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      06-20-2016, 04:43 PM   #31
Viffermike
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F1zbo View Post
Thanks for your reply.
It is hard to quantify of course what "marginally" better is but the cost for the H/K upgrade over here is somewhere in the range of USD700.
Not sure if we have the same upgrade kits available over here. Also I am not interested in upgrading any stereo equipment after I have taken delivery of the car.

I guess I need to go and listen to a 2-series with the H/K option and one with the HiFi-option in order to really make an informed decision.

Br
Yes, 'quality' can be a subjective judgment. But there is not $700 (or $900ish, which is the option price of it in the U.S. on 2 Series cars other than the M2) worth of better componentry in the HK system, and there are numerous 2Addicts members who have upgraded the Hi-Fi system to sound significantly better than the HK system for less money than that. How do we know? We've listened to both, side by side.

Add to that growing evidence of a potential intermittent sub-failure issue on the 2 Series HK -- and not the Hi-Fi -- and well ... the consensus is that the Hi-Fi option is a better platform to upgrade than the HK.

The biggest weakness of both systems isn't the hardware at all -- it's the built-in DSP curve. It cuts lows and highs and slightly boosts mids, something that you can't flatten or eliminate unless you do one of three things:
1). Replace the amplifier
2). Install a DSP unit to offset the nascent DSP, or
3). Use a high-quality DMP through the analog Aux-In jack, which apparently (somehow) bypasses the nascent DSP.

The 2 Series audio has a ton of quirks, no matter what level you opt for. It's just not a very good system.
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