B&O optimized settings

[patchesj]

A little background, I have been an audiophile for 30 years. I've built my own preamps, amps, speakers, etc. I worked at Thiel Audio for a while. Current home system is Thiel/Dynaudio, modified Oppo BDP-105, Bryston 4b Pros, etc. All installed in a double wall/isolated room in room, fully treated listening environment. I only mention this, as I have a pretty decent reference system to use for subjective comparisons. I also happen to have the tools necessary to make an objective adjustment to the BMW B&O system. I used a Behringer USB DAC for input/output, Behringer mic preamp/mixer, and Room EQ Wizard. Mic was mounted *approximately where drivers head would be. Measurements were done in a garage, car doors and windows closed. Vehicle is a 2013 M6 convertible, so your GC and Coupes will likely measure differently. Pictures pasted below for reference. All testing/settings are with B&O "Studio" Mode.

I've made 3 minor tweaks based on subjective listening so far. I turned the "Bass" adjustment up one click, "Treble" down one click, and 10KHz down one click. Blue line is before, purple line is after. I was also going to look at things like impulse, decay, etc, but honestly they are so bad in a car environment with so many speakers and reflection points, not to mention the phase/delay trickery B&O uses for imaging adjustments, I'm not even going to post them....

Also, yes I only measured down to 55Hz as below that the B&O system uses some sort of dynamic loudness control that throws things out of whack. I was getting too much distortion to make the measurements accurate. Can't really make any adjustments down there with this system regardless, so no real point in the data. All I know is it peaks pretty hard around 45 and then rolls sharp. Turning down the "Bass" adjustment does let the system breathe a bit lower without getting boomy, turning down the bass actually makes more real bass if that makes sense.

[LJohnson32]

This is great -- I feel like I have seen a lot of threads where people arbitrarily throw around different B&O settings but I think this is the first one I've seen where someone has objectively dialed in the system. Nice work.

Wish you could get a hold of a GC so I could copy those settings

[patchesj]

For being a factory system, I'm relatively impressed. The bass is still awkward and I'm not sure I like whatever they are doing. From 150Hz and up it's not too bad. The center channel is creating some weird phasing (probably on purpose, and related to a crossover point) and I think that leads to the bump around 2.7k that you can't seem to dial out.

[LJohnson32]

Originally Posted by patchesj

For being a factory system, I'm relatively impressed. The bass is still awkward and I'm not sure I like whatever they are doing. From 150Hz and up it's not too bad. The center channel is creating some weird phasing (probably on purpose, and related to a crossover point) and I think that leads to the bump around 2.7k that you can't seem to dial out.

I get my car back tomorrow so I'm excited to try these settings out. I'm willing to bet I will make some similar 'subjective listening' adjustments to what you did as I think without doing so it could become fatiguing to listen to for extended time periods.

Now to build on this, I listen to music via bluetooth via Spotify with playlists downloaded in the highest quality (I believe for Spotify this is 320kbps Ogg Vorbis codec) and while this is by no means lossless, I feel it's quite good for the convenience it offers. I'm wondering if the EQ can be adjusted within the Spotify app to fill in some of the gaps of the B&O EQ? What are your thoughts

[patchesj]

I also use 320k Spotify/OV for most of my listening in the car due to convenience. I use the Spotify app in the head unit to connect, and I'm not sure if that does anything different than just selecting USB/external source. The AD/DA and DSP functions of the head unit are a bit of a black box, but there is definitely some type of switching that occurs if you toggle between the app vs usb source. I also have an OPPO HA-2SE DAC that I use when listening to in ear monitors and high bit rate files with my iphone. I might try connecting to the headphone jack/analog input on the car, but again the AD system in the car is an unknown and could be complete garbage (better to just keep the signal digital).

So much of an EQ's performance is based on what the preprocessing looks like. I've never really been impressed with whatever they are trying to do inside the iphone, and in general I try to minimize any adjustments.

I will likely take the treble adjustment down another notch or two, with the glass reflections in a car all of that energy up top creates some fatigue.

Of course, all of this really goes out the window (literally) when you are driving, have the windows down, or the top down... But it is nice to at least start from a solid baseline.

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

I just put these settings in my F06 GC and could not be happier. Thank you for taking the time to put these up.

[Opie55]

I think I just replicated these settings, but it can be a bit hard to tell how many steps from 0 some of them are. Starting from the top, it looks to be 2, 2, 2, 0, 3, 1, 3. Let me know if that's not right.

[BMPOWERED]

Originally Posted by patchesj

Turning down the "Bass" adjustment does let the system breathe a bit lower without getting boomy, turning down the bass actually makes more real bass if that makes sense.

