Navigation & Audio Integral Audio Soundstage upgrade
For anyone who likes to use EQ to color the sound to something other than what would be heard at the original performance....well, we won't be able to help there. You'll still have the Bass & Treble shelving filters in the HU, but that's it.
Neutral
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Kevin,
What do you think we are looking at in terms of cost for the total upgrade on the base R56 sound system? Assuming this includes speakers, amps and sub how hard will the install be and when do you anticipate it's availability?
Best,
Oliver
What do you think we are looking at in terms of cost for the total upgrade on the base R56 sound system? Assuming this includes speakers, amps and sub how hard will the install be and when do you anticipate it's availability?
Best,
Oliver
The combined Soundstage + Subwoofer upgrade will be on the order of $200-300 less than the combined price, and installation of the combined upgrade should be about $350. Basically this is priced at or a little below the old MINI DPSM upgrade, but with drastically better performance (and, of course, an entire proper subwoofer system).
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 330
Likes: 2
From: Redmond, Wa
Kevin,
For those of us that have already installed your subwoofer system-
a) Will there be some sort of price break if we get the soundstage upgrade.
b) Will it be a problem that the connections for the "older" subwoofer are different than your new model.
c) What happens to the HK amp that we have in the boot on the HK systems?
Thanks!
For those of us that have already installed your subwoofer system-
a) Will there be some sort of price break if we get the soundstage upgrade.
b) Will it be a problem that the connections for the "older" subwoofer are different than your new model.
c) What happens to the HK amp that we have in the boot on the HK systems?
Thanks!
It will remain, and will continue to drive the rear-fill speakers. It is also necessary that that h/k or HiFi amps stay in the vehicle to enable the dealer to perform any software updates on the vehicle.
I'd be happy to, though I have to say that I am always hesitant to answer questions like that since this response will be read by others. Many folks have strong opinions about tweeter materials and those opinions are, for lack of a better phrase, basically wrong.
The tweeter domes will most likely be cloth, but to be honest telling you that doesn't really tell you anything of any value about the tweeter. A lot of folks believe that Aluminum dome tweeters (or metal in general) are overly "bright" (a qualitative term that also is pretty useless) but that isn't true. SOME aluminum tweeters are "bright". The reason is that Aluminum is a pretty good tweeter diaphragm material - lightweight and rigid - yielding efficient tweeters. If those tweeters are low-quality or poorly designed, then you end up with a more efficient low-quality tweeter...one that reproduces inaccurate response at a louder level - you get the idea. On the other hand, lots of folks think or assume that paper is a crappy mid or woofer cone material (it would be more accurate to say they have been mislead to believe paper is crappy by BS marketing). The truth is that paper is still arguably the best composite cone material available - you can do things with paper that you just can't do with other materials. Go to your local high-end home audio store and pull the grilles off of every $10,000+ speaker you can find and note how few AREN'T paper...
The bottom line is that there are almost no hard and fast rules in audio regarding materials, despite what advertisements or the guy at the stereo shop try to tell you. In the end what matters is the quality of three things - the materials, the engineering, and the manufacturing.
The tweeter domes will most likely be cloth, but to be honest telling you that doesn't really tell you anything of any value about the tweeter. A lot of folks believe that Aluminum dome tweeters (or metal in general) are overly "bright" (a qualitative term that also is pretty useless) but that isn't true. SOME aluminum tweeters are "bright". The reason is that Aluminum is a pretty good tweeter diaphragm material - lightweight and rigid - yielding efficient tweeters. If those tweeters are low-quality or poorly designed, then you end up with a more efficient low-quality tweeter...one that reproduces inaccurate response at a louder level - you get the idea. On the other hand, lots of folks think or assume that paper is a crappy mid or woofer cone material (it would be more accurate to say they have been mislead to believe paper is crappy by BS marketing). The truth is that paper is still arguably the best composite cone material available - you can do things with paper that you just can't do with other materials. Go to your local high-end home audio store and pull the grilles off of every $10,000+ speaker you can find and note how few AREN'T paper...
The bottom line is that there are almost no hard and fast rules in audio regarding materials, despite what advertisements or the guy at the stereo shop try to tell you. In the end what matters is the quality of three things - the materials, the engineering, and the manufacturing.
I used to be that guy at the shop
I do know that to my ears ,the tweeter material has a basic sound and i am just curious what was being used
My favorite tweets are the focal be
They are simply magical and without a doubt best tweets i have ever heard but they are spendy and not for everyone due to price and size
My no 2 is the ring radial tweet from vifa (polk uses it in there sr line) i like it for totally different reasons
Cloth tends to have a little bit of what everyone wants in a tweet ,so i think its a good choice for a Product like this
I agree on th paper cone as well paper cones have stood the test of time and other than durability they are tops on most scales
Does ur kit put a 4"in the mid section ?
If so do you use time correction to help with the fact that it is a poor location choice for a 4"?
Maybe new a pillar with tweet and a 3". That would be the butts ***
Any plans for that?
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 222
Likes: 8
From: Irvine, CA
Oh just found this thread and very interested.
Any updates yet?
And to my noobness is running audio through the aux input ruin the sound? Is their a better way to run music via my phone with this kit?
Any updates yet?
And to my noobness is running audio through the aux input ruin the sound? Is their a better way to run music via my phone with this kit?
That's the one. Do you think it's worth it?
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,980
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Long Island, NY
Are you asking if I think the Alpine upgrade is worth it? Or replacing the the Alpine with the Soundstage?
The answer to the first one is "not once our Soundstage is available". The Alpine upgrade doesn't come close to our Soundstage upgrade. It is more expensive, though, so if budget is a driving factor you'd have to make that call yourself.
The answer to the first one is "not once our Soundstage is available". The Alpine upgrade doesn't come close to our Soundstage upgrade. It is more expensive, though, so if budget is a driving factor you'd have to make that call yourself.
No firm ETA for the retail Soundstage kits. Still waiting on the wiring harnesses and a few other items. We have been doing local installations of kits (and fabricating the harnesses here), so you should see some additional forum conversation shortly I'm guessing.
Just want to add to Walter's comment a bit. The final sound quality will never be better than the source material. If you are using high bit-rate, purchased (not downloaded) or self-ripped .mp3s then you will generally have good results. If you are using Satellite radio or peer-to-peer downloaded mp3s (which are often remixed or ripped poorly) your audio quality can suffer SIGNIFICANTLY. Additionally, the AUX in is the noisiest input source in the MINI, and that noise level varies from MINI to MINI. Some are relatively noise-free, and some - like Walter's - are so bad they necessitate replacing the head unit.
And to my noobness is running audio through the aux input ruin the sound? Is their a better way to run music via my phone with this kit?
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 222
Likes: 8
From: Irvine, CA
No firm ETA for the retail Soundstage kits. Still waiting on the wiring harnesses and a few other items. We have been doing local installations of kits (and fabricating the harnesses here), so you should see some additional forum conversation shortly I'm guessing.
Just want to add to Walter's comment a bit. The final sound quality will never be better than the source material. If you are using high bit-rate, purchased (not downloaded) or self-ripped .mp3s then you will generally have good results. If you are using Satellite radio or peer-to-peer downloaded mp3s (which are often remixed or ripped poorly) your audio quality can suffer SIGNIFICANTLY. Additionally, the AUX in is the noisiest input source in the MINI, and that noise level varies from MINI to MINI. Some are relatively noise-free, and some - like Walter's - are so bad they necessitate replacing the head unit.
Just want to add to Walter's comment a bit. The final sound quality will never be better than the source material. If you are using high bit-rate, purchased (not downloaded) or self-ripped .mp3s then you will generally have good results. If you are using Satellite radio or peer-to-peer downloaded mp3s (which are often remixed or ripped poorly) your audio quality can suffer SIGNIFICANTLY. Additionally, the AUX in is the noisiest input source in the MINI, and that noise level varies from MINI to MINI. Some are relatively noise-free, and some - like Walter's - are so bad they necessitate replacing the head unit.
Sounds good, I still need to make my order so I have at least 8 weeks to get my car but I will for sure skipped the HK upgrade.
Ya I avoid anything under 128 bitrate and put it to the highest setting if I can. I hope that mine isn't to bad and will keep an eye out for a better solution. I did purchase some CDL tiles, closed cell foam, and some MLV to help with exterior noise, that I'll be adding when I do the install.
5th Gear
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 987
Likes: 0
From: Cannon AFB, Clovis, New Mexico
The ONLY good thing about the HK setup, and even this is a stretch, is that it comes with the a-pillar mounted tweeters so you don't have to pay for them later. They HK tweeters DO have good extension and are pretty open but the response irregularities, esepcially at higher volues are murder. The HK mids are garbage. The midbasses are really not bad, if you never want to add a sub. They have enough midbass output to make you think they have low bass. Don't get me wrong, they're not accurate in ANY sense of the word, but they are "fun."
Having said all this, knowing the drivers the Soundstage kit is using it'll destroy the HK setup in every sense of the word. The advantage it'll have over the Boost system is so large it's not even worth discussing.
Having said all this, knowing the drivers the Soundstage kit is using it'll destroy the HK setup in every sense of the word. The advantage it'll have over the Boost system is so large it's not even worth discussing.
Design, engineering, and testing are completely done. Finishing up the last bits of production details. I had been hoping to get it up on the website by the end of December and shipping in January. Since the end of Dec is coming up in a few hours looks like the website bit won't happen, but January still looks good for purchase availability and shipping.
I'm focused on getting the product perfect and ready, once I've finished that up I'll get more info up here and on integralaudio.com.
If you already know you are interested in the Soundstage, email me at kevin.bennett@integralaudio.com and I will put you on the email list to be notified when they are ready. I will be offering a roughly $250 discount to folks on this list, so definitely email me if you are interested!
I'm focused on getting the product perfect and ready, once I've finished that up I'll get more info up here and on integralaudio.com.
If you already know you are interested in the Soundstage, email me at kevin.bennett@integralaudio.com and I will put you on the email list to be notified when they are ready. I will be offering a roughly $250 discount to folks on this list, so definitely email me if you are interested!
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,980
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Long Island, NY
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