I have a base 2008 Cooper hardtop with the base stereo. It has, as I’m sure anyone that’s ever heard one knows, awful. If I upgrade the speakers would that help at all? Or am I better off trying to find a decent stereo and speaker system upgrade? Not sure how that’d work with everything being built in to the speedometer but hoping to make even a bit of an improvement.

definitely don’t have the hk setup. Wish so bad i did. Not looking for epic sound but wasn’t hoping speakers would at least improve and I did also read that adding an amp could help also. I’ll see what i can find! Thanks!

As others here said doing speakers and amp is best. Speakers alone will be an improvement but adding an amp takes it up to a whole ’nother level.

On my 2009 I replaced the front door speakers with a set of Infinity Reference 6500CX components (current version is the 6520CX). I picked up some A-pillar trim with the location for tweeters from the premium sound option, and simply hot glued the Infinty tweeters into place. The crossovers tucked nicely inside the dash.

i installed a JL Audio XD200/2 amp under the passenger seat. I originally bought a less expensive and bulkier amp; it didn’t fit. The XD was just the ticket.

This combination was fantastic. Clear and precise, with plenty of power for bass you can feel.

Between speakers, amp, pure copper wiring, A-pillars, and an X9331 audio harness from Integral Audio, I think I spent around $900. You could spend less and still get quite satisfactory results.

or, for a little more, you could get IA’s incredibly well reviewed SoundStage kit. It’s tuned for each specific model of MINI and is really the best option around, if it’s in the budget.