Anyone heard the radio at the auto show or read anything about the quality of the sound?
On my R56 I gutted the interior to the metal and put in insulation (even in ht e doors), added A pillar speakers and all new amp and other speakers for under $750. Completely rocks. I would say it was twice as good as the H&K.
Would love to hear you comments.

 

I'm hoping the H/K audio is very decent. I doubt it would compare to a custom setup like you've put together. Yours must sound awesome!

 

Bob. Remember they make these cars to make money. I read somewhere last month the cost of manufacturing once a car is designed etc and the line is built is Way less than $1000/car!
I guarantee that they use really crappy speakers even in the H/K model. IMO just replacing those with $300 worth of after market ones will make a massive difference.
BTW I ordered the H/K one this time but plan on a new amp and speakers eventually.
I read one article from a test drive where the tester liked the sound system...then again they were all so wined and dined in Puerto Rico that it would be hard to believe any of those reviews!

 

Well guys me being a "Positive" thinking fellow.

I'm of the opinion this new 12 speaker H/K system is going to simply ROCK.

I have in the past spent thousands of dollars for Custom Audio Systems.

I think what will come with the 12 speaker H/K is going to be more than sufficient for us.



T.

 

Bob. Hope you are right:=)

 

FYI. I have not been too impressed with the HK systems in BMW in general...until my wife's 2014 328GT. Significantly better than I've heard before (much better than my 135 with upgraded speakers from BAS). Hopefully the trend will continue downstream to the new mini...

 

I think they are making progress with the HK system. I got a 2013 R56 with it and its better then some of the previous years. A step in the right direction. I called HK and they seemed clueless that they even make them for BMW/MINI. Thought that was a bit strange..lol. One thing ive noticed with the HK system in my MINI now is that the 6X9s seem to be getting the right amount of power.They act almost more like a mini sub. cheers!

 

Don't forget you gotta break in the speakers. That's why I think some new users gripe about it. I had a pal who installed high end auto components and he'd break in all the speakers in his shop for 2-3 days before the install. All the high end headphone users break them in too.

 

I never knew that new speakers have to be broken in. Nice to know. Thanks!

 

TBN....from my research..


"
I've taken bnib drivers, measured t/s parameters, put pink noise on them for days, remeasured and gotten nearly identical (off at most by 0.01-0.03 on qts and about 1-3hz on Fs...iirc) reaults. These tests are always done in the same environment as to not allow for environmental induced changes.

So, IMO, it's not do things change, it's:

1. Is the change truly audible or is it your hearing that has changed?
2. What other changes are there besides suspension? How does that effect the change you believe you heard?
3. Who's to say that the change is inherently for the better?

Personally, I believe it has more to do with listener adaptation than a small delta in parameters. "

 

Gregory ...

I agree



T.

 

He didn't use pink noise, he used music at moderate volume. Try a high end headphone forum, where they use ampifiers. The break the drivers in bigtime. It kind of makes sense to me.

 

Pop those speakers out of the rear of your car and look at them. Think you might be pretty shocked at the quality. On the stock and H/K speakers I bet they are the cheapest thing money can buy or they can get away with. I look at it like cheap red wine....no mater how long you leave it in you cellar it still tastes like ****. These are not high end systems ...but you can replace a few things still keeping the head unit and they can really rock.

 

I agree with the posts that state that the components in the H/K system are built to a price point and that there are aftermarket choices that will outperform the stock system choices. One additional point to consider is that there probably is a small amount of engineering time spent on adapting the H/K system to the Mini interior and the additional engineering may help a bit vs. just throwing in speakers and a radio which may have been the practice for automakers in past generations... That $750 we are charged for the H/K upgrade probably is priced with the added engineering time factored in. (Which then makes me think the components are even cheaper...).

 

Unless a major change has occurred with the H/K system, I wouldnt expect it to be much better than the one in the R56. The price point on these cars starts in the low 20K range which dictates the quality of the base system.
The standard audio system in the past has been dreadful. The H/K upgrade only modestly better. I replaced my speakers and was shocked at how crappy the "upgraded H/K speakers" were. I hope for those getting the F56 that things have really changed, if not I wouldnt waste my money on the H/K and upgrade myself afterwards. Of course, no one knows yet so lets keep fingers crossed.

 

Main advantage...might have a better head unit (intergrated on the R56 so difficult/impossible to change)....and more holes (for speakers).

 

That hasn't been the case in the last two generations, where HK upgrades have used the same headunit as the base stereo (not counting overseas, where there is a system even lower than the base US system).

 

RKW. I did not know that. I thought that the HK unit in the R56 had a din connection for an amp and the stock unit doesn't. Could be wrong - I upgraded mine (stock radio) and had to patch the speaker cables to add the amp (not as good).

 

BMW/MINI: "What's DIN?"

All connectors on BMW/MINI audio systems are proprietary. They are not designed for aftermarket compatibility (that would be the only reason to use a DIN connector). The HK amp uses the speaker level outputs from the head unit.

 

Wow. I'm frankly surprised. So all you are really getting is a crappy power amp and some more speakers. Wish I could cancel my order for that.

 

Can't wait to hear it, hope it is as good as the FenderAudio in my VW!