Hello everyone, I fear my HK amp on my 04 is starting to go... left speakers intermittently going out.

I have already upgraded the HU to a JVC with the HK enabler, and got my steering wheel controls working via an Axxess. It all works and sounds great but not when only half the speakers are working :(

Now I'm going to check the speakers and wiring before doing anything since going over bumps seems to create and negate the issue... something could be loose with my crappy head unit +enabler + axxess wiring job.

But if it comes to it can I upgrade to a different amp and just lose the HK enabler? I don't care about those sound fields and wouldn't want to drop 4-500 on another failing HK. I know it has to be 2 ohm capable... and I guess I'd have to manually wire the connections that go to the HK amp?

Would this effect anything else in the car (blinkers, door jams etc)?

 

The crossovers are in the HK amp.

 

So they could also be in a new amp right? Is there something special about the HK crossovers that go with the HK speakers? I am completely clueless when it comes to this.

 

Absolutely not. Most likely the aftermarket system has replacements in the doors. Yes very much so. It's tuned to the speaker, the door response and to the vehicle bodystyle. ok

 

I've just had a major issue with mine!

The rear speakers were working fine then all of a sudden they started making a loud buzzing noise (the fronts were fine). I tried 4 different HK amps but the outcome was head scratching! They all seemed to create new problems as in:

Amp 1) wouldn't pick up the CD changer!
Amp 2) Picked up the cd player but the headunit wouldn't let me change tracks or select any other cd in the multichanger
Amp 3) Wouldn't let me control the fader or balance on the headunit
Amp 4) wouldn't pick up the front speakers.

So I went home took the old amp apart and got a hairdryer on it for a minute, plugged it back in and....IT WORKS!!!!!!

As for your problem lol, I had this problem too - it was a loose connection on the front passenger side door speaker itself.

 

@joylove Wasn't there an amp that had built in crossovers that many people have replaced this amp with? JL audio XD600/6 i think.

 

It is conceivable, but I have never seen that sort of thread, yet it's quite possible that sort of thing happened.

 

That thread (https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...failure-2.html) is what brought me to these questions to confirm if its possible... also I see this video but they say they added their own crossovers -- slightly different amp however:



I haven't read too much about the HK system but it is confusing to me. 2 Tweeters in the doors + what are the other 4? All 2 way? Are the rears subwoofers only? I'm talking about the actual speaker, not the HK software 'fields' that treat them different.

 

I've removed the HK amp from the boot and replaced it with an old Philips Dap600 I had lying around from my slightly younger days (amazing amp)!
I'm running the standard HK factory speakers/tweeters and have added Phoenix Gold cross overs to it (any crossovers will do).
The result - it sounds amazing - way way way better than it did with the standard piece of crap amp, the speakers can handle the power well, the amp doesn't go into protection mode and contrary to what people think - the car didn't melt.

 

I just got an R53 with a bone stock HK system. The rear speakers will stop working from time to time. I have a feeling the amp is on it way out. So, since you clearly installed an aftermarket amp with success, maybe you can answer some questions for me.

Are the outputs from the stock boost head unit speaker level or low level? I'm wondering because the amp I have is a rockford fosgate r400-4d and will fit nicely in the stock location but requires RCA inputs from the radio so I assume it requires low level input. Can I splice RCA connectors to the factory outputs or will I need a line out converter? I read on another very old 2004 post that the factory radio will no longer control volume if an amp is installed like this. Any help would be appreciated.

 

I would love to know this as well. I just rigged up the speakers to work with whatever the head unit is putting out just for a patch for a road trip, but I am definitely getting an amp soon. No one has really put out any details on wiring a new amp up (the JL Audio XD600/6 aside).

 

Only speaker level is available, from all MINI HU in all audio option configurations. Speaker level is more accurately balanced differential at about 8Vpp.
You can use the speaker level drive if the RF amp inputs meet the following criteria
1) It can handle audio drive of ~8vpp/6Vrms
2) It is a differential input, that it, the -ve audio terminal is not connected to vehicle GND.
Otherwise you will need a line level convertor. This is a balun that will take the differential audio and covert it to single ended (resolving issue (2)), and also depending on the amp input level specifications would be best purchased with an adjustable attenuator (resolving issue (1)).

This is only true if the HK amp is on the data bus. If the HK amp reports it's presence to the HU over the iBus, then the HU locks it's audio to about 80% volume, and disables the tone controls. the volume, the tone, fader and balance is then all handled in the amp DSP.

Don't forget, the HK amp contains all the crossovers and this would need to be addressed in any replacement system.

 

Joylove,
Thanks for the info. It is good to know that the radio converts back to normal volume control after the factory amp is removed from the bus. I had a feeling I would need a line out converter so I'll need to get one of those. I am also aware that since both the door mids and the tweeters will be on the same channel I'll also need a crossover or bass blocker for the tweeters as not to blow them out.

Music makes all the difference while driving in my opinion, especially on a road trip. I was considering an XD600/6 because of how well and easy they installed, but couldn't justify the cost of a new amp ($350 refurbished) when I have the rockford from my old car that I could re-purpose. By the way the rockford r400-4d are now only $150 and provide 100 watts RMS at each channel which is conveniently similar to the JL xd400/4 that many other Mini owners also use. However I have no idea about music quality between the two.