Yes, I know there is a sticky and have read through it as well as the threads listed in it but even so, I need farther help.

Most of that information is geared to people who have an idea of what is going on.. I have no idea. I'm totally new to this field.

Anyway, my H/K is not loud enough. Two of my friends have said that all I need to do is add an amp and the problem is solved. I just connect it to some wires under the steering wheel and put the amp under the chair... But there seems to be much more involved from some of those posts I've read.

So I'm looking for a straight answer and some sort of suggestion.. Can I or can I not simply add an amplifier to my Mini's H/K? And will it or will it not work?

I would like to just get a new H/U and speakers especially knowing that I can get them at Best Buy or something and they install them for me. Unfortunatly, I don't have that much money, an amplifier I can do though. Also, I'm satisifed with the H/K itself it's just the volume that needs to be adjusted and my friends have all said I just need to add an amp.

So anyone know how I can go about doing this and if it will be worth it?

Thanks.

 

hi Mate...

The HK already has an Amp. It sits in the back of the car behind one of the inner quarter-panels. It runs quite softly - you aren't the first person that's wanted to run your system louder.

A user on here and Mini2, GBMINI (Ian), created a device called the 'HK enabler' which allows you to run an aftermarket head unit with your HK amp....no need for new speakers or Amp....the HK speakers, (I feel) are ok...

On top of that, it also allows you to run your HK system a lot louder....

See here:
http://www.gbmini.net/mtblog/archive..._with_af.shtml
http://www.gbmini.net/mtblog/archive...enablers.shtml

you can buy them throught mikeythemini here:
https://www.newministuff.com/new/sho...uctshow&id=116

Ian has stopped making the enablers, so hopefully there are some left...

If you want to go the whole hog...you might as well pull all of it out and do a custom system - can cost lots of $$$...but allows you to customise what you want...

I've got the Hk enabler and an Alpine HU - and it's more than loud enough for me....

 

I have been struggling to find a clear answer to this myself. Yet the answer given here and the answer I always seem to find is how to adapt an aftermarket head unit to the HK amp rather than an aftermarket amp to the HK head unit and speakers.

Here is a link to GBMINI adding amplification. GBMINI AMP
That is a great (unbelievable really how cool this is) very thorough instruction on adding an amp but wow it seems quite complex.

 

Thanks for the link to PGENs info, Electric Shock - just what I was going to do ... it is a detailed description of the work needed to boost the HK volume levels, assuming you want to keep the stock HU & HK amp features. Probably a bit scary for GOPGuyCA though!


As mentioned, the HKenabler allows aftermarket HU to drive the HK system; it *will* give you somewhat louder volume but careful setup is needed to ensure you don't get distortion.
And just a correction - MikeyTheMINI will continue to sell the HKenabler; they are not out of production.


GOPGuyCA, with the HK system you must remember that it is a *system*; you cannot easily replace only part of it - the speakers are matched to the HK amp (low impedance, no crossovers), you can't replace only the amp or only the speakers. Unless you use the HKenabler, you cannot replace only the HU either!

 

Thank you for your replies.

So what I need to do is replace the H/U and leave all else as is. Would I be able to buy the H/K enabler online and then just pick up any H/U from Best Buy?

You use an Alpine? Does Best Buy have those?

And will the MFSW still work with the new H/U? Lastly and most importantly, is this all something I can do myself in my drive way or am I going to need someone?

Thanks.

 

Went to Best Buy today and looked at their H/Us.

There is an Alpine one for $200 that I can do but for them to install it would cost $200... That I can't do. How difficult is it to replace then H/U? Is it something I can do alone?

Also, if I bought the H/U I also have to buy that H/K enabler thing, right? And then I'd also get that adaptor I saw that lets it work with the MFSW.. Right? And then I just take the old H/U out and put in the new one?

See, I'm thinking I just take it out, unhook the wires, hook 'em onto the new one, put it in, done! But the guy at Best Buy said stuff about taking the door off all this other stuff.. What am I gonna have to do?

Thanks.

