Another satisfied Bavsound Ghost Subwoofer owner

[Hujan]

Originally Posted by Amirsm3

I'm peanut butter and jealous

It's all good, homie. I am short and bald. It all evens out.

[Amirsm3]

Originally Posted by Hujan

It's all good, homie. I am short and bald. It all evens out.

[BPMSport]

Absolutely love my BSW Stage I system and ghost subs. Was so impressed that we started carrying their whole line. Will not distort!

[lve2xlr8]

I just placed an order because of this post. Can't wait and thank you!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

Absolutely love my BSW Stage I system and ghost subs. Was so impressed that we started carrying their whole line. Will not distort!

Yeah, I noticed that even when I crank the bass control to max, they still sound great. Just a testament to the engineering and that EPS isn't so bad after all.

[ijnoj09]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

Absolutely love my BSW Stage I system and ghost subs. Was so impressed that we started carrying their whole line. Will not distort!

Did you see a huge improvement over the EPS with the Stage I system?

[BPMSport]

Originally Posted by ijnoj09

Did you see a huge improvement over the EPS with the Stage I system?

Definitely has much clearer highs, much more punch down low, and better mid too. Very happy with it.

[E90M3velocity]

Bump. How's the ghost subs working for you guys? Unfortunately I changed all the speakers at once so I can't really compare the stocks and the ghosts probably. It hasn't really broken in yet, but so far the bass on the stock subs is more noticable than the ghosts imo. The ghosts I can feel it through my seat though haha.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by E90M3velocity

Bump. How's the ghost subs working for you guys? Unfortunately I changed all the speakers at once so I can't really compare the stocks and the ghosts probably. It hasn't really broken in yet, but so far the bass on the stock subs is more noticable than the ghosts imo. The ghosts I can feel it through my seat though haha.

I'm still very happy with them. The stock subs are a bit muddy and just don't have the quick response that the Ghost subs do. One huge gripe I had with the stock ones was the very inconsistent output at different volume levels, which is the sign of a crap speaker, IMO. I know that the DIRAC processing is partially to blame for that, but I shouldn't have to cause hearing damage to hear the bass.

[E90M3velocity]

Originally Posted by dparm

I'm still very happy with them. The stock subs are a bit muddy and just don't have the quick response that the Ghost subs do. One huge gripe I had with the stock ones was the very inconsistent output at different volume levels, which is the sign of a crap speaker, IMO. I know that the DIRAC processing is partially to blame for that, but I shouldn't have to cause hearing damage to hear the bass.

That's good to know. I have Hi Fi so probably can't fine tune it like some of you guys. I just have to keep driving to break them in... which shouldn't be a problem haha

[8600RPM]

Originally Posted by dparm

I'm still very happy with them. The stock subs are a bit muddy and just don't have the quick response that the Ghost subs do. One huge gripe I had with the stock ones was the very inconsistent output at different volume levels, which is the sign of a crap speaker, IMO. I know that the DIRAC processing is partially to blame for that, but I shouldn't have to cause hearing damage to hear the bass.

Eps has the most high end Speakers available anywhere. They are eton carbon Kevlar Speakers, including the woofers under the seat. They are extremely rigid but at same time doesn't resonate like rigid metal but much stiffer than fabric.

They simply aren't made to give a lot of deeper bass but they are extremely accurate , fast responding Crystal clear sound.

They are so clear that the downside is they pick up inconsistencies in different sources or types of recordings. So actually what you are describing is a sign of a very precise speaker.

I amped jehnerts.and eton b150. For under seats. I tried ghosts stock and amped and they simply are way inferior to other options out there as long as you'll take 45 minutes to add an extra small amp for them.

The stock woofers aren't deep enough to play as low even though they are amazing mid woofers. That's why I ended up going with jehnerts and etons. ( I used eton for 5 months and now trying jehnerts. Bothered equally good)

[dparm]

[QUOTE=8600RPM;20119441]Eps has the most high end Speakers available anywhere. They are eton carbon Kevlar Speakers, including the woofers under the seat. They are extremely rigid but at same time doesn't resonate like rigid metal but much stiffer than fabric.

They simply aren't made to give a lot of deeper bass but they are extremely accurate , fast responding Crystal clear sound.

They are so clear that the downside is they pick up inconsistencies in different sources or types of recordings. So actually what you are describing is a sign of a very precise speaker.


I've never heard that they were Etons. How did you learn this?

[Amirsm3]

My passenger side sub blew :| Good times.

[E90M3velocity]

Originally Posted by Amirsm3

My passenger side sub blew :| Good times.

Did you get a new one under warranty?

