I never did subscribe to the "iiimmmmmm.....eh...just going to change out the speakers and see what it sounds like..." school of thought. Save that story for your wife/significant other. I DO subscribe to "Find great quality stuff on sale and by a piece at a time!" though, and thats wht I did. Some will say I drank the Kool Aid, and thats hard to argue with. I went right over the edge with the speakers....and it was worth it! They are CDT components, and I bought them at http://www.woofersetc.com/ . I wanted a three way system from the get-go, but wavered because I got a good deal on some Infinity References. They were 5 1/4", and would not work without a filler plate, and I didn't want to mess with that. Then, I found a good deal on the CDT ES-03 mid-rangers, and I was off and running. Here's my gear list:

CDT-Euroframe 6.5" cast fabric stripe fiberglass mid-woofer
ES-03 widerange mid-driver
DRT-25 tweeters
UP-525XT Upstage Blending Module with DRT-25 tweeters
EX-30 3 way crossover

Audiocontrol-EQL Equalizer
2XS Electronic Crossover

Kenwood Excelon XR-4S 4 channel amp
XR-1S subwoofer amp
KCA-WR10 wired bass boost remote controller

Was Roadster Sound-now Integral Audio old style subwoofer enclosure
Rickford-Fosgate P3SD412 12" subwoofer

Focal 690CA1 6X9 rear speakers
Second Skin Damplifier Pro sound deadener-bulk deal with plenty left over
Luxury Liner MLV for floorboards
Dynamat Dyna Xorb Speaker kits (2)
Extreme Speaker Kit
Front channel loom with RCA pre-amp outs from Newministuff
2 new A-pillars with tweeter pods
30 Ft. of 12 ga wire
20 ft of 16 ga wire
18 ft. RCA cable
15 ft RCA cable
3 3 ft. RCA cables

I gutted the interior as per many of the instructions found elswhere on this forum, and began with the rear 6X9 replacements I used the Dynamat Extreme Speaker kits along with one of the Dynamat Dyna Xorb kits behind the speakers. The Extreme isolated the speaker from the body, and the Xorb is a standing wave dissipator. I pulled the wire out of the rubber boot that the original stereo used, and ran 16 ga to the speaker, and soldered it on. then came the Damplifier, and I subscribed to the common wisdom that full coverage was not needed to quieten the panels down....about 40% coverage is what I used. With the arrival of the loom from Newministuff came the task of ripping the dash apart....terrifying the first time, scary the second time, and just time consuming the third time. It wasn't real clear to me what stayed with the radio

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and what went into the loom. I finally got it all sorted and my Aux. input back by the third try. The black twin cables are fiber-optics required by the radio and the cd changer
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After waiting to get all of the speaker components in, it was time to do the doors. I had to grind a bit out on the doors for the mid-woofers to get them to fit, but that was no problem. Dyna Xorb on the outer door behind them. Self-tapping stainless screws to secure them, but wish I'd used some silicone seal/adhesive between them and the door panel...just for additional security.

 

Then I had to fabricate a mounting plate for the 3" mid-drivers. 1/4" plexiglass worked a treat, with the factory speaker for a template. The 3 way crossovers were practically a snap in in the armrests.
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Then I put the Upstage Blending Modules under the drivers seat. They were large. The wiring sequence is power amp out to Blending module, circut to the tweeters in the A-pillars, and power on out to the 3 way crossovers.
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The Kenwood 4 channel amp went under the passenger seat. 12 ga wiring from the amp to the Blending modules, and 12 ga on out to the 3 ways 16 ga to the Apillar tweeters. The 12 ga to the doors went through to boot between the door and the frame. It.s tight, but it fits nicely in the notch at the bottom of the frame connector. This is the link to a great "how to" from Schatzy62. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...155-post4.html Thank you sir!! I wired from the door to the cabin, fishing it through with a piece of coat hanger, pulling the boot loose from both ends, running the wire to the cabin, then back through the door and the rubber cap that the mid-woofer wire goes through, and on into the armrest. Tedious, but do-able. Makes for a clean install.
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I chose the Kenwood amps because they had enough power, and they were very compact....they look nice also....even though this is a total stealth install.

