They're discussing this now over on the JCW page. Do I have Active Sound on my MCS? If so, should I disable it? What is it?

 

yes, you have it. if you search this has been discussed at length on here.

 

What do you mean "should I disable it"?

If you like how the engine sounds, then don't mess with it. If you either hate the sound or want to enact your definition of acoustic purity, then use the ESYS setup to deactivate the byte in the ECU.

 

You have it. Don't mess with it. You'll shoot your eye out!

 

Honestly, I can't tell that its even there? It sounds no different to me in Mid or Sport mode. I also don't hear the pops and burbles you guys talk about in Sport mode. My previous MINIs I could hear those sounds when in Sport Mode, but not this MINI.

 

I drove an F56 MCS in Sport that my friend bought, and I couldn't hear ANY exhaust sound. The stereo was not on, but if there's fake motor sounds they have to come through all the time, and I couldn't hear a thing in her car (and I have excellent hearing aids!). It was disappointingly quiet especially compared to mine.

 

You're correct, Clint. No real pops and burbles in Sport Mode. Someone just said in another thread that they're very loud. Nope. Not so on mine. Previous gen MCSs, yes, not not so much on the '14-'15s.

I don't even notice Active Sound. That's how good it is. Sounds 100% real. I do, though, often wonder if those outside the car can hear the exhaust as it sounds like on the inside. In other words, does it appear louder or quieter by those walking on the street as I whiz by.

 

The pops and burbles were clear as day on mine and that was BEFORE I cut the muffler out. Now they are louder. I think the key is to drive it hard. when it's warmed up and in sport you can be really hard on the gas for forced downshifts (auto) and then when you let off the gas it makes noises when decelerating.

 

Are the burbles and pops real, or are they something generated by the Active Sound?

 

Pops and burbles are real sounds, though they are not naturally occuring. They are engineered into the car to turn on in SPORT.

 

They are real.

 

If you notice it, they have failed. Their design goal is to keep its level down low enough that it won't be perceived as a separate sound.

The reason for artificial engine sound comes down to money. Manufacturers are afraid they will lose sales if a car doesn't produce sounds that consumers are accustomed to. Artificial sound is already prevalent and will become more so in the short term. However, over the long term quiet will become the new norm due to plug-in hybrids and EV's.

As for pops and burbles, they are "real" but artificially induced. The engine won't produce them in normal operation but the software can change timing to cause backfire. They are not resulting from how the engine would normally operate, and I always thought of them as cosmetic and fake.