[rothen3]

Hi everyone! I'm new both on the forum and on bmw world, I ordered a BMW IX 40 that I'll get next summer (can't wait).
My other cars are a 2002 daihatsu terios 4wd and a 2016 audi TTS convertible with manual transmission. But let's go back to BMW!
I think the IX is a very advanced product and the only questions my dealer wasn't able to answer were related to the B&W that I ordered.

I read that other bmw bowers wilkins get a 20 GB hard disk to store your music; anyone know if it's the same for the IX, or maybe more?

Another interesting thing to know about the sound system, the one in the other models get a 10 channel amplifier (even though I read in a german website than the facelifted 7 series now get a 16 channel one), what are the specs for the IX amplifier?

Finally I'd love to know your feedback with the B&W, especially if you like me listen to FLAC/WAV files, and if you had a chance to compare to other premium hi-fi (audi B&O advanced, burmester high-end, land rover meridian signature) or the twin system in the Volvo (that some claim to be better than the one in bmw )

Thank you and nice to meet you all!

[LittleJoe]

Welcome to the forum.

There are no iX's in the US yet (where I live) but I ordered the Bowers & Wilkins sound system because I could never convince my wife we should invest in a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4's ($35k a pair) and couple McIntosh amps. This is as close as I'm going to get.

[thereef510]

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

Welcome to the forum.

There are no iX's in the US yet (where I live) but I ordered the Bowers & Wilkins sound system because I could never convince my wife we should invest in a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4's ($35k a pair) and couple McIntosh amps. This is as close as I'm going to get.

see if you can convince your wife to let you get the 800 D3s now that they have a new flagship. You could score a fairly nice discount on them lol

[Evrim]

I have B&W option in my iX. And yes, I use Apple Music these days for lossless music. I can easily say that it is awesome. Even the radio broadcast and 320 kbps limited Spotify performance is amazing.

There are many configurations which you can set including surround schemes, a nice equalizer (Currently cannot remember channels no). Speakers on the top and the ones on the seat headrests are a part of this nice surround.

4D bass boosters in front seats are also interesting but I use that with a low level.

After setting up the fine adjustments, I receive a very good quality sound. But this is something really should be experienced in person.

[Pictor]

I cannot speak to the B&W in the iX but I have B&W in prior 5-series and 8-series as well as compared against the HK system that BMW uses in these cars. We also have the HK in our X5. Bottom line, HK is perfectly adequate for most people but I wouldn't get another HK unless it was the only choice.

[hugo_nz]

There are so many factors involved in the perceived audio quality. For example, the audio will only ever be as good as the bitrate at which it's encoded. Likewise, bluetooth vs wifi vs USB will have an impact too. In reality most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a premium HK setup and a super premium B&W setup.

For reference, I had HK in my 650i and B&O in my X5, and even though I consider myself to be little of an audiophile the discernible difference between those two systems was minimal except when listening to high bitrate audio from USB or the iDrive hard drive. In every day driving streaming Spotify wirelessly through Apple CarPlay they sounded pretty much the same.

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

In reality most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a premium HK setup and a super premium B&W setup.

I think 4D shakers in iX would allow most people to tell the difference right away. And the Diamond dome tweeters in the iX are supposed to be very good as well. B&W claimed that its iX implementation is the most advanced audio quality in a car. So hopefully, it's going to make a difference from HK.

[Paladin1]

Just considering an iX, but currently driving a 2020 40i with the B&W, and yes, it's an awesome car audio system (comparing to B&O in previous BMWs and Audi). I also have acoustic glass, so it actually makes a premium audio system in a car practical. And I do have the integrated HDD (200 GB for newer models, with I believe 20 GB reserved for music storage), but I also think that BMW eliminated a user-accessible hard drive on all their cars starting in 2021 (not sure about the iX). My car does however have several USB ports that work for readable storage, so I also have a SanDisk 128 GB 3.1 USB mini-flash drive plugged in that holds orders of magnitude more audio files (experimenting, 128 GB is the largest storage BMW reliably reads for me - and I believe so states in the manual - but I think others have had success using 256 and 512 GB). The actual limitation is the number of tracks (I think 40,000), but less than $20 USD for 128 GB of storage - ridiculously cheap. It's easier to manage and backup your files from a PC, it has faster access, and you can add at least another flash drive if you want. A user-accessible HDD in a car is a dinosaur today, and I think BMW recognized that.

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by nosnoop

I think 4D shakers in iX would allow most people to tell the difference right away. And the Diamond dome tweeters in the iX are supposed to be very good as well. B&W claimed that its iX implementation is the most advanced audio quality in a car. So hopefully, it's going to make a difference from HK.

At over 1600w of power you would be hard pressed to find another system to compare the B&W with, and I'd love to experience it in person to form an informed opinion. Sadly all demonstrator stock in New Zealand are equipped with HK sound.

[freshxdough]

You can go into the sound settings and do the sound experience for the B&W system if you ever find yourself in a B&W equipped vehicle.

[rothen3]

Originally Posted by Evrim

I have B&W option in my iX. And yes, I use Apple Music these days for lossless music. I can easily say that it is awesome. Even the radio broadcast and 320 kbps limited Spotify performance is amazing.

There are many configurations which you can set including surround schemes, a nice equalizer (Currently cannot remember channels no). Speakers on the top and the ones on the seat headrests are a part of this nice surround.

4D bass boosters in front seats are also interesting but I use that with a low level.

After setting up the fine adjustments, I receive a very good quality sound. But this is something really should be experienced in person.

Hi, is there a separated user manual for the bowers wilkins on the IX?
I've found the regular manual of the IX easily, but nothing about the B&W.

[rothen3]

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

At over 1600w of power you would be hard pressed to find another system to compare the B&W with, and I'd love to experience it in person to form an informed opinion. Sadly all demonstrator stock in New Zealand are equipped with HK sound.

Audi never offered the advanced bang olufsen on the e tron, but I've heard is stunning compared to the regular one

[Evrim]

Originally Posted by rothen3

Hi, is there a separated user manual for the bowers wilkins on the IX?
I've found the regular manual of the IX easily, but nothing about the B&W.

In my manual from drivers guide app, I found the section related with B&W system. Very brief instructions actually, but the system is automatic in many ways so no need much assistance.

Below are the photos from related section: