I'm going to throw a bunch of my thoughts about the stereo upgrade I'm doing here, hopefully they will help someone out. I haven't seen anyone post a stereo system build like what I'm putting together, so this is partially for me to keep track of my thoughts and partially to share what I learn.

I recently bought a 2006 Cooper S, and though there is a lot to love about the car, sadly the factory boost stereo is not one of them. I am an audio fanatic with a modest income, so I am putting together the best system I can within my means.

System Goals:
-improve sound quality over the factory installed system
-make the system as unobtrusive as possible
-minimize the cost where possible

I lived with the factory system for a few months before I couldn't take it any more. The one modification I have made is to build and install a DIY aux input cable, which I made from spare parts I had laying around.

On to parts:
I decided to start with the speakers. After doing a fair amount of online research I decided to take a chance and purchase without auditioning the speakers.

Front Speakers - Morel Maximo 5.25 inch component set.
I had my eyes on the 6.5 inch speakers, but at the time I ordered, the 6.5 inch set was about $180USD and I ended up getting the 5.25s for $75.28 shipped (thanks amazon).

I also ordered mounting rings from crutchfield (part 142SASC656) for $14.99 shipped. The rings are a bit flimsy and don't seal the speaker into the hole without a little modification or RTV silicone. For me, only 2 of the 3 holes lined up so a little extra effort was required to secure them.

I mounted the tweeters in the factory location, which was almost a perfect fit. To secure them in place, I wrapped double sided tape (the thick, foamy kind) around the outside of the tweeter, so that it fits snugly and can still be removed easily. (will post pic next time I have the door panels off).

I mounted the crossovers inside the door with some 3M VHB double sided adhesive tape, which is still holding them securely in place after two months or so.

Initially, I was not very impressed by the speakers. They sounded thin and tinny with no punch. After some troubleshooting, I realized that I had reversed the polarity in the passenger side's crossover. Once I had corrected that, the sound improved but still wasn't what I was hoping for. The highs were crisp and clean, but the mids were still lifeless and dull. As I expected, the Morel's also required more power than the factory speakers, so I had to adjust the fade toward the front to compensate. There was an improvement, but I still wasn't impressed and almost returned the speakers.

Rear Speakers:
A few weeks later I bought the Morel Maximo 69C 6x9s for the rears. I let them sit in my garage for a couple weeks before tackling the install. I have to say that it was much easier than I expected. There are a lot of forum posts discussing the nightmare of rear speaker replacement, but I was able to do it without removing the entire trim panels. The entire process took about an hour and a half and I think I could do it in half that if I had to do it again.

Now, with the full set of Maximo speakers, the clarity improved noticeably. The muddy sound I was experiencing was caused by the awful bass coming from the factory 6x9s. While there is a marked improvement, the sound still isn't satisfying, the mids and midbass are still weak.

This is where the audio system currently stands, below are my plans for the near future.

Deck/Receiver:
I thought about what I want from my receiver and came up with the following:
-sound quality
-aux input
-2 usb ports
-bluetooth streaming
-steering wheel control compatibility
-as close as possible to factory look

With that in mind, I bought the JVC Arsenal KD-R900. After watching and patiently waiting I was able to pick one up from amazon for $93.61 shipped.

I have not installed the deck yet (hopefully this week) but it has the things I wanted, plus plenty of pre-outs and a respectable 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC.

Along with the deck, I bought the following:
-32GB iPod touch. I plan to leave it in the car and sync wirelessly with my computer. I will use what sounds best between the aux/USB/BT streaming
-Scosche VW03B Wiring Harness - $7.32 from amazon
-Metra Axxess ASWC Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface - $43.92 from amazon
-Scosche Bw2370B Mini Trim Panel Installation Kit - $15.27 from amazon
-Metra 40-EU10 antenna adapter - $9.59 from amazon
-5 Canare Cable Shielded RCA Cables (had them on hand)

Bass
Part of my goal was to retain as much storage space as possible, so I was hesitant to install a subwoofer. I have seen a number of space-saving subwoofer cabinets designed for the Mini, but they were cost prohibitive.

This is where it gets interesting. I remembered seeing something that caught my attention at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Clark Synthesis Tactile Transducers. Pretty interesting hardware, do a little research if you aren't familiar.

I had the good fortune of picking up a Clark Synthesis T429 Platinum Tactile Transducer on ebay for $156. A screaming bargain, considering retail on the unit is $700. The T429 is the most powerful tactile transducer on the market and the specs say that it can generate over 900 ft-lbs. of force. The unit is an 8" disc that is about 2" thick, which I'm planning to install under the driver's seat. I bolted it to my sofa in the meantime to test it out and I have to say that I've been impressed.

