the video i've been waiting for (i think - just started watching as i'm posting)
note he was supplied with the 21" aero wheels

surprised how much he liked the HK sound system, given how weak it is on paper....

ggalanis wrote

surprised how much he liked the HK sound system, given how weak it is on paper....

He likes bass. I like bass.

Now talking about sound system i checked out the B&W in the Volvo EX90. If i had the cash i would have driven the car out of the dealer's yard that morning.

I have never experienced anything like it. But alas i came to my senses and i realised im buying an EV not a home theatre system.

It seems he likes the iX3. I need to check it out in person first. Our country's demo car is currently in production.

Good review - different insights to many others. Helpful.

G30M wrote

Now talking about sound system i checked out the B&W in the Volvo EX90. If i had the cash i would have driven the car out of the dealer's yard that morning.

I have never experienced anything like it.

The B&W system is an option on the new EX60 EV.

I haven’t auditioned it yet, but Volvo, unlike BMW, does actually provide more info about its audio system options, and compatibility with standards such as Dolby ATMOS etc.

avi66 wrote

G30M wrote

Now talking about sound system i checked out the B&W in the Volvo EX90. If i had the cash i would have driven the car out of the dealer's yard that morning.

I have never experienced anything like it.

The B&W system is an option on the new EX60 EV.

I haven’t auditioned it yet, but Volvo, unlike BMW, does actually provide more info about its audio system options, and compatibility with standards such as Dolby ATMOS etc.

yes i am waiting to hopefully try the EX60. the range meets my criteria. my country is in the bottom of BMW production pecking order and I'm told my order placed in March would see production in July. dealer's demo is only being built now.

you should check out the B&W in the EX90. it has speakerS in your headrest and either a sub or a shaker in your seat. the car was also very comfortable (seats, cabin quietness, air suspension). maybe i strike the jackpot soon ...

ggalanis wrote

surprised how much he liked the HK sound system, given how weak it is on paper....

That was an encouraging comment, given that he was giving positive and negative comments about different aspects of the iX3. The audio seems to have some punch and reasonable dynamics, which is all I ask. I don't sit in my parked car playing audio, and on the road it's a sub-ideal listening environment.

I've crossed audio off my list of concerns. What's left is ride comfort, seat comfort, panoramic display visibility and usefulness...and whether my bike will fit in the back.

He mentions having forgotten his stick of music tracks. So either he knows something we don't about USB music, or we know something he doesn't. Probably the latter.

In terms of the sound system, correct me if I'm wrong, avi66, but I think that if you want surround sound you're probably stuck with what the HK system delivers. But if like me you only want 2.1 stereo, then you're looking at replacing the tweeters and mids, which should be easy, figuring what can be done with the available woofer/sub positions and then hoping someone comes up with a decoder that will allow you to slip in the DSP/amp you want. There are manufacturers like Audiofrog that make great, affordable speakers, and Helix DSP/amps aren't crazy expensive. It can be done without breaking the bank.

GaSeaWA wrote

He mentions having forgotten his stick of music tracks. So either he knows something we don't about USB music, or we know something he doesn't. Probably the latter.

In terms of the sound system, correct me if I'm wrong, avi66, but I think that if you want surround sound you're probably stuck with what the HK system delivers. But if like me you only want 2.1 stereo, then you're looking at replacing the tweeters and mids, which should be easy, figuring what can be done with the available woofer/sub positions and then hoping someone comes up with a decoder that will allow you to slip in the DSP/amp you want. There are manufacturers like Audiofrog that make great, affordable speakers, and Helix DSP/amps aren't crazy expensive. It can be done without breaking the bank.

he has a USB of uncompressed music of his standard playlist for testing sound systems in cars. he always tests them in 'flat' eq. not sure if turns off surround settings. so that he can compare the systems between cars with some yardstick.

GaSeaWA wrote

He mentions having forgotten his stick of music tracks. So either he knows something we don't about USB music, or we know something he doesn't. Probably the latter.

In terms of the sound system, correct me if I'm wrong, avi66, but I think that if you want surround sound you're probably stuck with what the HK system delivers. But if like me you only want 2.1 stereo, then you're looking at replacing the tweeters and mids, which should be easy, figuring what can be done with the available woofer/sub positions and then hoping someone comes up with a decoder that will allow you to slip in the DSP/amp you want. There are manufacturers like Audiofrog that make great, affordable speakers, and Helix DSP/amps aren't crazy expensive. It can be done without breaking the bank.

I could have sworn he said he couldn't get the USB stick to work...

ggalanis wrote

GaSeaWA wrote

He mentions having forgotten his stick of music tracks. So either he knows something we don't about USB music, or we know something he doesn't. Probably the latter.

