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      11-22-2012, 10:23 AM   #23
Bill B.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stefan View Post
Remember it's not JUST xenon's.. that's trivial as you can add HID's to any car for about $55 for a quality kit. Putting them into your stock housings (e.g., the base X1's) is unethical though and you'll piss everyone off.
Unethical, piss everyone off, and actually in most cases, technically illegal. Putting those cheap HID lamp kits into a reflector housing isn't a DOT approved application. In states with strict inspections or eager DMV/police, they may cause problems for you.
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      11-22-2012, 12:29 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by dmegeath View Post
I use Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' on CD as my standard - I took the CD to the dealer and sat in an X1 with the generic audio - and I was satisfied (am not an audiophile). Suggest you try the same thing with a mix of music of your choice.
Yes, a mix of different music is what I recommend.

I use not because of the musical quality, but because of unique properties:

Mike Oldfield, "Blue Saloon" from Tubular Bells II. There is a walking high-pitched treble that bad stereos just kill by not keeping the volume consistent across the treble range. It also bounces between right and left, but the volume should be consistent.

Alan Parsons Project, "The Raven" from Tales...Poe. Very deep bass and square waveforms makes it actually unplayable on many systems. Like pretty much any system that can't go below 60 Hz, i.e. 90% of everything.

Yes, "Endless Dream 1-3" from Talk. Horrible prog-ballad self-glorification, but the dynamics between loud and quiet is extreme. If the quiet parts are played at a comfortably loud level, the loud parts will rattle the speaker membranes or clip on cheaper systems.

Anything with highhats and timpani is good too. Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra", for example. Any stereo can do pop and radio favorites, but not all stereos do more demanding music well.

Last edited by Grovsnus; 11-22-2012 at 02:11 PM.. Reason: (fixed spill chuckerism)
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      11-22-2012, 12:35 PM   #25
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We have a base X1 without xenons and with stock stereo. The halogen headlights are really some of the best I have seen and I never feel like the lighting is inadequate. I love HIDs but we didn't have time to order one with lighting pack so we didn't get it. Of the two major dealerships in Seattle, none of them had xdrive28i coming in with minimal options but including lighting pack so we took one of the lot without it. As others have said, the base stereo is surprisingly good. It can be quite bass-y if you want that but it has good tone. It doesn't handle really really loud volume levels like my enhanced premium sound on my M3 but otherwise it sounds better at normal volumes.
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      11-22-2012, 12:36 PM   #26
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I have both the xenons and the HK in my X1. IMO, the adaptive feature makes the xenons a must. I've been in too many situations (even in the city) without it in a previous vehicle and wish I did have it. I must admit the HK option is a personal choice. My wife's X3 has the standard stereo and she likes it just fine. I like the HK in my X1 as it sounds clearer and brighter. I don't get hung up on the technicalities of one system versus the other.
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      11-22-2012, 02:02 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RocGuy View Post
I actually think about this! As someone that's driven a small car for 10 years (mostly a Mini, currently a Fiat) I'm constantly blinded by SUV/Truck headlights. Not a fan. Lol

But I do live 20 miles outside of the city here and do a fair amount of driving on some country roads getting in and out of town. So based on what most people have said I'm leaning towards getting the light package.

Still torn about the radio. Most are saying no. But I DO listen to music constantly while in the car. And I'm in the car a lot. 15,000 miles in my current car that I got in March...

Then i would go with the Xenon and as far as the radio.. it isn't bad at all. but still an option for you, for me personally to pay extra for that didn't make sense. hehe i just crank the volume a little bit more (plus inside the car is super quiet)... and sing on top of my lungs .. bhahahaha.... ....
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      11-22-2012, 02:09 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by M3tallicar View Post
I think it has more to do with the height and alignment of any headlamp, I find myself blinded by halogen headlights that are improperly aimed all the time, especially on high trucks/SUVs. A correctly aimed xenon won't dazzle others and in my experience illuminates better, I think it's worth it esp with adaptive
i see... thanks for educating me on that...i didn't know .... . its just that whenever i am in front of a car that has one.. it bothers me a lot.....(they're the bullies when it comes to cars.. hehehehe ).... especially if it's coming up a hill and you see this bright ass light.. hehehe ... it is good for the person driving with the xenon but not for the ones who's car's are weird and old model and add the bad weather stuff to it... worse.. you're driving and the person opposite of you is drunk....
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      11-25-2012, 01:12 PM   #29
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If your budget allows I highly recommend the Xenons and upgraded sound system.

If you don't have Xenons now you wouldn't miss them as much not having them with the X1. One of our cars has Xenons and the other doesn't and I find it so much harder to see when driving the vehicle without. Everything is so much brighter with Xenons. However, this can be a relative enhancement; if you don't know what you're missing you probably wont miss it.

The upgraded sound system sound is as good as I've ever heard in a smaller vehicle. Deep bass, nice mid ranges and treble. If you love music you'll love this. Again, if you dont appreciate the better sound then it's not worth the money.
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      11-25-2012, 01:26 PM   #30
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I'm getting both. I can't go back to non-Xenons.

I do plan on disconnecting the center channel speaker on the H/K audio.
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      11-25-2012, 03:14 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nospam View Post
I do plan on disconnecting the center channel speaker on the H/K audio.
Don't. Disconnecting the center speaker is just going to make things worse; it won't turn your system into a stereo system.

When the surround module detects that the audio is the same on both front channels and in phase, it sends it to the center channel and attenuates the left and right speaker signals to compensate. However, if you disconnect the speaker, it doesn't stop it from doing this - there is no speaker detection that feeds information back to the decoder to make it send the sound to the left/right speakers instead.
The net result is that any sound that's normally in the middle will be strongly attenuated, much like "karaoke mode" on cheap boom boxes.