Amplification

UPDATE: Bought the amp. Sony mobile ES XM-7557. I hope to have it early next week. Bought from eBay at $270+35s/h.

My plan is to mount the amp in the boot above the battery and build a false floor above it to maintain cargo area usability and ruggedness.

Parts list
-Morel Maximo 5.25 inch component set
-Morel Maximo 69C
-JVC Arsenal KD-R900
-Apple iPod Touch 32GB
-Scosche VW03B
-Metra Axxess ASWC Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface
-Clark Synthesis T429 Platinum
-Crutchfield speaker mounting rings (part 142SASC656)
-Canare Cables



Overall I'm very excited to start seeing this come together, it's been a long time in the making. I have all but the amp on hand and hope to pick one up soon.

I will be sure to take some photos as I do the work and will post them when I am able.

 

Sounds like a sweet build out. If I may make a suggestion, don't cover your amp with a false floor. You won't have any way to ventilate the amp and dissipate the heat. You will burn it out very quickly. I was an installer way too many years ago but I have seen this happen several times. You COULD slot vent it and install a few PC fans to help circulate the air.

I am interested to find out how your transducers work out. Make sure to take lots of pics for us.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I've been thinking about that. I think what I'll do is build two shelves and connect them with some cylindrical pillars. The amp will be screwed into the bottom piece of wood and I will cut a big hole into the top piece of wood and lay a piece of metal mesh in the hole. That way I'll have decent airflow through the top, I won't lose the ability to set cargo in the boot, and if I should need to remove it to replace the battery or something I can remove it easily. Hopefully that made some sense.

 

If you could fab up a shroud on the false floor mounting around the heatsink of the amp to encase it and use pc fans (high cfm type) in a push pull config you should be able to hide it without heat issues... Nice job on the components though.
May I suggest you to encode your music in ALAC to see if the deck takes a direct digital bitstream from the ipod as I know the BT streaming will degrade your music as it has not enough bandwidth to send the audio at great quality and by the components you have chose you seem like an audiophile to me.

keep us posted as i would love to see how your build turns out.

 

The deck does take a direct bitstream from the iPod through USB. I'm going to be installing the deck and ASWC interface tonight or tomorrow, so I will have some pics to post soon.

Also, I bought the amp today. Sony Mobile ES XM-7557. Bought on ebay for $305 shipped.

 

nice amp... look forward to your progress.

 

The tech who installed my sub/amp a few weeks ago tucked the amp into the tail light well. It's really out of the way Just two screws (or one? I forget.) to get it out should I need more room to pop the tail light housing out.

 

Budget, hi-end? LOVE it!

 

I like that for the amp location, but the amp I bought will be too big to fit.


I did a test fit of the head unit tonight while I'm waiting for the antenna adapter and mounting piece. I'm happy I was able to get a near perfect match on the display color of the jvc compared to the dash lights. I was also pleased that the dimmer works...for some reason I had it in my head that it would not be possible.

So, running the speakers off the built-in amp I have to say there is a huge improvement. It's still not where I'd like it to be, but it's nice to have bass going to the 6x9s now that the silly 100Hz high-pass is out of the equation.

Since I will have to pull it out again to finish the install and because I was excited, I didn't try to install the aswc module. I'm not looking forward to that after reading countless horror stories.

Here is almost how it will look:

 

Looks good! I actually had that same head unit for a day, I believe, but it wasn't sounding right, so they swapped it out for the JVC KD-R728BT, which also has BT, USB front/rear, aux-in, etc as well. I liked being able to change the display color to match the interior lights, which I can't do on this one. That was a nice feature, really made it look stock!

 

The steering wheel control module isn't as hard as people make it out to be I have installed a couple in friends rides and they were a piece of cake... I just hope the one for my buddy's 09 Malibu goes as smoothly as the other 3 I've installed.

Anyways that Headunit is looking good my man!

 

I hope you're right about the steering wheel control module. I've been seeing forum posts indicating that the one I bought (Metra Axxess) isn't compatible with R53 minis. I guess I'll find out tonight.

 

I bought some of the materials for the false floor today and was happy to find some metal sheeting that is close to what I was hoping for. here are a couple photos.


This is the material I chose for the window/ventilation. It's sturdy, looks nice enough (plus you can see through it), and won't scratch anything I set on top of it. I will probably spray it with some of the undercoating-style textured paint to add some grip and give it a more finished look.

