I am interested in getting more sound in the Mini. I have an 05 Mini Cooper S with the Harmon Kardon system.
SO far I have upgraded the rear 6x9 speakers to Infinity Kappa speakers @2 ohms.
The rest of the system is stock.

Here is what I want to do. Upgrade the front component speakers, install a 4 channel Amp that powers the front and rear speakers, and replace the head unit. I think I need to match the impedence of the speakers to the amplifier, so I was thinking of just sticking with infinity Kappas for the speakers and looking into any 2ohm amps.

I want the HU to receive Satelite radio, play CD's, connect to and conrol my ipod. I would like it to be able to work with my blue tooth cellphone too.

I dont need the system to be competition loud or anything, I was thinking 80-100 watts per channel should be perfect.

I would also like to keep using my steering wheel controls.

I would like to keep my overall budget under $1,000 USD.

 

You also want to add vibration/sound deadening to at least your doors. Cutting down your background noise is always good. Take a look at Second Skin Audio for typical products.

Good sound can be very subjective so find local MINI owners that have upgraded systems and listen to their cars. You can also go to retailers and listen to components there, but do your research to find places that you will trust.

 

I am looking into the sound dampening stuff. What do you reccomend, they seem to have alot of different options.

I have trust issues with car/audio places. There is one close to me that has been caught stealing from their customers. THey would install their equipment, then go to their address and steal it back

 

The SSA stuff you want to look at are the vibration dampers (e.g., Damplifier) and noise barriers (e.g., Luxury Liner). With the vibration dampers they have sheet and liquid options. What you choose can depend on your budget and if you are trying to save weight. Their forum is a good place to browse for information.

As for your local car audio place, wow, what a racket. I would only recommend listening to equipment options at those places and then buying what you like elsewhere.

 

Thats the Plan Astrochex. I am probably going to be purchasing the electronics online. Thanks for all the great info on the sound dampening.

 

I actually just finished doing my doors with RoadBlockR sound deadening, this stuff is very easy to work with and does an excellant job, I have half the car done already and it has made a very big difference on my 04MCS.
I also have upgraded the Stereo, to an Alpine unit that does work with the MFSW, my Ipod and my Blackberry, my Speaker Setup is MAAudio the 6X9 in the back and the 6 in round upfront with seperate tweeters in both doors. They sound very good and a few people have even thought I had a sub in the back which I do not. The RoadBlockR really is what made the difference for my car. I did under the rear seats and took the panels off by the rear speakers and in the boot. I still have about 8 feet of ther stuff left and will use in under the front seats when I have the time to remove them

 

Are you using an AMP JRoca? I love Alpine BTW. My last car had an older Alpine with a digital equalizer and crossovers in it. You could set up presets for different types of music and access them very easily while driving. Aweseome Headunit.
Unfortunately when I scrapped the car I left the wiring harness for the unit and never installed in the Mini.
Do you know if you can get satellite radio on an an alpine? like as an AUX input?

 

No Amp in my car and yet the sound is very clear and I never get it over half volume. The unit I have does have Satellite capability and its all in the head unit with options to even record and also you can select by song, artist and team anytime one of them comes on any channel it will automatically go to that station. I found this option very usefull when I am away and want to listen to a game.
My unit has AUX but it is on the back, I had the wire run to my Ipod in the glove compartment and with the MFSW I can control it with out takng my hands off the wheel.
Very happy with my Alpine setup

 

Jroca - which Alpine HU do you have? I am looking at the CDA 9887 right now - it looks like a very promising unit and I loved my last Alpine HU which I believe was a predecessor to the CDA 9887.
THe features I am mainly looking for are Satellite Radio Capability, Ipod Capability, retaining stearing wheel controls, sound quality, and the active crossovers and Graphic EQ in the Alpine HU's are a big plus that made me really like the Alpine to begin with

 

My unit is a few years old, Model is Alpine CDA-9883

 

I think that is the one that I had! Awesome HU. I bought mine off of a friend in 2006. I would still use it today if I still had it.

