FINALIZED EQ Settings for Enhanced Premium Sound. LOOK INSIDE.

[Malek]

Hey Everyone,

This thread is to help all those who have been wanting ideal EQ settings for there Enhanced Premium audio systems. There has been a lot of speculation on what are the most ideal settings and it's time to address this matter.

Curiosity struck, so I decided to try these settings in my own car to see why some people were complaining, and within the first 30 seconds of listening, I realized why people weren't happy with some of the settings posted in the past.

PencilGeek took the time and liberty to post up some settings in the past, and used his equipment and expertise to generate a flat frequency response. But there was one thing that was alarming to me, and that was his 2K frequency setting, it was at +8. This told me one of a few things, either the positioning of the MIC in the car is not ideal, not intended for car environments or etc. Most of his settings were pretty close to where it should be set, but the most obtrusive and ear piercing frequency in car audio is between 1.7k-2.3k hZ with the most problematic one being right around 2k hZ.

For those wondering if my settings are going to be good enough, reference here. It has been made a sticky, and hopefully a moderator will do it for this thread as well!!

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161120

The Settings I am posting are for an E92 M3 with Enhanced Premium Sound. I will go as far as saying that it is a great sounding audio system, and it should not be criticized so much. If you are looking for a system that will rattle your bones and give you some bump rolling down the street, no factory system will do this for you. The EPS audio system was designed for sound quality (SQ). Having built a couple award winner SQ systems, this stereo system does pretty darn well when setup correctly. Once you guys input the settings, you may come to agree.

EQ Settings: E92 M3, Enhanced Premium Sound:

100 Hz: 0
200 Hz: +1
500 Hz: +3
1k Hz: +4
2k Hz: -1
5k Hz: +3
10k Hz: +3

Bass: +3 (User definable)
Treble: +1 (User Definable)
Fader: 0 (User Definable, based on height and seating position. If you are tall and sit further back, adjust the fader. For reference, I am 6 feet tall, and have the fader set to ZERO)
Balance: 0

Surround Processing: ON (Your choice. I personally like the way the DIRAC processor handles time alignment and imaging, so I left the setting on. Plus, it doesn't have the weird in/out fading issue the Logic7 system had)

S-VOL should be set to 2.

EQ Settings: E90 M3, Enhanced Premium Sound:

100 Hz: 0
200 Hz: +1
500 Hz: +3
1k Hz: +6
2k Hz: 0
5k Hz: +3
10k Hz: +7

Bass: +4 (User definable)
Treble: +5 (User Definable)
Fader: -1 (User Definable, based on height and seating position. If you are tall and sit further back, adjust the fader. For reference, I am 6 feet tall, and have the fader set to ZERO)
Balance: 0

Surround Processing: ON (Your choice. I personally like the way the DIRAC processor handles time alignment and imaging, so I left the setting on. Plus, it doesn't have the weird in/out fading issue the Logic7 system had)

S-VOL should be set to 2.

If you are using your IPOD. Make sure the internal EQ is set to FLAT, or OFF, as well as volume limiter being disabled.

Enjoy!

-Malek

[哇靠~M3]

i will test this on my e92. thanks

[buddster]

Did you use any particular equipment such as an RTA or did you do it by ear?

[toper]

thanks for the settings, will check and compare to pencil's...

[masnmic]

Hi, To be fair. I applied the settings that you posted, And IMAO, I did'nt feel the sharp crisp thump or the the clean vocals and highs as I did with the last setting from Sly335i. Not saying yours is not effective, But it does'nt Drive the system the way I like to hear my music. By the way, I listen to alot of Smooth jazz with A Vocal blend.

[gthal]

Dumb question... is it possible/likely that each E92 M3 would have slight variances in its premium surround system such that if you calibrated another car you would get different results and adustments?

[sly335i]

EQ Settings: E92 M3, Enhanced Premium Sound:

100 Hz: 0
200 Hz: +1
500 Hz: +3
1k Hz: +4
2k Hz: -1
5k Hz: +2
10k Hz: +4



I'll Give them a test, Since you went thru the trouble.
I also would like to know if theres a difference in the Screen on the 2nd Gen Premium Sound System. And if so, can someone post a pic of what it looks like. Someone posted on the other thread that 2nd Gen only has 10+ Db and 10- Db. WHere as the 1st gen has 12+db and 12-. Can someone confirm this.

[sly335i]

Originally Posted by gthal

Dumb question... is it possible/likely that each E92 M3 would have slight variances in its premium surround system such that if you calibrated another car you would get different results and adustments?

