Well, it has started. This morning I dropped off Mr. OEM at my dealership, in order to have major auditory surgery performed.
First, a little history:
When I was in the process of ordering my MINI around December of 2004, one of the things I read about on
MotoringFile was the new
Digital POWER SoundModul (DPSM) OEM stereo upgrade option, created by German Hi-Fi specialist
AUDIO MOBIL. However, at the time, it was only announced and available in Europe.
It "sounded" great (on paper), and I was very interested. So I asked my dealer about it. They had never heard of it, since MINIUSA (at the time) had not released any information or details on it, or whether it would ever be available in the USA.
One of the key points of the DPSM is that it is not available if you have the factory Harman/Kardon stereo option. Why? Well, it turns out that when you specify the H/K with your MINI, it requires a
completely different wiring harness compared to the standard Boost radio system. This wiring harness connects all of the speakers to the H/K amplifier that is installed into your right-side boot pocket. The Boost radio system has all of the speakers wired directly to the head unit (and that is what the DPSM upgrade expects).
Anyway, listening to music is very important to me, and I also prefer quality over quantity (volume)... although getting both at the same time is even better.
Without any confirmation that I would ever be able to obtain (or even hear) the DPSM here in the United States, I "played it safe" and ordered my MINI with the H/K stereo.
Fast forward about 4 or 5 months later, and sure enough, MINIUSA announces the official release of the DPSM in the US, installable at any MINI dealership.
Bummer. Oh well, I said to myself... it's so expensive and rare that I'll probably never hear one anyway.
Less than a year after that, one of my fellow DCMM club members, Irishcow, had it installed in her MINI. And I got a chance to sample it... and it ruined me. It's
so much louder, and it's
just as clear, if not clearer sound than the Harman/Kardon. Leaps and bounds ahead. All this, with the same OEM appearance, same head unit, no additional interior space required and no serious theft risk!
My philosophy with my MINI has always been "nothing but OEM", unless I want something that is simply not available as an "official" part.
So ever since that fateful day that I heard Irishcow's DPSM, I have wanted it... badly. I even contacted the dealership that she had install it, begging them to please consider the upgrade, even though it would be much more complex since I have the H/K. I talked to them since they were the only dealership in the area to have installed the DPSM yet. Their quote? 55 labor hours. Ouch - seemed ridiculous, more like a "we don't really want to hassle with this, so here's a
go away quote".
I didn't give up. After much time and conversation with my own dealership, including them doing a few DPSM installs of their own, they agreed to take on the challenge. My long history and good relationship with them gives me confidence that they will only charge me for the actual work needed. They haven't even given me a solid quote, because there are some unknowns - nobody has done this before!
So the car is in the shop now. Here are the steps they are taking, broken out a bit:
- Strip the entire interior of the car - DONE! (see pics)
- Completely remove the Harman/Kardon parts - DONE!
- STOP here - I will be working with a fellow DCMM member (PGT) to install B-Quiet soundproofing on the entire floor and sides of the car (and behind the wheel wells - after hearing of dave's good results) - DONE! (see pics)
- Completely remove main factory wiring harness(es) - (finally started July 2!) DONE!
- Install the appropriate "standard" wiring harness(es) (as though I had not ordered H/K) DONE!
- Install the DPSM kit - DONE! TESTED & WORKING!!!
- Reassemble the entire interior of the car - DONE!
It could be there for 2 weeks, it could be there for 4... my only deadline is that I want to have the car back in time for MOTD! (EDIT: that never happened though,
far from it - hah!)
OK, so this may be pure insanity... but to me, the DPSM is the JCW version of the OEM MINI stereo options, and when coupled with extra soundproofing, I am very excited about it!
I want to stay OEM, I want the dealer to do all of the work (other than the soundproofing), since I don't trust myself with dismantling and reassembling the MINI interior... and I want warranty coverage of the DPSM afterwards.
Stay "tuned", I'm sure I'll have some interesting stripped interior pics to share when we get to the soundproofing stage.
Yes, I'm crazy... but
I'm not the only one who thinks the DPSM is awesome!
Anybody interested in buying a
complete set of Harman/Kardon parts?
