Hi, I own a mini cooper s R56 form 2008 with the mini boost CD and HiFi pack. I really find the lack of bass annoying and therefor wanted to add a woofer, but there is a lot of conflicting info online about what adapter you need to use and so and so. Is there anyone who can help me get a clear image of how I could get this done. I have an amp witch can take a high signal and it is in the trunk of the car, butIdon't know where it would be the most convenient to get the signal wire and the audio signal from.

Thanks for the help

 

Could be this one or another kind to fit your circumstances.

What kind of amp do you have? If it is a sub amp, then you need the speaker in an enclosure.

A simple approach is a powered sub woofer with line level and speaker level inputs. Then all you need to do is wire it up.

 

i have a pioneer sub (in a box) and sub amp and it takes speaker level inputs but read alot online about how not to take form the rear speakers and others advise it so i am a bit confuzed :p

 

Hi i have pioneer 12inch in a box with its amp and it takes speaker lvl, however some people say thet the rear's have a cutoff so there for u cant take signal form there so i am a bit confuzed where to take if from also i am not sure where i could get the signal wire

 

You can read my thread about finding an installer. He used a type of dsp that worked well, though a few members said it wasn’t needed. I asked him about it, and he said those members were wrong. Bottom line is that my system sounds wonderful, now that I have the new subwoofer and amplifier.

Kat

 

Did the installer come up with any factual arguments? If so, I would love to read them (in the thread concerned, of course).

By the way: a single band equalizer is not what a DSP is considered to be (not by a long shot).

EDIT (after Katgirl's response below):
To keep this theme from cluttering this thread, anyone interested in the discussion about Katgirl's system please follow up here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...installer.html

 

I am aware of what it is. He explained it to me in some detail.

KAT

 

I think a little calming in in order here.

The issue giorgos and Kevin were bringing up is that the Mini system typically does not need any correction of the signal to be fed to an external amp.

Many cars apply a lot of digital "tuning" to the audio in order to make up for deficiencies in the components (amp method, speakers, locations, etc...). In those cars if you simply tap the speaker wires (or even pre-amped line if available) and feed those into an amp you will be getting a heavily equalized signal that is not ideal for what you are trying to do. That is where LOC's and DSP's come in to play. They are designed to try and correct this equalization and bring the signal back to a "flat" state which is true to the audio source. That is best to feed an external component as you get rid of the factory "fixing" of the signal.

In the Mini, Kevin did a large amount of research and development and found that the Mini system does not apply this kind of correction so long as the signal is tapped at the correct location. He even developed and sells a plug and play harness that taps into these signals in the drivers footwell and provide a set of RCA outputs that can be fed to an external amp. Adding any form of DSP correction to the Mini is really unnecessary as there is nothing to "correct" and really is just an expensive component that adds very little, if any, benefit.

To your installers credit; the Mini is a pretty unique system and they are very likely not familiar with this level of detail. They likely were proceeding based on their experience with so many other car makes and the difficulties they have had adding systems to them. This thread by Kevin provides an incredible amount of information about the system. This is the adapter harness Kevin sells that will provide a clean, un-EQ'd signal for use in adding in external components: https://integralaudio.com/x9331-wiring-harness.html

 

loose is fast, I like my rear end sliding

 

Go the Integral Audio route. It’s the most painless and easiest way to start building a system. I also added an LC2i and fed my speaker level outputs from the Integral Audio plug to it. This allows you to restore bass signal which typically rolls off in factory systems. Its also a great way to increase the signal strength to the amps without distortion.

 

That's the thing though; the factory frequency response is pretty flat assuming you pick up the front channels. That means you probably wouldn't need the LC2i at all. See Kevin's system evaluation here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/navigation-and-audio/216180-mini-audio-basics-specs-details-and-upgrades.html

Specifically this post: https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/navigation-and-audio/216180-mini-audio-basics-specs-details-and-upgrades-4.html#post3668805

 

By no means is the LC2i required, I just happened to have one on hand from a previous project and I liked the way they integrate the remote for controlling the sub, and it allegedly allows you to run a cleaner boosted signal to the amps so that you can run lower gain. That said I haven't compared it to just running from the RCA connections provided in the Integral Audio adaptor, so your mileage may vary.

In my case, rather than just adding a sub to my (non-HK/HiFi) system, I replaced all of my speakers with Alpine drivers. SPS 410 & 610C for the doors (added a tweeter in front of the door handle) and SPS 609 for the rears, and a Type R 12" sub in the trunk. Those are being driven by a PDX-4.150 and a PDX-1.1000. It's by no means a professionally staged setup, but was a quantum leap over the OEM sound.

 

Anybody can advise how to install and wiring on the Harman Kardon pillar tweeter? My is without the tweeter and bought a set of the HK tweeter but the idea how to run the wiring.