 

I finally reached the point where I could start re-assembling the Mini. I put the dash back together, and started on the rest of the car. Ran all of the wires under the carpet, leaving plenty of slack for anything unexpected, and I was surprised at how easily it snapped back together. I drilled holes in the top panels of the doors to accommodate the tweeters to complete the 3 ways, and the brackets CDT supplied worked perfectly. The Upstage tweeters for the Blending Module were a snap in replacement for the stockers..nice and snug, no glue required. I laid out all of the wiring from the Newministuff loom(system turn on, RCA cable, and the wire for the KCA Bass Bost) under the cover for the console on the left side.Put the rear side panels back on, replaced the rear seat, and it was on to the subwoofer.
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I got a really good deal from Integral Audio as they were closing this line of enclosures out. I also caught the Rockford-Fosgate P3SD412 on sale at Woofers Etc., and I also had a place to mount the Kenwood XR-1S. Just my opinion, but we really lost a good piece of equipment with this enclosure being discontinued. It works great!!! Down below it in the tool tray is where I put the Audiocontrol components. In a lively environment (lots of glass, hard reflective surfaces) an equalizer is a must to tame the high frequencies.
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The next thing after that that MUST happen is a trip to a tuning shop with a real time analyzer, to set the equalizer. I took mine to Advantage Audio in Norman, OK and had them tune it. They did an incredible job, and even fixed some of my mistakes. The result is NO turn on "pop", no alternator whine and the sound is crystal clear up to ear bleeding levels....don't ask me how I know. The sub is tight and will knock the breath from your body, the soundstage is on the windshield and three dimensional, everything clear. "A Show of Hands" from Rush is my test cd, and the glockenspiel on "Closer to the Heart" is perfectly clear and easily placed on the stage, my favorite, "Subdivisions" will take your breath away with its power...I guess I'm starting to foam a little but it is so much fun!!!

Then, I decided to add the Ipod Interface.....

 

and it comes with its on little set of quirks. I ordered the kit from Outmotoring, and when I got it, it was clear that they fully intended the dealer install it. Once again, I followed instructions found on this forum, and managed to get the secret compartment out of the dash, and locate the WIRING referred to by everyone, but no one mentioned the fiber optic cables, and how they had to be separated out and plugged into the wire socket. So, I plugged the wiring into the socket and put the dash back together, but now the secret door won't shut....and the Mini doesn't see my Ipod. Pulled the dash apart again, out comes the secret compartment and in all the excitement, I got the silver lever out of place
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Line it back up, and the secret door closes just fine. Then, I notice a bundle of fiber optic cable back in the back of the compartment space, and it triggers a flashback of the headunit loom, so I fish it out and take off the blanking plug which looks nothing like the illustration in the instructions. The link to all of this is at

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-removal.html

Looking at the back of the plug going into the interface, it is obvious that the fiberoptic cable is required for the unit to operate. Snap it in place, button up the dash, and off to the Mini dealer for a service, and programing to recognize the Ipod....except it won't recognize MY Ipod Classic. It's a Gen.5, so It ought to work. get home, and plug the wifes Ipod in....it works. Now, does anyone have an idea about why it won't recognize my Classic?(running the latest version of Itunes)

Phil

 

Great job. I will probably try to tackle this when it gets warm.

 

Nice,

So how does it work?

How much was your budget?

How many times have you done this type of install?

What about sound deadening? Dynamat?

 

insanity i allways wanted to learn how to do this stuff until now.

 

With the exception of the Ipod Classic not being recognized, it works great. Found out today that the Classic won't register because of a bent pin in the docking port. The wifes Nano works great though! Didn't really go by budget, as I said in the beginning, I just bought pieces individually until I got a section completed...ie., the speakers then the amps, then the crossover and equalizer, and so on. I spread it out over a year and did all of the work by myself...in my driveway. I did this install at least three times... As reported above, Damplifer Pro from Second Skin for the sound deadning. The sound IS INCREDIBLE!!!

 

If you recognize insanity that easily...you probably already are, so go with it!!
YOU CAN DO IT!!!(just not in one weekend).

"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing....especially when it comes to your stereo!!"

 

It's never too cold to start laying out the logistics, and shopping for the deals. I would start by looking up all of the threads that might apply to your install, and try to visualize the operation and sequence of events.....and always be ready to deviate from the original plan.

 

nice setup, how much was your audio tune. I was thinking about doing one myself, or buy a bit one.

 

$250, 5 hours, money well spent!! Would do it again in a heartbeat!!