 

For one of my other cars I bought an Alpine system at Best Buy. Along with it I bought the Alpine ipod adapter and Alpine Sirius tuner. The ipod adapter is awesome and so much better than the ipod adapter for the hk/MINI. Sirius is pretty cool too. And I will point out that I have both the ipod adapter and Sirius with this Alpine unit whereas I believe you can only have one or the other with the HK.

Hmm having said all that I continue to wonder why I have stayed with my HK in my MINI. I guesss it is because I spent the extra dollars on "upgrading" to Hk in the first place and I really do not want to screw up the stock look of the HK. The HK does have very nice sound but especially with the ipod the volume is very much lacking.

 

Hey we posted at exactly the same time on those last posts. I am not the electronics wizard here although my knowledge is not completely nil. I would say with no offense intended that I would not attempt doing it yourself. Car sound systems are never as simple as home sound systems. It is pretty much never just pull one out and plug a new one in and they are notorius for having no labeling of what wire is what.

Also I if volume is what you are after I am not sure how much increase in volume you would get just replacing the head unit.

Also I would not trust the guys at Best Buy with my MINI. In my experience they are very young and not always the most knowledgable or most able installers. I trusted them with my other car but that was installing an entire Alpine system where everything was easily compatible and a perfectly clean install was not all that important. I would go to a store that more specializes in car stereo installs. All in all I think you need a bigger budget and talk to a real pro and make darn sure they know what they are doing with the HK.

 

/cry

Our dreams once again must be shelved.

Being poor sucks.

 

Never fear GOPGuyCA...:smile:

Firstly, I apologise if I mis-informed you. I read your question as if to ask how to make your system louder, not how to add an amp.

For me, making the HK louder with the HKEnabler was a by-product of adding a new HU - a bonus if you will...

GBMini is definitely the most knowledgable person I know of regarding the HK - not many of us have actually pulled it all apart and tinkered with it - he has.

As for doing the install yourself - it's not as scary as you think - and you'll learn lots of stuff about your car while you're at it. I did.

I put an Alpine IVA-D310 and the iPod adapter in. From www.newministuff.co.uk , I bought the enabler, fascia adapter, antenna adapter (you will need this), ISO plug adapter and multi-function steering wheel adapter. American stereos come with the wiring all 'loose', whereas some European stereos, for example, come with all of the wiring set up with an ISO adapter. You will have to go through the manual of the HU you buy to work out what colour wire does what, and use the ISO adapter kit to set it all up to plug into the HK amp. I found it a reasonable task, and had no hiccups.

I suppose it all depends on how much you trust yourself to do it. I just don't trust places like best buy to work on my mini - so I do these things myself (there aren't really any mini 'experts' in Australia anyway....)

The adapters I used are here:
https://www.newministuff.com/new/sho...products&cat=3

Ultimately it all comes down to $$$ - I feel (and somebody please correct me if I'm wrong) that the best way to get your stereo really loud, is to replace the whole system with an after-market one.

I don't want to seem like I'm solely pointing at newministuff as your only soloution - they are the solution I used, and have been happy with their service and help. If you drop them an email with specifics about what you want to achive, they can give you some guidance. The owner's name is Mikey - he is very helpful (but very busy - sometimes he takes a day or two to reply)...

I just want to put a caveat on what I've said - I'm only trying to pass on my limited experience. There are many more knowledgable people about (ie. GBMini and Mikeythemini), that would be able to give you a more 'authoritative' answer....

I'm very happy with my install - it's definitely loud enough for me!

 

I should add my own apology too. I missed Tit's statement that replacing the head unit and using the hk enabler makes the system "a lot louder". Both Tit and GBMINI know a whole lot more than I do since I have not actually made any changes to my system. And I have not made any changes to my system even though I am not satisfied with it because 1. I do not trust the installers at Best Buy or Circuit City; 2. I am not sure if I even trust any installer or I am not sure I can find one I would trust; 3. I do not trust myself to take on what looks like a huge project and I am not someone with THAT much time to take on that kind of project.

So obviuosly I built in my own fears into my posts here. I may actually be capable of changing just the head unit with an hk enabler but as I have stated earlier I am resistant to changing the stock look of the hk/mini system.

