I recently purchased a 2006 Soho edition mini. I love the car except for the stock sound system. It's pretty weak. I'd like to upgrade to the HK system. Does anyone know how easy it would be to make the switch? I'm hoping all the wiring would be in place and it would be pretty simple. Does anyone have a used HK system sitting on a shelf that they'd like to sell?

 

Not simple and can be very expensive. You have to add the amp, speakers and change the wiring harness. There are some that have done it but it is far from easy. Best to go aftermarket.

 

And by "very expensive", he means ~$4000 just for the parts, plus the labour charges to replace the main wiring harness for the car.

+1 for aftermarket stereo.

 

-It's been done, but I don't think it's easy
-It's not plug and play - you need the HK wiring harness
-With said harness, yes, the MFSW controls the HK (HK is only different after the head unit - the HU is the same for all US systems.)
As a matter of fact...

 

LOL, thanks... Still sipping the morning coffee.

 

I have HK in "Bullet"....best sound system I've every had....mobile. I'm top down 90% of the time with H/K cranked till the my seat vibrates....course I'm an old fart...rocker. Seriously I've had the best Bose, and Custom systems in vehilces.....HK in a Mini....is by far the best. Personally I think its worth the investment... Do HK conversion...what ever it takes...if you enjoy riding and rocking.

 

DSPM might be a better option for a non HK MINI.

FWIW, I have HK and love it as well.

 

Thanks for all the input. So bottom line is that I'd need to change the wiring harnes. I'm assuming this is not the wiring harness for the whole car, but for the sound system. Right? But either way, the chances of finding a used wiring harness are next to nil because someone upgrading from the HK system would likely leave the existing harness in place. And buying a new harness would make the system rediculously expensive. Therefor aftermarket is the way to go.
There's a lesson here. If purchasing a new Mini, pay the extra few hundred and get the HK

 

DPSM > H/K > Boost

(Boost is the "base/stock" stereo)

doug4442, take a look at the DPSM. Blows the H/K away, and it's not a difficult upgrade for the Boost system (that's how it's designed, as an upgrade to the Boost). It's only people like me who had the H/K and wanted the DPSM that it becomes impossibly complicated to do without hacking and splicing.

In your case, no brainer - DPSM all the way.

 

Actually, to go from the stock stereo to the H/K system using OEM components & wiring requires replacing both the audio harness AND the main wiring harness for the car. It's the main harness that's about $2500. The audio retrofit harness is "only" about $300. Then there's the H/K amp for $950, the speakers for about $275, brackets, installation, etcetera etcetera.

As Edge said, if you're starting off with a stock system, the DPSM upgrade makes MUCH more sense.

 

I have never heard of the soho edition MINI.

 

Don't forget the door harnesses too - they are specific for Boost or H/K.

 

I figured there were others - I quit after I got to the $2500 main harness!

 

After looking on the webit looks to be a Canadian 06 MC. I can not find any specs so far just two articles about lack of power versus the MCS.


Art

 

Thanks for all the advice. I'll go aftermarket and save the headaches and some money.
Re the Soho Edition min cooper. It's a 2006. It came with the more popular features and some extra trim. It sold very well in Canada.

 

doug - again, don't forget DPSM! You do know what we mean by that, don't you?