I am nowhere near the audiophile that you are. I was however that kid with a 12" JL Audio sub in my 300ZX thumping down the street. Around that same time I sold mid-high end car and home audio for an electronics retailer so I know a little something. My best HT system in the house consists of some Klipsch reference equipment and Onkyo receiver.

That being said, I was a bit disappointed after searching high and low for a 650gc with B&O and it did not initially live up to expectations. Admittedly I still like bass (not nearly as much as in my younger days) so I cranked up the bass level on the B&O about midway between half and max and the same with the lower frequencies on the EQ. I never was quite satisfied with the bass performance. The bass was overly boomy without much low-end sub-bass. Then I played around with the settings and low and behold, lowering the bass levels to just below halfway made a drastic improvement. My EQ settings that I stumbled on a couple years ago look similar to yours. I couldn't believe that there was indeed more bass by lowering the settings. I posted a while ago here about my experience. My thought process was that the by lowering the bass on both the level and EQ frequencies, it lowered that boomy bass that had been overpowering the sub-bass. Once getting rid of the boominess, i could actually hear and feel the sub-bass that was previously missing.

[patchesj]

Originally Posted by BMPOWERED

I am nowhere near the audiophile that you are. I was however that kid with a 12" JL Audio sub in my 300ZX thumping down the street. Around that same time I sold mid-high end car and home audio for an electronics retailer so I know a little something. My best HT system in the house consists of some Klipsch reference equipment and Onkyo receiver.

That being said, I was a bit disappointed after searching high and low for a 650gc with B&O and it did not initially live up to expectations. Admittedly I still like bass (not nearly as much as in my younger days) so I cranked up the bass level on the B&O about midway between half and max and the same with the lower frequencies on the EQ. I never was quite satisfied with the bass performance. The bass was overly boomy without much low-end sub-bass. Then I played around with the settings and low and behold, lowering the bass levels to just below halfway made a drastic improvement. My EQ settings that I stumbled on a couple years ago look similar to yours. I couldn't believe that there was indeed more bass by lowering the settings. I posted a while ago here about my experience. My thought process was that the by lowering the bass on both the level and EQ frequencies, it lowered that boomy bass that had been overpowering the sub-bass. Once getting rid of the boominess, i could actually hear and feel the sub-bass that was previously missing.

I sent an email into B&O to see if they would give up any info on the magic smoke, I'm not counting on it... But based (no pun) on what I'm hearing, they are doing some substantial dynamic loudness (bass boosting 50-150Hz) at low to mid volumes. They are also implementing a limiter/compressor on the subs to keep us silly owners from blowing them up. If you combine the two, it results in boomy bass when you don't want it and reduced sub-bass. Cranking down the "bass" adjustment will work around the dynamic loudness and allow the real low end (below 50Hz) to reach properly relative levels without tripping the limiter. --All theory until they actually give out design data.

[patchesj]

Originally Posted by Opie55

I think I just replicated these settings, but it can be a bit hard to tell how many steps from 0 some of them are. Starting from the top, it looks to be 2, 2, 2, 0, 3, 1, 3. Let me know if that's not right.

Slightly adjusted after subjective listening:

Treble +2
Bass -3

-2
+2
-2
0
-4
+1
+3

[jjasonSU]

So what do you think about bass output ?
Or do I need to go ahead and add subwoofer(s) to the trunk (looking for a green light here)?

[patchesj]

Originally Posted by jjasonSU

So what do you think about bass output ?
Or do I need to go ahead and add subwoofer(s) to the trunk (looking for a green light here)?

I haven't pushed the system and measured peak output, but for me there is plenty of bass. I am more concerned about accuracy than volume, so YMMV. Also, potential philosophical difference... There is no way I can (for a reasonable sum) add a different sub with the same integrated aesthetics and functionality as the factory. I would rather spend money on an exhaust and listen to that sweet engine..

But I've decided to leave the car essentially as stock as possible.

[jjasonSU]

Originally Posted by patchesj

I haven't pushed the system and measured peak output, but for me there is plenty of bass. I am more concerned about accuracy than volume, so YMMV. Also, potential philosophical difference... There is no way I can (for a reasonable sum) add a different sub with the same integrated aesthetics and functionality as the factory. I would rather spend money on an exhaust and listen to that sweet engine..

But I've decided to leave the car essentially as stock as possible.

Understandable. Thanks

[BMPOWERED]

Originally Posted by patchesj

I sent an email into B&O to see if they would give up any info on the magic smoke, I'm not counting on it... But based (no pun) on what I'm hearing, they are doing some substantial dynamic loudness (bass boosting 50-150Hz) at low to mid volumes. They are also implementing a limiter/compressor on the subs to keep us silly owners from blowing them up. If you combine the two, it results in boomy bass when you don't want it and reduced sub-bass. Cranking down the "bass" adjustment will work around the dynamic loudness and allow the real low end (below 50Hz) to reach properly relative levels without tripping the limiter. --All theory until they actually give out design data.

