Has anyone done the front / rear audio channel swap on a 2013 Clubman (base, with base audio)? Does it still improve bass response? Are the wire colors and pin positions still the same as they were in previous years when the instructions in this forum were written? I'm thinking of trying it, but if they've changed something, a swap could make a big mess.

 

I'm thinking same thing about 2012. I did the channel swap on my 2009 but don't know if anything changed regarding radio channels with 2012. Also, since I am adding an amp simply I just adjust it to "balance" the outputs instead of via channel swap? I would like to keep the reminder dong and the bluetooth telephone in the front.

 

I went ahead and did the channel swap on my 2013 Clubman, following the directions found on this thread, and it greatly improved the sound. Since the offender is MINI's filter that removes frequencies below 100 hz, I don't see how an amplifier could help -- the amplifier wouldn't receive the low frequencies to amplify. The swap reverses which set of speakers receive the chopped-off signal. Before the swap, the rear speakers, which are bigger, receive a signal with the bass filtered out. Once you do the swap, the full bass signal goes to the rear speakers, which can make good use of it, and the smaller front speakers are the ones receiving the bass-less signal -- but the fronts are better for treble than bass anyway. The swap reduces the effect of the unfortunate filter by sending it where it does less harm. Why did MINI cripple its base sound system? Probably to make the expensive HK upgrade sound like it has much more bass by comparison - the HK system does not have the filter.

The swap does unavoidably move the "dong" and bluetooth to the rear -- but I don't mind it there.