Absolutely valid points! -- however, I suspect that "high-frequency cancellation" isn't likely; you'd have to actually misconnect one of the speakers and drive it out-of-phase from the other to make that happen effectively.

On the non-hifi system, two of the four channels are "the left door" and "the right door" -- so I am in fact sharing the available drive-current for a front channel between two (similar) speakers on that side. On one hand, if you choose to disconnect the crappy 4-inch and let a nice new 6.5-inch do all the work, you've given that speaker more current to do its job, and lowered the cost of your install; on the other hand, I spent another $75 and replaced them both while I had the door-panel off, drive them both, and have two point-sources of sound (more "spread") from that channel.

It really DOES come down to taste and budget.

 

I assume that "coaxial" is the same as 2-way? I got a component speaker set for the 6.5" location and put the tweeter in the A pillar (HIFI system). For the 4" I could only find a 2-way Infinity Kappa, so I just didn't connect the tweeter.

If it were the standard system, I think I would use the same speakers, connect the tweeter in the 4" and just not use the component tweeter. The system relies on the 6.5" for bass, so I'm not sure whether it is filtered or gets full range signal.

 

yep, a "coaxial" is another name for a "2-way": the centers of the tweeter and driver are "co-axial" (mounted on the same axis). mfr usually wires them at the factory with a simple crossover network between the two.

There COULD be some filtering designed into the head unit to discriminate the front uppers as high-frequency and the front lowers as low-frequency ... but I really, really doubt that the mfr went to that much trouble, especially considering the low cost (and quality) of the OEM speakers. Car manufacturers look for pennies to take out of the cost of a radio, or any widget ... it just wouldn't make sense to spec this radio that tightly. I suspect that any of the combinations discussed here work just fine, mostly because the radio is not that picky.

 

MMMM. For the most part Best Buy installers are pretty educated when it comes to car audio. I had all my speakers replaced with polk audio, sounds great, and looks clean. Best Buy installed them.

 

I also Disagree. The guys in ATX at Best Buy near my house know their stuff. I have an electronics degree and I am impressed by their all around knowledge. I can't speak for any other Best Buy locations, but these guys did a great job installing Polk MM 6501's on my Honda S2k and I plan to let them do the same on my 2010 Mini R56. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't need an amp though - the stock radio is the pits :(

 

While I'm sure there are Best Buys somewhere with competent people I am not going to give them a chance to touch my MINI.

Also. This thread had been dead for over three years and you resurrected it with your first post?

 

I had Polk MM6501 installed in the doors and MM 691's in the rear. The original HU is still intact, but the sound is awesome. I still may install an Alpine Amp for a bit cleaner sound and maybe a little more punch, but it is really not necessary so I am just going to drive it for a bit. I guess my biggest concern is that the speakers are 2.7 ohm and I do not know the impedence of the stock boost HU and may only purchase the amp so I don't smoke the stock HU driving these speakers. If anyone knows the 2010 base Cooper R56 stock Mini CD Boost HU specs as well as impedance compatability; please post it again as I can not find it. Thanks. I love these Marine Polk speakers crisp, clear and vibrant The stock mini speakers are like the earbuds that come with every MP3 player they belong in the garbage and the people making them should be reassigned because it is both a waste of resources and human talent to produce junk.

 

Can anyone tell me if there is a crossover at the in a base cooper stock boost headunit for the 2 sepakers in the front door ? Thanks.

 

The patient : 2010 Base Cooper with lousy CD Boost sytem : It's nice when you find the answer to your own question The stock HU not only has no amp, but no crossovers either in the front or rear. I am 99% of where I want to be, but I still plan to install the Alpine MRP-300 Amp to power the Polk MM 6501's in the front and 691's in the rear. I am currently planning to locate the Alpine amp in the rear of the car where the flat tire/jack stuff is located. If anyone has any alternative suggestions on where to locate the amp please suggest away. Also has anyone rewired the power supply leading to the HU ; so that it can be played without using the key fob, or hearing the gong with the doors open ? Last has anyone figured out how to disable the gong without impairing any other functions ? Many thanks in advance to all who take the time to reply, I am grateful. Peter

 

To all those who read this thread and work for Mini : why on earth do you waste both the natural and human resources to even install such a hideous base radio ? I understand the corporation wants to sell the HK upgrade, but why royally screw/punish buyers with a base radio that is worse than every other base radio offered in any other car ? Hyundai is going to eat your lunch if you don't offer a competitive vehicle with a nice base radio in the future.