 

It does work real well, I just installed my Real Carbon Fiber dash, took about an hour as I did it slow. Did some sound proofing also while i had everything apart we shall see if it makes any difference under the dash.

 

Sounds like your mini is looking and sounding real nice. I have already spent a few hours on http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com and in the dumb questions forum of http://www.diymobileaudio.com/ to get my education. I have already learned alot.
I still have that CDA-9883 but I left the wiring harness in my old car when I scrapped it and I cut the trim on it to fit it in place. I am considering buying the new CDA-9887 to replace it. I will also be installing an IPOD kit, the steering control kit, and Satellite radio - althought I dont know which plan yet.
I will definitely install the sound deadening and component speakers in the front doors. I am on the fence about the AMP though.
Installing an AMP makes it a much bigger and more expensive project, so we'll see.
I love doing projects like this.

 

I also enjoy doing the projects keeps me busy. The Ipod cord on the back of my unit interfaces with the MFSW controls so I dont even need to keep the Ipod in reaching distance. Same with the Satelite it is all off the MFSW.

Ordered my Carbon Fiber door panels they should be here Tuesday, and i will do more sound proofing. Will keep you posted

 

Go to the Hot Deals forum there and look for the 9887.....

 

I posted a thread on DIYmobileaudio.
Based off of my research it looks like I might be going with the IDAx305. I want to get some good qulity sound out of the system, so I am trying to get some feedback on what people thought of the KT-455 powerpack - which is Alpines $150 Plug in AMP that upgrades the amount of output power to 45W RMS as opposed to 18W RMS. - a huge improvement to output for a little bit of money.
With some good feedback, I will make my decision. The 9887 is an awesome system but it looks like you can really only reap those benefits with careful tuning and using only CD's since alot of quality is lost in MP3's. Also to retain that quality after amplification you need to invest in a very high quality amplifier and that can cost alot of $$$. going cheap on your amp will lose the quality you had with the 9887.
Plus the IDAx305 is IPOD compatible and thats at least 1 less thing I have to buy.

 

errr double post/

 

+1 for sounddeadenershowdown.com They did a great write-up/review.

I posted this on another thread, and I think it may help you with your decision...

When looking for an amp you need to consider the RMS and Peak power your speakers can handle. RMS power is the amount of juice (watts = current * voltage) your speakers can take and play all day long with no problem. Peak power is what it sounds like, a peak handling amount that it can do in bursts. You should stay away from that.

So, I would suggest a 4 channel amp that does around your speakers' RMS Watt value per channel. Power will be listed like this: 65W x 4 chan. @ 4 ohms, 100W x 4 chan. @ 2 ohms...

The amp will put out more power to the 2 ohm speakers and less power to 4 ohm speakers if that's what you get for the front. As far as I know, mixing impedance on a four-channel will not affect anything because each channel is separate. Components for the front will probably be 4 ohm, or possibly a weird number like 2.7 ohm.

Additionally you will need large gauge wire to run from the amp to your speakers (12-16 aug). You will then need power wire and ground (4 aug) wire to run from battery + to amp (power) and from amp to ground on your car (ground). You will also need a remote turn on wire (18 aug) to run to your amp so it will turn on when your car does.

Lastly you will need a fuse spliced into your power wire between your battery and amp. Fuse size depends on power of your amp, so ask someone when you choose your amp what size fuse you need.

As far as front speakers are concerned, they are no small task to install in the 2003 MCS non-HK (your 05 HK may be different). Check to see how the speakers in the doors mount before buying anything. You may have to make your own speaker rings, but as long as you have the equipment (jigsaw at minimum to cut a shape) you should be fine. Tweeters can be installed in the stock location...sort of. I cut out the grill for the tweeter guard in the door panel and inserted/secured my tweeter there.

Running wire to the doors is the worst part about this whole install, but it is do-able. This isn't necessary if you use the stock HK amp, but it's kind of like driving a ferrari to church. Why buy it if you won't really be using it? If you get a new amp, make sure to bypass the HK amp out so you don't get funky signals.

I think I covered everything, but feel free to correct me anyone. Let me know if you have any more questions as well.