You need to disable the surround decoder (in the iDrive if it lets you, otherwise through surgery beyond just disconnecting a speaker). Leaving the speaker connected is fine, as long as no sound goes to it.
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      11-25-2012, 04:48 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovsnus View Post
You need to disable the surround decoder (in the iDrive if it lets you, otherwise through surgery beyond just disconnecting a speaker). Leaving the speaker connected is fine, as long as no sound goes to it.
This should probably do it:
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      11-25-2012, 07:53 PM   #33
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Base system was more than acceptable for my ears which I figure to be pickier than most- tested with ipod- impressed me on bass heavy tracks (where most disappoint) from Snoop to Primus to Collective Soul to Herb Alpert- I was impressed with the response and clarity at pretty high volumes. Xenons can also be lived without and I'd test them back to back before plunking down the $. I wasn't very impressed with my TLs- they have a cold quality that wasn't pleasing to my eyes. I'm sure BMWs are better but I'm not keen to spend big $ to get. Bottom line- xenons would add to resale (a popular want/look), HK stereo- little to no added value and would only be worth it if you felt stock was totally inadequate.
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      11-25-2012, 08:56 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovsnus View Post
Don't. Disconnecting the center speaker is just going to make things worse; it won't turn your system into a stereo system.

When the surround module detects that the audio is the same on both front channels and in phase, it sends it to the center channel and attenuates the left and right speaker signals to compensate. However, if you disconnect the speaker, it doesn't stop it from doing this - there is no speaker detection that feeds information back to the decoder to make it send the sound to the left/right speakers instead.
The net result is that any sound that's normally in the middle will be strongly attenuated, much like "karaoke mode" on cheap boom boxes.

You need to disable the surround decoder (in the iDrive if it lets you, otherwise through surgery beyond just disconnecting a speaker). Leaving the speaker connected is fine, as long as no sound goes to it.
Take a look at this thread: F30 audio analysis

Thanks for the assist Bill B.
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      11-25-2012, 11:04 PM   #35
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if you live in the city (like LA, NY etcetc) xenon is not needed. IMO
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      11-26-2012, 07:00 AM   #36
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Xenons are a MUST for BMWs. Without them they just look ugly, since you miss the angel eyes.
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      11-26-2012, 11:07 AM   #37
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stick with reg.radio and lights nothing wrong with them!
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      11-26-2012, 01:54 PM   #38
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Another advantage of the xenons is the high beams. They pretty much turn night into day.

Every time I think of the shutter mechanism of the Xenons, I think of Cyclops from X-Men, where removing the shutter unleashes a destructive optic beam of fiery, laser-like destruction.

Use them wisely.
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      11-27-2012, 08:47 PM   #39
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Hmm, you all have me thinking about the lighting package (my X1 is still on order). I do live in a very dark rural area. Deer are a serious hazard. Hmmm...
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      03-05-2013, 08:14 PM   #40
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the regular stereo is amazing for a base stereo. if you told someone it was the upgraded speakers, they'd def believe you. theyre much better than in any car ive owned (including an 2007 a4 with bose speakers).

the xenons depend more on where you live. if you're in an area w/o street lights, i'd highly recommend them. for me in NYC, they're largely aesthetic. during the daytime the LED rings look very nice as well. the xenons themselves are excellent however, theyre brighter than the audi a5 i used to own (and audis are all about headlight tech). the adaptive feature is also very cool
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      03-06-2013, 07:30 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ddark13 View Post
the xenons depend more on where you live. if you're in an area w/o street lights, i'd highly recommend them.
Counter-intuitively, I'd say it's the other way around.
When you drive outside city light pollution, your eyes adjust quite remarkably to the dark. Then comes someone with cold xenon lights and blinds you for 30 seconds without even using the high beams. Also, when alone on a dark road you have a much harder time seeing anything outside your cone of light.
Hard xenon lights are good for twilight and light polluted areas, because they win the war with all the ambient light sources. But for dark roads with very few cars, a much warmer incandescent with a bigger spread works better. There's nothing it needs to be brighter than - it just needs to illuminate as much as possible without blinding you or decreasing your night vision.

A Citroen with yellow headlights is the best car I've had for night time driving outside cities and their surroundings. Not because the lights were super-bright, but because they weren't.
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      03-06-2013, 08:29 AM   #42
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Go xenons!
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      03-06-2013, 10:01 AM   #43
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So many variables with lights... I read studies (yes I'm that bored) about whether or not xenon help. Variables include everything from the amount of moonlight, light polution, type of weather, over head street light types, oncoming car lights, and the biggest factor was each persons own eyes. In short there's no better for everyone or every situation.

For some people with night vision issues (older or just not the best genes) xenon was better in most situations as their eyes dilated faster after seeing a bright xenon light than with bright halogen. One of the biggest pro's for xenon is by having a more pure white colored light, it allows for both cones and rods to be used where the more yellow the light limits the usefulness of cones and in some people this makes a big difference.

One study also went in to measure how far to the sides of a car the xenons lit up and the good news is BMW's actually cast a wider beam than other manufacturers which helps for kids, balls or pets running infront of the car at the last moment from the sides and seeing things slightly earlier (though they mentioned response time of the pedal on the brake per person made a bigger difference than the type of xenon width, but all xenons were better than halogen beam angles.

One personal thing I liked the most about xenon light package is the adaptive light feature. It makes a huge difference to illuminate the direction you're turning if you're driving around neighborhood streets or to help spot pot holes when going around corners much better.
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