Howdy all! I have recently partnered with BavSound (formerly Bavarian Soundwerks, or BSW) to do an install of their stage 1 kit into my 04 E46 M3 and in combination with the Avin USA Avant-2 android deck. BavSound offered me a discount when I purchased the kit, in exchange for sharing an honest review of the kit and installation. The installation guide I created in addition to the review, to supplement their provided install guide Whenever I do a review, I always try to supply as much measurable data as possible, but with an install like this it is much harder to do. Without some form of controlled audio environment or testing equipment, it comes down to anecdotal opinion. All of that said, what was it to test this system after installation: WOW! Absolutely blown away. Suddenly an entirely different aural experience! Now all of that said, the HK system in my car was in excellent shape with the speakers working well, not abused and sound "good". Highly subjective I know, but it sounded good.. not great, not bad and was just there. Installation: The installation of the S1 kit went flawlessly, and I have to applaud BavSound for making it so simple. For all of the folks asking about doing speaker upgrades and the trouble making custom frames or otherwise mounting the speakers; DON'T. The BavSound kit drops right into place without having to change a single thing. The supplied installation guide from BavSound is quite good, though I created my own as well to share, showing a few notable differences in my car. In addition, I included guidance for sound matting installation. Sound: How do I explain this other than WOW. I am thoroughly impressed in how suddenly the sound system is alive. The upgrade gives me fresh insight to music I listen to all the time, from Queen to Macklemore to Carmina Burana. On a number of tracks I am hearing instruments much more clearly and cleanly and even background vocals I didn't identify before. In addition and in comparison to the prior HK speakers, I have substantially more mid range and bass than before. Noticeably so. I am not looking for bass thump you can hear four blocks away, but good solid full range sound and I have it. I even noticed with some Macklemore tracks last night, I could see my back glass bounce slightly when the top was up! THAT is new! Overall I am thoroughly impressed and of all the changes I have made to my M3 thus far, I feel like this one has the best return on investment already. The system is not cheap, but I feel even now not long after the install that it is absolutely worth it. Sound matting: I also bought the sound matting kit from them as I thought I would include that while the car is torn apart. Obviously there are a thousand ways and products to do sound dampening, but chose their kit to have it on hand. Installation was simple and overall added very little weight. In either a combination of matting with the new speakers, or because of the matting I have noticed a difference. Even with the top and windows down, the sound is cleaner and more audible and lower volume levels. For me again it was absolutely worth it. Conclusion: Absolutely worth it, without hesitation. The install was easy and the quality is fantastic. I was able to test Bohemian Rhapsody in my car yesterday (top and windows up), and then immediately after in a coworkers brand new 2015 328d with Harman Kardon system. Much to their visible irritation we agreed my system sounded better. I am absolutely going to install their stage 2 kit with the sub and amp upgrade as soon as I can! Questions let me know.. The install DIY is linked here: (I will link my Onedrive share for the file ASAP)
Great write up and review for those speakers I know quite a few people were asking if it was worth the money.
