You know this argument. You've seen it play out in every BMW forum thread about audio upgrades.
Half the people swear you need to start with speakers. The other half are absolutely convinced the amp comes first, or you're throwing money away.
Both sides have personal experience backing them up. Both get upvoted. And you're sitting there more confused than when you started.
So what's actually right?
Here's the thing nobody mentions: it depends on which factory system you have. That's it. That's the variable everyone forgets to include when they're giving advice.
Let me explain why this matters and help you avoid an expensive mistake.
Why Everyone's Advice Contradicts Everyone Else's
BMW doesn't install the same audio system in every car. A base system in an F30 is nothing like Harman Kardon in a G80. They're completely different setups that respond to upgrades in completely different ways.
What happens is people upgrade their own car, get certain results, then hand out advice like it's a universal truth. It's not.
Guy with a base system upgrades his amp first, hears a huge difference, tells the internet, "always do amp first." Someone with Harman Kardon upgrades speakers and loves it, insists "speakers first, obviously."
Neither is wrong. They're just talking about different systems and not mentioning that crucial detail.
The Three Different Systems BMW Actually Installs
Base/Entry Audio:
- Weak amp (100-200 watts total if you're lucky)
- Cheap paper cone speakers
- Basically, nothing for sound processing
- You'll find this in base trim models and a lot of older BMWs
HiFi System:
- Slightly less terrible amp than base
- Marginally better speakers
- Still underwhelming across the board
- Mid-trim packages usually get stuck with this
Harman Kardon/Bang & Olufsen:
- Actually decent amplifier with real power behind it
- Speakers that are better than base (but still not great)
- Advanced DSP is doing a lot of heavy lifting
- Premium packages, M cars, higher trims
These three systems react completely differently to upgrades. Which is why the forum advice is all over the place.
If You've Got Base or HiFi: Start With the Amp
Real talk about base and HiFi systems—your amplifier is the problem. Not the only problem, but the main one.
Those factory amps are underpowered, compressed to hell, and processed so heavily they can barely reproduce music cleanly. Doesn't matter how good your speakers are if the amp can't feed them properly.
Here's what happens when you upgrade speakers first:
You drop money on new speakers. Install them. Fire it up. And yeah, it sounds a bit better. Clearer at low volume, maybe. But crank it up, and it still distorts. Bass is still weak. It's not the transformation you were expecting from spending several hundred dollars.
Why? Because that garbage factory amp is strangling your new speakers. They're physically capable of way more than what they're getting fed.
What happens if you do the amp first:
Suddenly, your crappy factory speakers sound way better than they have any right to. More volume without falling apart. Actual bass. Clearer highs. Still not perfect—they're still factory speakers after all—but the difference is obvious immediately.
Then when you add good speakers later, you actually hear what they can do. Clean power changes everything.
Exception to this:
If you never turn your volume past halfway, speakers first might work fine. The amp's limitations won't show themselves at quiet volumes. But most people actually want to use their stereo, so this doesn't really apply.
If You've Got Harman Kardon: Speakers First Makes Sense
Harman Kardon is different. The amp is actually pretty good—decent power, reasonably clean output, not the bottleneck.
The speakers are what's holding it back. Yeah, they're better than base, but they're still mass-produced components with real limitations. Harsh tweeters, muddy midrange, the usual compromises.
Upgrade speakers first with HK:
This is where speaker upgrades actually do what you want them to. The HK amp has enough clean power to drive quality aftermarket speakers the way they're designed to work. You'll hear real improvement—better clarity, smoother response, detail you've never caught before.
Songs you've heard a thousand times sound different. That's what happens when you remove the weak link.
Upgrade the amp first with HK:
You're adding more power to something that already has enough power. Your factory speakers still can't handle it cleanly. You might notice a small difference, but you're not fixing the actual problem.
Not saying it's pointless, just that it's not the highest-impact move for that system.
One warning:
Some people upgrade from HK and end up disappointed. Usually, because they expected some kind of miracle transformation, or they didn't realize HK was already pretty decent for a factory setup. Expectations matter.
Doing Both at Once (If You Can Swing It)
If the budget allows, this is actually the smart move. No compromises, no wondering what you're missing, just the full experience right away.
When you upgrade speakers and amp together, both components can do what they're designed to do. Nothing's being held back. You hear the complete picture.
