I've got to make an appointment on Monday, so probably Wednesday at the earliest.

 

After spending the last few hours reading about upgrades, does anyone want to trade some paint work for some stereo work?

Damn, you guys gave me a headache trying to decide on 2 ohms, 4 ohms, this brand, that brand, high, low, bright...lol.

I'm in the exact same situation as the OP, I want louder, I'm not an audiophile but I know what sounds good to me.

Honestly, my biggest dilemma about getting stereo work done is trusting an installer. I've had high end stereos in about all of my cars and many of them I drove from NC to OH just to have a friend install everything. I'm EXTREMELY **** about installation quality and the last 2-3 installers absolutely dissappointed me in the quality of work done. (ie. pulled an interior trim panel in the back of a Yukon only to find the installer lost one of my panel screws and used a 4" wood screw instead.... ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME???)

If anyone wants to seriously trade out some paintwork, I'm in. I need someone I can trust and knows exactly what to install.


Mark

 

If you want to come out to California...

 

I drove 8 hours for an exhaust.

I drove 6 hours for a tune.

Hmmm, how many hours would it take me...

Mark

 

I was so **** about changing my stereo, I did it myself... no way I'm letting anyone else touch my car.

 

This thread is going to get a lot of attention now that there will not be any Mini's built with non-base stereo units till mid Dec.

Unfortunately for me...non of this sounds like an easy option.

 

Changing the fronts isn't bad. Took me around 3 hours, and mostly I spent that time pondering where to install the cross-overs and how to lock them there (for the record, it was the armrest, and I used some very thick adhesive tape to secure it).

The sound is.. ahm.. OK. Bad thing is, my wife has a Mitsubishi with a Rockford Fosgate system, so that's what I'm comparing it to. It's WORLD's better than the stock system, that's for sure.

I'd have just bought the HiFi stereo and add a sub. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.

 

 

Seems like a picked a bad time to stop sniffing glue...

NO, seriously. I just fixed my post. What I did was take out the PCB from the box, and then put some auto-adhesive felt on the back. I placed it on the inside of the armrest and then I used very thick auto-adhesive felt around the crossover. Believe it or not, this made for a very firm support - you can't move the crossover at all. Then I reinstalled the armrest.

Since the x-over has a switch in it to control tweeter output, it's a great position. I can take out the armrest and tweak the unit (although I just found the best position with an RTA - everything in phase, tweeter firing towards the front (not aimed at the listener AT ALL). Those Infinity Kappa tweeters sure have a lot of output.

 

Although I must say - I'm extremely surprised at how loud and good sounding my system is. I don't think I need an amp anymore. Just a small subwoofer will do. The Kappas are hard to set up - at first, I had the tweeters aimed at the listener, and it was terrible. Too much treble and strident midrange. When I changed their orientation to straight ahead, everything sounded tremendously good.

The 2 Ohm impedance is GREAT. If I didn't know better, I'd have guessed the system had a new amp in it. IT's loud and clean. I love it.

Next stop will be either the Infinity 6x9 Kappa 2 ways, a Bass600, or a Bazooka...

 

So, I just got my car back. I had the JL Audio C2650 component speakers installed in the doors. I also had a lengthy conversation with the store's lead installer, who owns an '04 Mini Cooper S. Here's what he told me:

• Mini killed low end frequencies in the rear speakers for 2 reasons
  • The rear panels vibrated under high volume low-end frequencies.
  • The stereo and speakers are well matched to eachother. The inexpensive nature of the stereo itself allowed them to engineer the stereo's frequency response to match the speakers' frequency responses instead of reengineering the speakers to match the stereo. It was a poor choice to us, but made sense to them for monetary reasons.
• There are a few steps in order to redeem Mini's inadequate stereo:
  • The 1st step is that which several of us have taken; replace the front speakers with some good ****.
  • The 2nd step is to add a 4-channel amp to really bring those speakers alive AND to switch the rear & front channels (given that you don't have options which make this undesirable). The proper amp will drive both front and rear speakers without risk of blowing the stock rears.
  • The 3rd step is to install a signal processor (Alpine Imprint, JL CleanSweep, Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty.2, etc.) and new rear speakers. He suggested the 3Sixty.2 because it actually redistributes proper frequencies to the correct channels, instead of just flattening the curve and throwing the signal back to the original channels. Essentially, this completely eliminates the OEM stereo's retardedness. When the processor is installed, the channels are switched back to normal because the rears no longer lack bass.
    
  • The last step is to add subwoofers. This can be done with a read-to-buy unit like many people here use, have something custom built such as the Urban Mini enclosure, or to have custom rear panels built with 8" woofers or subwoofers installed.

With this setup, you'll have a seriously kickin stereo system with all the bells and whistles you can ask for. The good thing, as with any setup, is that you don't need all of that stuff to be happy with your stereo. You can go all the way or just do front speakers. Anything helps the stock system. You can also do all that without the signal processor, but if you want the right frequencies going to the correct speakers then go for it.

Personally, I think that an amp, signal processor, and new rear speakers are something I'll look for down the line. I'll have to drive around with these new fronts for a bit longer and see how happy I am.

Some interesting news you may or may not know about
CJ (the installer) informed me that Metra has been working on a complete replacement stereo for the Mini Cooper (complete with computer integration). There's nothing on their website and I cannot find anything via Google, so we'll just have to keep an ear out to see if this actually comes through. If so, it would basically solve all these roundabout ways we've been forced to utilize.

