2012 M5 Uses BMW Active Sound Design To Enhance Cabin Sound

[raduslaf]

who in the world needs that shit?just make the exhaust sound better and what the driver could hear from outside the car would be pretty much enough

[Drivaar]

Apparently the new M5's cabin speakers add engine noises...

I would have to hear it to see whether it helps or is just really fake... Obviously the idea sounds pretty fake...

But engineering-wise, it seems like a great way to build a very quiet cabin when you want quiet, and to allow engine noise to come in nicely when you don't want the quiet.

Thoughts?

[Quasimodem]

Great idea. Not fake any more than putting exhaust mods on which do nothing for performance other than change the "note".

Basically "note" is all about ego. People think that if a car sounds like a fast car, it must be. So hearing the "note" we associate with race cars reinforces our illusion of self importance and power, hence all the money spent on exhaust mods and whatnot.

Now, if they can only add a button that says "ego boost" for turning up the volume of the stereo engine sounds when we are feeling a bit down.

And if we are feeling happy and successful, we can turn off "ego boost", relax a bit, and leave our competitive impulses at the workplace where they belong.

[jphughan]

I think it's very fake because the engine sound is being generated by a DSP, not by a tube running from the engine to the cabin as in previous models. I would have been much happier if sound "management" had been accomplished by using more pipes to the cabin to get a higher maximum volume and then closing some of them off when a quieter ride was desired.

I guess the sound of the exhaust from the previous NA V10 just couldn't be matched by a V8 with turbos blocking the flow. Still, given that the engine is made louder in sportier modes, I wonder what happens when you drop your passengers off and then take off -- is the sound they'd hear from outside a lot quieter? Or what happens when you roll the windows down?

[CombatNinja]

Electronic overkill taken to the extreme.
It will be cool when these cars are 6 years old and the system develops a glitch or two and the system will pipe in maximum attack mode when pulling out of a parking spot. My current BMW will be the last I buy, future models will be leased because the cars just look like an impossible proposition out of warranty with all of the electronics.

[mike3000fl]

i would like to see something like active noise cancellation instead.

pump in sound 180 degrees out of phase, to cancel out unwanted background noise.

used in high end headphones and headsets for pilots etc.

[Sedan_Clan]

Guys remember, this tech is "in addition to", NOT "in replacement of". It is an enhancement! BMW have always gone to great lengths to emphasize engine sound within the cabin, it just happens to utilize the engine management and the speakers this time around. This article may be making a mountain out of a molehill. Reserve judgment until you drive the car.

[Magic-Man]

Dumb

[tofu-]

smart business move

purists usually don't buy m5's. their target market will most likely see this addition as "cool" and not even realize it is just speakers reproducing the sound.

besides, can't you just turn it off? what's the big deal?

[tres]

Originally Posted by mike3000fl

i would like to see something like active noise cancellation instead.

pump in sound 180 degrees out of phase, to cancel out unwanted background noise.

used in high end headphones and headsets for pilots etc.

acura has noise cancellation in their cars you can check out leith acura and test drive one.

[messi]

so what happens when the radio is on?

[spiike32]

I wonder if they will also program in a bov sound. Then M5 owners can crank it up and pretend they have a bov.


... basically I think this is lame. My old acura TL-S had active noise cancelling, and that was actually pretty nice. I couldn't hear any of construction noise as I drove past which was nice.

[Bmwguy11]

Originally Posted by spiike32

I wonder if they will also program in a bov sound. Then M5 owners can crank it up and pretend they have a turbo.

The new M5 does have a turbo...

[Blindside_137]

Originally Posted by Bmwguy11

The new M5 does have a turbo...

[mike-y]

pffft.. I can do the same exact thing with a "SoundRacer" FM adapter in the cigarette lighter. Here's a vid of a VW Golf with the V10 SoundRacer.

[messi]

man that sounds awful!!!

[CombatNinja]

Originally Posted by Bmwguy11

The new M5 does have a turbo...

But it doesn't have a BOV. No car with a MAF will be happy running with boost vented to the atmosphere. No modern turbo car has a BOV from the factory.

[IS3andME]

Originally Posted by shenglin

Lolz, dude, try staying in a country with 32 degrees Celsius Summer all day, everyday.

I rather stay comfortable with the aircon blasting in my face. Only at night will I enjoy "the good shit" with the windows down.

Anyways, I was just giving the M Engineers some credit for their hard work. It's really amazing when fan boys just love to complain all day but not realize how hard it is to design a car for majority to love.

Gosh..

I'm from Maryland, and trust me, it was like that this Summer (if not hotter)...
but that is not an excuse for fakery....no matter how you put it. You don't need the audio to hear the engine (excuse me, enhancement). Does Mercedes need it for it's TT5.5 V8's? Or does Audi, or does Bentley, or Maserati? No they don't...what BMW should have done was get rid of that farting sound...it's been eating some bad Mexican food.

There is nothing like blasting down a road on a summer night with the windows downs and giving the car gas and hearing that exhaust note...whether it be a 61 Ford Thunderbird, a 65 Impala SS,E60 M5, or a e39 M5 with Meistershaft exhaust...


I think Lil Kim said it best for this thread:
"No time for fake ones
Just sip some crystal with these real ones"

[riverol]

For decades, I loved the cars from Bavarian Motor Works, but recently I have feared that BMW now stands for Bavarian Marketing Works and I grow sadder with each confirmation.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by CombatNinja

But it doesn't have a BOV. No car with a MAF will be happy running with boost vented to the atmosphere. No modern turbo car has a BOV from the factory.

...but that's not what he said. He specifically made a statement about "pretending to have a turbo", and he sounded extremely silly.

[Moo]

If the fake engine sound cannot be turned off, then it is truly one of the most shameful moments in BMW history.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Moo

If the fake engine sound cannot be turned off, then it is truly one of the most shameful moments in BMW history.

It's likely that it will be an option that can be disabled. It may even end up being an option that needs to be purchased or is part of a package (..even better for those who don't want it).

I wonder how many people in this thread will actually have the ability to purchase the car. Hmmmm!!??!