In terms of the sound system, correct me if I'm wrong, avi66, but I think that if you want surround sound you're probably stuck with what the HK system delivers. But if like me you only want 2.1 stereo, then you're looking at replacing the tweeters and mids, which should be easy, figuring what can be done with the available woofer/sub positions and then hoping someone comes up with a decoder that will allow you to slip in the DSP/amp you want. There are manufacturers like Audiofrog that make great, affordable speakers, and Helix DSP/amps aren't crazy expensive. It can be done without breaking the bank.

I could have sworn he said he couldn't get the USB stick to work...

yes he said that

ggalanis wrote

GaSeaWA wrote

He mentions having forgotten his stick of music tracks. So either he knows something we don't about USB music, or we know something he doesn't. Probably the latter.

In terms of the sound system, correct me if I'm wrong, avi66, but I think that if you want surround sound you're probably stuck with what the HK system delivers. But if like me you only want 2.1 stereo, then you're looking at replacing the tweeters and mids, which should be easy, figuring what can be done with the available woofer/sub positions and then hoping someone comes up with a decoder that will allow you to slip in the DSP/amp you want. There are manufacturers like Audiofrog that make great, affordable speakers, and Helix DSP/amps aren't crazy expensive. It can be done without breaking the bank.

I could have sworn he said he couldn't get the USB stick to work...

G30M wrote

ggalanis wrote

I could have sworn he said he couldn't get the USB stick to work...

yes he said that

No, he says "Unfortunately I don't have my regular stick with me"

Another new video.

Headline figures are that it did 817km / 508 miles at 80kph / 50mph in Efficiency mode.

He actually did 866km / 538 miles before it was undriveable, so it seems you can go another 30miles when the battery says it's at 0.

VincentHannah wrote

Headline figures are that it did 817km / 508 miles at 80kph / 50mph in Efficiency mode.

He actually did 866km / 538 miles before it was undriveable, so it seems you can go another 30miles when the battery says it's at 0.

yes over 800km at 80km/h in ideal weather and spring temperature ( 10C - 17C i think)

i think there was another 9kWh beyond 0% that he was able to use

G30M wrote

yes i am waiting to hopefully try the EX60. the range meets my criteria. my country is in the bottom of BMW production pecking order and I'm told my order placed in March would see production in July. dealer's demo is only being built now.

you should check out the B&W in the EX90. it has speakerS in your headrest and either a sub or a shaker in your seat. the car was also very comfortable (seats, cabin quietness, air suspension). maybe i strike the jackpot soon ...

From memory I think there around 28 speakers in the EV60 B&W system, and speakers is the roof or headrest can be used for 3D audio object height perception.

GaSeaWA wrote

He mentions having forgotten his stick of music tracks. So either he knows something we don't about USB music, or we know something he doesn't. Probably the latter.

In terms of the sound system, correct me if I'm wrong, avi66, but I think that if you want surround sound you're probably stuck with what the HK system delivers. But if like me you only want 2.1 stereo, then you're looking at replacing the tweeters and mids, which should be easy, figuring what can be done with the available woofer/sub positions and then hoping someone comes up with a decoder that will allow you to slip in the DSP/amp you want. There are manufacturers like Audiofrog that make great, affordable speakers, and Helix DSP/amps aren't crazy expensive. It can be done without breaking the bank.

Afaik the only option for third party multichannel support is by hijacking the analogue speaker out from the RAM etc. This avoids having to develop/update car specific amp/dsp products, beyond the hijack harness, hence lowest common denominator.

There is a Chinese unit that work on earlier iDrive versions by intercepting the digital source for the F/R stereo channels direct from the Ethernet connection, but whilst it keeps the path digital, is it not without compromises and some issues.

VincentHannah wrote

ggalanis wrote

I could have sworn he said he couldn't get the USB stick to work...

No, he says "Unfortunately I don't have my regular stick with me"

Nope, at 9:18 in the video he says it didn't work.

I am also wondering why the car always shows ~600-650km of range when charged to 100% (also with my car so far). Apparently, it also doesn't believe itself the WLTP range

It all depends how it has been driven. I have seen demo cars in UK showing over 500 miles

A few people on FaceBook have been driving in efficient and recently as it’s warmed up a little so no heating required have seen 720+ estimates without really trying. They are now starting to see the 500 mile / 800km as achievable if you are light on the right pedal on the right journey.

So no similar to an ICE car really, drive quickly and aggressively and you won’t seen the best range.

added another video, can't summarise yet, i'm watching it ...

edit: he did all he could to brick the car, eventually it bricked, near a charger

then he charged with a 2kW charger for 10 mins (around 0.25kW transferred) - and the car came back to life and he just drove it to the charger.

Amusing video running to empty when you have stomach issues!