[Amirsm3]

Originally Posted by E90M3velocity

Did you get a new one under warranty?

I did! Joao was super helpful and I'll have my replacement Monday

[Matti123]

Originally Posted by dparm

Now that my M3 is out of winter storage, I could finally install the Bavsound Ghost Subwoofers!


Why?

Disclaimer: sound is highly subjective so this is MY OPINION. Your mileage may vary, and your expectations may vary. I will try to share my perspective on audio and my background so you can see if your goals are similar to mine.

First and foremost, I think the factory EPS setup isn't that bad when you put it in perspective. Compared to some of the other "upgraded" stereos in competitor cars, I prefer the sound of the EPS. The Audi S4 B&O system is okay, but it doesn't give you much control over EQ and processing. The Lexus IS F Mark Levinson system is incredible but costs a lot more and is controlled with a clunky interface.

I had been using Malek's EQ settings as posted here. I prefer a flatter sound, which I feel his settings provide. At home, my computer has JBL Professional monitors and the matching subwoofer, so I am very used to a flat response. The only thing truly missing from the EPS system, no matter how I adjusted it, was proper bass response. To be more specific, it's not that the factory system wasn't hitting low enough, but rather, it lacked the clarity and tighter punch that I prefer. Turning up the bass control or bumping the lower EQ bands up tended to muddy things up.

However, I was worried that Malek's settings would no longer be valid with the Ghost subs. I actually emailed Bavsound to find out if they had any recommendations for EQ and other audio settings (their guide only talks about the Logic7/HK config, not EPS). Jeremy got back to me that same day and said that EPS owners can largely use the same recommended configuration as Logic7/HK, but he did suggest tuning to personal preference.

For those curious, Bavsound recommends this as a baseline:

1. Set the "bass" control to 0
2. Disable "surround"
3. Disable EQ/processing on any iPods or other connected devices, and set AUX input volume to the middle
4. Reduce the "treble" control to 0 or even below that
5. Reduce your CURRENT EQ settings as follows:
80Hz / 100Hz +1 click
200Hz -2 clicks
500Hz (none)
1KHz -1 click
2 KHz -4 clicks
5 KHz -4 clicks
10 KHz -1-3 clicks

(I interpreted this as, "you can finally turn up the bass because now you have some!")






Install overview

Installation is fairly straightforward with basic hand tools and basic mechanical knowledge. Although I got their toolkit for free as part of a promo, you will still need a few other items, namely a ratcheting wrench and T50 driver to remove the rails. The other item that will make this job much easier is a small flashlight you can stash under the seat as you work. You will want to have a friend help (explained below)

Although there are no detailed E90 instructions, you can still figure it out by taking a minute to survey things and going slowly. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that E90 installation is a tad easier than E92/E93 since you can easily access the backseat. Why is this important? I will explain further down.

Allow me to share a few tips along with photos that should save future buyers some aggravation:

1. As other buyers mentioned, unbolt the seat brackets and just rock the seats out of the way. This is far easier in the E90 as you can just lean them against the backseat for most of the process:








2. Have a friend help you rock and hold them FORWARD for accessing some of the rear screws. It's easier for the sedan since you can open the rear doors and just reach into the footwell while they stand at the front door to hold the seat.


3. The Torx T15 screws that hold the actual woofers down aren't visible at first glance, so grab the carpet and yank it a bit to get access. There are four total. As I mentioned above, if you have the Bavsound toolkit and some basic hand tools, you can easily get the extensions necessary. Caution: the T15 screws are very soft and due to the awkward placement, it is very easy to strip them. Make sure you have enough leverage to push down and twist your wrenches firmly!





4. Once you remove all of those bolts, the woofer can be wiggled free. There is some slack in the wiring, but you will need a small flathead screwdriver to pop the clip before unplugging:





5. Just reverse the process and that's it! Be sure to test briefly before completely reassembling everything just in case you ordered the wrong ones or the connector isn't fully seated.



For those wondering, I did not use the included gasket material. My car has the EPS/Individual/DIRAC setup and when I compared the stock woofer's gasket to the Bavsound one, they looked the same both in thickness and firmness. A few other posters on here have said they didn't use it either.




Initial impressions

Bavsound says you need up to 10 hours of break-in, so this will just be my opinion on the first hour or so of usage. If the sound changes considerably over the next few weeks, I'll be sure to report back. Next time I have a long drive, I might try some of my movie soundtracks or other genres

For the first 30 or so minutes, I left my audio settings exactly the same (Malek's, as posted above) and listened to some of my favorite tracks on my iPod. These were all songs that I have listened to countless times and could utilize to identify deficiencies in speakers or configurations. For the nerds out there, they're 16/48 lossless with wide dynamic range whenever available. This is how I do the bulk of my listening.

