I wouldn't believe a BM24 radio module could sound SO MUCH BETTER...!

scoubix · 15th January 2013, 20:48

Hello all,

As a first upgrade to my beloved 75 "Dealer Launch" V6 Connoisseur which I purchased last week (see this thread for thoughts and pics), I decided today to upgrade the OEM radio module from my hiline sat/nav setup to the BMW BM24 module, which as you all know is a standard plug'n'play replacement.

I had read over here that it would bring massive improvement to the sound quality. To my own astonishment, it is just not better, it completely TRANSFORMS the sound quality of this setup.

The original sound quality was a true disappointment. Given the setup, even without the HK option which I don't have, I would have thought the audio quality to be on par with the overall "premium" feel of the car. But this was not the case. Sound quality felt like I had some 39£ iPod dock in the car, not a HiFi setup. Even cranked to the max bass was seriously lacking, trebles were not sharp and the medium range felt totally absent.

The BM24 module finally gives this car the audio quality it deserves. The basses can be heard with no exaggeration, medium and trebles reappear with sharpness and listening to music is now fully enjoyable, as it should have been from the start. Its overall quality is now above that of my daily other set of wheels (Seat Leon FR), whereas it was initially seriously behind.

So to all those out there who have the hiline sat/nav system and are still relying on the OEM audio module in the boot...do yourself a favor and grab a BMW BM24 module as soon as you can. That is, if you want to listen to music obviously

The BM54 is another candidate but you will need to adapt to its sharp pins while the BM24 uses the same round, 17-pin connector.

As a side-note, I now have an OEM Rover Group audio module for sale, for which I will not be asking much as you can guess

Sidetops · 15th January 2013, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoubix

Hello all,

As a first upgrade to my beloved 75 "Dealer Launch" V6 Connoisseur which I purchased last week (see this thread for thoughts and pics), I decided today to upgrade the OEM radio module from my hiline sat/nav setup to the BMW BM24 module, which as you all know is a standard plug'n'play replacement.

I had read over here that it would bring massive improvement to the sound quality. To my own astonishment, it is just not better, it completely TRANSFORMS the sound quality of this setup.

The original sound quality was a true disappointment. Given the setup, even without the HK option which I don't have, I would have thought the audio quality to be on par with the overall "premium" feel of the car. But this was not the case. Sound quality felt like I had some 39£ iPod dock in the car, not a HiFi setup. Even cranked to the max bass was seriously lacking, trebles were not sharp and the medium range felt totally absent.

The BM24 module finally gives this car the audio quality it deserves. The basses can be heard with no exaggeration, medium and trebles reappear with sharpness and listening to music is now fully enjoyable, as it should have been from the start. Its overall quality is now above that of my daily other set of wheels (Seat Leon FR), whereas it was initially seriously behind.

So to all those out there who have the hiline sat/nav system and are still relying on the OEM audio module in the boot...do yourself a favor and grab a BMW BM24 module as soon as you can. That is, if you want to listen to music obviously

The BM54 is another candidate but you will need to adapt to its sharp pins while the BM24 uses the same round, 17-pin connector.

As a side-note, I now have an OEM Rover Group audio module for sale, for which I will not be asking much as you can guess

Very interesting. Very disappointed with mine also. Please can you explain or send a link towards what it is, and where I should fit it.
Thanks

scoubix · 15th January 2013, 21:32

Hi Simon,

Sure thing. As you may know the hiline colour GPS/TV system is made of BMW parts (identical to those fitted on the E46 3 series). There are essentially four (five if you include the 6-CD changer in the glovebox) : the screen/control unit in your dashboard (this one has no intelligence whatsoever and is just an interface to the features handled by the other modules), the GPS computer/CD drive (in the right part of your boot space, above the wheel arch), the video/TV tuner module and the radio/amplifier module. Those last 2 modules are under the rug in your boot, in front of your spare wheel, hidden under a black piece of plastic. TV module is on the left, radio module is on the right.

