As some of you saw from my other thread, I've recently upgraded from a 2010 MCS to a 2011 JCW. Both have the H/K system.

I can definitely say the JCW sounds worse. The mids are severely lacking, the bass is grossly exaggerated, and quiet sounds are far quieter than they should be. I can live with poor EQ, but the last point is driving me nuts.

For example, on the intro to AC/DC's Back in Black, Malcolm Young's pulloffs after the main riff are quieter than the lead guitar. On my old MCS, these notes were audible but softer. On my JCW, they are almost inaudible, as in you cannot hear them unless you listen very carefully for them.

Did MINI change anything between 2010 and 2011 on their sound systems? It's driving me nuts, and I know I'm not going crazy, as my brother noticed the same thing.

 

I haven't listened to Back in Black on my HK so I can't comment on that, but I'm not very impressed with the HK system. You're right about the midrange and the bass. The reason I ordered it is because I had read a lot of threads saying that the standard stereo was awful. They really should put an excellent upgraded sound system in this car because it's so difficult to improve on it given the limited space in the car for the components. It seems like, short of a rear seat delete, the only way to mount a woofer is to essentially sacrifice the little bit of boot space you have.

 

I've checked realoem.com and looked at the part numbers. The speakers all have the same part numbers since the inception of the harmon kardon system in 09. The one thing that has changed over time is the amplifier, so I suspect that is where your issue lies. Here is what realoem.com says.

amplifier

up to 08/2010 651292178877
09/2009 to 08/2011 65129239601
09/2009 65129253890

So it appears that there are three different amplifier part numbers some being used at the same times. So it is possible you notice a difference, but typically the amp is not what you'll hear major differences from.

 

There AMP software was updated in 2011, so I guess in there lies the difference. The AMP can make a difference if it is not tweaked correctly.

 

LOVEEEEE MY H/K on both models ... I have a 2011 and love the sound system on it but I also lsiten to a lof of hip hop and house ... so maybe the music differences make somewhat of a difference

 

I really like my H/K. I had a 2009 with the regular radio and I think my 2012's H/K is a huge improvement...but not a fantastic system. I have a few audiophile friends who can help me tweak it. I got $2250 off of my car...so I always think of it as "I got free H/K system ($750), Sunroofs ($1000), and auto A/C ($500.)" lol

 

Rear seat delete is not required to add a decent subwoofer... check out the "Integral Audio 1101S Subwoofer System". It is pricey but looks quite good and doesn't remove too much boot space.

I think this has been discussed a lot, but the H/K system seems to be "better" than stock but just adequate as a factory upgrade. IMO the stock system was pretty crummy. MINI could have done much better but I don't have any real complaints. I think someday if I add a subwoofer to my H/K, it will be "perfect" for me. It is interesting that the amp part number changed recently.

 

Man, I don't need any more WOOF! I have to turn down Molly's bass to at least -5, and turn up her treble to at least +5 to get something close to natural sound reproduction ("natural," as compared to the relatively neutral sound of my home stereo, with a mix of old Advents, Cambridge, plus Polk subwoofers)

 

It is funny that the reactions here about the quality of the Mini's sound system are all over the place. This is consistant with my own experience. I have had 3 Minis all with the base sound system. The '04's system sounds good, with all the settings at 0. The '07's system was much worse; mostly lacking bass. The '12's system is probably the best of all (all settings at 0, and not overloaded with bass), which may be due in part to the Sirius and HD option that they now give you. I would think that if someone isn't hearing mids, then I would look at the speakers. Even though the part numbers are the same, the speaker to speaker quality may not be there. As for too much bass, that might be in the amp. If these amps are programable (alexs3d2 said something about software changes) could these systems be tweaked by the NCS Expert?

oldsbear - The old Advents, ARs, etc are fantastic examples of the way sound should be reproduced. However, it is tough to compare a car's system to their quality, but I understand about trying to match what you are used to.

 

You need to roll off a significant amount of the bass to the point of anemia to get decent mids, so adding a subwoofer lets you add back the bass while maintaining the mids.

 

It's not a matter of needing more bass. I have mine cranked down to -3. The problem is that the bass is muddled.

 

My 2012 H/K sounds great, though not as good on the low end as my wife's Rockford Fosgate in her Nissan.
It could be you are just getting older, of course it's coming from a guy pushing 46...

 

Yes agree. I have the bass turned down a similar amount to help.

I have a pair of Paradigm Titans that I bought over 10 years ago that are pretty amazing considering I only paid $100 each Getting good audio in a car is difficult at best.

 

How did you manage to get $2250 off MSRP?

 

$1000 off from the dealer. $750 voucher from the Motor-tober event. $500 off December's You-ification rebate.

 

An exception not a rule. So don't feel bad Mini Freak.

My HK system sounds perfect. Everything set at zero. Differing music sounds different of course but not so much that I have to change any bass/treble settings.

For instance Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" on a Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Ultradisc needs to have the volume decreased just a pinch as compared to say Giant's "Last Of The Runaways", which needs the volume tweaked up a bit higher. Both still with flat Bass and Treble. However when I put on Shawn Colvin's "Whole New You", This CD takes an even different tweak. The only CD that I have found that I have to turn down the Bass is on the Don Dorsey Telarc CD called Bachbusters. This CD is guaranteed to blow most systems unless you take evasive actions before tuning up the disc. It's a pretty cool disc that will blow you away listening on a great sound system.

I listen to all flat audio at home through a Yamaha Amp system with M&K Speakers. (Who I understand went belly up. Too bad they built great speakers and subs. I will have to replace them someday but for now they rock.)

So I am pretty happy with the sound system. Much, much, much better than my 09 MCS system.

 

Ok. So I have a MINI on order right now. It's my third car from Brian Harris MINI and they do not budge on prices. I did manage to get a few accessories from them. Do you think I did bad? I basically only got these bc my girlfriend is ordering a mini convertible for over 30 grand. and I used that against them. What's the 500 you-ification?

driving lamps
rubber mats front back and trunk
lets motor chrome frame

 

Really depends if there is competition amongst the nearby dealerships I suppose (if there are any dealerships). I didn't pay MSRP but there are like 8 dealerships within 1 hour of my home so I could shop around very easily.