I was just considering my choices for what i am going to do with the audio system in the MINI. I have just purchased some Focal speakers for the front and am planning on installing them with power from the HiFi amp. Hopefully this will satisfy my needs. I would like to add a subwoofer to the system and not lose any of the 10ch from the HiFi. is this possible? i have to get my input signal from somewhere but i do not want to lose the front or the rear.

Unless someone comes up with something, i guess i will tap into the front channel, buy a 4ch amp and use 2 for the fronts, and bridge the rear for the sub, keeping the HiFi intact for the rear 6x9. (i would disconnect the rear tweeters from the output of the amp.)
Bummer. i was hoping to use as much of the HiFi as possible to 'justify' the $550 already spent/wasted.

 

IMO I'm not a fan of heavy bass... I just want to swap my tweeters...everything else sounds ok to mediocre, to me, depending on what I'm listening to

 

You can always get a line level converter tap into the leads to any of the speakers and it converts signal to RCA low level inputs... feed this to your amp for a subwoofer and you are done. They only cost about 20.00

 

You don't lose channels by adding a sub and amp, the high level input comes from a speaker wire, which you splice into. So the speaker wire is still providing signal to the speaker and your new sub amp.

You only need to buy a LOC if you already have an amp and it doesn't have high level inputs.

 

How do you get around the bass cut off in the rear speaker leads? Isn't that filtering done in the head unit or the HIFI amp?

 

I also wonder the same thing. After reading up a bit, this diagram helps me, but I am still a little confused. From my understanding, this LOC (bottom diagram) requires that you feed it the 3 way components full range. So if I fed it with the tweets as high output, mids as mid output, and 6.5" woofers as low output, it will then "internally sum the output" and give my amps the full range, and from there, use my amp's internal crossovers. But where will it sum up the range from 60Hz down where a subwoofer usually goes?

https://resources.myeporia.com/Compa...OEM_System.pdf

 

Is the bass cutoff in the rear a problem on BOTH the HIFI and Non-HIFI headunits? The test data I saw seemed to say it was known on the Non-HIFI head unit, but I've not seen test data for the HIFI headunit...

NON-HIFI test results:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=120789
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=150567

 

I believe it is the same with the HIFI. I don't have the instruments to test it, but at the suggestion of a Crutchfield tech I attached one of my NHT home stereo speakers to the 6x9 leads. It produced no bass in tracks that I know had good bass (kettle drums).

 

I'll double check what wires I tapped into on my lunch break. I believe I tapped the wires coming from the head-unit into the stock amp and that pair allows full signal feed to my amp.

 

everyone is saying how the rear 6x9's have the bass cut. anyone tried running a full frequency line to them? Honestly, a good set of 6x9's will out power an 8-10" sub any day.

I'm considering getting an amp for the rear speakers, tapping off of the front speakers, and getting an insane set of 6x9's.... lets hope for no rattles!

 

I'm not trying to argue with you, but there's no way a 6x9 can compete with a 10" or even an 8" subwoofer as far as bass goes. In regards to proper SQ (especially imaging), everyone will be better off completely cutting off their 6x9s and adding a subwoofer. If you don't want to add a sub, then get a 6x9 subwoofer like the one made by CDT and NOT a full range 6x9 that will ruin the SQ.

 

Not a fan of CDT. I will probably be looking at rainbow or mbquarts, but they won't serve as my only bass, just mid bass. I'm currently getting ready to order the 10" RE SL.

Everyone on here complains that the stock system has no bass, which it doesn't. I think everyone would be surprised that if you put full frequency to the 6x9's and replaced them with something decent, they wouldn't need to put a sub in. There might be something un-foreseen though, like crazy rattles, that's why I asked.

Not everyone is an audiophile. Recommending a top of the line system to the average person is just a waste of your time, and/or their money. I used to run a car stereo business, it's important to realize not everyone wants their sound perfect.

 

My project for the weekend is to try swapping drive signals to the front and rear speakers, expecting (hoping) that the 6x9s (polk db 691) will be able to do a lot more bass than the combo of the 6.5 (poke db651s) and the 4 inch speakers can do. Additionally, I'd expect the front pair to do better as they aren't seeing all the low end signal they can't reproduce.

This is in the non-hifi system, but if this trick works, it's worth repeating in a hifi system -- and probably a lot easier, just swapping pins at the hifi amp.

