originally Posted by orlandotommy1

Correct, to be honest since my last system wasnt premium in the 3 series i just assumed it was a decent system, i had no idea it was as bad as it is or i would have probably went after the same vehicle with a better system, well now im stuck, live and learn i guess... i just dont get it though, why put so much engineering into such a nice vehicle and put a horrible sound system in it? Its not for money reasons because even the model with the base system like mine was over 70K because i have every other option. Very frustrating.

The complaints I witnessed on the audio is when the top is down. You can't hear the music well. Did you get your car with navi/idrive etc? The premium audio was pricey so people opted out thinking it was comparable to the non premium audio on the other bmw's. I think your logic for opting out is logical.

[tommyinorlando]

Beemer12, couldnt agree more, i didnt even realize there were options in the sound system for high end and low end until after i had the car for about a day, i have the satellite radio, nav, i drive and every other option, figured i had the complete package! ridiculous to put such a horrible system in a car this expensive, mine was over 70K and sound systems in a low end toyota corrola sound better! pisses me off. And from what it sounds like there isnt a whole lot you can do unless your willing to spend multi thousands of dollars, i would even be ok with 1500-2K out of pocket to upgrade but doesnt look like thats possible. I took my car to another dealer, same place that does Tiger Woods, Shaq and many other high profile clients and the cheapest they would do not including a sub woofer was 2800.00... bla.

[fisherman]

Too bad you didn't use this site earlier....The quality concerns of the base system is well known; many posts advising folks to get the premium sound if music is important....

[M2audioman]

Originally Posted by orlandotommy1

Beemer12, couldnt agree more, i didnt even realize there were options in the sound system for high end and low end until after i had the car for about a day, i have the satellite radio, nav, i drive and every other option, figured i had the complete package! ridiculous to put such a horrible system in a car this expensive, mine was over 70K and sound systems in a low end toyota corrola sound better! pisses me off. And from what it sounds like there isnt a whole lot you can do unless your willing to spend multi thousands of dollars, i would even be ok with 1500-2K out of pocket to upgrade but doesnt look like thats possible. I took my car to another dealer, same place that does Tiger Woods, Shaq and many other high profile clients and the cheapest they would do not including a sub woofer was 2800.00... bla.

I think I see the problem now...You are taking your car to what I like to refer to as "fluff" shops. What i mean by that is you are paying for the ability to say you had your system done at the same place as Tiger Woods, rather than being able to say you have the best system possible for the money.

You need to find a great local installer/shop. These are usually tiny shops that employ 1 or 2 guys that are super skilled and knowledgeable at what they do. I'm been into car audio for the past 12 years now and have competed and won several sound quality competitions...not SPL competitions that focus solely on the loudest system. Therefore, I can tell you from experience that designing a system for the new Z4 doesn't have to cost you a fortune. You should be able to improve the sound substantially for $1500 or less.

Start with a JL Audio Cleansweep ($300), get a better amplifier($300), and upgrade the speakers in the stock locations ($400). No need to add subs or anything crazy. You can achieve drastically improved sound from just those upgrades. Labor would be about $500 and the parts should be $1000 or less. Just my $0.02...

[tommyinorlando]

335, good info and i appreciate it, the shops that "tiger" goes to and those other places, they are actually reputable here in Orlando, they have been in business 20+ years, nothing but high end luxury cars there, thats the ONLY reason i would even consider taking it there is because they are used to working on expensive cars. Audio shops are a dime a dozen but every time i try to go the cheap route i end up getting what i paid for which is usually bad job or a kid that doenst know what hes doing and he messes something up. I have a Range Rover and the same type of thing happened so im a bit paranoid now especially with this new car but i dont agree with the super high pricing.
Wish i would have known about this forum before i purchased my Z!

[M2audioman]

Originally Posted by orlandotommy1

335, good info and i appreciate it, the shops that "tiger" goes to and those other places, they are actually reputable here in Orlando, they have been in business 20+ years, nothing but high end luxury cars there, thats the ONLY reason i would even consider taking it there is because they are used to working on expensive cars. Audio shops are a dime a dozen but every time i try to go the cheap route i end up getting what i paid for which is usually bad job or a kid that doenst know what hes doing and he messes something up. I have a Range Rover and the same type of thing happened so im a bit paranoid now especially with this new car but i dont agree with the super high pricing.
Wish i would have known about this forum before i purchased my Z!

Yeah...I hear you on the cheap installs. It's a matter of finding the right installer.

[davidmbell]

Buy yourself a Vibe Litebox Stereo4, pop it in the boot/trunk and be happy. $300-$400 should cover it.

David

[davidmbell]

Sack that last message, $150 : http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...-LiteBox4.html

[M2audioman]

Originally Posted by davidmbell

Buy yourself a Vibe Litebox Stereo4, pop it in the boot/trunk and be happy. $300-$400 should cover it.

David

With the way the Z4 speakers are wired, he's going to need more than a 4 channel amp to have the sound quality increase. The VIBE amp is definitely a good starter amp. It's basically a rebadged Arc Audio Mini (KS125.4) amp, so you can't go wrong with that. However, you would need 2 in order to utilize all the stock speakers properly. You would also need a crossover to really get the sound right from this amp.