The unit IA uses in its systems to do just that is the PAC LC-1. It's available on Amazon.

 

I was just going to tap into the 12v outlet in the back, pretty sure it's only powered when acc is on

 

When I installed your X9331 connector (which works perfectly, thank you) to add a subwoofer in my H/K equipped 2013 R57 , I checked that black wire coming out of pin 1 on the x15. Interestingly, I found that in my car it is not switched, but instead carries constant +12V, even when the car is off and the fob removed. So it appears MINI made some wiring changes in some models at or before the time my vehicle was produced.

Looking for an alternate source for amp turn on, I then checked the harness going into the H/K amp, where numerous sources here have reported that "amp remote turn on is the white wire going into pin 10 on the grey half of the OEM connector."

That may have been the case at one time, but when I carefully unwrapped the black tape securing the wire bundle going into the amp and checked it wire by wire with a magnifying glass, I found there is no white wire in it and that the colors of most of the other wires in that bundle do not correspond to the circa 2010-1011 descriptions others have posted here. Which again suggests wiring harness changes were made at or before the time my car was produced. I'm left wondering if those may have been prompted by upgrades being made to the H/K amp, when it became clear around 2011-2012 it was experiencing significant reliability issues.

My temporary work around to not being able to locate a factory remote turn on is a fuse piggyback connector, which is sending turn on voltage to my sub amp via fuse #44. Imperfect, given that means the amp is presently on whenever the car is running. The permanent one will be using a feed from the one of the unused RCA outputs on the X9331 to get a PAC TR-4 to turn on the sub amp whenever audio signals are present in the H/K system.

 

That outlet (and the front one) are on fuse 44. In my 2013 R57, those do not power up until the engine starts.

 

Pin 1 on the X15 in a 2013 R57 is definitely the RAD_ON signal. RAD_ON operates a little differently from what you might expect though. Because all vehicle sounds are produced through the audio system (door chimes included) the RAD_ON +12V is activated by pretty much any activity including opening or unlocking a door. It then remains on for quite some time. If you walked away from the vehicle and left the doors open and returned several minutes later and checked that pin 1 wire without doing anything else you'd find RAD_ON deactivated. Note that there is also more than one solid black wire in the X15. I don't recall what the other one is.

It would be solid black on that vehicle.

Pin 10 is the RAD_ON. BMW changed colors several times, but the pin outs on the amp and at the X9331/X15 have not changed across the entire second gen production. It's frustrating, I know, but it is what it is. If you enter your VIN on bmwtis.com you can usually (but not always...) get the correct wiring colors for your vehicle.

If you used RAD_ON this would be the case anyway. RAD_ON is definitely always activated when the vehicle is running.

 

Thanks so much for clarifying, I should have realized that the circuitry I was getting might be controlled by timing programs. I still have the posi-tap lead attached to the solid black wire I originally found in the X15 bundle while installing your X9331 (didn't see a second one, but I can check again). The capped end of that lead is readily accessible, so I'll go test it again, to see if it does eventually turn stop sending +12v. Will start by checking it after five minutes; if it's still on then, will re-do the test going to ten minutes and if it's still on after that, I'll know I must have found the "other black wire" and can advise it must be part of some circuit that is always on.

When I was checking out that wire bundle, I was tempted to open up that black connector housing (the thing with the lever) to see which wire was going into pin #10 on the grey side. But I didn't, because I wasn't familiar with how to take it apart and given its thin plastic design, it looked like it could be easily broken if not opened up properly.

 

I re-checked the tap I made to the X15 pin 1 black wire. Yes, it must be RAD_ON, because as you indicated it does eventually turn off - to be precise, after exactly seven minutes of complete inactivity.

I also searched the owner's manual to see if there is any way for the car owner to change (read: shorten) that delay time, but it appears there isn't. Presumably, keeping an idle audio amp on for seven minutes doesn't create battery drainage issues, because I haven't seen any reports of that from those with with HK systems or your Soundstage and Subwoofer systems that use external amps.

So now with your help I have located the factory variant of a remote turn on lead. I'm still going to test using that PAC TR4 approach I mentioned earlier in this thread. If it works as I expect, I feel it will better replicate a true remote turn on circuit, only keeping my remote sub amp on if there are audio signals being sent into it.

 

Can anyone tell me where the "hifi" amp is plysically located on a 2008 clubman? Inhave Sat but not a Nav. Thanks!

 

Lift your hatch, look to the removable panel on the left side, viola, es hi-fi amp especial!

Secondly I have one of these splitters if anyone wants it, I purchased it not realizing it would be useless on a hifi system. Custom aftermarket ftw

 

No wonder I couldn't find it, I was looking under the seats!


I would definitely take that splitter off your hands. I think it can be used if you want to add an amplified sub that takes line level inputs, which is what I was thinking, depending on how hard it looked to use the speaker level outputs from the amp. Really depends on where I can located the small powered sub.

 

What are you trying to do with it that makes it useless?

 

On the subwoofer only install it says to only use one rca pair.... Are both rcas putting out the same signal?
Ex if using the left rca output and the song played sub-bass on left side and then swept to the right side, would the sub play both channels or only the left channel?