HMMmm, It's Not Impossible. That could happen I guess.

[哇靠~M3]

Originally Posted by masnmic

Hi, To be fair. I applied the settings that you posted, And IMAO, I did'nt feel the sharp crisp thump or the the clean vocals and highs as I did with the last setting from Sly335i. Not saying yours is not effective, But it does'nt Drive the system the way I like to hear my music. By the way, I listen to alot of Smooth jazz with A Vocal blend.

didn't really like the sound either. not to sure why. i'm not an sound expert but my ears just weren't pleased. even though I may not understand the frequency of sound, I do know which appeals to my ears more. looks like i will have to continue looking for a good setting.

[Malek]

Originally Posted by gthal

Dumb question... is it possible/likely that each E92 M3 would have slight variances in its premium surround system such that if you calibrated another car you would get different results and adustments?

Possible, but highly unlikely.

[Malek]

Originally Posted by masnmic

Hi, To be fair. I applied the settings that you posted, And IMAO, I did'nt feel the sharp crisp thump or the the clean vocals and highs as I did with the last setting from Sly335i. Not saying yours is not effective, But it does'nt Drive the system the way I like to hear my music. By the way, I listen to alot of Smooth jazz with A Vocal blend.

Like I said in my original post, if the sound is not to your liking, then by all means, tweak it to your liking. Thats why there is the treble and bass settings left for you guys to adjust.

The EQ should remain the way it is, if you desire more crisp highs, turn up the treble. If you want more thump, turn up the bass. Please keep in mind these settings are done with a moderately high volume, so if you are the type that listens to music on a lower volume usually, then you will certainly need to adjust the treble/bass settings.

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by Malekreza11

Like I said in my original post, if the sound is not to your liking, then by all means, tweak it to your liking. Thats why there is the treble and bass settings left for you guys to adjust.

The EQ should remain the way it is, if you desire more crisp highs, turn up the treble. If you want more thump, turn up the bass. Please keep in mind these settings are done with a moderately high volume, so if you are the type that listens to music on a lower volume usually, then you will certainly need to adjust the treble/bass settings.

What is the logic behind only adjusting the bass and treble if the sound is not to their liking? Shouldn't they just be adjusting the EQ as needed to fit their preferences? The bass and treble control is just another EQ band centered at an unknown frequency with an unknown Q. More than likely it is a low Q (wide bandwidth) filter that will affect more than one of the frequencies already adjusted by the EQ settings. Typically, bass and treble controls are centered at 100Hz and 10kHz respectively.

[pilot_bro2003]

Originally Posted by Malekreza11

Hey Everyone,

This thread is to help all those who have been wanting ideal EQ settings for there Enhanced Premium audio systems. There has been a lot of speculation on what are the most ideal settings and it's time to address this matter.

Curiosity struck, so I decided to try these settings in my own car to see why some people were complaining, and within the first 30 seconds of listening, I realized why people weren't happy with some of the settings posted in the past.

PencilGeek took the time and liberty to post up some settings in the past, and used his equipment and expertise to generate a flat frequency response. But there was one thing that was alarming to me, and that was his 2K frequency setting, it was at +8. This told me one of a few things, either the positioning of the MIC in the car is not ideal, not intended for car environments or etc. Most of his settings were pretty close to where it should be set, but the most obtrusive and ear piercing frequency in car audio is between 1.7k-2.3k hZ with the most problematic one being right around 2k hZ.

For those wondering if my settings are going to be good enough, reference here. It has been made a sticky, and hopefully a moderator will do it for this thread as well!!

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161120

The Settings I am posting are for an E92 M3 with Enhanced Premium Sound. I will go as far as saying that it is a great sounding audio system, and it should not be criticized so much. If you are looking for a system that will rattle your bones and give you some bump rolling down the street, no factory system will do this for you. The EPS audio system was designed for sound quality (SQ). Having built a couple award winner SQ systems, this stereo system does pretty darn well when setup correctly. Once you guys input the settings, you may come to agree.

EQ Settings: E92 M3, Enhanced Premium Sound:

100 Hz: 0
200 Hz: +1
500 Hz: +3
1k Hz: +4
2k Hz: -1
5k Hz: +2
10k Hz: +4

Bass: +2 (User definable)
Treble: 0 (User Definable)
Fader: 0 (User Definable, based on height and seating position. If you are tall and sit further back, adjust the fader. For reference, I am 6 feet tall, and have the fader set to ZERO)
Balance: 0

Surround Processing: ON (Your choice. I personally like the way the DIRAC processor handles time alignment and imaging, so I left the setting on. Plus, it doesn't have the weird in/out fading issue the Logic7 system had)

If you are using your IPOD. Make sure the internal EQ is set to FLAT, or OFF, as well as volume limiter being disabled.