I did try Bavsound's recommendations too, and commented on that below.


Alternative/rock
As I am a predominantly alternative and rock listener, I queued up some of my favorites from Pearl Jam, Linkin Park, Staind, Van Halen, and Scorpions. I wouldn't classify rock as an inherently "bassy" genre, but I have always felt that inadequate or inaccurate bass really ruins the listening experience since it sounds like they forgot a bass drum during recording. Although the EPS system has bass, it just isn't terribly accurate so you can't really pick out that bass drum. Another symptom of poor bass in rock playback seems to be poorly defined bass guitar notes.

Scorpions' "Big City Nights" really had a new punchiness to it, something that was missing before (dare I say it was "tinny" before?). Pearl Jam's "Why Go" finally had a bass track that did just sound like the same note played over and over. Pretty much every track from Linkin Park's self-titled album didn't hit any deeper than before, but the accuracy of faster sections was definitely improved.

I feel that the Bavsound recommended configuration is slightly better suited to this style of music, but Malek's configuration was still excellent if you don't want to be fiddling with it all the time.


Electronic
A genre I listen to occasionally, and one that I think really exposes flaws in audio setups, is electronic (house, glitch, EDM, or whatever subgenre you want to pick). Not only does this genre really reach deep for woofer excursion, but the bass hits can be very fast. A weak system will cause the faster sections to blend together and get washed out, and those deep hits just won't have the "wow" factor you want. You know when you walk past a bar or club and the bass is just overpowering everything? That's the sound I hate.

Krewella's "Alive", despite having a poor dynamic range in the original recording, transitions from soft to loud several times and has a strong bass line during those busy parts -- it's quite demanding on woofers. With the factory subs, those fast sections sounded really bad: not very dynamic and fatiguing at times. With the Bavsound Ghost Subwoofers, they finally hit like I was used to on my home setup. You could really feel the seats rumbling on each bass hit, something I had never experienced with the original subwoofers!

Avicii's "Edom", the closing track on the album True, is purely instrumental and has a deep and subtle, but complex, bass line. Whereas Krewella's "Alive" tended to be more in-your-face with the bass, this track is quite the opposite. The factory subs really made this song sound bizarre, as if they were simply unable to produce certain frequencies (poor crossovers?) or something. Now that the Ghost Subwoofers were in place, new bass detail was immediately apparent. The sections that I thought were quieter before were actually revealed to have a subtle bass track.

Lastly, I turned to an old Tiesto album, Just Be. I played the "Traffic" track purely because I love the unique bass line it has. The bass varies in intensity and speed...so could the Ghost Subwoofers keep up? The answer is a resounding yes. As the bass intensity ramped up, the sub response ramped up smoothly. The EPS subs struggled with this, again acting like their frequency response was not linear or they had crossover problems.

For this genre, I would stick with Malek's configuration. It's a bit more fun since the seats will actually shake, and you'll really make the amps use all of their juice.



Final thoughts

I am always skeptical of anything that claims to be an "OEM replacement" or "direct fit" or that "drops right in", but Bavsound Ghost Subwoofers really are all three of those things.

The Ghost Subwoofers take the existing EPS setup that extra bit further and turn it into the system it should've been when it left the factory. Why BMW decided to fit those mediocre subs into an otherwise decent system is beyond me. Hell, I would've paid a few hundred bucks more for something like the Ghost Subwoofers to be factory equipment.

I'm satisfied with my purchase. If you're on the fence, just buy them and know that you can use the no-questions-asked return policy.



PS, here is a comparison of the factory units to the Ghost Subwoofers:

This hurts me really. The placebo effect is HUGE here, just like the price tag of bavsound subwoofers.
"...Bmw decided to fit these mediocre subs..."
You have no idea what you are talking about and the downgrade you just did. Individual audio subwoofers are bang & olufsen designed subwoofers made by lear and lpg. Yes bang & olufsen, the same thats on F chassis cars. First of all individual audio subwoofer and b&o subwoofers are the only ones on the market with 3inch voice coil. All the rest are equipped with 2inch voice coil, even the new bowers & wilkins. Individual audio subwoofer is a lot heavier, it has better magnet and more solid construction than bavsound subwoofer. Only thing you experience is bavsounds upper bass because they don't go low at all. The individual audio ones did. They play play beautifully thourgh the whole range, down to even 18hz. Bavsound ones do not. They only have some upper bass, which you might experience as better punchiness. Really dissappointting what you have done. Downgrade in definition