I'm loving my new MINI, but am surprised to be a little disappointed with the sound. I got the HK system, so it should be kick-***, right? Some people have mentioned that it's a little too bass-heavy, and I agree with them... however at the same time I find it's not quite enough bass. Allow me to explain...

My last car was a 325i with the HK sound system... that was an AWESOME setup with bass that I could feel in my soul. The MINI's HK system sounds different. The bass isn't as rich or deep, and it kind of cheapens the sound of the rest of the music when I try to crank up the bass. I keep fiddling with the treble and bass, trying to find a happy medium, but it's difficult without sacrificing some of the thump. (I need the thump when I listen to fun stuff like Black Eyed Peas.) Anyone else feel the same way? Any solutions?

 

Any stereo system that only lets you adjust the treble and bass is compromised in my opinion. If you turn the bass up to increase the "thump" you end up with a muddy mid-range, if you turn it down to make voice sound more natural, you get a thin sound.
An equalizer would help, but Im surprised with all the supposed tuning HK did for this system in the MINi, that it seems hard to get it to sound like I feel it should. According to HK, the system was tuned for Pop, Rock, and Hip-Hop music. I am used to cars with built in subwoofers and more control of the sound so I may be biased. Are there aftermarket equalizers that could be connected at the amp possibly that would allow the owner to get the sound tailored to his/her preference?

 

I'm disappointed in the HK system. I agree that the lack of controls beyond bass/treble is egregious. There's NO midrange, and the whole setup is mediocre and not particularly impressive. This should be the "base" system, and the upgraded system should be much better.

 

Yeah, the HK sound system is heavy on the bass, and the reason it doesn't get enough thump is because the lack of a dedicated subwoofer as stated.

 

Wow, you guys get off track. It is what it is. It is way better then the last Hi Fi system. With how new cars are put together, you are never going to be able to up grade anything and have it look like the factory did it.

 

Amen!


If someone isn't happy with the HK stereo I can't see many stock stereo's ever making them happy. It by far the best stereo ever available in a stock MINI. If you want better than that you have to go aftermarket and spend a whole lot more than $750.

 

I'm not saying that the HK isnt an upgrade from the base, or last years HI-FI system. It's a great improvement. But my wife and I own 2 other cars with factory stereos that are so much better. Part of it may be the small interior of the mini. Both of our other cars charged about the same for an upgraded stereo as does Mini. Its all about expectations.

 

Truthfully, I was expecting a crap system with the HK, better than the old Hifi, but still crap. I'm pleasantly surprised. It's not great, but I don't feel like I have to rip it out immediately like I did with my E36 M3 when I bought it new...

 

My H/K is kaput. Turned it on one day and no sound. Everything seems to be working fine though, just no sound.

 

Most likely the amplifier failed or a fuse blew.

There is a thermal protection that will shut the amp down for 10 minutes if it gets too hot.

 

I skimmed over this thread and while the system is decent, it's nothing crazy.

Honestly if you have ever been in a mark levinson lexus, it's way better than the hk system. Granted those cars are a bit more but almost all stock systems seem somewhat "lacking" or wanting some more.

 

Make sure the power wire to the amp is not disconnected either. It is easly accessible by removing the fuse panel door on the right passenger kick panel. The wire is red and runs right over the fuses. You can't miss it. It's the only single wire connector in there.

 

I'm looking at used R57s and I'm wondering where the speakers are located in cars with the Harmon Kardon system. You'd be amazed at how terrible the descriptions are for most of the ads on Autotrader, etc... Many of them don't mention whether they have the HK upgrade so I thought it would be helpful to be able to spot the extra speakers in the posted photos. A lot of the ads show pictures of the door panels so I might be able to tell just from pictures of the interior.

 

How to tell is to look for tweeters in the A pillars. HK system has a badge on the tweeter grill, older HIFI has no markings on the tweeter. If there is no tweeter it is not the upgraded system.

 

A ton of info and a diagram of speaker locations here...

http://www.mini.harmankardon.com/en/...technical.aspx

Here's the image..

 

I just got a 2009 Mini Cooper S convertible with the HK stereo and wasn't sure I would be pleased with the stereo after reading the reviews in this thread, but I've loved this stereo and definitely think it's worth it especially if you have a convertible. I agree that I'd like to be able to adjust more than just treble and bass. It's plenty of bass for me (I'm not looking to rattle the windows of the car behind me at a light) so I think it's all a personal preference. I'm definitely not an audiophile who can distinguish subtle difference in stereo systems so I guess I'm not all that picky.

If you are getting a convertible, I would say it definitely makes a difference since you're competing with all that wind noise.

 

Can anyone recommend optimum settings for the HK? Assume mostly rock music

 

turn it the volume up to 11.... :-)

 

Wow, a thread resurrected from 2009. LOL