Harmon Kardon sound system speaker button?

[Dave1027]

This car has a button with a picture of a speaker on it right next to the DSC override switch. It does change the sound somewhat. What exactly is it doing? What is this button for?

[johnrando]

I don't have that speaker button on my HK, but everything I've read people equate it to a "loudness" button. So, it doesn't do much but again, that's not first hand.

[Tnhl1989]

Pretty much is makes your system sound like a surround sound rather than hearing it from four corners. It is a pretty impressive thing I would say. It's only on the HK system

[zj96sc]

To me it elevates the sound stage - i'm not sure if it does it by putting a light delay on the closer speakers or what, but I think it moves the effective acoustic center closer to your head area.

Could be pure speculation but I had an old alpine deck that allowed manual selections for delay of each channel to move the acoustic center and the resultant effect sounded pretty similar to what that button does.

[danewilson77]

I like my sound better with the button de-selected.

[Avetiso]

It's called frequency manipulation. It's the same basic idea as "surround sound" headphones. By making small variations to the frequencies, it makes it seem as if the speakers and the sound are right next to your ear (or when you are gaming in headphones, it emulates sound coming from directions, like behind you, or to the left of you) instead of coming from the speakers. To many this sounds like increased sound stage, but sound is a personal preference. To me it makes my music sound hollow. I leave it off.

[Vas]

Techno music and trance can sound hollow ? Lol

[nike001]

I like my sound better with the button de-selected.:blink

[UdubBadger]

Sounds to me like it's just putting more power into the front speakers - especially the tweeters.

[Avetiso]

Techno music and trance can sound hollow ? Lol
Yeah. Basically just leaves the high hats and obscures the mids and bass.

[Crickett]

Huh; I've always wondered exactly what was changed / manipulated with that button. I know a lot of guys really dislike the "on" mode, but without doing a lot of manual tweaking (b/c I don't really know what I'm doing), I like the sound better with it on.

[Stewbie]

I generally turn off surround modes on home audio equipment. They just sound echoey. But I've actually come to like the sound with the HK button on. I find it centers the vocal frequencies around the driver, so it sounds like the singer is in my head.

[UdubBadger]

I generally turn off surround modes on home audio equipment. They just sound echoey. But I've actually come to like the sound with the HK button on. I find it centers the vocal frequencies around the driver, so it sounds like the singer is in my head.

exactly

[Johnmadd]

I like it on, but when I first got the car I liked it off. You can get a more distinct bass sound with it off but its actually the same amount. For those that don't use it try it for a couple days to a week without turning it off, this is what I did and now it stays on in my car.

[Dave_B]

I'm so glad I saw this thread. I too was wondering what this speaker button was for.

I'm sorta with DW currently, I like it when this is off. With it on, the highs and mids don't sound right to my ear.

[danewilson77]

I'm so glad I saw this thread. I too was wondering what this speaker button was for.

I'm sorta with DW currently, I like it when this is off. With it on, the highs and mids don't sound right to my ear.

Werd. That's my boy right there, I'm not nutso.

[Hermes]

was just thinking... if you have a Dynavin does this button work anymore?

[Dave_B]

Werd. That's my boy right there, I'm not nutso.

Sounds "fuller" if you will. With it on, it sounds louder but loses quality.

Or maybe just my mind playing tricks on me...

[billyjack]

To me it sounds like a combination of eq and time alignment. It definitely raises the sound stage but it also narrows it. I think 3 way systems always need correction to sound decent so I leave it on. Its not perfect but it'll do until I decide to replace everything :)

[Fender215]

Has anyone upgraded the stock Head Unit (leaving the speakers/subs as is) that can recommend some good units? The stock Harmon Kardon system leaves a lot to be desired especially if you've ever heard Nakamichi or Mark Levinson's in a Lexus.

[Gordo_GT]

In my tests:

Button off = only output from front speakers
Button on = output from all speakers

[Go Horns!]

Has anyone upgraded the stock Head Unit (leaving the speakers/subs as is) that can recommend some good units? The stock Harmon Kardon system leaves a lot to be desired especially if you've ever heard Nakamichi or Mark Levinson's in a Lexus.

I did everything, but if you are going to go aftermarket on the headunit, get BMW part # 65900410495. It is a bmw bracket and plastics for aftermarket units. Pics here: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?6324-Stereo-installed-finally

[spoonerDee]

I found this button when I first bought my car a few years ago. Pushed it the first day I had the car, its been on ever since. I only found one CD that it didn't sound good on.

Also, my stereo is barely ever above a whisper so it doesn't make much of a difference.

[zhp43867]

In my experience, it will sound good or not based on your other tone settings. Deviating from totally flat (bass, treble or fader) at all will change how it effects the system. At all speakers flat, I like the button. Bu for HK the way I had it setup I preferred fader to the front 2-3 clicks- which gives a touch more stage- at which point the button made voices and such sound hollow.

[Gordo_GT]

After listening to good quality headphones and listening the HK system, it makes the HK system sound like shit.

My personal preference is to have the button off. The sound is more true and natural. With the button on you hear all these extra noises and echo sounds that muddle the sound.

I keep my bass and treble at the medium (default) setting, fade is 2 notches biased to the rear and the balance is 1 notch biased to the right to get a more centered soundstage. Since my music is coming from my iPhone, I am using the OEM jack with a gain of 1 to have the clearest sound possible.

This is the only way that I have found to get decent sound out of my car.

[RITmusic2k]

To my ear, it sounds like they're applying a comb filter to the output signal. It's the same technique used to create "stereo spreader" effects in mono source material. In essence it slices up the frequency spectrum into regular intervals, and then alternately pans each slice a little bit to the left and the right (i.e., 100-500Hz: left, 500-1kHz: right, 1kHz-5kHz: left, and so on). It is technically a distortion of the source material as originally presented, but it can give a nice impression of greater breadth in the sound stage when not overdone. Personally, I prefer it activated.

[Jlastor]

Is it working through the HK amp or the headunit?

Someone asked if you changed the headunit for a Dynavin what would happen...

[Tnhl1989]

No because the button is tied into the HK amp itself. So as long as you have the HK amp it would still work regardless of whatever head unit that is in the car.

[zhp43867]

No because the button is tied into the HK amp itself. So as long as you have the HK amp it would still work regardless of whatever head unit that is in the car.

This. It still works with an aftermarket head unit. Once you replace the stock amplifier, the effect is gone.

By the way, an aftermarket head unit may increase sound quality a tad (especially if it has its own effects/processing engine) but not by that much. The head unit is not the problem in the stock system.

[WOLFN8TR]

The button activates the HK "Spatializer" signal processing that changes the sound stage of the audio system; instead of sounding like is coming from the fixed speaker locations of the car, this processing takes the sound and "move" it to the center of the car, creating this "space" between the listener and the source.

:praise

[billyjack]

The button activates the HK "Spatializer" signal processing that changes the sound stage of the audio system; instead of sounding like is coming from the fixed speaker locations of the car, this processing takes the sound and "move" it to the center of the car, creating this "space" between the listener and the source.

:praise

I think that's what I said :biggrin