The radio/amplifier does what is name suggests : radio tuning and sound amplifier (though cars fitted with the Harmann Kardon option have their own amplifier). The original module that Rover decided to use is obviously a very low-end one. Its amplifier portion is a shame, sound-quality wise, as already outlined.

The beauty of this system is its modularity : you can pretty much upgrade each part while keeping the others (there are limitations though, but this forum has lots of information on it). The BMW BM24 tuner is a direct replacement for the OEM Rover module : same footprint, same connectivity, just remove the old one and swap the new one in its place. And the improvement is immediately noticeable.

Just try to find any BMW E46 BM24 module. They pop up once in a while on eBay for instance, though they can be relatively expensive. One just needs a little patience to find it at the right price

In doing so you would also benefit from a nice bonus : dual radio tuner (so you would always have a list on your screen of available radio stations, no need to scan through the frequency range).

dattrike · 15th January 2013, 21:41

.

Totally agree with the above, bought my BM24 bargain last May for £42!!

.

scoubix · 15th January 2013, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by dattrike

.

Totally agree with the above, bought my BM24 bargain last May for £42!!

.

Mine was a bit more expensive than that

About twice as much actually. But it's an expense I felt was a necessity

Sidetops · 16th January 2013, 07:24

Hi Nicolas, David
Thanks very much for the advice

Is this one? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-BM24-T...item19d82fb15d

or this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-becker...item2a204ea4bf

scoubix · 16th January 2013, 08:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sidetops

Hi Nicolas, David
Thanks very much for the advice

Is this one? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-BM24-T...item19d82fb15d

or this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-becker...item2a204ea4bf

I can't see the item on the 2nd link, but the 1st one is spot on

STUBIE · 16th January 2013, 11:37

I think if you get a BM24 for under £100 you are doing very well, most sell for the price of a full 75 SAT NAV setup.

I've got mine in my retrofitted sat nav setup and it really does make an great difference.

Stubs

STUBIE · 16th January 2013, 11:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoubix

I can't see the item on the 2nd link, but the 1st one is spot on

The 2nd link is just for the repair where you lose volume down one side, you can usually do a DIY repair to get it back working if your handy with a soldering iron. PLenty of info on the web.

Stubs

kjw123 · 14th March 2013, 18:10

I've found one with the following description BMW BM24 Radio module
Part no. 65.12 - 8 385 457 But the others on fleabay have a part No. of 65.12 - 6 907 130

Can anyone tell meif they will both work or not.

Thanks.

15th January 2013, 20:48	#1
scoubix Gets stuck in Rover 75 Saloon 2.5L V6 auto Connoisseur, "Dealer Launch" LHD / MG ZT-T 260 auto Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Around Paris Posts: 888 Thanks: 72 Thanked 225 Times in 130 Posts	I wouldn't believe a BM24 radio module could sound SO MUCH BETTER...! Hello all, As a first upgrade to my beloved 75 "Dealer Launch" V6 Connoisseur which I purchased last week (see this thread for thoughts and pics), I decided today to upgrade the OEM radio module from my hiline sat/nav setup to the BMW BM24 module, which as you all know is a standard plug'n'play replacement. I had read over here that it would bring massive improvement to the sound quality. To my own astonishment, it is just not better, it completely TRANSFORMS the sound quality of this setup. The original sound quality was a true disappointment. Given the setup, even without the HK option which I don't have, I would have thought the audio quality to be on par with the overall "premium" feel of the car. But this was not the case. Sound quality felt like I had some 39£ iPod dock in the car, not a HiFi setup. Even cranked to the max bass was seriously lacking, trebles were not sharp and the medium range felt totally absent. The BM24 module finally gives this car the audio quality it deserves. The basses can be heard with no exaggeration, medium and trebles reappear with sharpness and listening to music is now fully enjoyable, as it should have been from the start. Its overall quality is now above that of my daily other set of wheels (Seat Leon FR), whereas it was initially seriously behind. So to all those out there who have the hiline sat/nav system and are still relying on the OEM audio module in the boot...do yourself a favor and grab a BMW BM24 module as soon as you can. That is, if you want to listen to music obviously The BM54 is another candidate but you will need to adapt to its sharp pins while the BM24 uses the same round, 17-pin connector. As a side-note, I now have an OEM Rover Group audio module for sale, for which I will not be asking much as you can guess