I have installed several stereos, one of which being a club car in college. Two 15" subs, two sets of components (one in the trunk and one up front), a set of rear speakers, four amplifiers, over 3000 watts of power, four batteries, and custom fabricated speaker boxes.

Happy jamming!

 

Oh, one more thing. Make sure you have used the head unit you choose before buying something online. The user interface for an i-pod/mp3 player is a huge issue. When you are driving you don't want to have to rifle through literally hundreds of pages because it only shows three bands on the screen at once. Some look good, but have very slow processors, so you push a button, then have to wait a while, then push another button. Very annoying when searching for an artist.

I would recommend a Kenwood touchscreen. You should be able to get a used flipout within your budget that has a great ipod interface. But that's just a suggestion.

In any case, use the mp3 functions on a unit before you buy it.

 

Very Nice Write up Act 04. THanks for all the information.
I am looking for something that wont be too dificult to install. I plan on taking the Stock amp and possibly stock wiring out of the equation and I am looking for some good sound quality components that won't give me too much of a headache too install. It's the speakers in the door that I am worried about. I looked into the KTP-445, thanks to a link from Astrochex, and I ruled out using it due to poor reviews from users.
I am still considering using the IDA-305x and the CDA-9887, with a 4-channel amp, and aftermarket speakers. I will also be using sound deadening as well.
It looks like there are some decent quality parts that wont cost me a fortune. It's whether or not the speakers will install easily and running the aftermarket wiring. Got any suggestions for some easy to install aftermarket speakers or a good sound quality 4 channel Amp?

 

That iDA-X305 looks freakin' sweet! I would still make sure to use it in a store before you buy one though. I would stay away from the CDA-9887. Not that it's a bad head unit, my first stereo had the equivalent Alpine for its time. However, mp3 controls are going to be incredibly limited.

I think any aftermarket speakers are going to be equally easy (or perhaps difficult) for you to install. I got a set of 6.5" components to fit, but it may be easier for you to do 5.5's or 5.25's.

This is what I had to make...


This website http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_f...-class-ab.html has a great search with filters you can change on the left side for price range, power range, etc. I would suggest finding one that will do near, but not over the RMS power of your speakers, or planned speakers.

 

I am still looking at the IDAx305 and the CDA-9887. THe CDA is more expensive and it has developed an excellent reputation in the audiophile world. The IDAx305 has some mixed reviews, it looks like there are a few bad ones out there because some people LOVE the sound quality and others are having a hard time getting it to sound good.
either way, my plan is to wire in the satellite receiver, steering wheel controls, an Ipod adapter if necessary(X305 comes with it). I will probably install an MRP-F300, 6 1/2" components on the door.
I havent decided on the 6x9's in the rear yet. I was going to get standard 6x9's JLaudio tr-690cxi but, some people are saying to get 6x9 subs with a lowpass crossover.
I have been reading alot about sound deadening as well and I will be doing that as well.
I have alot of options and reading ahead of me. It's a good thing I have alot of time too. I dont plan on starting this project untill February or March, but I want to get as much information as possible to help make the best decisions.

 

What HU did you end up going with?

 

I haven't decided yet. I won't be doing the install until the spring. I have been looking into some other brands to see what else is being offered. Mostly looking into anything with Blue Tooth, Steering Wheel Control Capabilities, Satelite Radio Ready and Ipod compatability.
I am trying to get the simplest set up so that I don't have to buy alot of adapters and addons for it. I still want good Sound Quality, but I am really starting to believe that alot of these Head units out now all offer excellent Sound quality and I am being too picky, so I am starting too look for the simplest and nicest looking one.
Sony, Clarion, JVC, Pioneer, Panasonic all have some decent models out now. Alpines CDA9887 may have the reputation for SQ, but how far behind can these other brands be? Add in the HU that have built in Blue tooth and Ipod controls and I am alraedy saving at least $200 in addons that will end up overcomplicating my project.
I still ahve lots of homework to do on the subject, Ill post something when I make my decision.

 

Thats wise.

I am still trying to figure out everything I need to get my current functions with the 9887.