Anyone game to try this on a hifi system?

 

^i'll give it a shot, however I haven't replaced speakers yet. The rear 6x9's should definitely give a lot more bass then the fronts... In my last car, I had a filter cutting all bass off of my front speakers and man did that sound awesome.

let me know your results... if it works, I'll give it a go on my car.
anyone have a wiring diagram, so I know what pins are for what speakers?

 

Wiring diagram:

Once again, the WDS site is your friend:

http://www.mcaw.info/wds/mini/us/r56/index.htm

(it wants IE under Windows with the Adobe SVG plugin loaded)

Enter "A18" into the Search box lower left of the window. This takes you to the info on the amplifier -- where it's located, how it's wired.

Short summary from the diagrams:

The outputs run from the radio (X13812) to our favourite connector (X9331). From there, a cable takes them to the amplifier (A18, X10266).

The amp outputs run to the speakers, through the X256 and X257 connectors at the doors, and possibly directly (unclear from diagram) to the rear speakers.

Caveat:

The descriptive text about the HiFi amplifier says "HiFi amplifiers are amplifiers with active frequency gates. Active frequency gates achieve better acoustic results than passive frequency gates. The HiFi amplifier does not have speed-dependent volume adjustment or speed-dependent equalizing. The function of the HiFi amplifier is only to amplify the low-frequency output."

Interpretation:

This is one of those places where I almost wish I could see the original German and have a colleague who is well versed in TechnicalGerman translate. I strongly suspect he'd translate "active frequency gates" as "active filters."

From the diagrams, it looks like they use the same radio heads (nav or non-nav) in both Boost and HiFi systems, and the same basic wiring.

In the Boost system, outputs from the head go to the X9331 connector, and from there to the speakers.

In the HiFi system, outputs from the head go to the X9331 connector (same place), from there to the A18 amplifier, and from there (X10266) to the speakers (X256, X257).

Suggestion:

Try swapping the signal lines on the radio side of the X9331 connector, which is the same thing I'm going to attempt in the non-HiFi system.

 

My interpretation is that the amplifier has active crossovers, as did the 1st gen Harmon Kardon system. In other words, eliminating passive crossovers at the speakers. The HK system also had a DSP that applied frequency equalization and imaging/delay effects. BTW, the HiFi system sourced from Harmon International as well.

 

To me, the interesting part of that sentence was "low-frequency output." Are they implying that the amp has a low-pass filter prior to the amplification stage, so that it might, indeed, be amplifying the lower frequency relative to the rest of the curve?

That doesn't make sense to me - roll off the bass aggressively in the head unit, then amplify it after the signal leaves the head? My suspicion is that the amp amplifies all frequencies evenly, and that that phrase in the documentation is incorrect.

Then again, I'm just biding my time by talking until someone more qualified than I can do actual physical measurements.

 

If you navigate back a little bit you can download a compressed file that has that entire site on it. To use without a net connection.

 

I'm looking, but I'm not finding... Hints, please?

--bob

 

k6rtm... let me know how your test goes... since the hi-fi system uses the same headunit, it shouldn't make a difference. The amp might be doing even more horrible things. Where, physically, is the X9331 connector located?

 

According to the pictures, the X9331 connector is located just ahead of the driver's door, underneath the bonnet latch. The WDS site gives you pictures and much more.

 

hmm.. i guess I haven't dabbled enough in the wds site.

 

Ok so does the bass cutoff problem occur on 02 r53s? im in the process of installing a 10" in the boot and i am tryin to figure out the best way to wire in the rca's. my car has the non hk audio but i did swap the deck out for an 03 deck in order to have an input to the rear. Any words of wisdom. Also does the x9331 adapter exists on the r53? i took a peak and its not where it looks like it should be on my car.

 

I am about to install a Power Acoustik [FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=1]AWB-10 800 Watts MAX active woofer box with built in amplifier and i have hifi stock system. Where do i get the signal for the high low converter to get rca's for the amp? Do i have to tap into the front door speakers? I don't know if tapping into the rears since everyone is saying the rears don't have a low signal. [/SIZE][/FONT]

 

Also has anyone on a hifi system tried to swap the wires from the amp to the fronts to the rears so that the rears have more low end since they are bigger? Can it be done?