Once I get my hands on an E90 M3, I will make the proper adjustments. These settings will work for E90 folks, however, some very minor adjustments may be necessary. If anyone would like to bring me their E90, I would be more than happy to use you as a guinea pig.

Enjoy!

-Malek

Does this work for E93 as there are fewer speakers correct?

[sly335i]

Originally Posted by 808MGuy

What is the logic behind only adjusting the bass and treble if the sound is not to their liking? Shouldn't they just be adjusting the EQ as needed to fit their preferences? The bass and treble control is just another EQ band centered at an unknown frequency with an unknown Q. More than likely it is a low Q (wide bandwidth) filter that will affect more than one of the frequencies already adjusted by the EQ settings. Typically, bass and treble controls are centered at 100Hz and 10kHz respectively.

Very good point. The EQ is a processor. Designed to Mimic true sound Quality. I feel the settings you've posted will not drive the system correctly nor will it shut off the subs, mids and highs @ the right freq. By only adjusting the Bass/ Treble on a un focused sound setting, will only bring in distortion. Although, once Your settings are to your liking, Bass and Treble should be adjusted per song Recording and Qaulity.

[sly335i]

Originally Posted by pilot_bro2003

Does this work for E93 as there are fewer speakers correct?

A well dialed setting should work regardless of the amount of speakers. My 997 Cab sounded good top down or up. All I did was pump up the volume when the top was down.

[pilot_bro2003]

Originally Posted by sly335i

A well dialed setting should work regardless of the amount of speakers. My 997 Cab sounded good top down or up. All I did was pump up the volume when the top was down.

For shizzle! Thanks. I'll give her a go tomorrow.

[disruptv]

Originally Posted by sly335i

EQ Settings: E92 M3, Enhanced Premium Sound:

100 Hz: 0
200 Hz: +1
500 Hz: +3
1k Hz: +4
2k Hz: -1
5k Hz: +2
10k Hz: +4



I'll Give them a test, Since you went thru the trouble.
I also would like to know if theres a difference in the Screen on the 2nd Gen Premium Sound System. And if so, can someone post a pic of what it looks like. Someone posted on the other thread that 2nd Gen only has 10+ Db and 10- Db. WHere as the 1st gen has 12+db and 12-. Can someone confirm this.

Are you sure you have the enhanced premium sound with the silver speaker surround? I have an 09 w/ I drive and like you stated...I only have a ten space adjustement from the middle position

[sly335i]

Originally Posted by disruptv

Are you sure you have the enhanced premium sound with the silver speaker surround? I have an 09 w/ I drive and like you stated...I only have a ten space adjustement from the middle position

I have a 08 M3 with EPP. And It's hard to count But I have 12 dots above and below my middle position on the EQ.

[toper]

tried the OP's eq settings with pencil's balance/bass settings and have found a happy medium for using with surround sound...thanks again to all for sharing these!

[djimenez]

i'll give it a shot

[Malek]

Hey everyone. I have a small update, in which I will post up tomorrow morning.

I had made a small mistake with my test tone CD so the settings above are a bit off. I will revise the original post tomorrow. It sounds much better now.

I apologize in advance!

-Malek

[jchiodo]

Originally Posted by Malekreza11

EQ Settings: E92 M3, Enhanced Premium Sound:

100 Hz: 0
200 Hz: +1
500 Hz: +3
1k Hz: +4
2k Hz: -1
5k Hz: +2
10k Hz: +4

Bass: +2 (User definable)
Treble: 0 (User Definable)
Fader: 0 (User Definable, based on height and seating position. If you are tall and sit further back, adjust the fader. For reference, I am 6 feet tall, and have the fader set to ZERO)
Balance: 0

Used these settings, adjusted treble and bass to personal preference (only slight boost to bass for me). Went on a long drive and the tunes sounded great at higher volumes (Blues and Hard rock), lots of punch and very accurate. My only complaint with the premium sound is at lower volume, the bass totally disappears. If the bass is boosted at lower volume it sounds muddy. I wish there were a loudness setting. Anyway, thanks for the input. I like the settings.