15th January 2013, 21:32	#3
scoubix Gets stuck in Rover 75 Saloon 2.5L V6 auto Connoisseur, "Dealer Launch" LHD / MG ZT-T 260 auto Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Around Paris Posts: 888 Thanks: 72 Thanked 225 Times in 130 Posts	Hi Simon, Sure thing. As you may know the hiline colour GPS/TV system is made of BMW parts (identical to those fitted on the E46 3 series). There are essentially four (five if you include the 6-CD changer in the glovebox) : the screen/control unit in your dashboard (this one has no intelligence whatsoever and is just an interface to the features handled by the other modules), the GPS computer/CD drive (in the right part of your boot space, above the wheel arch), the video/TV tuner module and the radio/amplifier module. Those last 2 modules are under the rug in your boot, in front of your spare wheel, hidden under a black piece of plastic. TV module is on the left, radio module is on the right. The radio/amplifier does what is name suggests : radio tuning and sound amplifier (though cars fitted with the Harmann Kardon option have their own amplifier). The original module that Rover decided to use is obviously a very low-end one. Its amplifier portion is a shame, sound-quality wise, as already outlined. The beauty of this system is its modularity : you can pretty much upgrade each part while keeping the others (there are limitations though, but this forum has lots of information on it). The BMW BM24 tuner is a direct replacement for the OEM Rover module : same footprint, same connectivity, just remove the old one and swap the new one in its place. And the improvement is immediately noticeable. Just try to find any BMW E46 BM24 module. They pop up once in a while on eBay for instance, though they can be relatively expensive. One just needs a little patience to find it at the right price In doing so you would also benefit from a nice bonus : dual radio tuner (so you would always have a list on your screen of available radio stations, no need to scan through the frequency range). Last edited by scoubix; 15th January 2013 at 21:37..

15th January 2013, 21:41	#4
dattrike Posted a thing or two V6 2ltr auto in copperleaf +CDTI Auto in Royal Blue on loan to Son Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire Posts: 1,710 Thanks: 105 Thanked 476 Times in 267 Posts	. Totally agree with the above, bought my BM24 bargain last May for £42!! . __________________

16th January 2013, 07:24	#6
Sidetops I really should get out more....... Land Rover Freelander 2 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: East Sussex Posts: 2,252 Thanks: 293 Thanked 327 Times in 240 Posts	Hi Nicolas, David Thanks very much for the advice Is this one? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-BM24-T...item19d82fb15d or this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-becker...item2a204ea4bf Last edited by Sidetops; 16th January 2013 at 07:28..

14th March 2013, 18:10	#10
kjw123 Avid contributor Rover 75 Connoisseur SE Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: South Yorkshire Posts: 165 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	BM24 Radio Module I've found one with the following description BMW BM24 Radio module Part no. 65.12 - 8 385 457 But the others on fleabay have a part No. of 65.12 - 6 907 130 Can anyone tell meif they will both work or not. Thanks. __________________ *Old Rovers never die, we just fade away!* *My Bonnie Connie from Donny.* *[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]*

16th January 2013, 11:37	#8
STUBIE This is my second home Back in a Rover Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Peterborough Posts: 4,926 Thanks: 131 Thanked 357 Times in 261 Posts	I think if you get a BM24 for under £100 you are doing very well, most sell for the price of a full 75 SAT NAV setup. I've got mine in my retrofitted sat nav setup and it really does make an great difference. Stubs