You certainly can get a lot of help here and as Tit says probably from mikeythemini. Mike I think is a regualr on MINI2 and maybe you can try to contact him there or through his web site/e-mail.

 

Righton...

...All you can do is ask - and you have...

There are lots of competent car audio shops (big franchises like CC and BB are not included in this category) around that could do the job for you. But I think you'll find that the more people you ask - the more you'll find that many of them have done Head Unit / audio mods themselves. Big systems and fabrication are a different matter - but I got the impression that you weren't prepared to spend that sort of money...

If you can read instructions and are careful there's a good chance you can take on this project yourself. Plus, you'll learn stuff about your car and appreciate what you've installed even more! :smile:

I see that I did say "a lot louder" - perhaps that was an over-statement - it does make it louder though. Ian did point out that it can add distortion / hissing.... but only slight....it dosen't bother me, at least.

In terms of volume; in my car I've had to fade everything 70% to the back because I could only use the first 5 of the 30 volume incriments on the center fade setting! (the HK is only Stereo - so fading to the back essentially fades towards no speakers). That may give you an indication of the volume difference.

Please jump in here Ian, if I'm not accurate...

 

I have no H/K, and I just added an amp and a self powered sub. Took me about 6 hours to take the interior apart, hook up the wiring, testing the units, tweaking sounds, put the interior back.

The way I hooked it up was, from the speaker line output of the HU, convert that signal to low output RCA, into the amp, then using the stock speaker line to power the speakers. I was wondering, how hard can it be to just by pass the H/K amp, and power the speakers with a more powerful amp?

Ian mentioned that the speakers are matched to the HK amp, due to low impedance (not a real problem with most aftermarket amp) and no cross over (I assume he is talking about the tweeters not having cross overs built in, and the cross over is done by the H/K amp). Why not replace the tweeters with aftermarket ones, and power everything with a good quality four channel amp while by passing the H/K?

Since the OP was satisfied with the stock Headunit, and just want bigger sound, I don't really see the point of replacing the headunit. You get much clearer sound from the same speakers if the amp is able to give them enough power.

 

Lots of good discussion here while I was away.

The HK system *is* a loud system - I think it is rated 320W. The problem is that its design makes it very reliant on the volume of the source material. You should find that nearby FM radio stations give you good volume, but some CDs will be made quieter and this limits the max volume.
Also of course, the HK sound level is different in its different modes.

If your problem is that you NEVER have enough volume, not on radio, CD, or whatever, then assuming there is no fault with the system, then you are basically stuck unless you want to do major surgery like PGEN

But if you find that *some* sources are too quiet, an aftermarket amp with the HKenabler should help.
The trick is that the stock system is set up with a fixed output from the head unit going into the HK amp - then electronic messages tell the amp how much final volume is needed.
With an aftermarket amp and the HKenabler you can cheat that, and force a higher level into the HK amp - if you go too far you will get distortion (overload the HK amp inputs), but you should always be able to get the absolute max from the HK amp.



Oh - here is something else very important; forgot to mention it before. With the stock HK, if you turn up the bass or treble control, you will limit your maximum volume! Make sure you have those settings at or below the middle/flat point.


And here is my pictorial stereo install - it does not include the HKenabler (that was on GBMINI#2 and this is from GBMINI#3), but it is basically the same showing how to put in the new head unit.
If you did order from MikeyTheMINI, he can supply the necessary wiring adaptors, antenna adaptor, fascia bracket, etc, etc.
(I got my stereo from Mikey as well, because that way I have a wired remote interface; this is what I received from him):

 

Thank you for the replies.

I do feel confident in that I could replace the H/U myself if I have some sort of guide to follow. If worse comes to worse I'll just put everything back as I found it and ask someone to help.


I am a bit confused now though.. I ALWAYS find myself wishing I could turn the volume up just a bit more, on both radio and CD. I turn it up and it stops right at that edge before it would be just right. I tried playing with treb and bass too in both H/K and Electronica.. Nothing works.

What I am confused about now though is what I should do.. Add a new H/U? Like the $199 Alpine one from Best Buy that is 50 watts. Or replace the amp?