Interesting but that would definitely help explain why we got more bass by lowering the bass level and the EQ at 100hz. Please keep us posted if you actually get a response from B&O

[patchesj]

"I am sincerely sorry but we can not give out this information. Should you require assistance with your Bang & Olufsen sound system, please refer to your BMW dealer. Our apologies for the inconvenience. "

[BMPOWERED]

Originally Posted by patchesj

"I am sincerely sorry but we can not give out this information. Should you require assistance with your Bang & Olufsen sound system, please refer to your BMW dealer. Our apologies for the inconvenience. "

[ep3]

well it was worth a try. Regardless, I plugged these settings into my F13 and the difference is night and day. much appreciated!

[F06msportmia]

Originally Posted by patchesj

A little background, I have been an audiophile for 30 years. I've built my own preamps, amps, speakers, etc. I worked at Thiel Audio for a while. Current home system is Thiel/Dynaudio, modified Oppo BDP-105, Bryston 4b Pros, etc. All installed in a double wall/isolated room in room, fully treated listening environment. I only mention this, as I have a pretty decent reference system to use for subjective comparisons. I also happen to have the tools necessary to make an objective adjustment to the BMW B&O system. I used a Behringer USB DAC for input/output, Behringer mic preamp/mixer, and Room EQ Wizard. Mic was mounted *approximately where drivers head would be. Measurements were done in a garage, car doors and windows closed. Vehicle is a 2013 M6 convertible, so your GC and Coupes will likely measure differently. Pictures pasted below for reference. All testing/settings are with B&O "Studio" Mode.

I've made 3 minor tweaks based on subjective listening so far. I turned the "Bass" adjustment up one click, "Treble" down one click, and 10KHz down one click. Blue line is before, purple line is after. I was also going to look at things like impulse, decay, etc, but honestly they are so bad in a car environment with so many speakers and reflection points, not to mention the phase/delay trickery B&O uses for imaging adjustments, I'm not even going to post them....

Also, yes I only measured down to 55Hz as below that the B&O system uses some sort of dynamic loudness control that throws things out of whack. I was getting too much distortion to make the measurements accurate. Can't really make any adjustments down there with this system regardless, so no real point in the data. All I know is it peaks pretty hard around 45 and then rolls sharp. Turning down the "Bass" adjustment does let the system breathe a bit lower without getting boomy, turning down the bass actually makes more real bass if that makes sense.

Originally Posted by patchesj

A little background, I have been an audiophile for 30 years. I've built my own preamps, amps, speakers, etc. I worked at Thiel Audio for a while. Current home system is Thiel/Dynaudio, modified Oppo BDP-105, Bryston 4b Pros, etc. All installed in a double wall/isolated room in room, fully treated listening environment. I only mention this, as I have a pretty decent reference system to use for subjective comparisons. I also happen to have the tools necessary to make an objective adjustment to the BMW B&O system. I used a Behringer USB DAC for input/output, Behringer mic preamp/mixer, and Room EQ Wizard. Mic was mounted *approximately where drivers head would be. Measurements were done in a garage, car doors and windows closed. Vehicle is a 2013 M6 convertible, so your GC and Coupes will likely measure differently. Pictures pasted below for reference. All testing/settings are with B&O "Studio" Mode.

I've made 3 minor tweaks based on subjective listening so far. I turned the "Bass" adjustment up one click, "Treble" down one click, and 10KHz down one click. Blue line is before, purple line is after. I was also going to look at things like impulse, decay, etc, but honestly they are so bad in a car environment with so many speakers and reflection points, not to mention the phase/delay trickery B&O uses for imaging adjustments, I'm not even going to post them....

Also, yes I only measured down to 55Hz as below that the B&O system uses some sort of dynamic loudness control that throws things out of whack. I was getting too much distortion to make the measurements accurate. Can't really make any adjustments down there with this system regardless, so no real point in the data. All I know is it peaks pretty hard around 45 and then rolls sharp. Turning down the "Bass" adjustment does let the system breathe a bit lower without getting boomy, turning down the bass actually makes more real bass if that makes sense.

I just put these settings in my F06 GC and could not be happier. Before these settings my speakers sounded like SHIT in comparison. Thanks for taking the time and sharing! Night and Day difference.

[DerBosewicht]

I will be applying this is as son as I get the car back!

[rasa bmw]

same here,,although i know nowt about settings etc,,im used to listening to vinyl on an old radiogram ha ha ,,still sounds the best to me,,

[Chaos236]

Love to see this for stock HK cars... thanks

[e38740imd]

will those these to my hk system and compare. thanks!