 

Now that is a very useful post. Thanks jacobarber!

 

This thread has been very helpful. However, I need help in determining the rear speaker size in my R57. I'm pretty sure it's not 6x9. Please share your knowledge. I need to upgrade my system asap.

 

R57 rear speakers are 6.5" coaxials. You should have a large enough selection to choose from.

 

This is true.. the stock stereo's output seems anything but flat to me. I don't know if this is because of the impedance of my speakers, or due to "voicing" on the unit, but it's not neutral at all.

I wonder - if you add an amp, will the outputs measure flat from 20 - 20 KHz? If it doesn't, then adding the amp would seem to merely amplify the "voicing".

 

Adding an amp to all stock speakers would be useless. You can apparently push the stock speakers a little more than the headunit does, but it's nowhere near worth the money and effort to add an amp to all stock speakers.

The only way to flatten the curve and restore (read: not create) missing frequencies to their rightful channels is to install a signal processor between the headunit and an amp.

 

How do those JL's sound in comparison to the factory ones?

So you replaced the front door speakers with a set of components? I'm guessing they got rid of the speaker in the upper door and mounted the tweeter there?

You paid about $319?

 

They sound seriously fantastic in comparison. There is so much more detail, with lots more low end and really smooth highs. The installer set my fader to -3 (toward the rear, in order to compensate for the bigger volume of the new speakers) and +4 bass. Even with the EQ all at 0, everything sounds tons better.

Yes, they're components. The tweeter went in the upper door spot. I really can't imagine putting it in the A-pillar, cause I think the highs would grate on my ears a bit. The speakers cost $219, installation was $90. With tax, it was just over $320. I'm very happy with the way it turned out and will be going further with the stereo upgrades as long as I have the funds.

 

I tend to like the highs a lot, always bump up the treble , so I might like them in the A-pillar. A few people recommended if you did use the two door speakers + a pillar that you could use a filter on the upper door speaker so it's used mostly for mids.

I'm glad it sounds good. Is there enough volume with the factory unit?

Are you thinking about a sub woofer at all?

 

I think that in an ideal situation, you would use a 3-way component system such as the Focal Access 165 A3 (6.5" woofer, 4" midrange, 1" tweeter). The crossover will throw proper frequencies wherever they're supposed to go, and you'll have lots of dedicated speakers for individual frequency ranges.

There is definitely enough volume with the factory HU. It pushes the JLA speakers very well, but I know an amp would really bring them to life.

After speaking to the dude that installed my stuff, I don't think subwoofers are in my future. I think that an amp and signal processor are a better option for me, as I don't listen to a lot of bass heavy music. I like a great full sound. In my experience, subwoofers are liable to give me a headache quicker than I'd like. With a full frequency range going to all speakers, amplified sufficiently, and properly attenuated via crossovers, I think I'll be very very satisfied. It'll allow me to crank the stereo without blowing speakers, while sounding full and clear.

I think there are a few different approaches to upgrading the stereo. You can compensate its flaws by throwing heavy bass into the mix. That's the less expensive option by far. Or you can use a signal processor and completely correct the signals, amplify them sufficiently, and output through some much better speakers. It costs a good chunk of change, but very well may be worth it if you're an audiophile of any sort.

 

Why does JL, Crutchfield etc. say speakers that people are using do nor fit?

 

[quote=jacobarber;2862756]
Yes, they're components. [/ quote]

Excuse my ignorance but when you guys say components, you mean "separate" tweeter/midrange etc for speakers, right?

Not an "all in one speaker"... is that correct?

I think I'm going with the front and rear speakers and install a small amp to give it a little more volume.

All I'm really looking for is to be able to crank my stereo with the windows down and still hear my tunes.

I've had a lot of luck with JL stuff before so I'll try to find replacement stuff to "just bolt in".

Thanks,

Mark

 

Because Crutchfield is sometimes retarded and sometimes not. The easiest way to find out if a speaker is actually going to fit is to talk to an installer. See what they've installed in Minis and what they say will fit.

Yes, component means that there are separate woofer & tweeter (2-way) or woofer, midrange, & tweeter (3-way).

If you're asking questions like this, though, you really may want to talk to a more experienced installer before trying yourself. Especially with the rear speakers. I've read and been told that they are not so easy to get to.

 

I've long suspected that rear panel vibration was the reason for cutting bass in the 6x9s.

Seems to me that with the standard audio, the 3Sixty.2 would need to come at the same time as the amp. Why amplify the squirrely signals?

With the HIFI option I believe that the 3Sixty.2 would not be necessary. I think the squirrels are in the rear amp. I believe (and hope) that the signal at the X9331 is fairly good. If I'm right, the $400-600 price tag of the 3Sixty.2 about pays for the HIFI option.

I guess if Metra does come out with a head unit replacement, it would obviate the need for the 3Sixty.2.

 

There are coaxial speakers and component speakers. Components are separate pieces for woofer, tweeter, and sometimes a third midrange.

Coaxial means that all the pieces share the same axis -- the tweeter is in the center of the woofer. So, the center of each speaker is on the same axis. These are often called 2-way or 3-way. The 3-way usually fudge on the axis bit and have the tweeter and the midrange side-by-side in the center of the woofer.