Either way, I need to get that HK Enabler regardless right? And then if I replace the H/U the MFSW thing and those few other accesories mentioned?


I am so excited about doing this again! =D


GBMINI -- Looking at those pictures it appears that replacing the H/U is as I thought, plug and play. Right? You pull the old H/U out and simply plug it into the new one adding all those little accesories?

Also, are those little accesories I need easy to install or will that be an issue?

 

Interesting...I would never have thought of amplifying the input to the HK amp...I would have thought it was essentially a line signal...

 

I definitely have notriced that. For me with most CDs, the sound level is good. For radio - I do not listen to the radio much except for baseball/football/basketball - and the sound level is fine for that. Where I have my biggest gripe is with the ipod. I have the MINI ipod adapter and the sound levels for the ipod are very unsatisfying.

 

GOPGuyCA,
If you decide to *replace* the amp you will also be replacing all the speakers. You do *not* then need the HKenabler - its only function is to persuade the HK amp to work with an aftermarket HU.

If, unlike Electric Shock, you are never happy with the HK volume, then the HKenabler is not likely to help you.
Maybe you need to drive with the windows closed

Tit, The HK input is from the front speaker outputs of the stock HU - minimal cost/redesign to do that instead of adding line levels to the HU. Actually there is another benefit of low impedance to minimized noise pickup. The downside of course is that the signal can never be better than the output circuits of the stock HU

 

Ian...you are a fountain of knowledge...!

 

http://www.crutchfield.com

This is a good place to buy from online. They also offer all the pieces need to install a new h/u. They will send along instructions for the mini. You will be able to install a new h/u it's not hard if you are a little handy. You'll just need to buy the hk enabler from mikey. The rest of the "stuff" will come from crutchfield.

If you do not want the hassle. Buy the h/k enabler and go to a local car audio store. Most of them will install the hu free with a purchase. I know we do.

DM

 

Best Buy doesn't do it.. They charge the same price as the dang H/U.

Okay, so no new amp. Can't afford that route.


Will getting a new H/U help boost volume at all? And at, say, Best Buy, if it doesn't work as planned is the H/U something I can package back up and return or no?

If replacing the H/U is simply pulling it out and plugging the new one in it should be simple enough. =D


Oh and at night I do drive with the windows.. Still not loud enough. I can hear myself and the outside. And with the windows down I can hear everything. It's just awful.

 

A European head unit has standardised (ISO?) connectors so with an adaptor from MikeyTheMINI / NewMINIstuff it is "plug and play".

I have not seen a USA head unit with the standarised connectors - you have bare wires or "bullet" connectors. So you would modify the MikeyTheMINI adaptor to match the head unit.
Of course if you end up splicing wires from head unit to wires from adaptor, the head unit seller might be unhappy to take the unit back.
Best Buy anyway will hit you with a re-stocking fee


Personally, as the creator of the HKenabler, I would not recommend getting one and buying a new head unit only because you want more volume - if you get more, it will probably still not be enough and you will be unhappy that you wasted your money.
I developed the HKenabler because I wanted a different head unit that offered features that the stock one did not - the small improvement in sound quality and volume was a bonus.

 

OH okay...

So replacing the H/U is mostly called for additional features or perhaps the look of a particular H/U rather than an increase in volume. And though there is a slight boost in volume, it is not substantial enough to be the sole reason of replacing the H/U.. Right? It certaintly wouldn't be $200+ worth?

So then, how do I go about boosting volume? Is the only way replacing all the speakers and amps? Is there no middle ground?

 

I replaced my HU with an Alpine, 45 watts per channel x 4 plus a ton of features including phone dialing not cheap but worth it, and all I did was to purchase a plug for the Mini audio harness and plug it to the alpine harness, no cutting or anything....and then I added an Infinity bass link and now I have booming sound. I also replaced all speakers but kept all original wiring.
...see my gallery under admin album and, click on the link.

 

Don't know of other options, sorry. That is the downside of the HK system - if it suits you, great; if it does not ...

One last suggestion; get a CD of music you like and compare the volume in your car against the volume of another HK equipped car - just to make sure there is no actual fault with your car.