We went with the HK and are very pleased...It does lack in the bass department, and the EQ. This will the first time I have ever kept the stock sound ststem in any of my cars..
On another thread I hears mention of a subwwoofer under the seat for the MINI, and to be honest I believe you have that option when you purchase...
Actually I better go check just to make double sure it is'nt already in our MCSa.

 

HK is a piece of crap? Compared to what? A sound system that costs twice as much. Compare it to a comparable system. What would you get for $750 in aftermarket? Now if the HK was a $1500 option then I would agree with you. I am opting for the HK system.

 

I had a hk system stock in my e46 bimmer, it sounded like completely crap, before that i had a full type r system in a celica, and it sounded 100 times better, and it cost me less than 750
And there is no need to mess with the headunit
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/jlaudio_pages.php?page_id=173

 

Well, since you purchased a 2008, you don't even have an H/K system. H/K only became available on second generation MINI's starting with the 2010 model year. You have the Hi-Fi sound system which is completely different.

 

This. The HiFi and HK are completely different systems.

 

Hello ! New guy here! I just installed a new Kenwood stereo with hands free and Bluetooth in my 05 mini. The installers left the Harmon Kardon stereo in the car and attached it to the back inside trunk by wall, in order to keep the sound quality. The problem now is it goes back to preset sound every time I turn the car off. So when I restart it I get very poor sound quality when I turn it up. Is there anything I or they can do to stop it from going back to that adjustment.? Thankyou for your help!

 

My 2012 hk system sounds great, with enough bass to feel it in my hair!

 

With all due respect, the HK in my 2012 exceeds my expectations, especially when you compare it to extreme hyperbole such as this.
For $750, it's a great value. I listen to primarily house and techno, which is notorious for being punishing on a system and it sounds great on the HK. This is coming from someone with a full JBL pro series nightclub PA in my house backed with Crown and Rane Mojo gear. Could you do better in the aftermarket? No doubt, but for $750 it's one of the best options that MINI offers, imo.
Plus, get some of that fancy mood lighting going, and you have yourself a pretty nice rolling discotheque!

 

Subzero,
Thanks for your input. Before ordering, my wife and I set a budget for this car purchase. I had not ordered a new car since 1978 and my wife has never ordered. One thing we did was to sit down and determine wants and needs, I needed a better stereo than what was standard. I have had aftermarket installed and have had issues (mostly wiring or not getting the speakers that you paid for installed) HK has been around for eons and makes a decent product. Is it the best, no but would I rather have a really good sound system or some other options that cost $750? I think not.

2012 CM non S light coffee, Black roof and mirrors, cold weather, sport seats, sunroof, split rail, auto ac. Steptronic. all season tires and HK

 

Hey Lucky, thanks for the response. You make a great point. When you start to compare the Price vs. Value of certain other alternative options you could purchase in lieu of the HK, such as auto-dimming RVM ($250???), USB/BT ($500???), armrest ($250?!?!?!?!) you begin to see the value in the HK. Someone in this thread complained about lack of bass in the HK system, yeah right!

Side note: I just got my car after reading these forums for a full 5 years. Part of my anxiety after I pulled the trigger on my order was caused by fear of disappointment after reading nothing but complaints about almost every aspect of the car. After a week of driving this beauty, I now laugh at myself for believing any of the complete nonsense I worried about. My advice, order the HK and use it to drown out all the naysayers!!

 

Sub,

You are welcome. People will always complain and give you reasons not to do things. They have ideas that are great for them but not for the general public. I had concerns, having never driven one but when my wife started talking to me about it 4 years ago, I told her when the time is right as she stated that the MC was too small for her When we saw the CM, that was it took a test drive two days later and it was "love at first drive". It took us 3 months to pull the trigger, as I was out of work and needed to get some closure on an automobile accident I was in a year prior. The hardest thing for me was to find a vehicle that had seats without lumbar support so my back would be in pain. There are only a few out there that we could afford. Subaru, VW and to a lesser extent Hyundai (Azera) and Nissan (only the Maxima). Tomorrow is the day that our CM rolls off the assembly line. We are so excited!!!! My wife is skeptible (someone who is on the left coast had to wait as their car was on the wrong ship and had to be transported cross country) Glad to hear that you are enjoying your MINI. I know we will.

 

All I can do is compare the sound of the HK in my MCS to the systems in our Honda Civic and Nissan Frontier. Compared to them, hell yes its easily worth the $750.

