I upgraded the stereo system to the HI-FI for an extra $500....to me its a major dissapointment....wasted $500 IMO. Now we are going to upgrade the upgraded system. We do all the work ourselvs here and priced out the upgrade. Amp, Mid, tweeters and 2- 8" subwoofers that will intergrate so you will not see any change...we priced out all components to be around $570. That is not a special price as we are not dealers for audio, just what everyone would pay.

Sad Mini does such a poor job on an upgaded....wish I had the chance to hear it before I purchased.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

 

I ordered the hi fi and picked up the car Friday. You're right its pretty bad. If you adjust the bass up the cheap paper speakers rattle pretty bad. Im not to happy but pretty recently I swapped out my C6's system and paid quite a bit for it so Im not jumping into another big deal. I'll live with it and down the road maybe add a JL Stealthbox and amp. The mids and highs dont sound to bad and maybe liveable.

 

I bought the $500 upgrade and like it. Before ordering I checked into aftermarket upgrades and found quickly that $500 buys very little once labor is added-in.

If were going to upgrade further the first thing I'd do is soundproof the cabin. Spending real $$ on a sound system in a car so noisy is really silly.

 

The Hi-Fi is $500 better than the absolutely horrid base audio system. That doesn't mean it's a good system though. That said, hindsight is 20/20, and if I did it over again I'd get the base stereo, do the front/rear pin swap while adding an amplifier and swapping out the speakers with good units. It'd cost about a grand [plus or minus budget and hi-end needs] for the swap but would be worth it over the factory Hi-Fi "upgrade"

 

It's a lot of sound for a little area, but I agree, the bass rattles the speakers at too low of a setting. The compromise of lowering the base to avoid rattle makes the overall just a little off IMHO for songs that need the thump. Still, way better than the base unit.

 

There have actually been a lot of threads about this. At first I was bummed that my Mini did not the premium sound system (im a young audiophile) but was quickly relieved when I heard the sound of the premium sound system. Im fairly happy with the stock system, it just sucks that it sounds about the same as the $500 HiFi upgrade.
Wouldnt mind more base though...

 

I took a stash of CDs and tested both the hifi and base sound systems extensively. without a doubt, the hifi definitely sounds better. whether it is $500 better or not is subjective. for me, i chose to go with the base. with the amount of road noise in the car, i dont think it will make a tremendous difference. secondly, something does not feel so right about paying for a hifi system and not really getting TRUE hifi quality out of it. the base system does not sound good. tip though - use the fader and move isolate the sound to the front speakers only. crank up the bass and treble a few notches, and it will sound significantly better. friend of mine who used to compete in audio competitions only ran speakers to the front and had a sub in the back. granted the mini does not have a sub in the back and the front speakers are far from quality, but give this setting a try and you'll notice an improvement. with the hifi, i tried doing the same and it did NOT sound better. the hifi you are better off running fronts and rears. hope that helps the base stereo folks out there.

 

That's exactly how I came to get the HiFi. Even my wife who doesn't really notice things like that said the test drive with the HiFi sounded better. One small (very small) aspect of the HiFi are the pillar tweeters. I think they make a decent difference with actually hearing cymbals on the highway since they are at more ear level.

 

I think it sounds good not like WOW but it is a good upgrade for $500 on a premium car.

 

I am far from an audiophile especially after my navy time in an engine room of a submarine in the 80's. Wrecks havoc on the ears. But I listened to both and the Hi-Fi sounded better to me so I went for it. I have not regretted it in the month I have had the car.

 

It still boggles my mind that people on this board thing the Mini is noisy.

 

Compared to my 2006 Honda Accord I traded in on my MINI the MINI is noisy. But compared to say a Toyota Corolla or Ford Focus level car it is extremely quiet. All in what you are comparing it to.

 

I have the Upgraded Sound and think it's fine at reasonable volume levels. It's definatly better than the stock system. I think the addition of the tweeters near the windshield is worth $500. Everyone that's heard this system has commented on how good it sounds ('09).

What are your expectations?

 

True....for the record it is quite compared to my Vette.....loud compared to our Mercedes.

Getting back to audio, maybe my problem is all 3 cars I own have high end audio systems. Granted (2) of them are high end after market installs but, for me the upgraded system in my Mini far from impreses me. Its really not a major issue because in the 200 miles I have driven it I can't find a single thing I don't like...well maybe the tourqe steer....I can live with that fine.

 

I agree, I just got my 09 S with this system and my only beetch is that there's no mid-range EQ setting. Otherwise I love it, but then Im not hippin and hoppin to booty bass all the time. Decent upgrade IMO

 

I was sorely dissapointed in the HiFi upgrade when I got my Mini. Lately, for some reason, it sounds a lot better. That may be because:

1. The software update I recently got somehow better equalized it (which I doubt).
2. It really does have a "break-in" period.
3. I have forgotten how a really good upgrade sounds.
4. My hearing is getting worse.
5. The upgrade I want just costs too much

 

Were not listining to rap or hip hop either but, I like clarity and clean bass when I have it turned up. To our ears the bass is the worst....followed by weak mid and tweeter. And yes for a $500 upgrade you should have EQ settings at the least. To be clear my complaint is when you turn the system up it sounds cheap even at the lower levels I find it weak. We just decided that we are going remove the comlete interior and dynamat the inside.....then do the upgrade. Looks like we can do everything I want to do and add an EQ right at the upper part of the opening in the center console.

 

hifi in this car sux
harmon kardon was way better
But,
coming from someone who has upgraded audio systems before...
you couldnt upgrade this car properly for under $500 and be satisfied with the results.....

 

It's better than the stock, but not as good as a system with new/better speakers that's for sure. I was able to improve my sound about 50% just by using a docking wire for my iPod. The source makes more difference than the sound system most of the time. Speaker breakin is underrated. One guy who installs very high end speakers will not install them until they're broken in at his shop for several hundred hours. He says you're wasting your money until you do this.

 

If you are doing the install yourself you can add the following..
4 channel amp
(2) 8" subs
mid & tweeter speakers
for between $500 and $600, we have also done installs on mid and high end components. I will list the components and pricing when we finalize what we need.

 

Interesting.....never heard of a couple of hunderd hour break in on a speaker....I just got off the phone with a local high end shop and read this while I was speaking to him....he agreed this sounded strange to him and he competes.............!!

 

I found that fading about 4 or 5 clicks to the rear greatly improves the overall sound and bass. As all things with audio it is subjective, so YMMV.

 

I skipped the hi-fi and am glad I did

 

When I took a test drive, I had the stereo turned off. I wanted to hear the car and its sounds. I never heard either the base or the hifi prior to ordering, but I went with the hifi for two reasons. First, more power (not saying too much, but it's there). Second, I wanted the tweeters in the A-pillars. If I ever do an upgrade, I will swap out speakers only. I don't care so much for additional power amps or subs. I mainly listen to jazz, classic rock and comedy.

I went into this knowing the car is a bit noisy (I drove an MDX prior to this one), so I know that true audiophile sound was not in the cards. Doesn't bother me though. I am happy with the hifi. It sounds good enough for me while driving. Whether it is worth the extra coin, that's something we each need to determine for ourselves.

Bottom line is if I want to hear good, clear music, I will listen at home, relaxing in my listening chair. I run a tube amp through Klipschorns at home, and nothing anyone can put into a car will ever sound as good (IMHO).

 

I had my Harman Karon system on my 05 Cooper S.. and it sounds so bad already.. so I didn't order the HI-FI system for this one..