 

02-06 cooper was added 1/10/12 so make sure you have a unit that was manufactured after that date or you might have to buy the USB cable to update it or you can make one with a usb to 4pin molex socket from the looks of it.

http://axxessupdates.wordpress.com/c...a-electronics/

 

on the phone with them now to see if you can make a Usb cable to update it.

 

I called Metra and I talked to a tech he says the cable has an IC in it to stop people from snooping comm data off the cable so that kills the idea of fabbing up a cable... he also said that whomever you bought it from should have updated it before shipping it out to you, so try it and if it doesn't work find a local dealer that carries metra products and call them up to see if the have the update cable and see if they can flash it for you.

 

As for an amp have you looked at one of these? http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...?itemid=225198

8"x4"x1.5" and it will put out 500 watts at 1 ohm.

It's small enough you could put it under the passenger seat or in one of the back storage areas.

 

New for 2012 Pioneer DEH-80 PRS Receiver
Audiophile quality at budget price of $400
110 dB s/n ratio
3 x 24-bit burr brown (lows, mid, high freq.)
2 x 16 Equalizer
3 x 5V output

 

sbeezy, thanks for all your help! I'm killing some time mid-installation while I wait for the liquid electrical tape to dry so I can close it back up. The good news is that it's working great.

There isn't a much out there for documentation installing these in minis, so here's what I had to do:

There were three wires I had to connect from the metra axxess harness. the black, red, and pink. I connected them to the factory radio harness as follows:

Black to Brown - Ground
Red to Red/Gold - Power
Pink to White/Red/Gold - control



It didn't work for me on the first try, I had to disconnect the axxess box and reconnect and it worked the first time. The 3.5mm plug went right into the back of my JVC KD-R900 without issue. I did not need the female 3.5mm adapter that came with the aswc.

 

glad I could help... Enjoy that nice setup man and stay tuned for my setup if everything works out I shall have a 2009 or 10 MCS soon.

@OldGameFreak I wouldn't trust the power ratings on the PBR 500.1 just yet as the 300.1 clips out before it even comes near 300w, but if space is an issue I would consider those amps from the PBR series no matter if they do full power or not because you will never see full power from an amp anyways(only in short bursts in transients)... unless you ride around blasting sine waves.

 

Well, I spoke to soon. The aswc worked great while I was testing it, but when I disconnected everything again and actually mounted the deck, It did not work when I connected the power again. Also, now my airbag light is on. It seems like the metra box won't even power up. I'll have to chat with their tech support and figure out what the airbag light is telling me.

...now that I think about it, the airbag light might be on because I have a bunch of tools sitting on the passenger seat. I hope that's the case, I'll have to check it out.



@OldGameFreaK - thanks for the suggestion, but I already bought an amp. sadly it's way too big to go under a seat or in the tail light well.

 

Mine is a MONSTER as well. I got a JL 500/1 and its way big. I wish I would have seen the Rockford 500.1 before I bought this one. I also saw they make a 300.4 thats smaller than my factory HK amp.

Good luck with the wheel controls. This is one of the reasons I keep the factory unit. I might have to make the change though. The d@mn HK front speakers keep blowing out and are hard to find. Almost at the point i'm going to gut the whole thing.

 

Well, a replacement aswc module is being shipped to me, looks like it'll be a few more days until I can have my steering wheel controls working again.

In addition, my project scope is growing. I figured that since I'll have to pull some of the interior panels off to run amp cables, I might as well install some sound deadening material. Hopefully it will tighten up the bass from the 6x9s too, the lower midbass sounds really muddy and isn't well defined. So today I ordered 50 sq.ft. of fatmat 50mil. I plan to do the wheel wells, the back (boot up to under the rear seats), and the doors. I'll install it when I run the cabling for my amp. I have also noticed a rattle from the passenger door speaker, so I may need to improve the speaker mounts in the doors.

 

@ Skucie for the speaker mounts MDF sprayed with bedliner is your friend or some cutting boards made from HDPE or something like that... you want speaker mating surfaces to be as solid as a rock from the grand canyon.

 

I'm in the process of trying to add the Axxess ASWC in my GP. The build date on my box is 3/12 so it sounds like it should be current, but still it's not auto detecting. I've tapped the signal wire at the steering wheel plug in the column. On my Boost radio harness the same color wire is not there. In the pin 9 location it's white withe a gray strip and yellow/butterscotch dots.

Any advice???