 

pjdaustin,
I hear you loud and clear and raise my coffee in agreement!

So this resurrected thread is about to split into three tangents if this keeps up. I'll tell you that my speaker only upgrade of the front doors was a great improvement. I researched and found HertZ speakers that sound great, but are begging for a proper amp to feed them.

The sticky threads talk about some folks using a smaller sized amp that fits in a space under the passenger seat. It's under the carpet. I like that option since I do use the boot often.

Definitely interested in the delete the gong option but I haven't looked elsewhere to see if that's been done/posted. If someone finds that thread, please post a link here.

 

Thx. for your reply ! HOw did you mount the crossovers for the MM 6501' in the front door ? Did you use adhesive tape ? Please let me know. Many thanks. Will get on gong thing soon.

 

See this post: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3346645

You actually don't need the FOB to turn on the radio. You can push in on the volume button at any time and the radio will turn on. As for the gong, search this board for "NCS Expert". Not sure whether or not there was success in turning off the gong or not, but if so that would be how you'd do it.

 

Thanks Kevin, I appreciate your reply. Any suggestions on the best way to mount crosses in the front door ?

 

The best way to mount the crossovers in the door is to not to. Simply, a door is not a good place for a crossover. If you absolutely HAVE to, then do as Tom Farin did and mount them flat on the bottom of the door. Keep them elevated, protect them from ANY moisture, and create a "drip loop" in the wiring so any water that gets onto the wires will not enter the crossover by riding the cables.

The reason you don't want them in the doors is simple, impact. I've seen crossover components actually come out of the board when mounted in doors after the solder heats up from use and high ambient temps because 99% of people mount them vertically. That's why I would only suggest them being mounted horizontally. That way, even if the solder does get really soft, the impact from the door closing or hard bumbs won't cause anything to come loose.

It would still be a last resort for me, however.

 

A big thank you to the guys at Quality Sound for convincing me to locate the crossovers elsewhere. It sounds like the best place to position the crossovers would be near the headunit, or amp correct ? Thanks again for your advice, I appreciate it. Thanks also to Kevin for pointing out that you do NOt need to insert the key FOB in order to turn the radio on.

 

Actually, you should be thanking quality_sound, not me - that was his response to your post. His advice is solid - doors, generally, are hostile places for crossovers. The area behind the inner sheet metal skin of the door (i.e. the door cavity) WILL get wet, and personally I wouldn't put a crossover there unless it were designed for wet applications.

The midrange and woofer crossover network for the upcoming Integral Audio Soundstage will be mounted in the door handle recess, but the components are treated to deal with vibration/impact and are heat-shrinked to the PCB. If your crossovers are of a suitable size (most aren't), you could do the same with yours and mount them in the same way.

 

I also mounted mine inside the door handles. Not sure if HertZ cross overs are made for such locations but they fit perfectly.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...26-post21.html

 

Anytime. It's just me though, I'm not a shop. I haven't been in retail car audio since I enlisted in late 2002.

For placement, technically speaking, the closed to the speakers the better. Practically speaking, it won't make any difference. There just isn't enough resistance in the lengths we're running to change the crossover points. I would look for a place that will allow you to easily access them for tuning after installation, which usually is in the hatch next to the amp(s). If you have the hardware and knowledge, I'd HIGHLY recommend going active and ditching the passive altogether. It requires a bit more knowledge and trial and errorduring tuning but the reards are pretty huge.