What it costs:
Speakers run $249-$999, depending on your car and which level you go with
Amp is $1,299
Total: somewhere between $1,548 and $2,298
Not pocket change. But you're getting concert-quality sound in your car. The kind of setup where you start looking for excuses to drive because the music sounds that good.
We offer payment plans because we know not everyone has two grand sitting around for stereo upgrades. Breaking it into chunks makes it doable without waiting months between parts.
Plus, doing both at once means you're done. One install session. No incremental improvements. Just the full transformation, and you move on with your life.
The Budget Question
Say you've got $500-700 right now, and that's what you're working with. What makes sense?
Base or HiFi system: Save up for the amp. Seriously. Speaker upgrades on a weak amp are disappointing enough that you'll probably regret it. Better to wait and do it right.
Harman Kardon: Speakers first is fine. Start with Stage 1 ($249-$499) and you'll get real improvement. Add the amp down the road when you've got more budget.
Don't know which system you have: Figure that out before you spend anything. Check your build sheet, iDrive settings, or just hit us up with your VIN, and we'll tell you.
Where Subwoofers Fit In
This comes up enough that it's worth addressing even though it's a separate topic.
A subwoofer ($649) gives you bass extension that door speakers can't touch, no matter how good they are. Physics won't allow it. But it doesn't fix a weak amp or mediocre speakers handling everything above 80Hz.
Priority order that actually works:
- Amp if you've got base/HiFi, or speakers if you've got HK
- Whatever you didn't do first
- Sub if you want that deep bass you can feel
Jumping straight to a sub while ignoring the amp and speaker situation creates a lopsided system. Big bass, everything else is still mediocre. Some people are fine with that. Most people aren't, once they hear how unbalanced it sounds.
What "Concert Quality" Means
We say our stuff delivers concert-quality sound. Let's be clear about what that means and what it doesn't.
You're not getting a $50,000 custom install with sound deadening everywhere and amps stacked in a fabricated trunk enclosure. That's a whole different universe of money and modification.
What you are getting: components engineered to reproduce music the way it was recorded. Clean highs without the harsh edge. Tight bass with actual control. Midrange that doesn't sound like it's coming through a phone. A soundstage that makes spatial sense.
Concert quality means you can put on a well-recorded album and hear the performance—the space it was recorded in, the details in the mix, the actual dynamics. Not "pretty good for car audio." Actually good audio that happens to be in a car.
But you need the right components working together for that to happen. Which circles back to why the upgrade path matters so much.
Why Forum Advice Is All Over the Map
People rarely mention which system they started with. Someone posts "upgraded speakers first, totally worth it," but forgets to mention they had Harman Kardon. Another person says, "speakers did nothing, amp made all the difference," without saying they had a base system.
You're reading advice from people with completely different starting points and trying to apply it to your situation. No wonder it's confusing.
When someone gives you upgrade advice, ask what system they had. If they don't know or won't say, their advice probably isn't worth following.
Bottom Line
Got base or HiFi → Start with the amp (or save up to do both)
Got Harman Kardon → Start with speakers (amp later for the full experience)
Budget for both → Do both at once and skip the incremental approach entirely
Not sure what you have → Find out before spending money
Not complicated once you know your starting point.
The 100-Day Thing That Matters
We give you 100 days to actually test the upgrade. That's over three months of real driving. Every type of music, every weather condition, road trips, commutes, whatever.
If you're not happy? Send it back. Free return shipping, full refund. We'd rather you return it than keep something you're not thrilled with.
Why does this matter for the amp-versus-speakers decision? Because it removes the risk of guessing wrong.
Try speakers first with your HK system. If it's not enough impact, add the amp within your trial window. Or start with the amp on your base system and add speakers later.
The trial period means you're not locked into a choice based on advice from internet strangers who don't even know what system you have.
Still Stuck?
Contact us at support@bavsound.com with your model and year. We'll tell you what system you've got and what upgrade path makes sense for your car and budget.
We'd rather spend a few minutes pointing you in the right direction than sell you something that won't deliver what you're expecting. Better business that way.
Happy customers come back and tell people. Disappointed ones leave one-star reviews and make everyone's life harder.
Figure out what you have, make the right choice for that system, and ignore the forum arguments. They'll keep going either way.
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