 

This debate is a prime example of why it can be difficult to have an online discussion about something you can't experience online. Too many subjective evaluations and opinions. I finally put together a bit of objective background info and measurement data, for exactly this reason - https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-upgrades.html

 

There are a couple of reasons NOT to get HK even if you want better sound.

First, with the way the cost of car audio has dropped since the early 90s you can EASILY install something from the aftermarket and spend less than $750. mrluckypa's problems with aftermarket are NOT the fault of the gear and is really irrelevant to the discussion. Comparing it to "other options" doesn't make sense either. A better comparison would be to spend the $750 or not. Nothing says you HAVE to spend that $750 on other options if you decide against HK.

Second, when you want to upgrade, and most people will, the HK system is a HUGE PITA to add on to. HK will be fine for a great number of people but it would be VERY simple to build something better for $750, you just need to know where to look and think "outside the box." Literally. Almost no aftermarket "manufacturers" actually make their own speakers. Find out who is the true manufacturer and save hundreds of dollars ordering the raw components directly.

See? Easy, peasy. :D

 

I've got the HK and it is the best non-aftermarket system I've ever owned. Unless you are a serious audio modder I think you'll be happy with the HK. It has great range from hi to low and the bass kicks pretty hard.

 

Do you have issues with door and or speaker rattles? I have a 2012 and am going nuts.

 

man i wish i had hk on my countryman s, my car was at the dealer for 2 days and they gave me a loaner with hk and it sounded really good. does anybody know if the dealer can upgrade my stock audio set up to HK? im either going to do that or upgrade myself but dont want to spend much, maybe 600-800 dollars.

 

Anything is possible, with enough money.

 

Raising this back from the dead.

This is my experience in a 2011 Hardtop with HK and a 2012 Hardtop without HK. I owned the 2012 Hardtop without HK, and the system is actually quite good without the HK. It has decent bass (for a system without a sub of any kind) and had enough midrange and treble. It did lack volume, you can only turn it up so far without it distorting.

I compared this with the 2011 Hardtop with HK, which a friend of mine owns. The biggest difference is the treble, the highs are really clear. The midrange and bass seemed to be about the same. This system did get much louder than my system without the HK. Overall quite a good upgrade.

I also had the chance to compare the HK system in a 2011 Countryman (base, not that it matters for the sound system) , to the base system in a 2012 Countryman (ALL4, again, not that it matters for the sound system).

Currently my wife owns the 2012 CMS4 and I own the 2011 CM. The base system is quite weak in the CMS4, not much bass, and the midrange and treble is OK. The HK system in the CM is a large improvement, more bass, more midrange, much more treble, and definitely more volume. My wife used to drive the 2011 CM and she says she misses the HK system, and agrees that the base system is definitely weak compared to the HK system. To make her feel better, I tell her that the base CM is weak in power compared to the CMS4 and she can agree with that.

 

The good news is that it can be upgraded. There is an Alpine upgrade available from MINI. It might cost a tad bit more than the HK but it's a viable option.

 

I read that the Alpine upgrade only replaces the front speakers. I found reviews that the system(s) available on NewMINIStuff to be quite good, so I'm planning on performing this upgrade myself (and just got the stock system)...maybe as a Christmas Gift to me


Just to throw in my two cents...

My Caliber has the Boston Acoustics sound system from the factory, and I find the sound is quite good...good enough for me, anyway. Previously, I had installed good (not great) Pioneer speakers, 600W amp, 12" sub w/ enclosure and head unit into my Ford Escort and it had a stronger and slightly better balanced sound than what the Caliber has.

Still, the Caliber has 8" woofers in the door panel (along with a 10" sub in the rear), and I love when that compressed air pushes on my pant leg. Just adds that little extra tactile sensation to the bass.


At the MINI dealer, I asked to sit it one car with and one car without the HK. I popped in my Carmina Burana CD which exhibits crisp highs and booming bass alike. The stock sound system was fine, and with the door woofers I got that trivial little pant leg shake I mentioned above.

The HK system was noticeably cleaner in the highs and mids, but the bass was diffuse and had no punch because it is all coming from the rear and seems to completely filter out the low-range from the door woofers. Also, the EQ adjustments for the HK were identical to the stock system...somehow I expected more options. Neither of these cars had the MINI Connected screen, so I don't know if more options are available there.


Ultimately, I decided I could probably live with the base system (unless there are un-documented features of the HK that I'm missing out on?) until I upgrade it to my liking. Time will tell if I made the right decision..