I've been digging around and can't find a simple solution. I have a 2003 Mini Cooper S and I want to rip out the HK head unit and throw in my pioneer aftermarket head unit. My HK amp died (of course) and I am a do it yourselfer who refuses to spend a lot of money on a new, crappy HK amp lol. Any links to a walkthrough? Thanks guys! Also, this is my first post so go easy.(;

 

Hmm, sounds involving. This isn't my area of expertise but I'll chime in.

To get sound back, I think you'd have to wire the speakers so that they bypass the amp. I remember this being suggested when I wanted to use an aftermarket head unit with my HK; in fact it's what Crutchfield's instructions suggested. Sounded like a pain in the ***. The problem is that even if you do this, it's probably not going to sound that great at all without the HK Amp.

Depending on how much of an audiophile you are, would you maybe consider replacing the entire system? You might not save but at least you'd no longer be reliant on the (overpriced?) HK Amp.

Here's the thing, even if you do get another amp, your aftermarket head unit is not going to work with your HK Amp! I had to buy an "HK Enabler" from the UK and splice everything together. It paid off though but there were a lot of hoops to jump through.

 

Don't know that I've seen a DIY, but it is true that you basically have to rewire the car, as currently all the speakers run through the amp, and the HU runs through the amp. Bad news #2 is that you'll have to get new speakers as well, as the HK speakers are 2ohm impedance vs. standard 4 ohm.

 

Get an amp that can handle 2 ohm loads and replace the hk with that one. Run RCA from new headunit to the rear.